If there are any topics you would like to see discussed in the future or if you have any comments, please contact me at JoeT@HighCaliber.com
Bullet Points
Shutting XP Down From the Command Line (or Batch file)
XP's built in "shutdown" command has a dozen software switches and modifiers that expand its functionality beyond the default "log off and just sit there" mode. For example, Shutdown -f -r will force any open applications to close, shutdown Windows, and then reboot your PC. It works from a command line, or from within a script or batch file.
To see all the available options, click Start/Help, and then search on the term "shutdown."
See What's Going On During Startup (Advanced User Tip)
When Windows XP starts up, you only see the Windows XP startup screen. Want to see more of what's going on during startup? Try this:
Right click the My Computer icon on the desktop
Click Properties
In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
Click on the Settings button in the Startup and Recovery frame.
On the Startup and Recovery dialog box, click on the Edit button.
In Notepad, click the Format menu and click the Word wrap entry. You do NOT want Word wrap enabled and there should be no checkmark to the left of this entry after you click on the Word wrap command.
After the /fastdetect entry in the boot.ini file, type /SOS so that it looks something like this:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect /SOS
Save the file and close Notepad.
Click OK in the Startup and Recovery dialog box
Click OK in the System Properties dialog box.
Restart your computer.
This disables the startup logo ("splash") screen and allows you to see system messages as drivers load.
You're probably already aware of the sticky note feature if you use Office 2002 (Office XP). You can use these yellow sticky notes to keep reminders on your desktop. If you like Outlook sticky notes, here's a way to create a shortcut that makes it very easy to make new sticky notes:
Right click on the desktop, point to New and click on Shortcut.
The Create Shortcut wizard pops up. In the Type the location of the item text box, type in the following (make sure that you include the quotes): "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office10\OUTLOOK.EXE" /cipm.stickynote
Click Next.
In the Type a name for this shortcut text box, type a name for the shortcut.
Click Finish.
The default icon is the Outlook icon. To change it, Right click on the shortcut and click Properties.
In the Shortcut Properties dialog box, click on the Shortcut tab.
Click the Change Icon button.
In the Change Icon dialog box, click on the yellow sticky icon, or choose another one if you like.
Click OK after choosing the icon.
Click Apply and then click OK.
If you like notes, you'll love Microsoft's new OneNote program, which will be released in conjunction with Office 2003.
Getting Rid of Arrows and Indents when Forwarding Messages
Ever want to get rid of those right-pointing "arrows" when forwarding messages in Outlook Express? Changing the setting is not exactly intuitive. Here's how:
Open Outlook Express.
Click the Tools menu and click Options.
In the Options dialog box, click on the Send tab.
On the Send tab, click the Plain Text Settings button in the Mail Sending Format frame.
In the Plain Text Settings dialog box, remove the checkmark from the Indent the original text with > when replying or forwarding.
Click OK.
Click Apply and then click OK.
The new settings take effect immediately. You don't even need to restart Outlook Express.
Digital pictures can eat up a lot of disk space on your computer. One way to reclaim disk space is to compress your files. In Windows XP, there is always a hard way and an easy way to do things. Here is the hard way to compress your graphics files and regain disk space:
Right click on a folder containing files that you want to compact
Select Properties
Click the Advanced button on the General tab
Check the Compress contents to save disk space checkbox.
Some digital images shrink significantly and some won't shrink at all. If you want to see the difference between the compressed and uncompressed size, just right click on the file and click on the Properties command. Compare the Size and Size on Disk values to see how much the file was compressed.
Tracking Viruses
This site http://www.trendmicro.com/map/ analyzes worldwide virus trends in real time to predict virus outbreaks and prevent them proactively.
I can't tell you how many times our techicians arrive at a client's site that we haven't been to in a while only to find that their backup has not been working properly. There is a variety of reasons for this including:
The tapes themselves need to be replaced
Operator oversight (wrong tape inserted, nobody checking for errors)
Tape change required because data has increased beyond tape drive capacity
Tape software deactivated
This is very scary. For most of us, our data is worth far more than all of the computer hardware and sofware we own. Losing it can be a major catastrophe. To add to this problem, tape hardware and software are inherently flaky and require frequent attention. Other solutions of equal or less cost (e.g. removable hard drives, CD or DVD burners), are normally too slow or are unreliable because they require backups to be performed manually.
So what can be done about this? Here are some suggestions:
Assign backup responsiblity to one person. This person should rotate tapes each morning as soon as they hang up their hat. After rotating tapes, this person should check the tape logs to make sure the backup ran the night before.
This responsible person should also be responsible for rotating off-site tapes. Do not underestimate the need to keep reasonably recent backup tapes off of your premises.
Buy new tapes each Thanksgiving. And give thanks that they protected your data for the previous year. :)
Have at least two weeks of tapes and two off-site tapes (total of 12 tapes - one for each day of the week for two weeks and two off-site tapes).
Get a head cleaning tape for your drive and use it once each month.
Do a test restore once a month. This will keep you familiar with the procedure required to recover lost data and give you confidence that your backups are working.
If you haven't already, consider upgrading your tape software to CA's ArcServe or Veritas' Backup Exec. These tape software packages are more expensive and a bit harder to use, but have features that are indispensible when it comes to protecting your data.
Following these guidlines will go a long way towards insuring that your data is secure. And remember that protecting your data is ultimately your responsiblity. Take an active role in protecting it.
