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How To Articles

How To Not Get or Give Technical Assistance on Usenet and Web Forums

An irreverent, tongue-in-cheek look at technical support on the Internet from completely wrong perspectives.

WARNING: Do not read this article if you are currently experiencing a technical problem.
    
 
   


This article describes how to troubleshoot configuration errors in Windows XP by using the System Configuration utility (Msconfig.exe). The System Configuration utility helps you find problems with your Windows XP configuration. It does not manage the programs that run when Windows starts.

The methods in this article are intended for advanced computer users.
    


ADPlus is a tool from Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) that can troubleshoot any process or application that stops responding (hangs) or fails (crashes).
  • What does ADPlus do?
  • When should you use ADPlus?
  • When should you not use ADPlus?
  • Where do you obtain ADPlus?
  • How does ADPlus work?
  • Hang mode
  • Crash mode
  • First chance exceptions
  • Second chance exceptions
  • ADPlus command line switches
  • Run ADPlus for the first time
  • Typical ADPlus usage scenarios
  • Process stops responding or consumes 100 percent CPU utilization
  • Process quits unexpectedly
  • MTS or COM+ server application quits unexpectedly
  • Run in crash mode remotely
In Crash Mode, ADPlus automatically configures the debugger to monitor for the following types of exceptions:
  • Invalid Handle
  • Illegal Instruction
  • Integer Divide by Zero
  • Floating Point Divide by Zero
  • Integer Overflow
  • Invalid Lock Sequence
  • Access Violation
  • Stack Overflow
  • C++ EH Exception
  • Unknown Exception


Driver Verifier is included in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 to promote stability and reliability; you can use this tool to troubleshoot driver issues. Windows kernel-mode components can cause system corruption or system failures as a result of an improperly written driver, such as an earlier version of a Windows Driver Model (WDM) driver. This article describes how to use Driver Verifier to isolate and troubleshoot a driver in the system.
    


This article describes how to use Event Viewer to view and manage event logs in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


Describes how to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer 6 and Outlook Express 6 in Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to remove the Linux LILO boot manager from the master boot record (MBR).
    


If a service or device driver is started automatically and is incompatible with the current version of Windows, the service or device driver may not allow Windows to remain running long enough for you to shut down the service or disable the outdated device driver.


People who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can configure Windows to use visual cues in place of sounds, or increase the volume level of program and system sounds. This article discusses the accessibility tools that are available for deaf or hard-of-hearing users, and also describes how to use standard Windows XP features to assist these users.		    


This article describes how to install additional files when you use the Automated System Recovery (ASR) restore feature. Specifically, this article describes how to modify or add the [InstallFiles] section of the Asr.sif file to specify the files and the device drivers that are required during the graphical user interface mode (GUI Mode) ASR Setup that are not included on the Windows Product CD-ROM.
    


This article explains how to manually remove an item from the Currently installed programs list in the Add or Remove Programs tool if the item is still displayed after you initially try to remove it.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to add and remove fonts in Microsoft Windows.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure and use multiple monitors in Windows XP.

Windows XP makes it possible for you to increase your productivity by using multiple monitors to expand the size of your desktop. With the use of up to ten individual monitors connected to a single computer, you can create a desktop that is large enough to hold numerous programs or windows. You can easily work on more than one task at a time by moving items from one monitor to another or by stretching them across numerous monitors. You can edit images or text on one monitor while you view Web activity on another monitor. Or you could open multiple pages of a single, long document, and then drag them across several monitors to easily view the layout of text and graphics. You could also stretch a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet across two monitors so you can view numerous columns without scrolling.


This article explains how to identify the type of graphics card you have installed by using Windows debug commands.

There are occasions where Windows cannot correctly identify your graphics card and your installation will complete with a default VGA adapter offering fewer colours and a lower resolution than the card can support due to the correct driver not being loaded. It is not always possible to identify the make of a graphics card by physical inspection, particularly when using laptop computers, and this makes it difficult to determine the correct driver to use.
    


Discusses how to enable or disable the firewall in Windows XP.
    


Change the resolution in Windows Media Center to get the best display.
    


This article describes how to use the net view command to view a list of computer or network resources. NET VIEW displays a list of domains, computers, or shared resources available on a specific computer.
    


When you set display configuration options for dates, times, and numbers in the operating system, these settings affect the Date dialog box and other operating system windows. The Windows software you use also adopts those settings as you enter dates, times, and numbers (including currency) in your documents. This articles describes how to change the way Windows XP displays dates, times, currency values, and numbers.


This article describes how to modify the nonvolatile Random Access Memory (NVRAM) by using the Bootcfg.exe command-line tool. This tool can be used to configure, query, change, or delete the boot entry settings in the NVRAM.
    


This article describes how to find a compatible printer driver for your computer that is running a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows. The information in this article may be useful if you cannot obtain a WHQL signed printer driver from the printer manufacturer or from the Microsoft Windows Update Web site. This article also provides a method that you can use if you need a printer driver for a printer that is not supported on your computer that is running a 64-bit version of Windows.

Note: To print from a computer that is running a 64-bit version of Windows, you must have a 64-bit printer driver. You cannot use a 32-bit printer driver on a computer that is running a 64-bit version of Windows.
    


This article discusses how to switch between the 32-bit version of Microsoft ASP.NET 1.1 and both the 32-bit version and the 64-bit version of ASP.NET 2.0 on a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows.

When you install both versions of ASP.NET, you may receive error messages if you do not perform steps to enable each ASP.NET environment to run in Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0. For example, when ASP.NET is not set up correctly, you may receive the following error message from a Web page:

Service Unavailable
    


This article describes how to prevent a program from being displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs list on the Start menu in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes Microsoft Windows Firewall, the updated firewall software that replaces Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). If Microsoft Windows Firewall is blocking a port that is used by a service or by a program, you can configure the Windows Firewall to create an exception. Windows Firewall may be blocking a program or a service if the following conditions are true: Programs do not respond to a client's request; Client programs do not receive data from the server.


This article describes how to disable the Windows Firewall. If you turn off Windows Firewall, take appropriate additional steps to help protect your system. We recommend that you turn off Windows Firewall only when you really have to and only after you have explored all options to make your system more secure. Windows Firewall is the updated firewall software in Windows XP Service Pack 2 that replaces Internet Connection Firewall (ICF).
    


A Web page may not display or work correctly, and you may receive an error message that is similar to any one of the following error messages:

Problems with this Web page might prevent it from being displayed properly or functioning properly. In the future you can display this message by double-clicking the warning icon displayed in the Status Bar.

If you click Show Details, error details that are similar to the following error details may appear:

Line: 4
Char: 1
Error: Object doesn't support this property or method.
Code: 0
URL: http://Webserver/page.htm

A Runtime Error has occured.
Do you wish to Debug?
Line: 4
Error: Object doesn't support this property or method.

The following warning message may also appear in the Microsoft Internet Explorer Status bar:

Done, but with errors on page.
    


Discusses how to share files among both local and remote users.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot the following message in Microsoft Windows XP:

A network cable is unplugged

You may receive this message when you use a network cable to connect to a local area network (LAN) or to the Internet.
    


After you run the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, you receive a message that states that errors were found during the scan, and you are directed to this article for more information.

Note: Some of these errors are informational messages or minor issues and may not require additional action. Specifically, failures that are marked as a warning in the log are less serious than failures that are marked as an error.


When a service crashes intermittently in Windows XP, little information is generated about the cause. Therefore, it may be difficult to determine what is causing the problem. This step-by-step article describes how to use "Debugging Tools for Windows" to troubleshoot intermittent service crashes.
    


This article describes troubleshooting methods that you can use if information similar to the following examples is recorded in the system log:

Event ID: 9
Source: Aic78xx
Description: The device, \Device\ScsiPort0, did not respond within the timeout period.

Or

Event ID: 11
Source: Aic78xx
Description: The driver detected a controller error on Device\ScsiPort0.

The name of the source can be the name of any controller, for example, Atdisk or ATAPI.
    


Portqry is a command-line utility that you can use to help troubleshoot TCP/IP connectivity issues, which you can run on Windows 2000 and Windows XP. The utility reports the port status of target Transition Control Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) ports on a remote computer.

You can also use Portqry in the following ways:
  • To troubleshoot Active Directory issues in which you have to verify basic TCP/IP connectivity, which can be especially useful in environments with firewalls.
  • To verify connectivity to TCP/IP ports that are used by Active Directory for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), remote procedure call (RPC), and Domain Name Service (DNS).
    


This article describes how to use the DNSLint utility to troubleshoot Active Directory replication issues.

The Active Directory is a distributed database. It is used to store information about objects on a network and to permit users to access this information. Active Directory replication is used to synchronize partition replicas among domain controllers in an Active Directory forest. This replication process permits users to access information from wherever they are on the network. When this replication process does not work as designed, users may experience an interruption in the services that rely on information from the Active Directory: domain logon and access to nework resources, such as files and printers.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to troubleshoot scheduled tasks in Windows XP and in Windows Server 2003. If scheduled tasks do not run, you can use several methods to determine the source of the problem.

Note: Administrators or users with administrator permissions can configure the Task Scheduler to send a notification when a scheduled task does not run as you set it to run. To do so, click Notify Me of Missed Tasks on the Advanced menu.


This article provides information to help you to troubleshoot issues with the User State Migration Tool (USMT) and the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (FSTW).
    


If you are using SMS and you try to connect to the site server, you may receive a "Connection Failed" message. Or, the nodes may not be displayed after you are connected. Additionally, errors that are similar to the following may be logged in the AdminUI.log file on the server:

Error: Possible UI connection error code is -2147023174 [0x800706ba]

Error: Possible UI connection error code is -2146959355 [0x80080005]

Error: Possible UI connection error code is -2147217394

Error: Possible UI connection error code is -2147217389[0x80041013] Failed to execute method GetProviderVersion! Function GetProviderVersion returns empty string of ProviderVersion. Wbem call failed: T_WbemSyncEnumToContainer_Core, return code: -2147217389 We fail to get the ProviderVersion. SiteCode - SiteServerName , Provider Version : Failed to set the connection. error code: -2147217389

Error(ConnectServer): Possible UI connection error code is -2147024891

Error: Possible UI connection error code is -2147024891 [0x80070005]
[994][<date> <time>]:Error(CheckForDisconnect2): Invalid service pointer. WMI connection has been dropped. : -2147024891 [0x80070005]

This article describes how to troubleshoot a new or an existing SMS Administrator console to determine why it cannot connect to the site server.
    


This article shows you methods of troubleshooting Safe Mode video problems. In Safe mode, the computer does not start the video adapter driver that is used during normal operations, so you need to use Device Manager to discover, update, roll back, or uninstall the video driver instead of accessing the Display properties.
    


This article describes how to use the Memory Pool Monitor utility, Poolmon.exe, as a troubleshooting tool to monitor memory tags.

Poolmon displays data that the operating system collects about memory allocations from the system paged and nonpaged kernel pools and about the memory pools used for Terminal Services sessions. The data is grouped by pool allocation tag. This information can be used by Microsoft Technical Support to find kernel mode memory leaks.

A memory leak is caused by an application or by a process that allocates memory for use but that does not free the memory when the application or process finishes. Therefore, available memory is completely used over time. Frequently, this condition causes the system to stop functioning correctly.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot Windows XP Media Center 2004 if the Media Center Guide remote does not correctly change the channel on your cable box.


Describes how to turn on and turn off System Restore in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to perform basic troubleshooting for issues that involve the System Restore tool in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


The title of this article relates to XP SP1 and Volume Licence Keys but can be used to change the Windows XP product key for any XP installation.
    


This article describes troubleshooting methods that you can use to resolve a case of missing network and dial-up connections icons. One or more of the following issues may occur if you click Start, point to and click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections, or if you right-click My Network Places on the desktop and then click Properties:
  • The LAN or High-Speed Internet connection icon is missing.
  • The Dial-up Connection icons are missing.
  • The New Connection Wizard icon is missing.
  • Only the New Connection Wizard icon appears, or one or more dial-up connections also appear.
  • If you click the Advanced menu and then click Advanced Settings, only the [Remote Access connections] entry appears in the Connections list.
  • The Network Connections window stops responding ("hangs") or closes immediately after you select a network connection and then click Properties.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the Remote Access Phonebook (Rasphone.pbk) file to save and later restore dial-up connections, and to copy your computer's connections to other computers.


This article describes how to recover a Windows XP system that does not start because of corruption in the registry. This procedure does not guarantee full recovery of the system to a previous state; however, you should be able to recover data when you use this procedure.
    


This article describes the Microsoft Windows XP 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA) ATA Packet Interface (ATAPI) support for large disks over 137 gigabytes (GB). Windows XP does not support 48-bit LBA unless you are running Windows XP SP1 or later.
    


This article describes how to configure multiple-device dialing in Windows XP.

With Windows XP, you can use multiple modems to connect to your Internet service provider (ISP) to increase the total speed of your transfers. Multiple-device dialing (also known as Multilink PPP, modem aggregation, or Multilink) causes multiple physical links to be combined into one logical link. Typically, two or more ISDN lines or modem links are bundled together for greater bandwidth. You might use this feature if you do not have access to DSL or cable services.

Multilink is enabled automatically in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional.
    


To dial into and log on to your company network, you must create and configure a connection. This article describes how to create and configure a dial-up connection in Windows XP.
    


Microsoft Windows XP updates are distributed in service packs. Service packs help keep Windows XP current, and extend and update the functionality of your computer.


This article describes how to troubleshoot registry corruption issues.

If your computer does not restart, the registry hives may be corrupted. The error messages may vary. They can include any of the following:

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM.ced

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SYSTEM

Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE

System hive error
Stop 0xc0000218 (0xe11a30e8, 0x00000000, 0x000000000, 0x00000000)

UNKNOWN_HARD_ERROR

Stop: 0xc0000218 {Registry File Failure} The registry cannot load the hive (file): \SystemRoot\System32\Config\CorruptHive or its log or alternate. It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.
    


This article describes how to backup and restore the whole registry or parts of it.
    


Describes how to prevent Windows Messenger from running. By default, Windows XP will install Windows Messenger but the user interface does not let you remove or uninstall it.
    


Describes how to configure Microsoft Windows XP to automate the logon process by storing your password and other pertinent information in the registry database.
    


This article discusses how to use the Automatic Recovery feature to restore your computer to its previous configuration if the installation of Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) is not completed successfully, and you cannot start your computer.


Microsoft Windows XP Setup boot disks are available only by download from Microsoft. The Setup boot disks are available so that you can run the Setup program on computers that cannot use a bootable CD-ROM.
    


If you are logged on as an administrator, the Automatic Updates feature in Microsoft Windows XP notifies you when critical updates are available for your computer. You can also specify the schedule that Windows follows to install updates on your computer. This article describes how to configure the Automatic Updates features in Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to log on to Windows XP if you forget your password or your password expires and you cannot create a new one. To use the method described by this article, you must have created a password reset disk. If you do not have a password reset disk, see Password Problems on this site.
    


This article describes how to create and use a password reset disk for a computer that is not a member of a domain in Microsoft Windows XP. If you experience problems, troubleshooting steps are provided at the end of this article.
    


A guest account provides access to the computer for any user who does not have a user account on the computer. By default you do not require any password or, you can not create any password for this account either. Still if you wish to set a password for this guest account then you can easily do so.


This article describes how to create and use a password reset disk for a computer that is a member of a domain. You can use a password reset disk to gain access to your Microsoft Windows XP Professional-based computer if you forget your password.
    


This article describes how to manage stored user names and passwords on a computer that is a member of a domain.

Stored User Names and Passwords is a secured store for password information. With this feature, you can enter user names and passwords for various network resources and applications (such as e-mail) once, and then have Windows automatically supply that information for subsequent visits to those resources without your intervention.
    


Windows XP allows the administrators to restrict other users from changing the password.
    


Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) includes Windows Firewall. Windows Firewall is an enhanced version of Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). Windows Firewall is a host-based, stateful, filtering firewall that discards unsolicited incoming traffic through TCP/IP version 4 (IPv4) connections, and through TCP/IP version 6 (IPv6) connections. By default, Windows Firewall is enabled on computers that are running Windows XP SP2.

Because Windows Firewall is enabled, Microsoft SQL Server cannot listen to the network, even if it was previously configured to do this.

This article describes how to manually enable TCP/IP on computers that are running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Microsoft SQL Server 7.0, and how to configure Windows Firewall in Windows XP SP2 to enable SQL Server 7.0 to listen for TCP/IP traffic on a static port.
    


Instead of storing your user account password in clear-text, Windows generates and stores user account passwords by using two different password representations, generally known as "hashes." When you set or change the password for a user account to a password that contains fewer than 15 characters, Windows generates both a LAN Manager hash (LM hash) and a Windows NT hash (NT hash) of the password. These hashes are stored in the local Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database or in Active Directory.

The LM hash is relatively weak compared to the NT hash, and it is therefore prone to fast brute force attack. Therefore, you may want to prevent Windows from storing an LM hash of your password. This article describes how to do this so that Windows only stores the stronger NT hash of your password.


This tip will allow you to view, add, remove or edit the stored .NET users names and passwords. Each user's name and password has the unique credential which helps one to authenticate to services in domains.
    


This article describes how to perform an in-place upgrade, or reinstallation, of Microsoft Windows XP. This is also named a repair installation. It reinstalls Windows XP to the same folder. You may want to perform an in-place upgrade if your installation of Windows XP must be repaired.
    


This article describes how to remove Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) from your computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the Windows XP Disk Management snap-in to configure a basic disk and prepare it for use. This article also describes how to create and delete partitions, and how to format volumes with the FAT, FAT32, or NTFS file systems.
    


Microsoft Windows XP supports 802.11b wireless networking with the Wireless Zero Configuration service. With 802.11b wireless networking, you can enable easy configuration and you can switch between wireless networks. To use this support, you must have a wireless network adapter that is compatible with Windows XP.


This article is a step-by-step guide to creating a connection to a shared resource on another computer.
    


This article describes some general troubleshooting steps for network printing issues that you may encounter in Windows XP. The article then describes symptoms and a resolution of some common network printing issues that can occur in Windows XP.
    


Compressing files, folders, and programs decreases their size and reduces the amount of space they use on your volumes or removable storage devices. Volume compression decreases the amount of space that is used by all of the files and folders that are stored on that volume.
    


This step-by-step article will show you how to locate, connect to, and configure a network printer. You can use the Find Printers feature to search for printers in Active Directory when you are logged on to a Windows-based domain.

NOTE: If you are connected to a workgroup rather than a domain, the Find Printers feature is not available.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure the Windows Time service in Windows XP to use an internal hardware clock and an external time source. This article also discusses reliable time source configuration, manually-specified synchronization, all available synchronization, and some of the key Windows Time service registry entries.


This article describes how to use speech recognition in Windows XP. If you installed speech recognition with Microsoft Office XP, or if you purchased a new computer that has Office XP installed, you can use speech recognition in all Office programs as well as other programs for which it is enabled, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer.
    


The spool folder is the area on the hard disk that Windows uses to store print jobs as they are being printed. This allows Windows to quickly return control to a program after a document is printed. By default, Windows stores this file on the same partition as the Windows system files. You can increase the performance of Windows, and increase free space on this partition, by moving this folder to a different partition.
    


This article describes how to enable or disable notifications when print jobs are completed in Windows XP.

Computers that have shared printers attached act as print servers. Windows XP can act as a print server for as many as ten simultaneous remote users. You can configure whether notifications are sent to users who send print jobs to the printers that are attached to a Windows XP-based print server. Note that you must have Administrator rights to perform these tasks.
    


The paging file (Pagefile.sys) is a hidden file on your computer's hard disk that Windows XP uses as if it were random access memory (RAM). The paging file and physical memory make up virtual memory. By default, Windows stores the paging file on the boot partition (the partition that contains the operating system and its support files). The default, or recommended, paging file size is equal to 1.5 times the total RAM. This article discusses how to configure the paging file for system optimization and recovery.
    


This article describes how to change the location of the paging file in Windows XP.


This step-by-step article describes how to turn on debug logging for the Windows Time service (also known as W32time). If you are an administrator, you can use the debug logging feature of the Windows Time service to help troubleshoot issues.

Note: Microsoft recommends that you use debug logging after you have performed all other troubleshooting steps.
    


This article describes procedures that you can follow to troubleshoot difficulties with video drivers when you start your computer in Windows XP. Specifically, the article describes how to find out which video drivers are loading.
    


You can configure the actions that Windows takes when a system error (also referred to as a bug check, system crash, fatal system error, or stop error) occurs. You can configure the following actions:
  • Write an event to the System log.
  • Alert administrators (if you have set up administrative alerts).
  • Put system memory in a file that advanced users can use for debugging.
  • Automatically restart the computer.
You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you from completing this procedure.
    


The Data Protection API (DPAPI) helps to protect data in Windows 2000 and later operating systems. DPAPI is used to help protect private keys, stored credentials (in Windows XP and later), and other confidential information that the operating system or a program wants to keep confidential.

DPAPI is not responsible for storing the confidential information it protects. It is only responsible for encrypting and decrypting data for programs that call it, such as Windows Credential manager, the Private Key storage mechanism, or any third-party programs that call the CryptProtectData() function and the CryptUnprotectData() function in Windows 2000, Windows XP, or later.
    


The checked version of Winlogon.exe, in conjunction with a modification in Win.ini, creates a log file useful in troubleshooting problems related to Winlogon.

For example, you can track all messages exchanged between GINA and Winlogon.

This article describes how to move the paging file and print spooler to another hard disk--for example, after you install a new hard disk that is faster than the hard disk that currently stores your paging and print spooler files.
    


To help troubleshoot error messages or other issues when you cannot determine the cause of the issue, disable common startup programs, settings, and drivers to eliminate possible software conflicts when you start Microsoft Windows XP. This procedure is known as "clean booting." This article describes how to perform a clean boot, how to start the Windows Installer service, and how to restore your system from a clean boot state.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to schedule a program to automatically start at a pre-determined interval.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to automatically quit a user's running programs and to log the user off of a workstation after a specified time period.

Workstations that are left logged on may represent a security risk for an organization. Many networks allow users to leave programs running and to remain logged on to their computers for an undefined time period. The Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit includes the Winexit.scr tool that you can use to automatically quit a user's programs and to log the user off of the workstation.
    


The My Recent Documents folder on the Windows XP Start menu displays a list of files and documents that you most recently used. This article describes how to display, use, and clear the My Recent Documents folder.


As an administrator of a Windows XP Professional-based computer, you can configure your computer to audit user access to files, folders and printers. This facility is unavailable on Windows XP Home Edition.
    


This articles describes how to enable or disable the CTRL+ALT+DELETE sequence for logging on in Windows XP.

You can require users to press CTRL+ALT+DELETE before logging on to a Windows XP-based computer, or you can eliminate this requirement for a faster logon process. Note that you must be logged on with Administrator rights to perform this task.
    


This article describes how to create log files using System Monitor in Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

Download and use the Performance Monitor Wizard (PerfWiz) to make the log configuration process easier to set up.
    


This article describes how to create a keyboard shortcut for a program in Windows XP. Note that this feature works only with program shortcuts on the desktop or the Start menu. This feature does not work if the desktop shortcut is a shortcut to another shortcut.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to identify a 16-bit program in Microsoft Windows XP.

Most Windows 16-bit programs run without problems in Microsoft Windows XP and it is frequently difficult to tell whether a program is 16-bit or 32-bit. Many users (and many administrators) do not know that the program is a 16-bit application.

However, a 16-bit program can cause minor problems that may affect the performance level of the computer or the functions of the program itself. Because of this, you may need to determine whether the program that has a problem is a 16-bit program.


A Data Source Name (DSN) is the logical name that is used by Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) to refer to the drive and other information that is required to access data. The name is used by Internet Information Services (IIS) for a connection to an ODBC data source, such as a Microsoft SQL Server database. To set this name, use the ODBC tool in Control Panel.

When you use an ODBC DSN entry to externally store the connection string values, simplify the information that is needed in the connection string. When you do this, changes are made to the data source that are completely transparent to the code. This article describes how to create a system data source name in Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to disable visual 32-bit program User mode exception error messages in the 64-bit version of Windows.
    


This article explains how to disable Notification Area balloon tips.
    


This article describes how to assign a mandatory user profile in Windows XP.

Note: When a user with an assigned a mandatory profile logs off from a computer, any changes to the profile are lost.
    


This article describes how to find contacts by searching in your address book in Windows XP.


You can use Microsoft Management Console (MMC) to create a custom console (or administrative tool) to hold a snap-in that you use to manage a computer. Administrators typically create custom MMC consoles to enable them to modify commonly used Group Policy settings or other objects. You can use a custom MMC console to find and change (or disable) the Group Policy settings easily. This step-by-step article describes how to create and save a custom MMC console in Windows XP.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to set up your computer for infrared communication.
    


This article describes how to configure scheduled tasks on remote computers. With administrative rights on a remote computer, you can view and manipulate the scheduled tasks on that computer. For example, it may be useful to create a scheduled task on one computer, and then place the task on another computer. You can also change the configuration of a task that exists on a remote computer.

The remote computer must have a share created for the drive on which the Scheduled Tasks folder is located. The Scheduled Tasks folder is the %SystemRoot%\Tasks folder (where %SystemRoot% is typically C:\Windows).
    


This article describes how to configure RPC to use a specific dynamic port range and how to help secure the ports in that range by using an Internet Protocol security (IPSec) policy. By default, RPC uses ports in the ephemeral port range (1024-5000) when it assigns ports to RPC applications that have to listen on a TCP endpoint. This behaviour can make restricting access to these ports challenging for network administrators. This article discusses ways to reduce the number of ports available to RPC applications and how to restrict access to these ports by using a registry-based IPSec policy.
    


This article describes how to enable SQL Server connectivity on Windows XP Service Pack 2. By default, Windows Firewall is enabled on computers that are running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2. Windows Firewall closes ports such as 445 that are used for file and printer sharing to prevent Internet computers from connecting to file and print shares on your computer or to other resources.


Internet Protocol security (IPSec) filtering rules can be used to help protect Windows XP-based computers from network-based attacks from threats such as viruses and worms. This article describes how to filter a particular protocol and port combination for both inbound and outbound network traffic.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to create multiple CD-ROMs from a set of files in Windows XP. With Windows XP, you can easily use writable CD-ROMs to store files in a secure medium for later recovery, archiving, and so on.
    


Because Windows Firewall is enabled, Microsoft SQL Server cannot listen to the network, even if it was previously configured to do this. This article contains links to Microsoft Knowledge Base articles that you can use to help you configure Windows Firewall to permit access for SQL Server.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to establish a connection to an instance of Microsoft SQL Server Desktop Engine (MSDE) or of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition.
    


Computer Management is a collection of Windows administrative tools that you can use to manage a local or remote computer. The tools are organized into a single console, which makes it easy to view administrative properties and to gain access to the tools that are necessary to perform your computer-management tasks.


Chkdsk (Chkdsk.exe) is a command-line tool that checks volumes for problems. The tool then tries to repair any that it finds. For example, Chkdsk can repair problems related to bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files, and directory errors.
    


Windows XP includes support for Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), which provides the ability to share an internet connection with other computers on a local network. ICS in Windows XP allows services to be mapped to hosts on the internal network, so that requests coming from the internet and destined for a particular service will be redirected by Windows XP to the appropriate computer on the internal network.

For example, you may want to place a Point-to-Point Tunnelling Protocol (PPTP) server on the internal network and configure Windows XP ICS to forward the Virtual Private Networking (VPN) traffic to the PPTP server. This article describes the process that is required to map PPTP back to an internal host, so that an incoming VPN connection can pass through the Windows XP ICS computer. For the purposes of this article, it is assumed that the PPTP server is already configured properly and is able to accept PPTP connections from clients on the local network.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to prepare to upgrade from Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition to Microsoft Windows XP. The information in this article may be useful to help you avoid some common upgrade-related issues.
    


By default, Microsoft Windows Firewall is enabled on computers that are running Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Windows Firewall closes ports, such as 445, that are used for file and printer sharing. Windows Firewall does this to prevent Internet computers from connecting to file shares and print shares on your computer or on other resources. When Microsoft SQL Server is configured to listen for incoming client connections by using Named Pipes over a NetBIOS session, SQL Server communicates over TCP ports. The TCP ports must be open. Therefore, SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services cannot connect until you set Analysis Services as an exception in Windows Firewall.
    


This article describes how to change the Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) Maximum Transfer Unit (MTU) size.


Windows XP includes the System Restore tool, but you cannot start the System Restore tool from a Recovery Console prompt. Therefore, you may want to start the System Restore tool when you cannot start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in . This article describes how to start the System Restore tool in by using Command Prompt.
    


This article describes how to partition and format a hard disk with Microsoft Windows XP. Learn about your partitioning and formatting options, what to consider before you partition or format your hard disk, and how to partition and format your hard disk. Additionally, this article contains links to resources that can help you troubleshoot if problems occur.
    


The Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) is a protocol that enables software components to communicate directly over a network. Previously named "Network OLE," DCOM is designed for use across multiple network transports, including Internet protocols such as HTTP.
    


This article describes how to determine if your hardware or software is compatible with XP.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot the most common program compatibility issues that you may experience on your Windows XP-based computer. Program compatibility issues are often called application compatibility issues.


Troubleshooting methods are provided for general issues and for any one of the following specific issues:
  • You receive a file copy error while the Setup program is running.
  • The Setup program stops responding.
  • Your computer stops responding, and a black screen appears.
  • You receive a stop message when you run the Setup program.
    


This article explains one of the simplest ways to improve security of a Windows XP PC by implementing a strong password.
    


If you forget your password or if your password expires, you can no longer log on to your computer until you reset your password. This article contains several step-by-step methods that you can use to try to reset your password so that you can log on to your computer again. However, these steps will only work if you or someone else knows the password for another user account on this computer, or if you have previously created a password reset disk for this computer. If this not the case, unfortunately, you have to reinstall Windows XP and all other programs that were installed on this computer before you can use this computer again. This is for security reasons. Otherwise, anyone could reset a password to anyone's computer and gain access to private information.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.

You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.
    


This article describes how to manage stored user names and passwords on a computer that is not a member of a domain.

When you log on to a Windows XP-based computer, you can supply a user name and password, which becomes your default security context for connecting to other computers on networks and over the Internet. However, this user name and password may not provide access to all desired resources. The Stored User Names and Passwords feature provides a way to store additional user names and passwords as a part of your profile.

Stored User Names and Passwords is a secured store for password information. With this feature, you can type user names and passwords for various network resources and applications (such as email) one time, and then have Windows automatically supply that information for subsequent visits to those resources without your intervention.
    


Windows XP includes technology to dynamically apply compatibility fixes for programs that are not designed to run on Windows XP. The compatibility fixes are provided to assist an earlier version of a program in avoiding any issues that may arise. This is essentially DIY compatibility setting using scripting.

Windows XP permits you to install a printer from the command line. This is particularly useful when you use a logon script or a scheduled event to add or remove a printer from a group of users.

Although Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 contains tools such as Con2prt.exe, Con2prt.exe permits you to add or delete only network printers. You can modify and delete local printers by using Windows XP. The result is that an administrator can control all aspects of a user's ability to print by requiring users to run a batch file or logon script.

Note: If you use this command in a logon script or a client-based batch file, the client computer must be running Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000. Because the logon script runs on the client computer, a Windows NT 4.0 client cannot process the command.

Additionally, these commands can be run from an administrator's workstation or from a server so that the printers are push-installed to the client computers, without having to install from the actual computer.
    


The purpose of this article is to provide you with the information needed to capture network traffic from a local area network using Microsoft's Network Monitor. The text of this article comes directly from the Network Monitor's Help file and should be referenced for more detailed instructions.
    


This article describes how to use the Program Compatibility Wizard. The Program Compatibility Wizard prompts you to test your program in different modes (environments) and with various settings.
    
How to Use Windows Application Compatibility Mode
This article describes how to use Windows Application Compatibility mode. This mode provides an environment for running programs that closely reflects the behaviour of earlier Windows operating systems.
    
This article describes how to enable Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) forwarding on a Windows XP-based computer. By default, TCP/IP forwarding is not enabled in Windows XP.


The Application Compatibility Toolkit (ACT) is a collection of useful tools and documents that enable both program developers and IT professionals to resolve application compatibility issues.
    


This article describes the Quick Fix utility (Qfixapp.exe) that is included with the Application Compatibility Toolkit for Windows XP. Qfixapp.exe is a tool that includes pre-packaged fixes that provide an easy way to fix a program.
    


This article describes how to convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk, and how to change a dynamic disk back to a basic disk by using the Disk Management snap-in in Windows XP Professional.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the Disk Management snap-in to configure dynamic disks.
    


This article describes the options that are available when you remove a Microsoft Windows XP upgrade and restore Microsoft Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium Edition.


This article describes how to remove Microsoft Windows XP after an upgrade was completed successfully by using a qualifying upgrade path, including the successful creation of the Windows XP removal files (such as Backup.cab and Boot.cab) during the initial upgrade.
    


If you cannot start Microsoft Windows XP in Normal mode or in , you may have to manually remove Windows XP. You can also use the procedures that are described in this article to cancel the Windows XP Setup program if this option is not available at some point during the installation.
    


This article describes how to start the Windows XP uninstallation process when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer typically or in .
    


This article describes how to prevent the Network Setup Wizard from creating a network bridge. When you run the Network Setup Wizard, the default option is to let the wizard automatically bridge connections. If you select this option, a network bridge is created. However, you may not want a network bridge to be created.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to enable and configure the Fax service in Microsoft Windows XP. The Fax service gives you complete faxing capability from Windows XP. You can use the Fax service to send, receive, track, and monitor faxes.


This article describes how to fax a scanned document by using the Fax service in Microsoft Windows XP. To send a fax from within Windows XP, you must first enable and configure the Fax service.
    


This article describes how to send a fax coversheet by using the Fax service in Windows XP.
    


To troubleshoot common problems that may occur when you use a fax modem or an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax device to send or to receive faxes in Windows XP, follow these steps, in the order in which they are presented.
    


This article describes how to fax a document from a Windows program by using the Fax service in Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to receive a fax by using the Fax service in Microsoft Windows XP.


You can configure the actions that Windows takes when a system error (also referred to as a bug check, system crash, fatal system error, or stop error) occurs. You can configure the following actions: Write an event to the System log; Alert administrators (if you have set up administrative alerts); Put system memory in a file that advanced users can use for debugging; Automatically restart the computer.
    


There is an error reporting feature included with Windows XP that you can use to report computer and program errors to Microsoft. Microsoft can use your reports to track and fix problems with the operating system and with programs. This article describes how you can configure error reporting in Windows XP.
    


This article discusses how to configure the Pop-up Blocker on a computer that is running Windows XP Service Pack 2. The Pop-up Blocker is a new feature in Internet Explorer. This feature blocks most unwanted pop-up windows from appearing. By default, the Pop-up Blocker is turned on.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to install Windows XP.
    


If your computer uses an Intel x86-based processor, and the startup record for the active partition or files that you must have to start Windows become corrupted, you may not be able to start your computer. This article describes how to create a startup disk. With a startup disk, you can start your computer if the startup record becomes corrupted.


After you install a new hardware device or new software, your computer may start to restart spontaneously, or you may receive error messages on a blue screen.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure a connection to the Internet in Windows XP Professional. You can use the Network Connections tool in Control Panel to establish connectivity between your computer and the Internet, a network, or another computer.
    


This article describes how to set up and use the Internet Connection Sharing feature in Microsoft Windows XP. With Internet Connection Sharing, you can use networked computers to share a single connection to the Internet.
    


By default, Microsoft Windows XP and Microsoft Windows Server 2003 enable a universal serial bus (USB) keyboard and a USB mouse to wake a computer after the computer goes in hibernation. Other types of USB devices can be enabled to wake the computer if you click to select the Allow this device to bring the computer out of standby check box. You can click to select this check box on the Power Management property page in Device Manager.

When a USB device is enabled to wake the computer, the default behaviour permits the computer to enter the S1 system power state for standby. Standby is not the S3 system power state. The S1 system power state is a "lighter" system power state than S3. The S1 system power state typically conserves less power than the S3 system power state.

By using the following registry entry, you can override entering the S1 system power state as a default behaviour when a USB device is enabled to wake the computer:

USBBIOSx
    


This article describes how to share one Internet connection on your home network or on your small-office network.


This article describes the availability of universal serial bus (USB) 2.0 driver support in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1.
    


If you plug in a high speed USB 2.0 device to a USB port that does not have high speed support, you receive the following message:

HI-SPEED USB Device Plugged into non-HI-SPEED USB Hub
A HI-SPEED USB device is plugged into a non-HI-SPEED USB hub.
For assistance in solving this problem, click this message.

You will not get the maximum speed for your device unless you follow the instructions in the message.
    


This article discusses two methods that you can use to prevent users from connecting to a USB storage device.
    


This article describes how to configure an Alcatel Universal Serial Bus (USB) modem from British Telecom for ADSL connectivity.
    


This article describes how to use the Sysprep deployment preparation tool in conjunction with Windows Product Activation or Volume License Media.


This step-by-step article describes how to use the System Preparation Tool (Sysprep) to automate the successful deployment of Microsoft Windows XP. Sysprep is a tool that is designed for system administrators, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), and others who must automatically deploy the Windows XP operating system on multiple computers. After you perform the initial setup steps on a single computer, you can run the Sysprep tool to prepare the sample computer for cloning.
    
How to Prepare Images for Disk Duplication with Sysprep

Sysprep is a tool designed for corporate system administrators, OEMs, and others who need to deploy the Windows® XP operating system on multiple computers.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to reverse the changes that are made when you run either the Sysprep utility (Sysprep.exe) or the Riprep utility (Riprep.exe) on a host computer to prepare it for cloning. You may want to reverse the changes that Sysprep made to the host computer's registry so that the Mini-Setup Wizard does not run when you restart the computer.
    


This article describes how to activate Microsoft Windows XP using an unattended installation.
    


Windows XP uses software-based product activation technology. Therefore, you must activate your copy of Windows XP to use it. This article describes how to activate Windows XP.


This article describes how to convert a FAT16 file system or a FAT32 file system to an NTFS file system in Microsoft Windows XP. The requirements or the conditions for converting your file system are explained first to minimize problems. A troubleshooting section is provided at the end of the article in case you experience any problems while trying the conversion.
    


Windows XP supports two disk file systems: the file allocation table (FAT) file system and the NTFS file system. This article explains how to convert a FAT partition into an NTFS partition and discusses the considerations that you must take into account.
    


This article explains how to remove the Linux operating system from your computer and install Windows XP. This article assumes that Linux is already installed on your computer's hard disk, that Linux native and Linux swap partitions are in use (which are incompatible with Windows XP), and that there is no free space left on the hard disk.
    


This article describes how to use Device Manager to manage devices in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


If you require additional device information that is not typically displayed in Device Manager, you can configure Device Manager to show detailed information.


This step-by-step article describes how to use features in Registry Editor that are included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, but that are not included in previous versions of Windows. In Windows XP and later, Regedit.exe is the only Registry Editor tool that is included in the operating system. Regedt32.exe is no longer a part of Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. A primary use of Regedt32.exe that was missing from earlier versions of Regedit.exe , was to set permissions and other security settings for registry keys and subkeys. That feature is now available in the version of Regedit.exe that is included in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
    


This article explains how to troubleshoot problems you may experience with Microsoft Windows XP Home Networking. Learn how to perform the following troubleshooting tasks: How to use the Home and Small Office Networking Troubleshooter; How to determine your network structure (topology); How to troubleshoot either basic connectivity or file and printer sharing issues.
    


To connect and disconnect a network drive in Microsoft Windows XP, you can use one of the four methods that are described in this article. You can map a drive letter to any shared resource on a network. When you do so, you can quickly and easily access the resource by using either the Windows XP user interface or a command prompt. For each mapped drive, an icon appears in My Computer and a listing appears in the left pane of Windows Explorer.
    


Learn how to download updates, enhancements, and Windows Hardware Quality Lab (WHQL) logo device drivers from the Windows Update Catalogue. You can search the Windows Update Catalogue to find updates (such as updated system files, service packs, new Windows features, and device drivers) to download and to install across your home or corporate network.
    


In some computers, especially older systems and those with slower peripherals, it may be necessary to delay the loading of a specific Windows service for the computer to boot properly. Or you may want to ensure that one service has started and is available for use before another for troubleshooting purposes. This can impact such issues as a domain controller, which cannot access the network where a protocol, or a service such as DHCP, attempts to load BEFORE the network card has had a chance to be bound.


Windows Update is the online extension of Windows that helps you to keep your computer up-to-date. Use Windows Update to choose updates for your computer’s operating system, software, and hardware. New content is added to the site regularly, so you can always get the most recent updates and fixes to protect your computer and keep it running smoothly.
    


The Briefcase feature in Windows XP helps you keep your files updated by automatically synchronizing multiple copies of individual files. In other words, Briefcase keeps track of the relationship between files on two or more computers. For example, if you use a desktop computer at the office, and you use a portable computer when you are on the road, Briefcase synchronizes and updates the files on your desktop computer to the modified versions when you reconnect your portable computer to the desktop computer.
    


This article describes how to take ownership of a file or a folder where you have been denied access. If you must access a file or a folder that you do not have access to, you must take ownership of that file or folder. When you do this, you replace the security permissions to have access.
    


In Microsoft Windows XP, you can apply permissions to files or folders that are located on NTFS file system volumes. This article describes how to set, view, change, or remove permissions for files and folders.
    


This article describes how to use the System Restore tool to return your computer to a previous working state. System Restore takes a "snapshot" of critical system files and some program files and stores this information as restore points. You can use these restore points to return Windows XP to a previous state.


To recover your operating system when your computer does not start correctly or does not start at all, you may want to install and use the Windows Recovery Console. However, Microsoft recommends this method of system recovery for advanced users only. Also, learn about the Recovery Console command prompt, command actions, rules, how to remove the Recovery Console, and how to install it during an unattended installation.
    
 

This article describes how to use the Group Policy Editor to change local policy settings for the computer or for users of the computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use Group Policy to add more power to the Recovery Console. Windows XP provides a Group Policy that lets you add power to the commands that are available in the Recovery Console. Under normal conditions, the Recovery Console imposes limits on the environment in which it operates.
    


This article describes how to assign, to change, or to remove drive letters on a drive, a partition, or a volume by using the Disk Management snap-in in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


If you are logged on as an administrator, the Automatic Updates feature in Windows notifies you when critical updates are available for your computer. There is a new Automatic Updates feature that you can use to specify the schedule that Windows follows to install updates on your computer. This article describes how to install this new Automatic Updates feature in Microsoft Windows XP and how to use it to schedule automatic updates.


Describes how to determine the cause of TCP/IP networking problems by using the basic and advanced diagnostic tools that are included in Windows XP.
    


In Microsoft Windows XP, the TCP/IP stack is considered a core component of the operating system, and you cannot remove TCP/IP. Therefore, when you view the list of components for a network interface, you may notice that the Uninstall button is disabled when Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) is selected. In extreme cases, the best solution for this issue may be to reinstall the Internet Protocol stack. But with the NetShell utility, you can reset the TCP/IP stack to restore it to its state that existed when the operating system was installed. This article describes how to use the NetShell utility for this purpose.
    


This article describes how to use automatic Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) addressing without a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server being present on the network. The operating system versions listed in the "Applies to" section of this article have a feature called Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA). With this feature, a Windows computer can assign itself an Internet Protocol (IP) address in the event that a DHCP server is not available or does not exist on the network. This feature makes configuring and supporting a small Local Area Network (LAN) running TCP/IP less difficult.
    


The Backup utility is not included in the default installation of Windows XP Home Edition. The Backup icon is not present on the Start menu in Windows XP Home Edition, nor is Backup listed in Add Remove Programs for Windows XP Home edition.
    


This article describes how to use the Backup utility that is included with Windows XP to back up files and folders on your computer.


This article describes how to use the Backup utility that is included with Microsoft Windows XP to back up files and folders on your computer.

Note You must have permissions as an administrator or as a backup operator on your computer to back up files and folders. Backup operators and administrators can back up and restore encrypted files and folders without decrypting the files or folders.

This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.

You may find it easier to follow the steps if you print this article first.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the Backup program in Microsoft Windows XP to restore files and folders on your computer. The Backup utility in Windows XP helps you protect your data if your hard disk stops working or your files are accidentally erased. With Backup, you can create a copy of all the data on your hard disk, and then archive it on another storage device, such as a hard disk or a tape.
    


This article describes how to customize the appearance of your desktop by changing the font, size, and colours of individual Window elements on the desktop.
    


This article describes how to configure your desktop environment by using desktop themes.
    


Windows allocates resources according to its settings and manages devices accordingly. You can use the System tool in Control Panel to change performance options that control how programs use memory, including paging file size, or environment variables that tell your computer where to find some types of information. This article describes how to set the performance options for your computer.


This article explains how to set up Windows XP as a multiple-boot system with the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, and Microsoft Windows NT 3.51; Microsoft Windows 95 Operating System Release 2 (OSR2), Microsoft Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me); MS-DOS or Microsoft Windows 3.x
    


This article describes how to manually install the unsupported NetBIOS Extended User Interface (NetBEUI) protocol on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP. The NetBEUI files must be copied manually from the Windows XP CD-ROM before NetBEUI will appear in the list of installable network protocols.
    

Windows 2000 unattended Setup has a new section in the answer file that allows you to disable network bindings on the network card during an unattended Setup. However, after using this section in the unattended Setup file, the bindings appear to be unaffected and still enabled.

This is due to incorrect parameters specified in the [Netbindings] section. The Unattend.doc has incorrect information on the format of the [Netbindings] entries. There should not be any commas (,) between the entries, and not all bindings paths follow the example listed in the Unattend.doc.

Note: The above article talks about win2k but is applicable to Windows XP.
    


This article explains how to use the Group Policy snap-in to create or modify the list of programs that start automatically when you log on to your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the Windows Explorer command-line switches in Windows XP.

This article includes Part 1 of the "Set Up a Small Network with Windows XP Home Edition" guide. Part 1 introduces this topic. Whilst the title explicitly refers to XP HE, the articles are fully applicable to XP Professional.
  • information about buying the network hardware
  • how to connect the computers
  • how to install the network card
  • how to configure the TCP/IP protocol
  • how to set computer names & the workgroup name
  • how to share folders
  • how to share a printer.
    


This article describes how to move the CD Recording temporary files storage to an alternate drive for a single user on a Windows XP-based computer.
    


This article describes how you can troubleshoot issues reading CD-ROM or DVD-ROM optical discs. This article also discusses how to troubleshoot common issues with CD-R and CD-RW devices. The steps in this article apply to compact disc (CD-ROM) drives, compact disc recordable (CD-R) drives, compact disc re-writable (CD-RW) drives, and digital video disc (DVD) drives.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot issues that occur if you write data to CD-R and CD-RW optical discs and how to troubleshoot issues with CD-R and CD-RW drives. The procedures that are described in this article apply to CD-R and CD-RW drives.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot problems with your CD-ROM drive in Windows XP.


This step-by-step article describes how to create a new VPN connection in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to add and enable support for additional languages on a computer running Windows.
    


This article describes how to use the Language bar in Windows XP. The Language bar is a floating toolbar that appears on your desktop automatically when you add handwriting recognition, speech recognition, or an Input Method Editor (IME) as a method of inserting text.
    


This article describes how to correctly slipstream a hotfixed version of a pre-existing file that is contained in the Driver.cab file of a Windows XP distribution share.
    


Note: This document refers to Server 2003, however it is applicable to Windows XP.

If you administer a Windows Server 2003 family domain from a Windows XP-based computer, you may need access to the Help files for the Windows Server 2003. Alternatively, if you spend most of your time on a server that is running a Windows product from Windows Server 2003, you may want to access the Help files for Windows XP to find information to help users. This step-by-step article describes how to share and install additional Help files in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.


This article describes options to administer computers that are running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP, or Microsoft Windows 2000. Additionally, this article discusses how to download the Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack (Adminpak). This article also discusses the various compatibility issues that occur when you remotely administer Windows 2000-based computers from Windows XP-based computers and from Windows Server 2003-based computers and vice versa.
    


When you run a Microsoft Jet database engine-based program, such as Microsoft Office Access, on your Microsoft Windows 2000-based or Microsoft Windows XP-based computer, the program may appear slower and less responsive than you expect. This article contains information about how you can optimize network performance for Windows 2000-based and Windows XP-based computers. Doing this can make Office Access and Jet database engine-based programs more responsive.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the Client for Network File System (NFS) to set the NFS permissions for a file or folder. NFS uses inherently different permissions compared to the NTFS file system's Directory Access Control Lists (DACLs). However, you can use Services for UNIX's Client for NFS to change the permissions attributes of the underlying file or folder by using the standard UNIX and NFS permissions attributes.
    


This article describes how to use the Network Monitor Capture Utility (Netcap.exe) to capture network traffic information on source and destination computers. You can use this information to troubleshoot performance issues that you may experience during the file copy process.
    


Note: This article refers to Windows NT, however it is applicable to Windows XP.

This article describes how to establish and maintain a common Favorites folder for all users who are using Windows NT in a Windows NT networking environment (that is, a Windows NT domain or workgroup).


This article describes how to set permissions in a workgroup after an upgrade from Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional to Microsoft Windows XP Professional.
    


This article describes how to use the Windows XP Encrypting File System (EFS) feature to store files in an encrypted format on your hard disk.
    


This article describes how to encrypt a folder by using Encrypting File System (EFS).
    


This article describes how to decrypt a file that been encrypted by using Encrypting File System (EFS) in Windows XP.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to encrypt offline files to secure data in Windows XP.


The Offline Files (CSC or Client Side Caching) cache and database has a built-in capability to restart if its contents are suspected of being corrupted. If corruption is suspected, the Synchronization Wizard may return the following error message:

Unable to merge offline changes on \\server_name\share_name. The parameter is incorrect.
    


This article describes how to defragment your disk drive volumes and describes the limitations of using Disk Defragmenter Microsoft Management Console (MMC) that is included with Windows XP.
    


This step-by-step guide describes how to perform maintenance on disk volumes on Windows XP-based computers. Analyzing and defragmenting disks can help to preserve the performance and general operation of the system.
    


This article describes how to create a scheduled task to run the disk defragmentation tool on a schedule.
    


This article describes how to create a mounted drive by using the Disk Management snap-in in Microsoft Windows XP.


This step-by-step article describes how to convert an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) 1394 (FireWire) disk drive to a dynamic disk drive. NOTE: Do not convert IEEE 1394 disk drives to dynamic disk drives if they are going to be moved to other hosts. The registry manipulation that this article describes must only be used for drives that remain with a single host.
    


When you try to release and renew the IP address by using the Ipconfig program (Ipconfig.exe), you may receive one of the following error messages.

Message 1
An error occurred while renewing interface 'Internet': An operation was attempted on something that is not a socket.

Message 2
An error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection: the requested service provider could not be loaded or initialized.

When you start Internet Explorer, you may receive the following error message:
The page cannot be displayed

When you use your computer, you may receive the following error message:
Initialization function INITHELPERDLL in IPMONTR.DLL failed to start with error code 10107

Additionally, you may have no IP address or no Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address, and you may be receiving IP packets but not sending them.

When you use the ipconfig /renew command, you may receive the following error messages:

Message 1
An error occurred while renewing interface local area connection: an operation was attempted on something that is not a socket. Unable to contact driver Error code 2.

Message 2
The operation failed since no adapter is in the state permissible for this operation.

Message 3
The attempted operation is not supported for the type of object referenced.

In Device Manager, when you click Show Hidden Devices, the TCP/IP Protocol Driver is listed as disabled under Non-Plug and Play drivers, and you receive error code 24.

When you create a dial-up connection, you may receive the following error message:

Error 720: No PPP Control Protocols Configured
    


This article explains, step-by-step, how to install and configure handwriting recognition in Windows XP. You can use handwriting recognition to enter text by writing instead of by typing. To use this feature, the Microsoft handwriting-recognition engine must be installed.
    


This article describes how to change the default location of the My Documents folder in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


This step-by-step article shows you how to connect to Windows XP Terminal Services using a video resolution greater than 256-color.


This article describes how to start the Windows XP Setup program at a command prompt.
    


By default, Windows XP SP2 installs Bluetooth wireless device support when you install Windows XP SP2 to a computer. After installation, if a Bluetooth wireless device or radio is detected, Device Manager will install the driver for the Bluetooth device.
    


This article describes how to configure a static client for Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). Windows XP ICS automatically configures internal clients so that they can access the Internet by using ICS. However, you may need to configure a host, such as a server, statically rather than allowing the host to be configured dynamically. To properly configure the host with static settings, you must provide the host with IP address and host name resolution information. Also, you must configure the ICS host (the Windows XP-based computer that is running ICS) with the name of the client so that name resolution can function properly.
    


UNIX uses Network File System (NFS) to share files and folders on the network. Windows Services for UNIX 3.0 includes the Server for NFS component that creates a full NFS version 3 server, which you can use to provide file services to UNIX and Linux client computers from Windows computers. If you are using Windows, you can share files to UNIX clients by using either Windows Explorer or the Windows Nfsshare.exe command line utility.
    


Many issues that you may experience on a Windows XP-based computer occur because of an incompatible or corrupted program. To determine whether this is the case, you can either perform a clean boot or restart Windows without starting the program in question.


This article describes how to change the default e-mail program that Remote Assistance uses to send an invitation. Remote Assistance can use three different escalation methods, or methods of inviting another user to provide remote assistance. One of these methods is by sending a Remote Assistance invitation in an e-mail message.
    


This article describes the steps to use to configure your Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based computer to receive Remote Assistance offers.
    

This step-by-step article describes how to provide help by using the Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP in response to an e-mail invitation. Remote Assistance enables you to establish a connection to a remote computer through the Internet. This connection can be used to view the computer screen, participate in real-time chat, and remotely control that computer (when you have permission to do so).
    


This step-by step article describes how to provide help by using the Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP in response to a Windows Messenger invitation. Remote Assistance enables you to establish a connection to a remote computer through the Internet. This connection can be used to view the computer screen, participate in real-time chat, and remotely control that computer (when you have permission to do so).
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use Windows Messenger to obtain help using the Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP. Remote Assistance enables you to allow another user to make a remote connection to your computer, which they can use to view your computer screen, participate in real-time chat and, with your permission, remotely control your computer.


This article describes how to obtain help by using the Remote Assistance feature in Microsoft Windows XP.

Remote Assistance allows a remote connection to your computer that can be used to view your computer screen, participate in real-time chat and, with your permission, remotely control your computer.
    


By using the Solicited Remote Assistance feature in Microsoft Windows XP, you can explicitly request help from another party by using a method such as e-mail or Windows Messenger. This article describes how to configure or disable the Solicited Remote Assistance feature through Group Policy settings.
    


You can configure Remote Assistance so that administrators, support personnel, or any user, can offer assistance to other users without requiring them to initiate the Remote Assistance session. This capability is called "Unsolicited Remote Assistance," and is designed for use in Enterprise corporations that are using domains. By default, this feature is turned off, and it can only be turned on through the Unattend.txt file, or by using group policies.
    


Sometimes the best way to fix a problem is to have someone show you how. The Remote Assistance feature in Windows XP is a convenient way for an administrator to connect to your computer and walk you through the solution. After connecting to your computer, an administrator can view your screen and chat online with you about what you both see. With your permission, the administrator can use his or her mouse and keyboard to work with you on your computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to change the default logon screen saver in Microsoft Windows XP. Specifically, the article discusses how to change the type of screen saver that starts, the timeout before the screen saver starts, and whether a screen saver is turned on before the logon process.
 

Note: The title of this article explicitly states Windows XP Home Edition. Despite that, the content is relevant to XP Professional. For an article specific to XP Professional, see the next link, "How To Set Up a Direct Cable Connection Between Two Computers in Windows XP".
    
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This article includes Part 1 of the "Configure a Direct Cable Connection with Windows XP Home Edition" guide. Part 1 provides an introduction to this guide.
  • . Connecting the Cables
  • . Setting the Computer Names and Workgroups
  • . Sharing Resources
  • . Configuring the Direct Cable Connection
  • . Configuring TCP/IP
  • . Using NWLink IPX/SPX/NetBIOS-Compatible Protocol
  • . Connecting the Computers
    


This article describes how to use the Add or Remove Programs tool to change or to remove a program that is installed on your Windows XP-based computer.
    


This article describes how to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard with a Wizard Disk.
    


A number of security lockdown changes in Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) may cause problems with Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), especially in remote scenarios. For example, Windows Firewall is enabled by default in Windows XP SP2. Also, DCOM restrictions in Windows XP SP2 are different from DCOM restrictions in earlier versions of Windows.


This article describes how to disable visual 32-bit program User mode exception error messages in the 64-bit version of Windows.
    


Windows XP includes TCP/IP-based printing. You can use Print Services for UNIX to: Make your Windows computer work as a Line Printer Daemon (LPD) and Remote Line Printer client; Manage print jobs from remote UNIX clients; Send print jobs to UNIX servers.
    


When you debug device drivers, it is important that you receive verbose debug tracing from the drivers and related subsystems. Most of the Microsoft-provided drivers and subsystems use global variables and a predefined set of values to control the verbosity of the debug tracing information that is sent to the debugger.
    


This article lists general guidelines about how to determine the source of a file.
    


This article describes how to gather more information about a Stop error message. These steps do not always give conclusive answers and may only point you to another problem.


This article describes how to search for files or folders on a Windows XP-based computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to add, modify, or delete registry subkeys and values by using a Registration Entries (.reg) file. Regedit.exe uses .reg files to import and export registry subkeys and values. You can use these .reg files to remotely distribute registry changes to several Windows-based computers. When you run a .reg file, the file contents merge into the local registry.
    


This step-by-step article describes how restore a previous version of a device driver if a newly-installed driver causes system instability. This process is known as "rolling back" the driver to an earlier version.
    


This article is intended for customers who want to enable their system to capture a complete memory dump or a kernel memory dump. You may want to store a complete memory dump or a kernel memory dump to analyze it or to provide it to Microsoft Product Support Services during a case.
    


This article describes how to specify the original folder name for reinstallation of Windows XP during setup if, for example, you need to recover from a failed system drive. When you install Windows XP by booting from the Windows installation CD-ROM, Setup does not prompt you for the name of the destination installation folder or allow you to change the name of the destination installation folder. The default installation folder is the \Windows folder. You cannot change the installation folder during Windows Setup except under the following circumstances...


This article describes how to manually open ports in Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) in  XP.

Note: ICF is the older Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) firewall. In SP2 ICF was renamed Microsoft Windows Firewall.
    
 

Device Manager displays a list of all devices that are installed on your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer. When you view device information in Device Manager, you may see a device listed as Unknown Device next to a yellow question mark. It may be hard to determine the cause of this unknown device, because there are few indications of what generates it. This article explains the possible reasons that an unknown device may appear in Device Manager.
    


When you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) or Windows XP Service Pack 1a (SP1a), the Set Program Access and Defaults feature is added to the Add or Remove Programs tool in Windows XP. You can use this feature to change the default programs that you use for certain activities on your computer, such as surfing the Internet, sending e-mail messages, playing CD-ROMs, or talking with friends by using an instant messaging program. You can also specify the programs that are available on the Start menu, on the desktop, and in other locations.
    


This article describes how to copy user data from your Windows XP profile to a new profile. When you copy user data into a new profile, the new profile becomes a near duplicate of the old profile, and contains the same preferences, appearance, and documents as the old profile. If your old profile is corrupted in some way, you can move the files and settings from the corrupt profile to a new profile.
    


You can use the Windows XP Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature for network and dial-up connections to connect your home network or your small-office network to the Internet. For example, you may have a home network in which a Windows XP-based computer connects to the Internet by using a PPPoE broadband connection. If you enable ICS on the computer that uses the PPPoE connection, you can provide network address translation (NAT), addressing, and name resolution services for all of the computers on your network.


This step-by-step article describes how to edit the registry to change the default maximum transmission unit (MTU) size settings for Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connections or for virtual private network (VPN) connections.
    


This article discusses how to configure a preshared key using the Layer Two Tunnelling Protocol (L2TP).
    


This article describes how to use the SPCheck.exe tool in Windows XP to determine the service pack level of installed components on a file-by-file basis. SPCheck is included with the Windows XP Support Tools package.
    


Internet Protocol security (IPSec) filtering rules can be used to help protect Windows 2000-based, Windows XP-based, and Windows Server 2003-based computers from network-based attacks from threats such as viruses and worms. This article describes how to filter a particular protocol and port combination for both inbound and outbound network traffic. It includes steps to whether there are any IPSec policies currently assigned to a Windows 2000-based, Windows XP-based, or Windows Server 2003-based computer, steps to create and assign a new IPSec policy, and steps to unassign and delete an IPSec policy.
    


This article describes how to re-create the Show Desktop icon on the Quick Launch toolbar. You may want to use this method if the Show Desktop icon has been deleted.


This article describes the steps necessary to re-create the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot the following message in Microsoft Windows XP: A network cable is unplugged. You may receive this message when you use a network cable to connect to a local area network (LAN) or to the Internet.
    


With the Internet printing feature of Microsoft Windows XP, you can use your Web browser to connect to shared printers on a print server that is running Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). Printing is implemented by way of the Internet Print Protocol (IPP), which is encapsulated in the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). By typing the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a remote printer in the Address bar of your browser, you can connect to, and print from the printer in the same way as if it were attached to your own computer.
    


Note: The article is partially in Dutch but the technical information is in English. No other language version of this article could be found. See the next link down for a completely different article with the same title.

This article describes how to move an installation of Windows XP to new, upgraded, or just different hardware. By using this information, you can: Migrate a working Windows XP operating system and your installed programs to a different or more powerful computer in minimal downtime; Replace a small system/boot disk drive with a larger system/boot disk drive; Restore a Windows backup from a malfunctioning computer to a different computer for disaster recovery purposes.
    


Over the life cycle of a Microsoft Windows operating system, you may have to restore a system state backup that is installed on one computer to the same physical computer or even to a different physical computer. Recovery from the following events may require a restore operation: hardware failure; software failure; computer theft; natural disaster; user error.


This article describes how to use the Last Known Good Configuration feature in Windows XP. The Last Known Good Configuration feature is a recovery option that you can use to start your computer by using the most recent settings that worked. The Last Known Good Configuration feature restores registry information and driver settings that were in effect the last time the computer started successfully.
    


This article describes how to determine if your hardware or software is compatible with XP.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to manage System Monitor counters.
    


This article describes how to set up administrative alerts in Windows XP. You can receive notifications of computer problems by creating an alert. When computer performance measurements indicate a problem, the alert that you created performs the action that you specified, such as sending a message or starting a program. You can use such alerts to monitor critical computers such as servers that provide services for network users, or workstations that must always be available.
    


Many different 16-bit programs designed to run under Microsoft Windows 3.1 have been tested with Windows XP. When you troubleshoot a 16-bit Windows-based program that is not working properly under Windows XP, consider the following items...


When you try to dial out by using your modem, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following: Error 680: There is no dial tone This article describes how to troubleshoot "no dial tone" issues in Windows XP.
    


When you dial a phonebook entry in Dial-Up Networking, you can use the "Save Password" option so that your Dial-Up Networking password is cached and you will not need to enter it on successive dial attempts. For security, administrators may want to prevent users from caching passwords.
    


For security and cost savings, you may want to configure a dial-up connection so that the server calls back your client computer. When you do this, the server-end incurs most of the telephone charges and stores the phone numbers of the computers with which it communicates.

This article assumes that a dial-up server is configured to allow dial-up users and that it is configured to use the callback feature. This article discusses the steps that an administrator needs to configure a Windows XP client to use the callback feature when dialing and connecting to a server.
    
 

If you remove Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) from a Windows XP-based computer or from a Windows XP Tablet PC 2005-based Tablet PC, and you have installed any security updates since you installed these products, your computer or Tablet PC may be left vulnerable to the issues that the security updates were helping protect your computer from.
    


This article describes how to download codecs automatically in Windows Media Player for XP.


This step-by-step article describes how to create disk quota reports in Windows XP. You can see the status of each user that saves files to a volume with the disk quota system, but there is no feature to create a report on this information automatically.
    


This article describes how to copy a CD-ROM when you are using Microsoft Windows XP. When you use Windows XP you can record a CD-ROM, but Windows XP does not have the user interface (UI) to enable you to copy another CD-ROM.
    


This article discusses how to change your name and company information after you install Microsoft Windows XP.
    


When you set up a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or Microsoft Windows XP, the operating system will create a page file that is one and a half times the amount of RAM that is installed in your computer. However, as the amount of RAM in a computer increases, the need for a page file decreases. The following guidelines and methods will help you determine the appropriate page file size for your system.
    
How to Configure Windows XP SP2 Network Protection Technologies in a Small Business Environment

A computer that is connected to a network or the Internet might be vulnerable to an attack. An attack is a deliberate attempt to bypass the security of a computer or deprive you of the use of the computer. In Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft delivers several technologies that help protect your computer. These technologies are not intended to replace periodic security updates, but rather to help strengthen the overall defences of Windows XP against malicious attacks.


This step-by-step article describes how you can distribute a customised desktop theme to other users of Windows XP-based computers. If you create a customised desktop theme, you can distribute it to other users.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to disable the Automatic Desktop Cleanup feature in Windows XP.
    
 

This article describes how to view and manually configure the Boot.ini file in Windows XP from within the Startup and Recovery dialog.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot hibernation and standby issues in Microsoft Windows XP. You may experience abnormal behaviour when a computer enters or leaves hibernation or standby.
    


The Remote Access Service Diagnostics Tool (Rasdiag.exe) collects diagnostic information about remote services and places that information in a file. Administrators can use this tool to work with Microsoft Product Support Services to troubleshoot remote connection issues by taking a snapshot of the configuration data and capturing an attempted remote connection.


This step-by-step article describes how to examine a small memory dump file. You can use this file to determine why your computer has stopped responding.
    


The Address Book provides a convenient place to store your contact information for easy retrieval from programs such as Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Outlook Express, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft NetMeeting, and Microsoft Phone System. This articles describes how to add, remove, and organize names and information in your Windows XP Address Book.
    


This article describes how to set the NUM LOCK state to be on by default at logon. You can accomplish this by using a script file that runs either at startup or, in Windows XP Professional, through a Group Policy.
    
How to Troubleshoot RAM Installations

RAM is one of the most crucial elements installed in the computer. RAM temporarily holds data that applications need, and applications use RAM to perform tasks quickly. The more RAM a system has the less it has to access the hard drive to swap out data, the longer the hard drive will last, and the faster the system will perform.
    


Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) uses Remote Procedure Call (RPC) dynamic port allocation. By default, RPC dynamic port allocation randomly selects port numbers above 1024. You can control which ports RPC dynamically allocates for incoming communication and then configure your firewall to confine incoming external communication to only those ports and port 135 (the RPC Endpoint Mapper port).


This article describes how to turn off, display, and select a different animated screen character in Search Companion.
    


There may be instances when you experience name resolution issues on your TCP/IP-based network and you need to use an LMHOSTS file to resolve NetBIOS names. This article describes how to create an LMHOSTS file to aid in name resolution and domain validation.
    


After you upgrade your computer from Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows Millennium to Windows XP, the programs that previously loaded during the startup process may not be listed in the notification area (the system tray), and they no longer start automatically when you start your computer.
    


This article discusses how to implement system policies for Microsoft Windows XP-based, Microsoft Windows 2000-based, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003-based client computers in non-Active Directory directory service environments.
    


This article describes how to disable the Windows XP Prefetcher component. The Prefetcher component in Windows XP is part of the Memory Manager, and helps to shorten the amount of time it takes to start Windows and programs.


This article describes how to change the behaviour of taskbar grouping in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to use Universal Naming Convention (UNC) names with My Network Places to connect to network resources without mapping a drive or port.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to disable the automatic search function for network printers and folders in Microsoft Windows XP.

By default, Windows XP monitors shared resources on the network to make it easier to connect to a shared resource. This feature, which is new in Windows XP, is implemented by periodically scanning the computers on the network. During the scan, Windows XP identifies any newly-shared resources, such as a printer that has just gone online as a shared printer, or a folder that has just been shared.

When Windows XP finds a newly-shared resource, it adds an icon for the resource to My Network Places, and, if the new resource is a printer, also in your Printers and Faxes folder. This is a convenient way for you to keep up to date on the shared resources that are available on the network, and it does not add a great deal of overhead to your Windows XP computer's work load.

However, the apparent convenience of this new feature may not be desirable if you cannot use the information that is gained from the automatic scan for network resources.
    


You may have several network connections that are connected to different networks. Or, you may have a program that uses the first connection in the network connections list. You may want to make sure that a certain network connection is at the top of the list. When you install Microsoft Windows XP or Microsoft Windows 2000, the order of the connections may vary depending on how the network adapters are enumerated. You can use the methods that are described in this article to reorder adapters and bindings and to change the interface metric on the network adapters.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot connection issues when you try to connect an Xbox 360 console to a Microsoft Windows XP-based computer that is running Microsoft Windows Media Connect.


This article describes how to change the system or boot drive letter in Windows. For the most part, this is not recommended, especially if the drive letter is the same as when Windows was installed.
    


This article describes how to activate Windows XP by using a product key that is different from the one that you used when you installed Windows XP.
    


This article describes the requirements for using hardware-enforced DEP. This article also describes how to confirm that hardware DEP is working in Windows.
    
How to Configure Memory Protection in Windows XP SP2

This article shows you how to enable DEP for all programs on your computer, add programs to the DEP exception list, and how to disable DEP for your entire computer.
    


This article describes how to check NTFS disk space allocation to either discover offending files and folders or locate volume corruption. This article is intended for users of Windows XP operating systems that support advanced storage features and troubleshooting methods.


This article defines the term "black hole" router, describes a method of locating black hole routers, and suggests three ways to avoid the data loss that can occur because of a black hole router.

On a TCP/IP-based wide area network (WAN), communication over some routes may fail if an intermediate network segment has a maximum packet size that is smaller than the maximum packet size of the communicating hosts--and if the router does not send an appropriate Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) response to this condition or if a firewall on the path drops such a response. Such a router is sometimes known as a "black hole" router.

You can locate a black hole router by using the Ping utility, which is a standard utility that is installed with the Microsoft Windows TCP/IP protocol. You can then use one of three methods of fixing or working around black hole routers.

When a network router receives a packet that is larger than the size of the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU) of the next segment of a communications network, and that packet's IP layer "don't fragment" bit is flagged, the router is expected to send an ICMP "destination unreachable" message back to the sending host.

If the router does not send a message, the packet might be dropped, causing a variety of errors that vary with the program that is communicating over the unsuccessful link. (These errors do not occur if a program connects to a computer on a local subnet.) The behaviour may seem intermittent, but closer examination shows that the behaviour can be reproduced, for example, by having a client read a large file that is sent from a remote host.
    


This article is intended to help you use the DVD Troubleshooter that is included in Windows XP Help and Support Center. The DVD Troubleshooter includes step-by-step instructions to troubleshoot the following DVD problems in Windows XP:
  • You do not hear any sound, or you receive a message about audio.
  • You have a problem when you use closed captioning or subtitles.
  • When you try to play a DVD, nothing happens.
  • When you play a DVD, the video is choppy.
  • You receive a message about analog copy protection.
  • You receive a message about screen resolution and color quality settings.
  • You receive a decoder error message.
  • You receive a message about digital copy protection.
  • When you play a DVD, the screen is black, or there is some other display problem.
  • You receive a region error message.
  • You receive a video error message.
    


This article describes TRACERT (Trace Route), a command-line utility that you can use to trace the path that an Internet Protocol (IP) packet takes to its destination. This article discusses the following topics: How to Use the TRACERT Utility; How to Use TRACERT to Troubleshoot; How to Use TRACERT Options.
    


This article describes how to configure Windows XP TCP/IP to use Domain Name Service (DNS).
    


This article describes how to use the Alternate Configuration functionality to establish multiple-network connectivity. If you are a mobile computer user, you can use the Alternate Configuration functionality to maintain seamless operations on both office and home networks without having to manually reconfigure TCP/IP settings.


This article describes how to use the Send To command and how to modify the contents of the SendTo folder.
    


This article describes how to automatically log on to a user account during the Microsoft Windows XP startup process.
    


This article describes how to copy music from an audio CD to the computer's local hard disk by using Windows Media Player (WMP). You can then copy the data back to an audio CD if you want to.
    


Describes how to modify environment variables by editing Registry keys.
    


This article describes how to configure your Windows XP desktop to communicate with your mobile devices. This article also describes how to synchronize all of your devices so that all of your files are current on all of your mobile devices and on your desktop. Windows XP simplifies synchronizing information on multiple mobile devices. You can share files and information from your desktop to your various mobile devices.


This article describes ways to diagnose and resolve issues that can cause problems when you try to use one of the following to communicate with servers on the Internet:
  • Internet browser
  • File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
  • Telnet
    


This article describes how to use Windows Task Manager. It also explains how to perform some frequently used procedures, such as how to start programs, how to end processes, and how to monitor the computer's performance.

Task Manager displays information about the performance of your computer and the programs and processes that are running on your computer. You can use Task Manager to start programs, to start or to end processes, and to view a dynamic display of your computer's performance.
    


This article describes some Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) service startup issues. This article also describes how to troubleshoot these SNMP service startup issues.
    


This article describes how to integrate Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) files into the Windows XP installation folder. You can use the /integrate switch or the Update.exe utility to perform this task. These tools help you run an in-place upgrade to Windows XP SP2 if the original Windows Setup CD is an earlier version of Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to change the port that Remote Desktop listens on.


This article describes how to remove entries from the Remote Desktop Connection Computer box.
    


This article describes how to turn on Remote Desktop automatic logon. By default, this version of Windows XP is configured to prompt each user to enter a password when connecting through the Remote Desktop client. This behaviour holds true even when a correct user name and password are entered in the Remote Desktop Connection box before logon. This article describes how to alter this behaviour.
    


By default, when you try to print from a program that is running on a computer that you are connected to with a Remote Desktop connection, you can gain access to printers that are available to the remote Windows XP Professional-based computer. You can make a local printer (for example, a printer that is on the client computer) available for printing. This article describes how to make a local printer available for printing while you use the Remote Desktop feature.
    


Remote Desktop is a new feature in Windows XP Professional that allows you to connect to your computer remotely and work as though you are sitting at the console. This article describes how to disable Remote Desktop by using the computer's local group policy. Note: Remote Desktop is not available in Windows XP Home Edition.
    


With the Remote Desktop Web Connection, you can start a remote desktop connection from your Web browser. To do so, point your browser to a server that is configured with Remote Desktop Web Connection, download an ActiveX control, and then connect to a Windows XP-based server with Remote Desktop. Client computers may also connect to a Microsoft Windows 2000-based server or to a server that is running Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition.


In Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, to run the Remote Desktop Sharing feature of Windows NetMeeting when Windows Firewall is turned on, you have to configure Windows Firewall by following the steps in this article.

Note: The Windows XP SP2 features and components are included in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005.
    
 

Increasingly, users of wireless mobile devices require access to the functionality of their desktop computers. Windows XP and Windows 2000 permit you to do this. By using the Handheld PC or the Pocket PC, you can connect to an application server and run programs just as if you were sitting at the server computer itself. Connections to application servers can be made across wireless local area networks (LANs), or across the Internet by using virtual private networking (VPN).
    


Users can connect remotely to a Terminal Services session that is running on a Windows XP Professional-based server. However, in Windows XP Professional you cannot create a shadow session, where a local user and a remote user can control the same session. This article describes how to use Windows Server 2003 to create a configuration in which two users can control the same session on a Windows XP Professional-based computer.
    


Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP machines with Remote Desktop enabled do not advertise their existence in the browse list by default. This article will help you to change this behaviour.
    


This article describes how to configure the Remote Desktop feature in Windows XP. This feature allows remote control of your Windows XP Professional-based computer from another computer running Windows XP Professional or an earlier version of Windows.


This article describes how to change the port number that the Remote Desktop client connects to. You may have to do this if the remote computer has had the "listening" port for Terminal Services or Remote Desktop connections changed from the default port. The default port is 3389.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to gain access to local files when you are using a Remote Desktop session to a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host computer.
    


In Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), to run the Remote Desktop Sharing feature of Windows NetMeeting when Windows Firewall is turned on, you have to configure Windows Firewall by following the steps in this article.
    


By default, Microsoft Windows XP Remote Desktop and Terminal Services use all available network interfaces to listen for Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) requests. As a security option, you may want to limit this to a specific network interface.

This article describes how to configure the listening interfaces on a Windows XP-based computer.
    


The status of the NUM LOCK key is specific for each user, and it is disabled by default. If you want the NUM LOCK key enabled for use before a user presses CTRL+ALT+DEL to log on, you must use Registry Editor to change the default behaviour.


This article describes how to remove a second installation of a Microsoft Windows operating system from a partition that is on your hard disk drive.
    


The Windows Setup program configures Microsoft Windows XP to use the friendly Welcome logon screen and the shutdown buttons if your computer is installed as a home computer. A home computer is a computer that does not specify a network domain.

This article describes how to use the classic logon screen that Windows XP-based computers use when they are joined to a domain.
    


Shutdown Event Tracker provides a simple and standard mechanism one can use to consistently document the reasons for shutting down or restarting the computer. This information is used to analyze the root causes of shutdowns and develop a more complete understanding of the system environment.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot common sound problems in Windows XP.
    


This article documents the method for clearing the Windows paging file (Pagefile.sys) during the shutdown process, so that no unsecured data is contained in the paging file when the shutdown process is complete.


When Windows shuts down, each running process is given 20 seconds to perform cleanup work by default. If a process does not respond within this time-out period, Windows displays the "Wait, End Task, or Cancel" dialog box for the process, which prompts you to wait for another 20 seconds, stop the process, or cancel the shutdown process.
    


This article describes how to configure Windows so that you receive verbose startup, shutdown, logon, and logoff status messages. Verbose status messages may be helpful when you are troubleshooting slow startup, shutdown, logon, or logoff behaviour.

Note: Despite Microsoft's title for this article, it applies to XP Professional.
    


On a Windows-based computer that uses TCP/IP, you can use the Media Sensing feature to detect whether the network media are in a link state. Ethernet network adapters and hubs typically have a "link" light that indicates the connection status. This status is the same condition that Windows interprets as a link state. Whenever Windows detects a "down" state, it removes the bound protocols from that adapter until it is detected as "up" again. Sometimes, you may not want the network adapter to detect this state.
    


In Microsoft Windows XP, special access permissions are customizable sets of permissions. This means that you can apply special access permissions to files or folders that are located on NTFS file system volumes. This article describes how to set, view, change, or remove special permissions for files and folders.
    


Some users remove domain admins group from the local administrators groups. This tip will help system administrator to force adding domain admins groups to local admin group in each workstation/server in the domain. [sic]


This article describes how you can use the System Restore utility to create, enumerate, and restore previously created restore points by using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI).
    


When you install the Microsoft iSCSI Boot Software Initiator, you have the option to select a network adapter on which to enable the iSCSI boot sequence. The network adapter is from the list of installed network adapters on the computer. If you select a network adapter on which to enable the iSCSI boot sequence, the iSCSI boot sequence is enabled in the network adapter driver.

After you install the iSCSI Boot Software Initiator, you can use the Iscsibcg utility (Iscsibcg.exe) to enable an iSCSI boot sequence start in the network adapter driver. The Iscsibcg utility is included in the iSCSI boot sequence package.

You can use the Iscsibcg utility to enable the iSCSI boot sequence in the network adapter when you do the following:
  • Prepare an image on an existing computer after you add a new network adapter.
  • Update the driver for the network adapter.
  • Apply a new operating system service pack.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to install a driver for a remote printer on a local computer.
    


When you set the paging file size in Windows, the documentation states that the largest paging file that you can select is 4,095 megabytes (MB). This limit is imposed by the page mapping that we use on x86 processors. These processors cannot handle more pages per page file. This is the limit set per volume; you can actually create paging files this large on one or more drives if you need a larger paging file. If extra drives or volumes are not available, you can create multiple paging files on a single drive by placing them in separate folders.
    


This article describes how to check user profiles that are stored on a Windows XP-based computer.


This step-by-step article describes how to create and delete hidden or administrative shares on Microsoft Windows XP Professional-based, Windows 2000 Professional-based, and Windows NT 4.0 Workstation-based computers.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure a virtual private network (VPN) connection to your corporate network in Microsoft Windows XP Professional. A VPN connection is a connection that uses both private and public networks to create a network connection.
    

This article describes how to search for a computer on a network. If you know the name of the computer, you can access the computer by using the search companion, or you can search for the computer in My Network Neighborhood.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to install and configure speech recognition.
  • Speech recognition requirements
  • Setting up your hardware
    • How to set up a microphone
    • How to set up speakers
    • How to configure the microphone
    • How to set audio input device options
    • How to select an audio input device
    • How to verify the input sound levels
    • How to change the input sound levels
    • How to select an audio output device
    • How to set audio output device options
  • How to install speech recognition
    • How to determine if the speech recognition engine is installed
    • How to install speech recognition from Microsoft Word 2002
    • How to install speech recognition by using Add or Remove Programs
    • How to add speech recognition as a text service
    • How to remove speech recognition
  • Speech recognition engines
    • How to determine the selected speech recognition engine
    • How to change speech recognition engines
    • How to change speech engine settings
    • How to train the speech recognition engine
  • How to use speech properties
  • How to configure speech recognition
  • Troubleshooting
    • How to troubleshoot speech recognition
    • Speech recognition problems
    • How to troubleshoot Text-to-Speech
    • Text-to-Speech problems
    • Additional troubleshooting
    


Text-to-Speech (TTS) capabilities for a computer refers to the ability to play back text in a spoken voice. This article describes how to configure and use text-to-speech in Windows XP.

TTS is the ability of the operating system to play back printed text as spoken words.
  • Setting Up Your Hardware
    • Set Up Speakers
    • Select an Audio Output Device
    • Set Audio Output Device Options
  • Configure Text-to-Speech Options
    • Determine the Selected TTS Voice or Engine
    • Preview TTS Voice
    • Change the TTS Voice or Engine
    • Change TTS Voice Rate
    • To Change the Text-to-Speech Volume
  • Using Text-to-Speech with Narrator
    • To Have Narrator Announce Events on the Screen
    • To Have Narrator Read Typed Keys Aloud
    • To Have the Mouse Pointer Move to Active Items When You Use Narrator
  • Navigating with the Keyboard and Narrator
    • Reading options
    • Keyboard Options
  • To Set Narrator Voice Options
  • To Start Narrator Minimized
  • Troubleshooting
    • Troubleshooting Text-to-Speech
    • Possible Text-to-Speech Problems


The registry in 64-bit versions of Windows is divided into 32-bit and 64-bit keys. Many of the 32-bit keys have the same names as their 64-bit counterparts, and vice versa.

The default 64-bit version of Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) that is included with 64-bit versions of Windows displays both 64-bit keys and 32-bit keys. The WOW64 registry redirector presents 32-bit programs with different keys for 32-bit program registry entries.
    


This article describes how to change the column settings in Windows Explorer.
    


The Windows Support Tools for Windows XP Professional and Windows XP 64-Bit Edition are intended for use by Microsoft support personnel and experienced users to assist in diagnosing and resolving computer problems. For individual tool descriptions, see the Windows Support Tools online tool documentation (Suptools.chm).

This article describes how to install Windows Support Tools from the Windows XP CD-ROM.
    


You can make network files available offline by storing shared files on your computer so that they are accessible when you are not connected to the network. If you do this, you can work with the files the same way that you work with them when you are connected to the network. When you reconnect to the network, changes that you made to the files are updated to the network.

This article describes how to use the Offline Files feature in Microsoft Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to set the My Documents folder to Private.


By default, the UDMA66 mode is disabled on a computer that is running Microsoft Windows when the computer uses a Intel chipset that supports UDMA66. This behaviour is by design.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure a wireless link that uses infrared in Windows XP. Note that you must have an infrared device installed on your computer to complete any of the following procedures.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to enable ClearType to sharpen fonts on your Windows XP display. ClearType enhances your display by smoothing the edges of screen fonts. ClearType works especially well on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) devices, including flat screen monitors and laptop computers.
    


The Add or Remove Programs tool helps you to manage programs on your computer. This tool enables you to add a new program, or to change or remove an existing program.

Also, you can use the Add or Remove Programs tool to add the Windows XP components that you did not select when you performed the original installation of Windows XP, for example, networking options or Indexing Service files.

This article describes how to add programs and Windows components to your Windows XP-based computer.
    


When you double-click a file to open it instead of by using the File menu in a program, Windows XP examines the file name extension. If Windows XP recognizes the file name extension, Windows XP opens the file in the program that is associated with that file name extension. But what if you want to change the program that opens when you double-click a file that has a certain file name extension? For example, a text file that has a .txt file name extension typically opens in Notepad. What if you want to open the file in Microsoft Word instead? How would you do that? This article describes how to change which program starts when you double-click a file in Windows XP.


This step-by-step article describes how to create and use compressed (or "zipped") folders in Windows XP. You can use compressed folders to store files in a compressed format that uses less space than normal, and if needed, you can protect those files with a password.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to install the PPPoE client and to create a PPPoE connection. Windows XP includes a built-in PPP over Ethernet (PPPoE) client. The PPPoE client connection is a high-speed connection that uses hardware such as a cable modem or a DSL modem.
    


This article describes how to synchronize the time on your computers by using the Windows Time Service.
    


This article describes how to collect information to troubleshoot a wireless connectivity problem on your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer.
    


This article describes how to print to a network printer from an MS-DOS-based program in Microsoft Windows XP.


When you deploy Microsoft Windows XP with the Microsoft Windows System Preparation Tool (Sysprep), you may want to disable the Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power network adapter power management setting on some computers. If you disable this setting on portable computers, it may help preserve battery power when the network adapter causes the computer to resume unexpectedly.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot issues that you may experience when you use the Microsoft keyboards that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
    


This article describes how to add or remove Windows components by using the Sysocmgr.exe tool.
    


This article describes how to determine the version of Microsoft DirectX installed on your computer using the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
    


This article describes how to use the SPCheck tool to determine the service pack level of installed components on a file-by-file basis.


This step-by-step article describes how to manage System Monitor counters.
    


This article describes the supported method to prevent members of the Power Users group from creating or managing network shares.
    


This article discusses the following:
  • How to recover from a computer virus infection
  • How to prevent future infections from computer viruses
    


For Linux users.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use Group Policy to deploy Windows XP Professional in a Windows Server 2003-based network. You can use Group Policy to make a Windows XP Professional upgrade available to the workstations in your network.


This step-by-step article describes how to view previously-opened folders after you log on to Windows XP.
    


This article describes how to gain access to the System Volume Information folder. The System Volume Information folder is a hidden system folder that the System Restore tool uses to store its information and restore points. There is a System Volume Information folder on every partition on your computer. You might need to gain access to this folder for troubleshooting purposes.
    


This article describes how to adjust the amount of CPU time the system yields to an MS-DOS-based program.
    


This article describes how to access the Internet by connecting your laptop computer to your mobile device. When you use Windows XP, which has built-in Infrared Data Association (IrDA) support, you can use a mobile device that is enabled for infrared networking (IrComm) to establish an infrared connection and to connect to and browse the Internet.
    


This article describes how to create and use a Modemlog.txt file for troubleshooting modem problems using 32-bit communications programs.


This article describes how to use the Netdom.exe utility (included in Windows XP Support Tools) to rename a computer that is a member of a Windows 2000 domain. This procedure can be performed either locally or remotely on the computer, which is being renamed. Also, the procedure does not require you to reset or manually re-create the computer account in the domain. The Netdom.exe utility has the ability to rename a computer that is a member of a domain. However, to rename the computer, you must be able to specify the user accounts that have local administrative permissions and the object of the computer account in Active Directory.
    


In Microsoft Windows XP, you can log data directly to a Microsoft SQL 2000 Server database. This article describes how to prepare a client computer to log data to a SQL database. This article does not describe how to set up and configure SQL 2000 Server or to manipulate the data from the SQL 2000 Server.

The new functionality in System Monitor enables you to log data to a SQL 2000 database by using an Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) data connection. However, this functionality is not an open ODBC adapter that you can use to log to any ODBC-compliant database.
    


You can use the Userdump.exe tool to generate a user dump of a process that shuts down with an exception or that stops responding (hangs).
    

When you open a file that is located on a file server share, a shortcut to the server share is automatically added to My Network Places. This article describes how to disable this functionality. When you open a file (or a Microsoft FrontPage web) from a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) share, a shortcut to the share is placed in My Network Places.

To disable this functionality, you must change the local system policy or network policy to prevent servers from being added to My Network Places.
    


UNIX uses the Network File System (NFS) protocol to share files and folders on the network. You can use the Server for NFS component in Windows Services for UNIX to share Windows file system resources to UNIX and Linux clients by using NFS, which includes full support for NFS v3. You can use Server for NFS to make interoperability and migration in a mixed environment easier. If you are using Windows, you can use either Windows Explorer or the Windows Nfsshare.exe command-line utility to share files to UNIX clients.

You can use Server for NFS to make Windows resources available to UNIX and Linux clients by using the NFS protocol. You can use either Windows Explorer or the Nfsshare.exe command line utility to share the folder.


The Control Panel in Windows XP includes a Category view that divides specific tasks and Control Panel tools into different categories. This article describes how to add a Control Panel tool to a specific category.
    


There is an updated version of the Extended Change Access Control List tool (Xcacls.exe) that is available as a Microsoft Visual Basic script (Xcacls.vbs) from Microsoft. This step-by-step article describes how to use the Xcacls.vbs script to modify and to view NTFS file system permissions for files or for folders. You can use Xcacls.vbs from the command line to set all the file system security options that are accessible in Microsoft Windows Explorer. Xcacls.vbs displays and modifies the access control lists (ACLs) of files.
    


This article describes how to use the Diskpart.exe command-line utility to extend a data volume into unallocated space.
    


This article discusses how to provide event logging for the Disk Defragmenter (Defrag.exe) utility with Windows Script Host. This command-line Disk Defragmenter utility that is included with Microsoft Windows XP enables administrators and power users to schedule, and, if needed, to script their operations.
    


This article describes how to troubleshoot situations where you cannot connect to SSL Secured (128-Bit) Web sites (https://) by using Microsoft Internet Explorer in Windows XP.


This article describes how to prevent virtual OEM device drivers from loading during the installation of a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 or a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows XP either by using an unattended installation or by using the F4 key to bypass the loading of the virtual OEM device drivers.
    


Windows XP supports two disk file systems: the file allocation table (FAT) file system and the NTFS file system. This article explains how to convert a FAT partition into an NTFS partition and discusses the considerations that you must take into account.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to gain access to local files when you are using a Remote Desktop session to a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use the run as command to start a program as an administrator.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure an automatic administrator logon for Recovery Console. If you configure an automatic administrator logon, anyone can use Recovery Console to access your computer. They will not be prompted for an administrative password.


To preserve information about the settings on your computer, you can print a report in Device Manager. This article describes how to print a report in Device Manager.
    


By default, Windows Firewall is enabled when you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). This article describes how to configure Windows Firewall in Windows XP SP2 to permit Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Analysis Services or SQL Server 7.0 OLAP Services to communicate by using the network.
    


With the Internet printing feature of Microsoft Windows XP, you can use your Web browser to connect to shared printers on a print server that is running Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS). Printing is implemented by way of the Internet Print Protocol (IPP), which is encapsulated in the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). By typing the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a remote printer in the Address bar of your browser, you can connect to, and print from the printer in the same way as if it were attached to your own computer.

You can view a Web page on which all printers on a print server are listed, or a page that is specific to the printer to which you want to connect. From the Web page of a specific printer, you can view information about the printer, such as printer model, location, the number of documents waiting to print, as well as properties, such as print speed and whether the printer supports colour printing. You can pause, resume, and cancel the printing of any document that you send to the printer. In addition, if you have Manage Printers permission for the printer, you can also pause or resume operation of the printer.
    


This article describes how to share access to a file that is stored by using Microsoft Windows XP Encrypting File System (EFS). Encryption is the process of converting data into a format that cannot be read by others. You can use the Windows XP EFS to automatically encrypt your data when it is stored on the hard disk.
    


This article describes how to configure the Single-click to open an item (point to select) setting for the mouse in Microsoft Windows XP. You may expect to find this setting in the Mouse Properties dialog box. However this setting is located in the Folder Options dialog box.


This article describes how to configure the Automatic Updates feature to prompt you before you download updates.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to configure Offline Files to synchronize when a particular network connection becomes active. You can make any shared folder on a network available offline so that you can use the files that are inside of that folder when you disconnect from the network. Normally, synchronization happens automatically whenever a network connection becomes active. However, you can configure your synchronization settings to specify the offline files that are synchronized when a network connection becomes active.
    


Some services must have access to the registry to function correctly. For example, on a system that runs directory replication, the Replicator account must have access to the relevant registry key. Registry Editor supports remote access to the Windows registry; however, you can also restrict this access.

This article describes how to manage access to the registry on a remote computer.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to use Group Policy to add more power to the Recovery Console. Windows XP provides a Group Policy that lets you add power to the commands that are available in the Recovery Console. Under normal conditions, the Recovery Console imposes limits on the environment in which it operates.
    


This article describes how to use the Windiff.exe utility, a tool that graphically compares the contents of two ASCII files, or the contents of two folders that contain ASCII files, to verify whether they are the same. You will need to download Windows XP Service Pack 2 Support Tools to obtain windiff.


This article describes how to assign a logon script to a profile for a local user's account on a Windows XP-based workstation or on a Windows-based server. This logon script runs when the local user logs on locally to the computer but does not run when the user logs on to the domain.
    


This step-by-step article describes how to connect to peripheral devices with by using infrared light.
    


It is often helpful to have as much information as possible from the NDIS wrapper when you debug NDIS 4.0 drivers. Enabling any one of several levels of DbgPrint statements within the wrapper itself will, in most cases, provide enough additional information to successfully debug most NDIS driver problems. This article describes a method enabling different levels of debug trace information within the NDIS wrapper.
    


This article describes how to install individual server administration tools from the following Administration Packs:
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Administration Pack (Adminpak.msi) on Windows 2000-based computers
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack (Adminpak.msi) on Microsoft Windows XP-based computers and on Windows Server 2003-based computers
Note: You can install Windows Server 2003 Administration Tools Pack only on Windows XP-based computers and Windows Server 2003-based computers.
    


The x64-based versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and of Microsoft Windows XP are designed to use the 64-bit Control Panel items. However, these operating systems do have 32-bit Control Panel items available for use. This article tells how to use the 32-bit Control Panel items on a computer that is running an x64-based version of Windows Server 2003 or of Windows XP.


After you install Windows XP Professional x64 Edition on a computer that is running a 32-bit edition of Windows XP, you may want to remove Windows XP Professional x64 Edition and continue to run the 32-bit edition of Windows XP. This article describes how to remove Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition from a computer that is also running a 32-bit Edition of Microsoft Windows XP.

Note: This article applies only to a situation where you have installed Windows XP Professional x64 Edition on a separate partition from the 32-bit edition of Windows XP.
    


This article discusses how to add more processors to a computer that is running one of the following operating systems:
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Standard x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Datacenter x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
    


The 64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows XP can support more RAM than the 32-bit versions of these products. When lots of memory is added to a computer, a paging file may not be required. When you use the Pages/sec counter to measure paging file use, the value that is returned may not be accurate. To obtain an accurate measurement of paging file use, you must also use other performance counters. You can use System Monitor measurements to calculate the size of the paging file that your computer requires.

Windows Server 2003 Domain Controllers are not supported without a configured pagefile. Because the algorithm the LSASS database cache depends on the "transition pages repurposed/second" perfmon counter, a pagefile is required to make sure that the database cache is capable to release memory if memory is requested by other services or applications.
    


This article describes how to disable the Visual Notification option in a 64-bit version of Microsoft Windows XP.