To change the look of Window elements

• Open Display in Control Panel.
• On the Appearance tab, click Advanced.
• In the Item list, click the element you want to change, such as Window, Menu, or Scrollbar, and then adjust the appropriate settings, such as color, font, or font size.
• Click OK or Apply to save your changes.

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Press	To
CTRL+TAB	Move forward through tabs.
CTRL+SHIFT+TAB	Move backward through tabs.
TAB	Move forward through options.
SHIFT+TAB	Move backward through options.
ALT+Underlined letter	Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option.
ENTER	Carry out the command for the active option or button.
SPACEBAR	Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box.
Arrow keys	Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons.
F1	Display Help.
F4	Display the items in the active list.
BACKSPACE	Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.

General keyboard shortcuts

Press	To
CTRL+C	Copy.
CTRL+X	Cut.
CTRL+V	Paste.
CTRL+Z	Undo.
DELETE	Delete.
SHIFT+DELETE	Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin.
CTRL while dragging an item	Copy selected item.
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item	Create shortcut to selected item.
F2	Rename selected item.
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
CTRL+UP ARROW	Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Highlight a block of text.
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys	Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document.
CTRL+A	Select all.
F3	Search for a file or folder.
ALT+ENTER	View properties for the selected item.
ALT+F4	Close the active item, or quit the active program.
ALT+Enter	Displays the properties of the selected object.
ALT+SPACEBAR	Opens the shortcut menu for the active window.
CTRL+F4	Close the active document in programs that allow you to have multiple documents open simultaneously.
ALT+TAB	Switch between open items.
ALT+ESC	Cycle through items in the order they were opened.
F6	Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
F4	Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
SHIFT+F10	Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
ALT+SPACEBAR	Display the System menu for the active window.
CTRL+ESC	Display the Start menu.
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name	Display the corresponding menu.
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu	Carry out the corresponding command.
F10	Activate the menu bar in the active program.
RIGHT ARROW	Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
LEFT ARROW	Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
F5	Refresh the active window.
BACKSPACE	View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
ESC	Cancel the current task.
SHIFT when you insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive	Prevent the CD from automatically playing.

To create a new Briefcase

1. To open My Computer, double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop.
2. Click the folder in which you want to create the new Briefcase.
3. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Briefcase.

Note

• To create a new Briefcase on your desktop, right-click anywhere on the desktop, click New, and then click Briefcase.

To password-protect your computer during standby or hibernation

1. Open Power Options in Control Panel.
2. Click the Advanced tab, then click Prompt for password when computer resumes from sleep. The password for which you will be prompted when the computer resumes is the password for the currently logged-on user account.

Notes

• To open Power Options, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click Power Options.
• You use your Windows password for both standby and hibernation.

Using Content Advisor to control access

The Internet provides unprecedented access to a wide variety of information. Some information, however, may not be suitable for every viewer. For example, you might want to prevent your children from seeing Web sites that contain violent or sexual content.

Content Advisor provides a way to help you control the types of content that your computer can gain access to on the Internet. After you turn on Content Advisor, only rated content that meets or exceeds your criteria can be viewed. You can adjust the settings.

With Content Advisor, you can:

• Control access to Content Advisor settings. You turn Content Advisor on, and view the settings, through the use of a password. You will need this password to change any Content Advisor settings, so you might want to write it down for future reference.
• View and adjust the ratings settings to reflect what you think is appropriate content in each of four areas: language, nudity, sex, and violence.
• Adjust what types of content other people can view, with or without your permission. You can override content settings on a case-by-case basis.
• Set up a list of Web sites that other people can never view, regardless of how the sites’ contents are rated.
• Set up a list of Web sites that other people can always view, regardless of how the sites’ contents are rated.
• View and change the ratings systems and bureaus you use.

Content Advisor is set to the most conservative (least likely to offend) settings when you first turn it on. You can adjust these settings to match your own preferences.

Not all Internet content is rated. If you choose to allow other people to view unrated sites on your computer, some of those sites could contain inappropriate material.

To specify Web sites that others can always or never see

In Control Panel, open Internet Options.

1. On the Content tab, under Content Advisor, click Enable.

If you've already enabled Content Advisor, click Settings, and then type the supervisor password.

3. Click the Approved Sites tab, type the Internet address (URL) of a Web site, and then choose whether you want others to always or never have access to this site.

Repeat this process for each Web site that you want to set access for.

Note

• You can also open Internet Options by clicking the Tools menu in Internet Explorer, and then clicking Internet Options.

Attaining fast speeds with a 56 kbps modem

A modem connection must fulfill three requirements to support a 56 kilobits per second (Kbps) (also called V.90) connection:

• The host server must use a digital connection to the network. Your Internet service provider can tell you if they support 56 Kbps service.
• Both ends of the connection must support the same protocol, the V.90 standard or either of its predecessors, K56flex, or 3COM/USR X2. For example, if your Internet service provider has a V.90 device, your modem must support the V.90 protocol.
• There can only be one analog connection between your modem and the host computer. The phone line in most homes is an analog line.

If a connection does not meet these requirements, a modem falls back to the fastest protocol that works for the connection. For example, a 56 Kbps V.90 modem falls back to the 33.6 Kbps V.34 protocol if it cannot make a V.90 connection. Even if your connection fulfills these requirements, other factors may reduce either the transmission speed or the number of times that you successfully obtain the highest speed connection. For example, old lines, or lines that are subject to interference, might reduce transmission speeds. Maximum throughput speeds of 26 Kbps are not unusual in these cases.
Devices to improve the quality of your telephone service may also hamper 56 Kbps V.90 modem connections. Load coils found on long wire lengths to improve voice quality do not usually prevent V.90 connections, but can reduce the speed. Digital pads, which balance the volume of voice calls, usually do not prevent V.90 connections, but they can reduce the speed. Analog pads prevent V.90 connections, because they convert the digital data to analog to balance the volume, and then back to digital data. This inserts an additional analog section in the line.

In practice, the 56 Kbps speed supported by the V.90 and other protocols is unattainable. U.S. government regulations that currently safeguard public phone systems limit transmission speeds to 53 Kbps. Phone-line noise and other limitations of phone systems usually keep average transmissions in the 40 to 50 Kbps range.

Hardware requirements for network connections

Depending on your configuration, you may need some or all of the following hardware:

• Network adapter with a Network Driver Interface Specification (NDIS) driver for LAN connectivity
• One or more compatible modems and an available COM port
• A 28.8k or 56k modem or ISDN adapter (if you are using an ISDN line)
• DSL modem. If this is an external DSL modem it typically is connected to an Ethernet network adapter.
• Cable Modem. If this is an external cable modem it typically is connected to an Ethernet network adapter.
• X.25 card or PAD (if you are using X.25)
• Analog telephone line
• If your computer is set up for incoming connections, a multiport adapter may improve performance for multiple connections.

To find hardware that is supported by Windows operating systems, visit the Windows Catalog on the Microsoft Web site.

For information about configuring a connection, see To configure a connection.

To view the status of a local area connection

Open Network Connections.

1. Do one of the following:
• To monitor activity for the current session, right-click the local area connection, and then click Status.
• To automatically enable the status monitor each time the connection is active, right-click the local area connection, click Properties, and then select the Show icon in notification area when connected check box.

Notes

• To open Network Connections, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
• You can view and modify the network components of a local area connection, such as network protocol settings, by clicking Properties.
• By default, the status monitor is disabled for local area connections, but enabled for all other types of connections.

To install Simple TCP/IP Services

 

• Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
• Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
• In Components, click Networking Services, and then click Details.
• In Subcomponents of Networking Services, click Simple TCP/IP Services, and then click OK.
• Click Next.
• If prompted to do so, type the path where the Windows XP distribution files are located, and then click OK.
• Click Finish and then click Close.

Notes

·        To open Add or Remove Programs, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then click Add or Remove Programs.

·        You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

·        Simple TCP/IP Services for Windows XP provides support for the optional TCP/IP protocol services listed in the following table.

Protocol	Description	RFC
Character Generator (CHARGEN)	Sends data made up of the set of 95 printable ASCII characters. Useful as a debugging tool for testing or troubleshooting line printers.	864
Daytime	Returns messages containing the day of the week, month, day, year, current time (in hh:mm:ss format), and time-zone information. Some programs can use the output from this service for debugging or monitoring variations in system clock time or on a different host.	867
Discard	Discards all messages received on this port without response or acknowledgment. Can serve as a null port for receiving and routing TCP/IP test messages during network setup and configuration or, in some cases, can be used by programs as a message discard function.	863
Echo	Echoes back data from any messages it receives on this server port. Can be useful as a network debugging and monitoring tool.	862
Quote of the Day (QUOTE)	Returns a quotation as one or more lines of text in a message. Quotations are taken at random from the following file: systemroot\System32\Drivers\Etc\Quotes. A sample quote file is installed with the Simple TCP/IP Services. If this file is missing, the quote service fails.	865

·        All of these protocol services are classified as elective Internet standards and are defined and described in the specified Request for Comments (RFC) document listed in the table. For more information on these protocol services, see the RFCs.

·        Do not install Simple TCP/IP Services unless you specifically need this computer to support communication with other systems that use these protocol services.

·        After Simple TCP/IP Services are installed, you cannot enable or disable the separate services individually.

To rename a network connection icon

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

• Open Network Connections.
• Click the icon for the network connection to be renamed.
• Under Network Tasks, click Rename this connection.
• In the highlighted field under the selected icon, type a new name.

Notes

• To open Network Connections, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet Connections, and then click Network Connections.
• You can rename a network connection icon using a name that is easy to remember.
• It is recommended that you do not rename the shared Internet connection icon that is automatically provided to client computers by the ICS host computer. The name of the share Internet connection on the ICS host computer shows on the client computers in:
• The Network Connections folder
• The icon that can be displayed in the notification area on the taskbar
• The status window for the shared Internet connection

Network configurations overview

There are two ways to connect your home or small office network to the Internet. You can use a residential gateway, or use Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).

Residential gateway

A residential gateway is a hardware device that connects a home or small office network to the Internet. This device is sometimes called an Internet gateway device, a router, a base station, or an access point. The residential gateway lets you share a DSL or cable modem Internet connection with all of the computers on your network.

The advantages of using a residential gateway are:

• The gateway looks like a computer on the Internet, which hides the real computers on your network when you are on the Internet.
• The gateway shares one Internet connection with all the computers on your network.
• One computer does not have to be turned on all the time to provide Internet connectivity.
• You can use the UPnP framework to control your Internet connection from anywhere in your home or small office.

The disadvantage of using a residential gateway is that the hardware is more expensive.

Using Internet Connection Sharing

If you do not want to buy a residential gateway device, you can use a configuration like this illustration of an Ethernet network. You can create a home or small office network using this configuration with a home phone line network adapter (HPNA) or wireless network adapters. In this configuration, one computer is the ICS host computer and shares its Internet connection. Internet communications to and from the computers in your network go through the ICS host computer.

The advantage of this configuration is that sharing one Internet connection with all the computers on your network can cut the cost of connecting to the Internet.

The disadvantage of this configuration is that the host computer must be turned on at all times so that the other computers can access the Internet.

To add a new user to the computer

When you add a user to your computer, you are allowing that individual to have access to files and programs on your computer.

The steps to perform this task differ depending on whether your computer is a member of a network domain or is part of a workgroup (or is a stand-alone computer).

My computer is on a domain

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

·        Open User Accounts in Control Panel.

·        On the Users tab, click Add.

·        Follow the instructions on the screen to add a new user.

Notes

·         Add New User gives an existing domain user permission to use the computer.

·         You can only add existing domain users by using User Accounts. To add a new local user, on the advanced tab, click the advanced button. In Local Users and Groups, click Users, and then on the Action menu, click New User.

·         You should not add a new user to the Administrators group unless the user will perform only administrative tasks. For more information, click Related Topics.

My computer is not on a domain

You must have a computer administrator account on the computer to add a new user to the computer.

·        Open User Accounts in Control Panel.

·        Click Create a new account.

·        Type a name for the new user account, and then click Next.

·        Click Computer administrator or Limited, depending on the type of account you want to assign to the new user, and then click Create Account.