XP Tips

by R.M. Schneider
Last Update: Sunday, 09 May 2004

This page outlines important tips in using Microsoft Windows XP. These articles have been written and included here based on the author's experience in having to deal with these issues or to answer "frequently asked" questions from others.

In addition to basic XP, also covered here are Word and Outlook. Microsoft Project tips are covered elsewhere.

Also see XP and Samba for integrating XP with Linux servers.

Contents. 1

Updating Microsoft Windows XP. 1

How to Do XP Update. 2

Making Updates Automatic. 3

My Computer is Slow! 3

CD Writing. 4

How to Restart the Offline Files Cache/Database. 4

Repair of XP. 5

When your PC Keeps Re-booting (or Shutting down) on its Own. 5

Cleaning up after Blaster Worm.. 6

Games Don't Work after being Installed on XP. 6

Introduction to Word. 8

If Templates are Not Working. 8

Increasing Performance. 8

Random Text 8

Print a list of shortcut keys. 8

Networking to the Internet 9

Home Networking. 9

Miscellaneous. 9

Updating Microsoft Windows XP

No software product is perfect. Microsoft Windows XP is one of the biggest software products ever developed by anyone. Flaws are discovered and fixed by Microsoft. This is a good thing.

Some flaws are obscure and insignificant to most people. Some flaws are discovered that if not fixed could expose the user's computer to security risks when connected to the Internet.

Microsoft recognises that flaws can and will exist, and accordingly have included in Windows XP very sophisticated and easy-to-use capabilities to obtain and install updates to Windows XP. Microsoft makes these updates freely available for the most important security related patches.

If you use your computer on a network (Internet or private network), it is recommended that you use the Windows XP update programs to keep your version of XP corrected with up-to-date patches.

Note: In the real world, Microsoft will announce a patch to Microsoft Windows XP. The "bad-guys" in the world will read those announcements. They then will rush to write computer "viruses" or "worms" to exploit those holes in Windows XP knowing full well that the majority of machines their "attacks" will reach will not be patched. They know that many people are unaware or pay no attention to Microsoft's updates. This is what happened with the so-called Blaster Worm during the summer of 2003. Microsoft identified and issued an update patch in July 2003. By August 2003 the world was full of machines "infected" with the Blaster Worm. The Blaster Worm's "payload" was code on the machine which caused it to shutdown with errors every few minutes. People who installed patches in July 2003 were not affected by this worm. For more information about the Blaster Worm, see http://www.microsoft.com/blaster.

How to Do XP Update

Start at “Help and Support” on the Start button. This will get you into Windows Update. Pick the highlighted text to “scan for updates”. This will compare updates available on Microsoft’s web site with the versions you have.

You will be presented with a list of available updates. You check all the ones you want. It is best to take all the critical updates. Avoid hardware updates unless you are absolutely sure they will work. Hardware are best obtained from the manufacturer of your hardware.

Following your selection of updates to take, follow the instructions provided.

Making Updates Automatic

If your computer is always connected to the Internet (broadband, corporate network, etc.) it’s convenient and easy set it up so that the computer automatically seeks out, downloads if available, and installs automatically (if you give this option) for you.

Go to “My Computer”, right-mouse click-on Properties. Pick Tab; Automatic Updates:

The above screen shot shows that downloads are set to be downloaded automatically with a notification that they have arrived. Alternatively, you can choose other options in the “Settings” block. You can link on the “Learn more about scheduled installing.

My Computer is Slow!

Poor system performance can be the result of a single problem or a combination of factors. Listed below are issues, which you may wish to examine if you are experiencing poor performance after the boot process has completed. Some items may help with slow starting of Windows XP but the list has not been prepared for tackling that problem. Work through the list until you achieve an acceptable result.

Regular and effective housekeeping is essential. What you do and how often you do it will depend on how you use your computer. A suggested routine may include:

1. In Outlook Express empty your Deleted Items folder.

2. In Outlook Express run File, Folder, Compact All while OFFLINE.

3. Run Disk Cleanup. Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk Cleanup with Temporary Internet Files, Offline Web Pages (optional), and Recycle Bin selected for deletion. If you have more than one drive / partition you may need to do this operation for each drive / partition.

4. Remove Cookies. Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, General, Delete Cookies.

5. Run Disk Defragmenter.

Check whether you could reduce the number of days the History of sites visited is retained. Start, Control Panel, Internet Options, General, History.

Spyware causes many problems. If not installed download Adaware and / or update Reference file from http://www.lavasoftusa.com/support/download/ and use it to remove parasites. If Spyware persists as a problem try a Hosts file. http://www.accs-net.com/hosts/what_is_hosts.html.

Slow performance resulting from insufficient memory, causing over reliance on virtual memory, may be especially noticed by those upgrading to Windows XP from an earlier version of Windows. Windows XP will run with 64 MB of RAM memory. However, a minimum of 256 MB is recommended and many users will recommend 512 MB. You may check on pagefile (virtual memory) usage with Page File Monitor for XP: http://www.dougknox.com/

Check your setting for the Indexing Service. Start, Administrative Tools, Services, Indexing Service. The default setting is Manual. Check that it is not running. More information here: http://www.blackviper.com/WinXP/service411.htm#Indexing_Service

You can have too many programmes running in the background. Close programmes/windows after use. Check whether all the programmes loading when Windows is started are really necessary. http://aumha.org/a/loads.htm

Check whether you can identify slow performance with a particular programme. Look in Google to see whether others have encountered the same problem and found a solution. http://groups.google.com/

Are there any error messages in Event Viewer? You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning of the error, information regarding Event ID: and Source Description is important.

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308427&Product=winxp

CD Writing

See "Burning CDs in Windows XP", by Alex Nichol.

How to Restart the Offline Files Cache/Database

We have seen offline files and synchronisation of those files fail. Sometimes this failure manifests itself in an inability to update the actual source online file when the computer is online and connected to the real resource.

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.

The Microsoft Knowledge Base Article

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;230738

discusses how to reset the offline files cache and database.

1. In Folder Options, on the Offline Files tab, press CTRL+SHIFT, and then click Delete Files. The following message appears:

The Offline Files cache on the local computer will be re-initialized. Any changes that have not been synchronized with computers on the network will be lost. Any files or folders made available offline will no longer be available offline. A computer restart is required.

Do you wish to re-initialize the cache?

2. Click Yes two times to restart the computer.

After this, you will have to re-build all the offline files, which might take some time.

Repair of XP

XP has built-in capability to repair flawed installations.

1. From Start>Run type:

2. sfc /scannow

You will need to have your XP CD to hand.

When your PC Keeps Re-booting (or Shutting down) on its Own

The root cause could be one or more of a number of possibilities, listed here in probability of occurring:

Level 1

System reboots for hardware reasons...

· inadequate or variable mains power

· loose mains cables

· flawed power supply unit

· some needed power connections not made (e.g. for P4)

· other hardware issues, e.g. overheating

Level 2

System reboots because of general system errors. This is a default Microsoft setting in XP:

1. Control Panel => System => Advanced,

2. UNcheck the relevant setting

Level 3

System reboots because a service fails, most likely RPC service, when internet "worms" (Lovesan, Blaster, etc.) are attempt intrusion to your machine.

A Microsoft XP setting is involved

1. Recovery tab in RPC service Properties; set to "restart service"

Note: note; this Denial of Service effect happens even when you are NOT infected - so, fix the RPC hole

Level 4

Something commands your system to reboot:

· Do a formal virus check to exclude malware, esp. RATs

· Check out who has "remote admin" access to PC

· check Tasks in Windows Task Manager for nefarious services running

Cleaning up after Blaster Worm

When the shutdown countdown starts go to:

1. Start> run> type 'shutdown -a' without the quotes. Hit okay.

2. Do it again should the countdown start again during the process.

3. Then go Start> control panel> network connections> select your internet connection and right click it. Select properties.

4. Click the advanced tab and tick the 'protect this...' box.

5. Hit okay until the boxes disappear.

6. Now go to http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.blaster.worm.removal.tool.html and read the page. Download the fixblast.exe (link about half way down that page). Run it.

7. When your machine is clean, update your machine.

Games Don't Work after being Installed on XP

This is quite common if the software was designed for Win9x/Me, or if it was intended for WinNT/2K/XP, but was improperly designed.

Simply, the installation routine for this application doesn't "know" how to handle individual user profiles, or the application tries to make changes to "off-limits" sections of the registry.

Sometimes, you can make this software available to other users by copying the Start Menu folder and Desktop folder shortcuts from the user profile from which the software was installed in the corresponding folders in the user profile(s) in which you'd like the software to be accessible. If the application is something that can/should be made available to all current and future users, copying the shortcuts into the corresponding locations of the All Users profile will do the same thing.

NOTE: This may not work if the software requires access to parts of the hard drive and/or Windows Registry that are not normally accessible to regular users. This won't occur if the application was properly written. If this does prove to be the case, however, you're left with two options:

1. Either grant the necessary users appropriate higher access privileges (either as Power Users or local administrators), or

2. replace the application with one that was properly designed specifically for WinNT/2K/XP.

See:

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307091

A Few More Tips

If your game or application works with admin accounts, but not with limited accounts, you can fix it to allow limited users to access the program files folder with "change" capability rather than "read" which is the default.

C:\>cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:c

where "appfolder" is the folder where the application is installed.

If you wish to undo these changes, then run

C:\>cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:r

If you still have a problem with running the program or saving settings on limited accounts, you may need to change permissions on the registry keys.

1. Run regedit.exe and

2. go to HKLM\Software\vendor\app,

where "vendor\app" is the key that the software vendor used for your specific program.

Change the permissions on this key to allow Users full control."

Outlook

Reducing Spam

The general rules are:

· Use an ISP who uses a SPAM filter.

· Install some anti-SPAM filter software. (We use SpamAssassin running on the Linux mail server. It captures most all Spam before Outlook, and Outlook seems to get the few that were not detected by SpamAsssassin.)

· Avoid using your real email address when filling in forms on web sites and in public postings in Usenet Newsgroups. Some companies release emails addresses to other firms who in turn make them available to Spammers. Spammers will "harvest" emails from these public forums.

Even with both in use some will still get through, so:

· Never open or preview email from anyone you don't know.

· If you need to view an email to check if it is Spam, never do it while your PC is on-line; just opening or previewing email can signal to the sender that your email address is genuine.

Email headers are all too often faked to hide the real origin, blocking by sender, domain or IP address is proving less effective as Spammers learn new tricks

Word

Introduction to Word

Shauna Kelly, a Microsoft MVP for Word, has created a terrific web site which provides excellent introductory material for Word. See http://www.shaunakelly.com/word/index.html, or click on the icon above.

If Templates are Not Working

You may find that making changes to styles in templates is unreliable. You make the change, save it, but then when you are next in the document you find that the styel changes were not saved.

This will happen if the templates are not real templates. Templates in Word can only be created by Menu: File/Save As … Template. You cannot simply take a DOC file and rename it with a Template DOT extension. This will not work.

Increasing Performance

See Microsoft's article at http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;239431. Obviously, this is for those who have Word 2000, but there is a link to optimizing Word 97 included and everything they say seems applicable to Word 2003 and XP.

The detailed article provides tips on increasing RAM, using disk defragmenter, optimizing virtual memory use, changing display and font settings, working with files, improving scrolling speed, and many other tips. It suggests turning off some features that I had not thought about as I never use them.

Random Text

Ever want to have random text for any special reason. It's easy in Word.

Open a new paragraph, and enter the line:

=Rand(n,m)

where n is the number of paragraphs you want and m is the number of sentences in each (max 255). "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." is the sentence used.

Print a list of shortcut keys

I ran across this in Word’s Help file. This produces a 6-page Word document suitable for printing which lists all the shortcut keys on that setup of Word. Very useful.

1. On the Tools menu, point to Macro, and then click Macros.

2. In the Macros in box, click Word commands.

3. In the Macro name box, click ListCommands.

4. Click Run.

5. In the List Commands dialog box, click Current menu and keyboard settings.

6. Click OK.

7. On the File menu, click Print.

Networking to the Internet

There are three basic ways to share a connection with the Internet using a single connection (Cable, ADSL Modem, etc.).

Also see the following sites for information about networking:

· http://www.practicallynetworked.com

· http://www.wown.com

· http://computer.howstuffworks.com/home-network.htm

· http://www.homenethelp.com/

· http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/

· http://duxcw.com/faq/network/names.htm

· http://www.pcstats.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=1428

· http://www.ChicagoTech.net

Home Networking

· http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=813936

The basics for troubleshooting are: http://www.onecomputerguy.com/windowsxp_tips.htm#browsing_delay.

1. Make sure you have the same IP scheme (e.g. 192.168.0.x).

2. Make sure you have the same Subnet Mask, Gateway, and DNS IP addresses.

3. Make sure you can ping the other computer's IP address. If this fails, make sure you turn of XP's firewall.

4. Make sure you can ping the other computers by name.

5. Make sure you have the same workgroup name (watch for trailing spaces)

6. For troubleshooting purposes, turn off XP's and any other firewall software. You can always add more complexity after you get it working.

7. With XP, make sure you have the same username and password as the person logging onto the other computers. The default setting for XP Pro is to require a password for network access.

8. More details about how to network XP can be found at: http://www.onecomputerguy.com/networking/xp_network.htm

9. More details about how to troubleshoot TCP/IP networkcs can be found at: http://www.onecomputerguy.com/networking/trouble.htm

10. Apply the registry edit to fix the browsing delay from XP to Win9x computers

There continues to be a lot of misinformation about needing NetBEUI or to changing the NetBIOS setting. You can ignore both. Installing NetBEUI to solve a networking problem will just mask a some underlying and potentially important mis-configuration with TCP/IP. The default NetBIOS setting works fine so there is no need to change that either.