Windows Xp Cookbook

by Allen, Robbie

• ISBN13: 9780596007256
• ISBN10: 0596007256
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-01
• Publisher: Oreilly & Associates Inc

Summary

With a new twist to our proven Cookbook formula, this problem-solving guide offers several approaches to each task, depending on preference- users can solve dilemmas with the graphical user interface, with the command line, through the Registry, or by using scripts. Each step-by-step recipe includes a discussion that explains how and why it works. This is for power users and IT professionals who support the product. System administrators who are (or are trying to become) scripting literate will benefit from the many code samples unique to the book, which will help them automate tasks and become more productive. This one-of-a-kind reference is among the first to cover Microsoft's XP Service Pack 2, now in beta release.

Author Biography

Robbie Allen is a Technical Leader at Cisco Systems where he has been involved in the deployment of Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and several Network Management solutions. He enjoys working on Unix and Windows, and his favorite programming language is Perl. Robbie was named a Windows Server MVP in 2004 and 2005 for his contributions to the Windows community and publication of several popular O'Reillybooks. Robbie is currently studying at MIT in the System Design and Management program. For more information, see Robbie's website at www.rallenhome.com.

Preston Gralla is the author of Windows Vista in a Nutshell, the Windows Vista Pocket Reference, and is the editor of WindowsDevCenter.com . He is also the author of Internet Annoyances, PC Pest Control, Windows XP Power Hound, and Windows XP Hacks, Second Edition, and co-author of Windows XP Cookbook. He has written more than 30 other books. He has written for major national newspapers and magazines, including PC Magazine, Computerworld, the Los Angeles Times, the Dallas Morning News (where he was the technology columnist), USA Today, and several others. A well-known technology expert, Preston has also appeared on many TV and radio programs and networks, including CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. In addition, he's won a number of awards for his writing, including Best Feature in a Computer Magazine from the Computer Press Association. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

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