Windows XP Tips and Tricks

-->System speed up by Virtual RAM -->

See when we use any programs like Ms-WORD.it takes 50 MB out of 500 mb available in computer if we can increase virtual memory by 3 times as 1500.so we can have three times more speed.it is great for multi task...

Let’s do ……….

1.Right click on my computer on desktop. you will see

> PROPERTIES

> ADVANCED

> PERFORMANCE (click on settings)

> ADVANCED (Click on change)

> Click on custom size

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Shutdown XP Faster

Like previous versions of windows, it takes long time to restart or shutdown windows

XP when the "Exit Windows" sound is enabled. To solve this problem you must disable this useless sound.

· Click Start button.

· Go to settings > Control Panel > Sound, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio

Devices > Sounds.

· Then under program events and windows menu click on "Exit Windows" sub-menu and highlight it. Now from sounds you can select, choose "none" and then click Apply and OK.

Now you should see some improvements when shutting down your system.

Roll Back to the Previous Version of a Driver

Have you ever installed a device driver that makes your system unstable? Well, in

Windows XP you can roll back such a change if it causes you problems! To go back to the previous driver for a device:

· Click Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative Tools.

· Double-click Computer Management, and then click Device Manager in the left pane.

· Right-click the device for which you'd like to roll back the drivers, and then click

Properties.

· On Driver tab of the Properties dialog box, click Roll Back Driver, and follow the wizard's instructions.

It's that simple, although you need to be an administrator or a member of the

Easily Disable Messenger

Go into: C:/Program Files/Messenger. Rename the Messenger folder to "MessengerOFF". This does not slow down Outlook Express or hinder system performance.

Correcting System Hang at Startup

If your system hangs about 2 or 3 minutes at startup, where you can't access the Start button or the Taskbar, it may be due to one specific service (Background Intelligent Transfer) running in the background. Microsoft put out a patch for this but it didn't work for me. Here's what you do:

· Click on Start/Run, type 'msconfig', then click 'OK'.

· Go to the 'Services' tab, find the 'Background Intelligent Transfer' service.

· Disable it, apply the changes & reboot.

Disable XP Boot Logo

It is possible to disable the XP splash screen, which will slightly speed up the

overall boot process. Be aware that removing the splash screen will also cause you not

to see any boot-up messages that might come up (chkdsk, convert ... ), but if your system runs without any problems then it should not matter.

· Edit boot.ini.

· Add " /noguiboot" right after "/fastdetect".

Upon restarting, the splash screen will be gone. It can be re-enabled by removing the new switch.

Remove Hibernation File

If you do not use hibernation, make sure you do not have it enabled, which reserves disk space equal to your RAM. If you have a hidden file on the root directory of your

C-drive called hiberfil.sys, hibernation is enabled. To remove that file:

· Go to Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance, Power Options, Hibernate tab, and uncheck the Enable hibernation box.

Auto Login

· Go to Start/Run, and type 'control userpasswords2'.

· From Users Tab, Uncheck "Users must enter ...."

· A dialog will allow setting a user and password to be used automatically. Turn Off Autoplay for Program CDs

How can you stop Windows XP from launching program CDs?

· Click Start, click Run, type GPEDIT.MSC to open Group Policy in the Microsoft

Management Console.

· Double-click Computer Configuration, double-click Administrative templates, double-click System, and then click Turn off autoplay.

· The instructions on your screen describe how to configure this setting. Click

Properties to display the setting dialog.

· Click Enabled, and choose CD-ROM drives, then click OK, to stop CD autoplay. This setting does not prevent Autoplay for music CDs.

Change Drive Letters in Windows XP

When you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a

storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive. When you want to change drive letters, follow these steps:

· Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.

· Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you'll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.

· Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive

Letter and Paths.

· Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want to assign, and then click OK.

Remove Unwanted Shortcuts

· In the Welcome to the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, click Next.

· In the Shortcuts dialog box, a list of shortcuts are displayed in the Shortcut to Clean Up list. The shortcuts that you click are removed from the desktop and placed in the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder on the Windows desktop.

· If you do not want a shortcut to be removed from the desktop, click to clear the check box for that shortcut, and then click Next when you are finished.

· In the Completing the Desktop Cleanup Wizard dialog box, view the items in the Shortcuts box to confirm that you want them removed from the desktop, and then click Finish.

The Desktop Cleanup Wizard moves the selected shortcuts to the Unused Desktop

Shortcuts folder and then quits. Restore Shortcuts

If a shortcut that you want is removed, follow these steps to restore the shortcut:

· On the Desktop, double-click the Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder. The Unused

Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is displayed. Note: If the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box is maximized, click the Restore Down button (appears to the left of the red Close button).

· Drag the shortcut that you want to the Windows desktop.

· Close the Unused Desktop Shortcuts dialog box.

How to Pause or Resume Downloading

After the download process has started, you can pause or resume downloading at any time. If you close your Internet connection or restart your computer after pausing a

download process, Windows automatically resumes the download process the next time you are connected to the Internet.

· During the download process, click the icon that is displayed in the notification area, and then click Pause.

· When you are ready for Windows to start downloading again, click the Automatic updating icon, and then click

Resume.

Disable Automatic Windows Update

Windows XP is configured out of the box to routinely scan for and download updates to Windows XP automatically. While this can be somewhat convenient for those with very fast Internet connections and those who would otherwise forget to check for updates, it can be

a nuisance for the rest of us, who are still using 56k or, even worse 33k modem connections.

· Open the System icon in Control Panel (or right-click My Computer and select

Properties), and choose the Automatic Updating tab.

· To check for updates manually, open Internet Explorer and select Windows Update from the Tools menu.

Very Slow Boot When Networking

On some XP Pro installations, when connected to a network (peer-peer in this case),

the computer boot time is over 1:40. The system seems to freeze after logging in and the desktop may not appear or will freeze for a minute. As timed with the utility,

Bootvis.exe, the problem was with the driver mrxsmb.dll, adding over 67 seconds to the

boot time. Turning off and restoring file and printer sharing eliminated 65 seconds from the boot time.

· Alt-click (or right-click) on Network Places > Properties.

· Alt-click on Ethernet Adapter connection > Properties.

· Un-check "File and Printer Sharing for Microsoft Networks" > OK.

· Reboot.

· If you need file or printer sharing, repeat the above, re-check the box and re-boot again.

Disable Error Reporting

· Open Control Panel.

· Click on Performance and Maintenance.

· Click on System.

· Then click on the Advanced tab.

· Click on the error-reporting button on the bottom of the windows.

· Select Disable error reporting.

· Click OK. Click OK. Close Multiple Windows

If you just opened a number of separate, related windows (a folder inside a folder, and so on), there's an easier way to close them all than one-at-a-time:

· Hold down the shift-key as you click the X caption button in the upper-right corner

of the last window opened. Doing so closes that window and all windows that came before it.

Stop Password Expiration

After you have run Windows XP for a while, you may receive this message when you log

on: "Your password will expire in 14 days.....". By default, Windows XP is set up with passwords which will expire after 42 days. And 14 days in advance, Windows will start warning you of this fact.

· Go to Start > Run > type control userpasswords2

· Select the Advanced tab in the User Accounts window.

· Press the Advanced button below the Advanced user management header.

· Select Users in the Local Users and Groups.

· In the right pane, right-click the user name for which you want to change the setting, and select Properties.

· On the General tab, check Password never expires.

· Click Apply and OK (all the way out).

Create a windows XP Password Reset Disk

Microsoft has enhanced security features in XP including the ability to create a floppy diskette to recover your password in case it is forgotten.

· Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

· Click on the account which you want to create a password disk.

· Click Prevent a forgotten password which starts the Forgotten Password Wizard . This is found under Related Tasks.

· Insert a blank, formatted disk into drive A, and click Next.

· Enter the password in the Current user account password box. To use the recovery disk, at the Welcome screen:

· Click the user name whose password is on the recovery disk.

· Click the question mark button, this causes the "Did you forget your password message" to appear.

· Click use your password reset disk. This will start the Password Reset Wizard.

From this point, just follow the wizard's instructions and you will be able to set a new password.

Roll Back to the Previous Version of a Driver

Have you ever installed a device driver that makes your system unstable? Well, in

Windows XP you can roll back such a change if it causes you problems! To go back to the previous driver for a device:

· Click Start > Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance > Administrative Tools.

· Double-click Computer Management, and then click Device Manager in the left pane.

· Right-click the device for which you'd like to roll back the drivers, and then click

Properties.

· On Driver tab of the Properties dialog box, click Roll Back Driver, and follow the wizard's instructions.

It's that simple, although you need to be an administrator or a member of the

Administrators group to complete this procedure.

Create a Personal Screen Saver

For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a screen saver.

· Right-click an empty spot on your desktop, and then click Properties.

· Click the Screen Saver tab.

· In the Screen saver list, click My Pictures Slideshow.

· Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you'll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK.

Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.

One-Click Shutdown

If you have Clean Sweep Deluxe, you should disable it before proceeding. Follow these directions to create a one-click shutdown shortcut:

· Navigate to your Desktop.

· On the Desktop, right-click and go to New, then to Shortcut (in other words, create

a new shortcut).

· You should now see a pop-up window instructing you to enter a command line path. Enter one of these as the path: SHUTDOWN -s -t 01

· If the C: drive is not your local hard drive, then replace "C" with the correct letter of the hard drive.

· Click the "Next" button.

· Name the shortcut and click the "Finish" button.

Now whenever you want to shut down, just click on this shortcut and you're done.

Also, if you want to make life better and faster, you can right-click the new shortcut

you just made, go to Properties, and type in X (or whatever letter) in the Shortcut Key box.

How to Rename Multiple Files with Windows Explorer

· Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Windows Explorer.

· Press and hold down the Ctrl-key while you are clicking files.

· After you select the files, press F2.

· Type the new name, and then press ENTER.

Note: When you complete the preceding steps, the highlighted state of all files

except one disappears, so it may appear as if you are only renaming one file. However, after you press ENTER, all of the files are renamed. When you rename multiple files, all

of the renamed files have the same name with a number in parentheses appended to the name

to make the new file name unique. For example, if you type BUDGET as the new name, the first file is named BUDGET. All of the remaining selected files are named BUDGET(x), where x is a unique number, starting with (1).

Notes

If you make a mistake when you try to rename multiple files, you can press Ctrl+Z, or

click Undo Rename on the Edit menu to undo file rename action you just completed, and you can repeat this process as needed.

The Rename function in Windows Explorer does not match the behavior of the REN command you may use at a command prompt. For example, if you had files that are named smitha.doc, smithb.doc, and smithc.doc, you could use the ren smoth*.doc smythe*.doc command. All file names automatically show the new spelling, and are renamed smythea.doc, smytheb.doc, and smythec.doc.

If you use the Windows XP Rename function in Windows Explorer, after you select the three "smith" files, and rename smitha.doc to smythea.doc, all the other files you selected are named smythea(x).doc. To return to the original file name structure (the use of a, b, c, etc), you must rename each file individually.

Restore Icons That Have Been Removed from the Desktop in Windows XP

This article describes how to restore the My Computer, My Documents, and My Network

Places icons after they have been removed from the desktop.

In Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and Professional, the new Start menu is enabled

by default. When the new Start menu is enabled, the My Computer, My Documents, and My

Network Places icons are removed from the desktop.

· Right-click the Desktop and click Properties.

· Click the Desktop tab.

· Click Customize Desktop.

· Click the General tab, and then click the icons that you want to place on the desktop.

· Click OK.

Automatically Log On a User Account in Windows XP

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

Note: This process only works if the computer is not joined to a domain. Requirements

· The Welcome screen must be available.

· Guest account access must be turned off.

· There must be only one user account on the computer.

· The user account must not have a password. Make the Welcome Screen Available

To make the Welcome screen available:

· Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

· Click Change the way users log on or off.

· Click to select the Use the Welcome screen for fast and easy logon check box.

· Click OK.

Turn Off Guest Account Access

To turn off Guest account access:

· Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

· Click the Guest account.

· Click Turn off Guest access.

Remove the Password from a User Account

To remove the password from a user account:

· Click Start > Control Panel > User Accounts.

· Click the user account.

· Click Remove my password.

· Type the password in the Type your current password box, and then click Remove

Password.

Change the Start Menu Style

Does the new Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can

easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

· Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.

· Click the Classic Start menu choice.

· Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer,

My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop. If you don't want this:

· Right-click a blank area of the Desktop, choose Properties, and then navigate to the

Desktop page. Click Customize Desktop to determine which icons are shown on the desktop.

Add Fields to the Details View of Folders

You can add other columns to the Details view of the files contained in Windows XP

folders, such as Comments, Description, Category, and many others. To add new columns:

· Right-click the column header of the files list, and then click one of the fields listed, or click More.

· In the Choose Details dialog box, you can reorganize the order of column headers, specify column widths, and add columns to display details for the files in that folder. When you click the new column header, the width of the selected column is displayed in pixels in the Choose Details dialog box.

Activate NetMeeting

Using NetMeeting, you can participate in virtual meetings, work in shared

applications, and share data over the Internet or your company intranet. NetMeeting is actually already installed after you perform a full install of Windows XP, but it won't appear on the Start menu until it's activated.

· Click Start, then Run, and enter Conf.

· Click OK.

· In the NetMeeting Wizard, supply the necessary information, and then select the Put

a shortcut to NetMeeting on my desktop (or on my Quick Launch bar) check box.

NetMeeting should start and is now listed in the most frequently used programs list on the Start menu.

Add Administrative Tools to Your Start Menu

If you are an administrator to your Windows XP Professional machine, you might want to

be able to perform administrative functions. Yet, it is sort of a hassle to navigate to the Control Panel and select the Administrative Tools from there.

· Right-click the Start menu, and then click Properties.

· On the Start Menu tab, click Customize.

· Click the Advanced tab, and under Start menu items, scroll to System Administrative

Tools.

· Click Display on the All Programs and the Start menu.

You can navigate through those tools right from the comforts of the Start menu.

Access the Administrator Account from the Welcome Screen

If you are at the Welcome screen and want to log on with the Administrator account, but it's not listed:

· Press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice to bring up the Windows 2000 logon window, which then allows you to log on as Administrator.

Logging on at the Welcome screen is not available on computers that are members of a network domain.

Three New Command-Line Tools

If you're running Windows XP Professional, you can use a number of great new command-line tools:

· Use schtasks.exe to script the scheduling of tasks from the command line.

· Defragment your drives from the command line with defrag.exe.

· Query all or any of the event logs from the command line with eventquery.vbs.

To execute some of these commands, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the computer that the command affects.

Change Drive Letters in Windows XP

When you add drives to your computer, such as an extra hard drive, a CD drive, or a

storage device that corresponds to a drive, Windows automatically assigns letters to the drives. However, this assignment might not suit your system; for example, you might have mapped a network drive to the same letter that Windows assigns to a new drive.

· Right-click My Computer, and then click Manage.

· Under Computer Management, click Disk Management. In the right pane, you'll see your drives listed. CD-ROM drives are listed at the bottom of the pane.

· Right-click the drive or device you want to change, and then click Change Drive

Letter and Paths.

· Click Change, click Assign the following drive letter, click the drive letter you want to assign, and then click OK.

You will not be able to change the boot or system drive letter in this manner. Many

MS-DOS-based and Windows-based programs make references to a specific drive letter (for example, environment variables). If you modify the drive letter, these programs may not function correctly.

Create a Desktop Shortcut to Lock Your Computer

You secure your computer by locking it whenever you're away from your desk. If you're

on a domain, by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del and then clicking Lock Computer, you can prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your computer. Only you and members of the Administrators group on your computer can unlock it. (You unlock it by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del, typing your password, and then clicking OK.)

To create an even quicker means of securing your computer, place a shortcut on your desktop to lock your computer:

· Right-click an open area of your desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.

· In the Location box, type %windir%\System32\rundll32.exe user32.dll,LockWorkStation

· Click Next, in the Name box type a name for the shortcut such as, Lock Computer, and then click Finish.

Update Computer Clock Through a Firewall

If your computer is a member of a domain, your computer clock is probably synchronized automatically by a network time server. If your computer is not a member of a domain, you can synchronize your computer clock with an Internet time server.

Set Permissions for Shared Files and Folders

Sharing of files and folders can be managed in two ways. If you chose simplified file sharing, your folders can be shared with everyone on your network or workgroup, or you can make your folders private. (This is how folders are shared in Windows 2000.)

However, in Windows XP Professional, you can also set folder permissions for specific users or groups. To do this, you must first change the default setting, which is simple file sharing.

· Open Control Panel, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.

· Click the View tab, and scroll to the bottom of the Advanced Settings list.

· Clear the Use simple file sharing (Recommended) check box.

· To manage folder permissions, browse to the folder in Windows Explorer, right-click the folder, and then click Properties. Click the Security tab, and assign permissions, such as Full Control, Modify, Read, and/or Write, to specific users.

You can set file and folder permissions only on drives formatted to use NTFS, and you must be the owner or have been granted permission to do so by the owner.

Stop Getting Tricked into Running Viruses

Stop getting tricked into running viruses because you don't see the file extension of an attachment.

· Click Start, click My Computer, and on the Tools menu, click Folder Options.

· Clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check box, and then click OK. Now when you receive a file called something.jpg.vbs, you'll see the .vbs extension and know that it is not an ordinary .jpg file.

Speed up Menu Display

You can use this tip to speed up the way menus display in Windows XP.

· Click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and the click

System.

· Click the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click the Settings button.

· Clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box, and then click OK.

· Now when you bring up a collapsed menu, it will expand without delay.

Compress Files and Folders in Windows XP

Running out of room on your hard disk? Need some extra space to install a new

program? Don't worry, Windows XP comes to the rescue. Both Windows XP Professional and

Home Edition now include a zip compression utility that you can use to compress files and folders on your hard disk.

To compress a file or folder:

· Right-click the file or folder.

· Point to Send To.

· Then click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

This will make a compressed folder, identified by a zipper icon, which displays the same name as the file you compressed.

You can also make a compressed folder from scratch, by following these steps:

· Right-click the desktop.

· Point to New.

· Click Compressed (zipped) Folder.

· Open the new compressed folder and drag files inside that you would like compressed.

Microsoft .NET FAQ

When Microsoft formally introduced its .NET strategy in mid-2000, analysts were

confused about how the company would pull off such a massive platform shift. Two years later, they're still wondering. But .NET isn't vaporware, and it's not a pipe dream. In fact, .NET is happening today.

When Microsoft formally introduced its .NET strategy in mid-2000, analysts were

confused about how the company would pull off such a massive platform shift. Two years later, they're still wondering. But .NET isn't vaporware, and it's not a pipe dream. In fact, .NET is happening today.

Q: What is .NET?

A: It's a dessert topping, it's a floor cleaner--it's a dessert topping and a floor cleaner! Actually, .NET is many things, but primarily it's a marketing term for a set of products and technologies that Microsoft is creating to move personal and enterprise computing beyond the PC desktop and into a distributed Internet-based environment. So

.NET--which was originally called Next Generation Windows Services (NGWS)--is also a platform, one that Microsoft sees as the successor to Windows. The .NET platform is based on Web services which are, in turn, defined by a language called XML.

Q: What is XML?

A: XML--the eXtensible Markup Language--is a self-descriptive, data definition language. It's similar to HTML, the language of the Web, but it's far more powerful because it's not limited to a static list of language constructs ("tags") that the language's authors supply. Instead, XML is extensible and dynamic: Programmers can

define new types of data using XML and then describe that data so that others will know how to use it.

Q: What are Web services?

A: Web services are server-side applications that expose their services as programmable units that other applications (and Web services) can access over the Internet.

Q: Does .NET require Windows?

A: Technically, no, but realistically, yes. It's possible the .NET platform could be ported to other operating systems, such as Linux, FreeBSD, the Macintosh, or whatever, and indeed, some work is being done now in this area. However, .NET very much requires Windows today, on both the server and the client. One might say that .NET and Windows have a symbiotic relationship.

Q: .NET is being ported to Linux?

A: Yes. A company called Ximian is porting the standards-based parts of .NET to

Linux as you read this, and the work is amazingly far along. Code-named Mono, this

project seeks to bring the C# programming language, the Common Language Runtime (CLR, see below), and other .NET features to Linux.

On a related note, Microsoft has contracted Corel (makers of CorelDraw and Word

Perfect) to port .NET to FreeBSD at some undetermined date in the future. This project has not yet started.

Q: Which Windows versions support .NET?

A: You can run .NET client applications and services on Windows 98, 98 SE, Millennium Edition (Me), NT 4.0, 2000, or XP. Beginning in late 2002, you will be able to run .NET applications and services on Windows CE .NET products, such as the Pocket PC and

Microsoft Smart Phone, as well.

On the server, you can use Windows NT 4.0, 2000, or .NET Server.

Q: Are there any .NET features in Windows XP?

A: Yes, but not much. Because Windows XP was designed and built before the .NET Framework was complete, it only includes bare-bones .NET functionality. The primary conduit for .NET in XP is Windows Messenger, which is used to expose .NET alert and rendezvous services. XP also includes integration with the .NET Passport service, so that you can optionally auto-logon to Passport when you logon to Windows.

Q: Isn't .NET just another name for COM, COM+, Windows DNA, or some other previous

Windows technology?

A: Actually, no. Microsoft spent considerable time and effort developing and

promoting a set of Windows technologies that was at various times called OLE, COM, COM+, and Windows DNA (Distributed InterNet Architecture), but .NET is not the next iteration. Windows DNA, which was the final umbrella term for this set of technologies, was based around a concept where Windows-based software components could expose their services for other local and remote Windows software components. But though this sounds passingly similar to .NET, Windows DNA is very much based on proprietary Windows technologies. By

comparison, .NET is based on open standards (XML and various related technologies), so it will be much easier for other vendors to adopt the platform and write compatible

software. So we can eventually expect to see .NET clients and servers on platforms other than Windows.

Q: So are all older applications useless now? What about all those COM components I

developed over the past several years?

A: Obviously, any existing applications, services, and components will continue to

work with future Windows versions. However, Microsoft has also added interoperability features so that you can use this older code--now referred to as unmanaged code--with new

.NET applications and services.

Q: So what technologies are part of .NET?

A: .NET is comprised of several related technologies, including:

.NET Framework - A runtime environment and set of standard services which .NET capable applications and services can utilize. Implemented as a code library, the .NET Framework includes the Common Language Runtime (CLR), the .NET run-time environment; ASP .NET, a

Web applications platform; and ADO .NET, for data store access. Microsoft will ship a version of the .NET Framework--dubbed the .NET Compact Framework--for Pocket PCs, Microsoft Smart Phones, and other similar devices in late 2002.

.NET My Services - A set of free, consumer-oriented services that will expand on .NET Passport's authentication services (available today) to offer Web server-based storage of personal information such as name and address, calendar, address book, and credit card information. Microsoft expects to ship .NET My Services (previously code-named

Hailstorm) for consumers by the end of 2002. A business oriented version of .NET My

Services is also in the works.

.NET Enterprise Servers - A set of expensive Microsoft server software that runs on Windows servers, including Application Server, BizTalk Server, Exchange Server, Host Integration Server, Internet Security and Acceleration Server, SQL Server, and many others. Microsoft is currently shipping many such server products, but they are all

based on Windows DNA currently, not .NET. Future server products--beginning with Windows

.NET Server, due in late 2002--will actually be based on .NET technologies for the first time.

Visual Studio .NET - Microsoft's .NET development environment, with support for languages such as Visual Basic .NET, Visual C++ .NET, and Visual C# .NET, which all

target the .NET Framework. Other vendors can add other language capabilities to Visual Studio .NET, and the suite can be used to target a wide range of applications and services, including .NET Web services, Windows applications, and Web applications. Note that Visual Studio .NET is not required to create .NET applications and services: Developers can download the .NET Framework for free; this download includes compilers

for Visual Basic .NET, Visual C++ .NET and Visual C# .NET.

Q: Will I need to upgrade my Windows NT4/2000 servers to Windows .NET Server to serve

.NET applications and services?

A: No, you can install the .NET Framework on Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000.

However, Microsoft hopes that it's new .NET Enterprise Servers add enough value that you will want to upgrade to one or more of them.

Q: What does Windows .NET Server bring to the picture compared to Windows 2000

Server?

A: Windows .NET Server is a minor upgrade to Windows 2000 Server.

Q: Visual Studio .NET sounds nice, but what about other programming languages?

A: One of the biggest advancements in Visual Studio .NET is that the environment,

like the underlying .NET CLR, is not tied to any one language. Microsoft ships C#, C++, Visual Basic, and ECMAScript/JScript/JavaScript support in the box, and will ship its Visual J# .NET add-on later in 2002. But hundreds of companies are porting various programming languages to .NET and the Visual Studio .NET environment, including Delphi/Object Pascal, Perl, PHP, and many more.

Q: What if I want to create standalone Windows applications that don't rely on the

.NET Framework? Is this still possible?

A: You can still write Visual C++ applications and services that rely on technology such as the Win32 API, MFC, ATL, or COM/COM+. However, Visual Basic programmers will have to learn the new Windows Form model exposed by the .NET Framework.

Q: What's the future of Web-based scripting under .NET? If one wanted to write Web scripts that work with the widest variety of browsers?

A: You want to look into something called ASP .NET, which is a server-side scripting environment. What this gives you is the ability to use any .NET compatible language,

built-in browser detection features you won't need to hand-code, and compatibility with non-PC devices like Smart Phones and Pocket PCs. The future of Web scripting is

server-side.

Q: When will the .NET Framework be shipped as part of Windows? Will it be included in Windows 2000 SP3 or Windows XP SP1?

A: Windows .NET Server will be the first Windows version to ship with the .NET Framework included as an integral component; this product is due in late 2002.

Q: Parts of .NET sound a lot like Java. Is it just a Java rip-off?

A: Not exactly. Like Java, .NET includes a run-time environment that provides a number of important developer services, such as garbage protection. And yes, C#--an

object oriented, C-like programming language similar to Java--is the preferred language for .NET development. But Java isn't the first object-oriented C-like language, and it certainly isn't the first developer tool to offer a run-time environment (indeed,

Microsoft has used a run-time environment for Visual Basic for almost a decade, beginning well before Java was invented).

Also, .NET offers three critical advantages over Java: First, it allows the

programmer to use any compatible programming language, compared to the one (Java) that the Java environment allows. Secondly, .NET applications and services are fully

compiled, unlike Java applications and services, so they offer much better performance. And finally, critical portions of .NET--including the CLR and the C# programming

language--have been opened as international standards. Despite promises, Java's

inventor--Sun Microsystems--has constantly reneged on its Java standardization efforts. This standards-based approach will eventually see .NET ported to operating systems other than Windows.

Q: What about Windows? If .NET is successful, does that mean Windows goes away?

A: No. Windows is a crucial component of .NET, on both the server and the client

(desktop). Server-side, Windows servers will be used to execute .NET code and provide

.NET services to users. On the client, a future Windows version called Windows .NET will provide pervasive .NET integration and be what Microsoft calls the most complete .NET client. And on handheld and connected devices, Windows CE .NET will offer a subset of

the .NET Framework called the .NET Compact Framework, that enables .NET compatibility there as well. Even if .NET succeeds beyond Microsoft's wildest dreams, Windows doesn't

go away. Instead, it becomes a key component of a far wider strategy that moves beyond the PC to include PC-like devices such as cell phones, PDAs, set-top boxes, and the like.

Q: What about 64-bit Windows versions? Will .NET applications and services have to be recoded or recompiled to run on this new platform?

A: Most .NET applications and services should run fine on 64-bit Windows platforms that are .NET Framework-enabled without having to be recoded or recompiled at all.

Q: .NET sounds like it requires a 24/7 Internet connection. What happens when that connection goes down, or if we have a dial-up Internet connection?

A: For .NET to be fully realized, bandwidth will have to be like electricity. That

is, it will have to be always on, and very reliable. In the meantime, Microsoft realizes that many people will be accessing .NET services through an unreliable or slow

connection, and for this reason, the technology is being built to deal gracefully with interruptions.

Q: How do we know .NET isn't just a passing fad?

A: I think the clearest way to understand this is to look at how they've architected

.NET. Unlike many of Microsoft's previous technology initiatives, .NET is a brand new platform that's been done right. Just head into a Borders or Barnes and Nobles, and

check out the wide variety of .NET related topics there are out there, everything from building mobile Web applications, to Windows Form applications, to pre-.NET application porting. Microsoft .NET is real, it's here to stay, and though the phrase betting the company is getting a bit tired, this time it's true: Microsoft's future is completely wrapped up in .NET.

Q: What companies and products does Microsoft's .NET product line compete with?

A: Honestly, there isn't a single company or product line out there that competes

with the full .NET initiative. For Web services, the obvious target is Sun, with its

J2EE (Java 2 Enterprise Edition). And Java is right there as a non-OS platform of sorts

as well, though it has glaring performance and compatibility deficiencies. IBM has a Web services strategy, of sorts, as well. And of course various companies make developer

tools that compete with Visual Studio .NET.

However, the biggest .NET competitor might ultimately be Linux. If the Linux

community can successful port key .NET technologies and provide key .NET services via free server products, it could give Microsoft a run for its money.

Q: OK, so what's the point? How does this make my life better?

A: With apologies to Microsoft for stealing the term, .NET enables a better PC

ecosystem. That is, by making life easier for everyone involved with PCs, the benefits are cross-pollinated. Here's how .NET makes life easier on various groups:

Programmers - Because developers now have a consistent, language-neutral programming environment, they can create better applications and services more quickly. And because

.NET encompasses such a wider range of functionality, those applications and services can

be connected to back-end services via the Internet, offering better, and more exciting functionality.

IT administrators - Because .NET applications and services do away with the "DLL Hell" found in previous Windows applications, they are amazingly easy to distribute and install.

End users - For the reasons listed above, and many others, a new generation of .NET applications and services will provide new types of connected functionality. Access your email from anywhere. Pay for products online without typing in your credit card information. Access weather, traffic, music, and other personal information from a

variety of devices, from anywhere in the world. The future is all connected, and .NET

will get us there.

Now, there are problems, of course. Some people concerned about privacy and security

are up in arms over .NET, fearing that Microsoft isn't doing enough in these areas. The proof, of course, will be in the implementation, and given the emphasis that Microsoft

has placed on .NET and security, I suspect they're going to get it right. Stay tuned! Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1) FAQ

Windows XP Service Pack 1 (XP SP1) is more than just a collection of security

hot-fixes and bug fixes; instead, it's a full-on interim Windows release with tons of new functionality. So here's the first--and most comprehensive--FAQ dedicated to the next version of Windows XP Home Edition and Professional anywhere!

Q: What is Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1)?

A: XP SP1 will roll up critical updates and contain enabling technologies for Windows

CE for Smart Displays ("Mira") and new types of PCs like the Tablet PC and the Media Center ("Freestyle") PC. It will also include DirectX 9 and the changes required by the consent decree with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and nine US states.

Q: What are "Mira" and "Freestyle"?

A: Windows CE for Smart Displays ("Mira") is a new remote display technology that

uses Windows CE .NET, 802.11b (Wi-Fi) wireless capabilities, and XP's Remote Desktop feature to enable a new generation of smart displays which you can carry around the home.

Windows XP Media Center Edition ("Freestyle") is a new version of XP that includes a simple, graphical front-end to the XP-based digital media tasks you can perform with a remote control, rather than a keyboard and mouse. This includes listening to digital music, watching photo slideshows, and viewing digital movies and DVDs.

Q: When will XP SP1 ship?

A: SP1 will be finalized in mid-August 2002, with a September 2002 street date. This

will give PC makers time to integrate the new XP into PCs for the 2002 holiday season.

Q: What's the XP SP1 code-name?

A: Currently, XP SP1 does not have a code-name.

Q: Wasn't this supposed to ship in early 2002?

A: Yes, the original plan was to ship XP SP1 in the first half of 2002. But with a

slew of new features to add and its Trustworthy Computing code review to do, Microsoft decided to integrate it all into a single release aimed at satisfying the need for a yearly Windows release.

Q: When will the XP SP1 beta test start?

A: The XP SP1 beta is closed to Windows XP testers only; it began this spring. A

separate Mira beta began in early April and will hit Beta 2 this summer. The Freestyle beta began in early Summer 2002, and is being tested separately from XP SP1.

Q: So what about Longhorn?

A: Longhorn has been delayed until late 2004 and is now a major Windows release.

Windows .NET Server Family FAQ

If you think of Windows .NET Server ("Whistler Server") as what would have been Windows NT Server 5.1, then you've got the right idea. Here's the first--and most comprehensive--FAQ dedicated to the next version of Windows Server anywhere!

Q: What is Windows .NET Server ("Whistler" Server)?

A: Essentially, Windows .NET Server consists of the server editions of the next version of Windows 2000. This includes Web Server Edition Standard Server Edition,

Enterprise Server Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions), DataCenter Server Edition (32-bit and 64-bit versions), and Windows .NET Server Embedded.

Q: What editions will Windows .NET Server include?

A: Initially, Windows .NET Server will include Web Server, Standard Server,

Enterprise Server, and DataCenter versions editions; Enterprise Server and DataCenter Server will ship in 64-bit versions as well. An Embedded version and Small Business Server 2003 will appear soon thereafter.

Q: So what's new in Windows .NET Server?

A: Windows .NET Server is designed as an evolutionary step beyond Windows 2000

Server, thus it is not a major new product revision, though it boasts thousands of mostly small improvements. Windows .NET Server has been updated to include .NET Framework 1.1

and XML Web Services; this additional functionality led Microsoft to change the name of the product (which was originally to be simply titled Windows 2002 Server).

Windows .NET Server also includes features to make Active Directory (AD) deployments faster and more flexible, such as a Domain Controller (DC) Upgrade Wizard that lets

administrators restore DC information from removable media such as CD-ROM and DVD-RAM. AD

now supports cross forest trust and authentication and authorization. There are new remote, headless and unattended management features for in-band and out of band

administration, 160 new Group Policy settings, 28 new command line tools, a new Software Restriction Policies feature, and several Terminal Services enhancements. Windows .NET Server has also been tweaked for better performance and reliability: Microsoft says that the product performs up to 50 percent faster on the same hardware as equivalent Windows

2000 Server products.

Windows .NET Server includes Internet Information Server (IIS) 6, the latest version of Microsoft's Web server product. IIS 6 has been rewritten for better security, performance and reliability and now ships in lockdown mode by default.

Q: What's the difference between the 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows .NET Server? A: The 64-bit versions of Windows .NET Server run only on Intel's 64-bit Itanium 2 hardware, while the other versions run on 32-bit Intel Pentium-based servers.

Q: Will I be able to upgrade Windows 2000 Server to Windows .NET Standard Server?

A: Yes. You will be able to upgrade each edition to the corresponding new version

(i.e. you can upgrade Windows 2000 Advanced Server to Windows .NET Enterprise Server). You cannot "downgrade" releases, however; for example, you cannot upgrade Windows 2000

Server to Windows .NET Web Server.

Q: When will Windows .NET Server be released?

A: Windows .NET Server is on a radically different release schedule from the desktop version of Whistler (Windows XP). The final release will ship by the end of 2002, after being delayed twice, though customers won't be able to purchase it until early 2003.

Windows "Longhorn" FAQ

Once envisioned as a minor upgrade to Windows XP, Windows "Longhorn" took on all-new importance in early 2002 when Microsoft decided to reach for the brass ring and make the new Windows release an all-encompassing major upgrade with a new security architecture

called Palladium, a 3D-enabled user interface, and brand-new, database-based file system, and many more exciting new features. Here's the first--and most comprehensive--Longhorn

FAQ ever created, constantly updated to include the latest information about this release.

Q: What is "Longhorn"?

A: Longhorn is the next major Windows release, which will follow Windows XP and XP Service Pack 1 (SP1). Originally expected to be a fairly minor upgrade, Longhorn will

now include a number of new features including a revised task-based (or "inductive") user interface, an extensible, dock-like, Start panel, and a SQL Server 2003-based file

system.

Q: So what will be new and different in Longhorn?

A: Though speculation on Longhorn continues, what we know about this Windows release

is steeped in generalities and rumors. Given that, here's what we know about Longhorn:

· Longhorn will feature a task-based (or "iterative") interface that goes far beyond

the task-based interface found today in Windows XP. Microsoft has been working to move beyond the dated desktop metaphor still used by Mac OS X and Linux for many years.

· The Longhorn Start Menu will likely take on the form of the Task Panes from Office XP and occupy a good percentage of the right- or left-most portion of the Longhorn desktop.

· Longhorn will take full advantage of 3D video hardware to render special effects

that will make the screen more photorealistic and deep. This doesn't mean that the basic windows and mouse interface is being replaced, just that it will look a lot better.

· Longhorn will optionally include the Palladium technology Microsoft is developing with Intel and AMD (see the next question for details).

· Longhorn will include a database-like file system based on technology from SQL

Server 2003 (code-named Yukon). This file system will abstract physical file locations from the user and allow for the sorts of complex data searching that are impossible today. For example, today, your email messages, contacts, Word documents, and music files are all completely separate. That won't be the case in Longhorn.

· Longhorn will include integrated DVD+R and DVD+RW DVD burning capabilities. Digital media enthusiasts will be able to copy video from a digital camcorder directly to DVD+R, bypassing the system's hard drive entirely, if desired.

Q: What's with this Palladium stuff I keep hearing about?

A: One of the most exciting aspects of Longhorn is its integration with Palladium, Microsoft's technology for realizing the Trustworthy Computing vision. Palladium is basically a secure run-time environment for Windows and other operating systems that

allows a coming generation of software applications and services to protect the end user from privacy invasion, spam and other electronic attacks. Palladium requires special hardware security chips and microprocessors (which will be made by Intel and AMD) and doesn't interfere with the normal operation of the PC. That is,

Palladium-based PCs will still operate normally, working with legacy operating systems and applications. But specially-made Palladium applications and services will offer a range of features of functionality not found in the non-Palladium world, and if the initiative is successful, we'll one day be running only Palladium-based software.

If you're familiar with the .NET model, you might be aware of the notion of "managed"

and "non-managed" (or legacy) code. Palladium will institute a similar model for PC software, where a trusted execution mode is used for Palladium applications and services and the old, "untrusted" mode is used for legacy code.

Microsoft designed Palladium around the following ideals:

· Palladium will tell you who you're dealing with online, and what they're doing. It will uniquely identify you to your PC and can limit what arrives (and runs on) that computer. Information that comes in from the Internet will be verified before you can access it.

· Palladium protects information using encryption to seal data so that "snoops and thieves are thwarted." The system can maintain document integrity so that documents can't be altered without your knowledge.

· Palladium stops viruses and worms. The system won't run unauthorized programs, preventing viruses from trashing your system.

· Palladium stops spam. Spam will be stopped before it even hits your email inbox. Unsolicited mail that you might actually want to receive will be allowed through if it has credentials that meet your user-defined standards.

· Palladium safeguards privacy. In addition to the system's ability to seal data on

your PC, Palladium can also seal data sent across the Internet using software agents that ensure the data reaches only the proper people. Newsweek reports that the agent has been nicknamed "My Man," a goof on ".NET My Services," "My Documents," and other similar names

at Microsoft.

· Palladium controls information after it's sent from your PC. Using Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, Palladium can be used to securely distribute music, movies, and other intellectual property securely over the Internet. Movie studios and the

recording industry could use this technology to let their customers exercise their fair use rights to copy audio CDs and movies, for example. "It's a funny thing," says Bill Gates. "We came at this thinking about music, but then we realized that e-mail and

documents were far more interesting domains." Gates says that Palladium could ensure that email designated as private could not be forwarded or copied to other people, for

example. Or, the Newsweek reports reads, "you could create Word documents that could be read only in the next week. In all cases, it would be the user, not Microsoft, who sets these policies."

Q: I thought the next version of Windows was code-named "Blackcomb."

A: The existence of Longhorn was first revealed by Windows product manager Tom

Laemmel, who I met July 17, 2001 during an XP press tour. Laemmel spilled the beans to eWeek a few days later, and Microsoft executive vice president Jim Allchin verified that

a new interim release, Longhorn, would ship before Blackcomb. Since then, information about Longhorn has appeared in Microsoft and Department of Justice (DOJ) legal filings related to the Microsoft antitrust case. It's real, and now it's common knowledge.

Q: So when will Longhorn ship?

A: Microsoft originally said that we could expect Longhorn in late 2002 or early

2003, but the release was recently pushed back until late 2004. This suggests that an XP

refresh, possibly called Windows XP Second Edition (XP2E) will ship first, in late 2003.

Q: When will the Longhorn beta start?

A: After Windows XP shipped, Microsoft said that the beta for the next version wouldn't start until the beta for Windows XP SP1 was completed. That will happen in mid-August, so I expect the Longhorn beta to begin sometime this fall.

Q: What's up with the name Longhorn?

A: The name wasn't chosen randomly. Remember that Windows XP was code-named Whistler

and the next major version of Windows is code-named Blackcomb. Both of these names come from ski areas in British Columbia, close to Microsoft's headquarters. At the foot of Whistler Mountain, there is a saloon named Longhorn that serves the local skiing population. So if you're ever in the area and want to take in some local color, Longhorn

is a nice stop… after you're done with Whistler.

Posted in: Windows XP Tips and Tricks