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Windows
XP Tech Support
The Latest Windows XP
News & Tech Support!
Wen Tech Geek.com
Part 3
More software downloads
Windows
XP News & Tech Support!
Speed up Start Panel - You know the default speed of the Start
Menu is pretty slow, but you can fix that by editing a
Registry Key. Fire up the Registry Editor and navigate
to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Control Panel \ Desktop
\ MenuShowDelay
By default, the value is 400. Change this to a smaller
value, such as 0, to speed it up.
If your confounded by the slow speed of the Start Menu,
even after using the tip above, then you might try the
following: Navigate to Display Properties then Appearance
then Effects and turn off the option titled Show menu
shadow. You will get much better overall performance.
Priority Tweaking Tip - You
can tweak how you're applications run in XP by changing
the priority at which they are run. This may dramatically
increase the speed of the luna theme and XP in general.
- Open TaskManager (Ctrl+Alt+Del or Ctrl+Shift+Esc)
- Goto the Processes tab
- Right Click Program- Set Priority
- Now you can set the application to the priority of your
choice. Remember you can speed your system up or slow
your system down so try and keep things balanced.
Win XP TIP!: By Raymond, WebTechGeek.com
- Customize the Windows Explorer: How you can customize
what directory Windows Explorer opens with!
If your tired of Windows Explorer always opening up with
My Documents.
You can customize it, by changing the properties for the
Windows Explorer icon and replace the Target field with:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, c:\yourfolder
This also works with Professional and Server.
No Java in Windows XP: Microsoft has announced it
will not include support for the Java programming language
in the upcoming Windows XP. After settling a lawsuit with
Java creator Sun Microsystems in January, the software giant
decided the easiest way to prevent further litigation was
to simply remove the code entirely. The settlement stipulated
that Microsoft would no longer license Java from Sun, and
refrain from stating that Windows is "Java Compatible."
Outdated Java support will remain available as an added
download from Windows Update if required. Java's removal
from the software giant's new operating system comes on
the heels of announcements surrounding .NET, Microsoft Web
services based on XML. These services are accessed over
the Internet from a variety of devices. Coincidentally,
Sun has been developing its own Java-based version of .NET,
dubbed Jini. However, Microsoft vehemently denies claims
that it intends to phase out support for Java as an attack
on Sun.
Windows XP Ready" PC Specifications!
Microsoft published "Windows
XP Ready" PC Specifications, that so people wanting
to buy a new computer system can buy one that meets the
system requirements for the new operating system, allowing
them to install Windows XP the day it ships. Dell Computer
Corp, IBM Corp, Compaq Computer Corp., Gateway Inc., ,
Hewlett-Packard Co., eMachines Inc., Equus Computer Systems.,
MicronPC, Northgate Computers, Premio Computer Inc., Sony,
Systemax Inc. and Toshiba are current PC manufacturers
offering Windows XP Ready PCS worldwide now. You can view
the complete list of Win XP Ready PCs can be viewed at
the Microsoft
Windows XP Web site.
Windows XP ready computers meet the minimum
hardware requirements to run the Windows XP Professional
and Windows XP Home Edition operating systems. Hardware
drivers, if necessary, are available from the original
equipment manufacturer (OEM) upon the release of Windows
XP.
What
is Windows XP?
Windows XP, formerly known under
it's code name "Whistler" is the code name of
the next version of Windows currently being beta tested.
Windows XP will be the first OS to combine the Windows
9x code with the NT code, finally removing the MS-DOS
layer from under Windows 9x. Windows XP is the the successor
to Windows 2000. In other words, Windows XP is the next
generation of Windows, called Windows. NET 1.0, and it
will be based on Windows 2000, not the old Windows 9x
kernel. It is the next biggest operating system. You may
want to upgrade to it. Windows XP will also include support
for Visual Styles, an XML-based "skinning" feature
that will allow users to tailor the way their system looks
in ways that were never before possible.
Microsoft announced it will launch Microsoft®
Windows® XP, the highly anticipated next release of
the Windows operating system, on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2001.
Microsoft announced two powerful new additions
to its Microsoft® Windows® operating system family,
built for the forthcoming Intel® Itanium™ 64-bit
processor. The new versions of the Windows operating system
for servers and workstations will support the most demanding
scientific and technical applications, and massive enterprise
and e-commerce applications, as well as the most popular
business applications.
Microsoft's 64-bit Windows Advanced Server Limited Edition
is scheduled for final release to coincide with general
commercial availability of OEM Itanium-based systems.
The workstation version, Windows XP 64-Bit Edition, will
be fully supported through the Early Deployment Program
before its final release on Oct. 25, when the product
will ship simultaneously with Microsoft's 32-bit Windows
XP desktop offerings.
You will be able to upgrade Windows
Me to Windows XP. What about Windows 95 and Windows
98?
Yes: Windows XP is an upgrade for almost every 32-bit
version of Windows; you will be able to upgrade Windows
98, 98 SE, and Me to Windows XP Home Edition or Professional.
You will also be able to upgrade Windows 2000 Professional
to Windows XP Professional as well, but not to Home Edition.
In case it isn't obvious, then, Windows 95 and Windows
NT 3.51, or earlier, are not supported for upgrading.
Note: Windows 98, 98 SE, and Me users will be able to
uninstall Windows XP if the upgrade doesn't work out for
some reason.
Microsoft
has two version of Windows XP:
What's the difference between Windows
XP Home Edition and Professional Edition?
A: Windows XP Home is designed as an upgrade for Windows
9x/Me and will therefore ship with the same type of consumer
features found in Windows Me. The biggest difference is
processor support: Windows XP Home will support only one
processor, while Professional supports two.
Windows XP Professional: Features
gives you the best of both worlds: the reliability of
the proven Windows 2000 code base, combined with the best
features of Windows 95/98/Me. Windows XP 64-Bit Edition
meets the demands of specialized, technical workstation
users who require large amounts of memory and floating
point performance. For corporate users. 2 processors,
4GB memory
The Windows XP Home Edition: For
home users, Personalized Welcome Screen, fast user switching.
The operating system is intelligent and easy to use.
Preliminary
System Requirements
To use Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional Beta
2, you need:
A 300 MHz or higher processor clock speed recommended;
minimum of 233MHZ required (single or dual processor system)*
Intel Pentium/Celeron family, or AMD K6/Athlon/Duron family,
or compatible processor
128 MB of RAM or higher recommended; minimum of 64 MB
of RAM (may have limited performance with some features
or applications)*
Minimum of 1.5 GB of available hard disk space*
SVGA (800 x 600) or higher resolution video adapter and
monitor recommended; VGA resolution minimum required
Keyboard
Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
CD-ROM or DVD drive
Sound card and speakers or headphones
The
Windows XP Home Edition
The Windows XP Home Edition: operating
system is intelligent and easy to use. Share your computer
with others, and keep your computer up-to-date, all in
a new design that works the way you do. Windows XP Home
Edition makes sharing the family computer a more pleasant
experience. You can set up accounts for each user during
Setup or from the Control Panel. The welcome screen is
personalized for each user, as are system settings. Users
can protect their accounts by setting passwords, and Fast
User Switching allows users to leave each other’s
applications running even as they switch in and out of
their accounts.
The redesigned Start menu groups your most
frequently used applications for easy access. Your five
favorite programs display first, and your default e-mail
and Web browser are always available. Access your documents,
printers, and network connections with just one click.
One click also gets you to Help and Support, and tools
to configure your system. You can even personalize the
Start menu to suit your needs.
File and Folder Management
Arrange your files and folders according to what makes
sense to you. Thumbnail images of your most important
documents let you scan through your folders easily.
Search Companion
A search companion identifies what kind of help you need
and retrieves search information relevant to your task
at hand.
Windows
XP Professional
Windows XP Professional is built
on the proven code base of Windows NT® and Windows
2000, which features a 32-bit computing architecture,
and a fully protected memory model.
The System Restore feature enables users
and administrators to restore a computer to a previous
state without losing data. System Restore automatically
creates easily identifiable restore points, which allow
you to restore the system to a previous time.
When certain classes of new device drivers
are installed, Windows XP Professional will maintain a
copy of the previously installed driver,which can be reinstalled
if problems occur. If a new device driver is causing Windows
XP Professional to malfunction, an administrator can easily
reinstall the previous driver.
Eliminates most scenarios that forced end
users to reboot in Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 95/98/Me.
Also, many software installations will not require reboots.
Critical kernel data structures are read-only,
so that drivers and applications cannot corrupt them.
All device driver code is read-only and page protected.
Rogue applications cannot adversely affect core operating
system areas.
Protects core system files from being overwritten
by application installations. If a file is overwritten,
Windows File Protection will restore the correct version.
By safeguarding system files, Windows XP Professional
prevents many of the most common system failures encountered
in earlier versions of Windows.
Increased Virus Protection For greater protection
from e-mail virus attacks, Windows XP Professional, by
default, will not allow the execution of e-mail attachments.
Also, a system administrator can remotely manage (via
group policy) whether certain file types or applications
should be allowed to execute on corporate computers. Administrators
will have a greater level of control in how they protect
their environments from e-mail virus attacks .
Internet Connection Firewall A firewall
client that can protect small businesses from common Internet
attacks. Small business owners will be able to securely
connect their Windows XP Professional computers to the
Internet.
Smart Card Support Smart card capabilities
are integrated into the operating system, including support
for smart card login to terminal server sessions. Smart
cards enhance software-only solutions such as client authentication,
interactive log-on, code signing, and secure e-mail.
Windows XP Professional supports the latest
hardware standards. It supports UDF 2.01, the latest standard
for reading DVD discs. It also supports the formatting
of DVD-RAM drives with the FAT32 file system. DirectX®
8 API support will be included, and Windows XP Professional
fully supports standards for Infrared Data Association
(IrDA), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and the high-speed
bus known as IEEE 1394.
Remote Assistance Remote Assistance enables
a user to share control of his or her computer with someone
on a network or the Internet. An administrator or friend
can view the user's screen, and control the pointer and
keyboard to help solve a technical problem. IT departments
can build custom solutions, on top of published APIs using
HTML, to tailor Remote Assistance to their needs, and
the feature can be centrally enabled or disabled.
Remote Desktop Lets a user access his computer
and any programs and data on it, from any computer, anywhere
with network access. Using Microsoft’s Remote Desktop
Protocol (RDP), a user could connect over the Internet
and control the powerful computer in his office, while
using a low-powered computer at an airport kiosk.
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