Which version is for you? Windows XP Professional is designed for networked offices. Windows Home is designed for home users. Given the proliferation of home networks with Internet sharing it is not quite so simple to decide which version to choose.

• XP Home is ideal for a basic home computer without networking. It provides limited security for multiple users.
• XP Home allows building a small network with Internet sharing and limited file and printer sharing.
• XP Professional offers full networking capabilities with multiple communications protocols.
• XP Professional is required if you will log into a domain or use Remote Desktop for remote access.
• XP Professional is usually required for a college computer. Check with the college before buying anything.
• XP Professional is often required for access to the office network. Check with the IT staff to see what they require.
• XP Professional is the only version we install.

Upgrade or fresh install? There is NO GUARANTEE the in-place upgrade will succeed so back up anything of value before attempting an upgrade. A fresh install allows you to re-partition the hard drive and change the the file system. We recommend using NTFS, which is more robust than Fat32.

• If you are having system problems then consider a fresh install.
• An upgrade in place will only preserve (and magnify) the sins of the past.
• If you have a virus or other issue you must fix that problem before upgrading.

Lose the artsy-craftsy interface! Windows XP is so different it can actually be difficult for a Windows veteran to use. Fortunately Microsoft has provided for those who don't care for the new, cute interface. You can find a wealth of options if you just look. For example:

• To customize the desktop, right click on the desktop and select Properties. Select Windws Classic to rid yourself of the garish graphics.
• While you are customizing the desktop, click on Effects to turn off menu fading. This will will help speed up your system.
• To customize the Task Bar, right click on it. There are numerous options. You can even create your own custom toolbar. Use the Quick Launch toolbar to add icons such as My Computer to the desktop.
• To customize the Start Menu right click on it and choose Properties. You can choose the Windows classic or XP look. If you like using the Alt key on menus instead of the mouse you can restore the underline options to the menus.
• To customize folders go to Control Panel (see above) and choose Folder Options. You may also reach this through the Windows Explorer under Tools / Folder Options.
• To customize user login options go to Control Panel (see above) and choose User Accounts and Change the Way Users Log On or Off.

Learn to deal with a multi-user system. Windows XP is a multi-user operating system. This means that several users can share one computer, each with their own configuation. You can have multiple users logged in at one time, without having to exit their programs. Note, however:

• User files in places like My Computer are now under Documents and Settings / < user name >. The actual path for some files can be many layers deep.
• To set up Start Bar options for one user right click on Start / Explore.
• To set up Start Bar options for all users right click on Start / Explore All Users.
• You can move Start Bar options between an individual user and All Users.
• The fast user switching option under Control Panel / User Accounts allows users to stay logged on while another user logs in. It can affect system performance.

Find the missing features. A number of useful features are missing from the default installation.

To restore features go to Start / Settings. Choose Control Panel. Then choose Add / Remove Programs. Choose the menu option Add/Remove Windows Components. Select the desired features. You may need the Windows CD to complete the installation.

Windows XP does not include the NetBEUI protocol, which you need to network with older versions of Windows, however, it is available on the distribution CD. Go to \ValueAdd\MSFT\Net\NetBEUI. Read the text file and copy the two files as directed. Then add the NetBEUI protocol to your network interface card (NIC).

Help avoid scams. Some pop-up windows put up what appears to be a Windows dialogue box when, in fact, it is a graphic. Clicking anywhere on the graphic might well launch a program installation, even though you think you are closing a window.

To avoid this type of trouble change your Windows desktop theme (see above) so that the menu bar is not blue. If one of the trick dialogue boxes with a blue menu bar pops up you will know it is probably troublesome.

Fix the search engine! Microsoft has limited searches to file types that are "Registered". This speeds up searching. It also prevents searching through files not on the chosen list of file types. Fortunately there is a fix. Just follow these highly intuitive <g> steps.

• Go to Start / Run and type MMC.
• In the left pane select File / Add-Remove Snap In.
• Select Add. Choose Indexing Services. Choose Add and Local Computer.
• Choose Close to close the Add window. Then choose OK to add the selection to the tree.
• You should now see Indexing Services in the tree at the left. Right click on Indexing Services and choose Properties.
• Click on the button Index Files With Unknown Extensions.
• On the menu bar choose File / Save and save the console. Use any name or just accept the default.

The search will now find all files, however, this will work only for the current user. Each user must follow the steps above to correct the search problem.

Isn't all of this easy and intuitive? Microsoft should advise which file types are registered but they do not and they do not allow overriding this "feature" easily. The search screen has options for indexed or non-indexed searches. A simple third button to enable searcing all file types would do wonders to improve this program.

Lock that console. In the past typing Control-Alt-Delete would bring up the Task Manager, which has a lock option. That feature is now missing but there are other ways to lock the console.

• Go to Start / Log Off and choose the Switch User option. The console will lock.
• Press the Windows key and then press L for a lock menu.
• Press and hold Windows and then press L to lock the console immediately.

Install Java. Windows no longer includes Java, which some Websites require. Go to the Sun Website to download Sun's Java console. Some features may not work properly if Java is not configured properly. If you are having trouble try taking the steps below.

Disable unused services. Some "services" can use system overhead and some of them can allow crackers to access the computer.

To disable services, on the desktop right click on My Computer. Click on Manage and choose Services and Applications. Then click Services. The list of service will appear at the right. We recommend setting the services below to Manual unless you need them. There are also others that can be disabled. If you do not feel comfortable doing this then do not do it.

A few little tips and tricks.

• Windows XP must be activated. When it is activated, or when the hardware is changed, one file is altered. Simply restore this file if you re-install Windows: C:\Widows\System32\Wpa.dbl.
• To bypass loading the programs in the Startup folder hold the Shift key during boot-up.
• To create a DOS boot disk copy IO.Sys and Command.Com from C:\Windows\Command\Ebd to the diskette.
• To create a Windows start-up disk copy NTDETECT.Com, Boot.ini, and Ntldr from C:\ to the diskette. To find these files, in Windows Explorer choose Tools / Folder Options / View. Ensure that hidden files and folders will be displayed and that "Hide Protected Operating System Files" is unchecked.
  

A high-tech trick

If you have a workgroup (home) network you may notice that the first time you access another computer the files take a long time to come up, or that browsing other computers on the network is very slow. That is because Windows checks to see if the scheduler on all computers on the network are running any tasks.

Why it does this is anyone's guess but that's the way it works. Or, that's the way it used to work before making a simple Registry change. On each computer on the network do the following:

• In regedit navigate to:
  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\Remote Computer\NameSpace
• And delete the following key:
  {D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
• If you don't know what all of this means you should not try it.

Many thanks to Mark Miller, who replied to our query on the PC Magazine forum, for finding this fix. Apparently it is quite a common problem.

Unable to share resources

It is supposed to be possilble to share resources between computers running Windows 2000 and Windows XP. Sometimes this does not work. If you are trying to share a folder on a computer you may may get one of the messages below.

Not enough server storage is available to process this command
Path not found

Each time you attempt to access the remote computer you may also find an event 2011 logged in the System log of the computer sharing the resource:

The server's configuration parameter "irpstacksize" is too small for the server to use a local device. Please increase the value of this parameter.

The value of a Registry key may be set too low to allow Server (Svr) service to administer shared folders on one or more local drives. One common reason can be the removal of anti-virus software. You can experiment with the key value without causing any harm; just change it back if it does not fix the problem. The key to change (on the computer sharing out the resource) is:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LanmanServer\Parameters

Look for the key IRPStackSize. If the key is not present then create it, capitalized exactly as shown. It should be of the type of DWord. Each time you change the key value you will have to toggle the Server service off and then on.

• The decimal value should be at least 15 to enable file sharing.
• If it is lower than 15 try increasing it by 3.
• The maximum size is 50. A value of 30 worked for us.

Once you are able to access the system, if you can't seem to share files properly, go to My Computer / Tools / Folder Options. Look for the option Use Simple File Sharing and remove the check mark.

For more tips, techniques, and tweaks you can visit these sites. Just be careful what you click on, though. Some pages have links that are Registry hacks and patches. You will be given plenty of chances to back out, but if you don't know what you are doing, don't click on these.

• Kelly's Korner - Plenty of tips and hacks.
• Doug's Windows Tweaks and Tips - More tips and hacks..
• Windows Tips - A blog site with a bit of advertising.