Chapter 4
Maintaining
the Modern
Computer
Troubleshooting Hardware
Devices
• Troubleshooting Hardware Devices
•
•
•
•
Device Manager provides a hardware device troubleshooter to help
resolve device problems. To troubleshoot hardware devices:
Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
In the System Properties sheet, click the Hardware tab, and then
click Device Manager.
In Device Manager, right-click the device for which you want to view
device settings,
and then click Properties.
On the General tab, view the device status. If you are having
problems with the device,
click Troubleshoot.
Follow the instructions provided in the Help and Support Center.
Troubleshooting Hardware
Devices contd.
Safe Removal Application
•
•
•
•
Click the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the
notification area, which displays a dialog box listing the
devices currently attached to the system.
Select the device you wish to remove from the list of
devices.
Click Stop to tell the operating system that you will be
unplugging the device.
In the Stop a Hardware device dialog box, click OK.
You will see a notification, which tells you that it is safe
to remove hardware. The requested device can now
be safely removed from the system.
Removing Devices
The Performance Tab
The Windows 98 System
Monitor
HW
• How to enable and disable the task
manager in windows XP?
Types of Viruses
•
•
•
•
•
File infectors
Boot sector viruses
Trojan horses
Macro viruses
Polymorphic viruses
Guidelines for Antivirus
Programs
• Get the right version for the operating system.
• Consider enabling the basic input/output
system (BIOS) setting that disables bootsector writes.
• Use caution with unknown floppy disks and
computers.
• When connected to the Internet, run an
antivirus program at all times.
• When loading programs, trust no one.
• Keep the antivirus program updated.
Disk Cleanup
Using Scandisk for Drive
Integrity
Organizing Files with Disk
Defragmenter
File Backups
• Data loss is inevitable because drives fail
and critical files become corrupt.
• Developing a good backup plan is one of
your most valuable services.
• Automating backups wherever possible
ensures that they happen.
• Microsoft Windows ships with a built-in
backup program.
• You can back up to tape, another hard
disk drive, or removable media.
Backup Types
Backup Plan Issues
• Select hardware based on the amount of
data and frequency of backup.
• Use different backup types to balance
backup and restore times.
• Use normal backup at regular intervals,
with incremental or differential backups
between normal backups.
Backup Plan Gotchas
• Store backup copies in a safe,
environmentally sound location.
• Make sure copies are secure.
• Keep long-term backups as protection
against virus attacks.
• Make sure that critical files are not open at
backup time.
• Make sure that new backup components
work with old backup copies.
Using Windows Backup Tools
Backing Up Registry and Core
System Files
• In Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft
Windows NT, select the System State
option.
– This option requires proper permissions.
– System state data can only be backed up
locally.
• In Microsoft Windows 98 and Microsoft
Windows Me, use the Registry Checker
command-line application.
The Windows System File
Checker
• Tracks changes to all system files and
ensures that any replacement files are
valid
• Notifies the system administrator when
improper file replacement is attempted
• Verifies the integrity of system files
• Extracts and replaces corrupt or missing
files
Creating ERDs and Startup
Disks
• All Windows 98 installations should have a
startup floppy disk.
– The same startup floppy disk can be used on
multiple computers.
– A startup disk can be created using Add/Remove
Programs in Control Panel.
• All Microsoft Windows 2000 installations
should have an ERD.
– An ERD can be used only on the computer it was
created for.
– An ERD can be created using the Windows 2000
backup utility.
Computer Disk management
• Using Disk Management
To open Disk Management:
• Click Start, right-click My Computer, and
then click Manage.
• Under the Storage icon, click Disk
Management.
Computer Disk management
Go into Computer Management Start, Run, type
“c:\windows\system32\compmgmt.msc”
Using DiskPart
• Diskpart is a command to partition hard
disk drives
• Use diskpart /? To find help on this
command
• Exercise: Diskpart,select disk 0, assign
letter e
Organizing a Basic Disk
• Before you create partitions and logical drives, you need
to determine:
• The number of partitions and logical drives.
• The size (in MB) of each partition and/or logical drive.
• The drive letters to assign to the primary partitions
and/or logical drives.
• The file format for each primary partition and/or logical
drive. For more information about file formats, see
Module 5, "Configuring and Managing File Systems," in
Course 2272B, Implementing and Supporting Microsoft
Windows XP Professional.
Adding a Basic Disk
Creating a Primary Partition
• To create a primary partition:
• Right-click My Computer, click Manage, and under Storage, click
Disk Management.
• Right-click an unallocated portion of a basic disk, and then click
Create Partition. Unallocated space is the portion of a disk not
assigned to a partitions, volumes, and logical drives. You must
select an unallocated portion of the disk to create a new partition. If
you right-click on an existing logical drive or a volume or anything
other than an unallocated portion of a basic disk, the Create
Partition option will not be available.
• In the New Partition Wizard, click Next, and then click Primary
Partition. Note that the logical drive option is not available, because
you can only create a logical drive from an extended partition.
• Complete the wizard instructions, specifying the size, drive letter,
and file format of the partition.
Working with Basic Disks
Creating Partitions and Drives on
a Basic Disk
Creating a Logical Drive
Viewing Disk Status and
Properties
Viewing Disk Status
Disk status
Disk Status
Action
Healthy (for volumes) or Online
(for disks)
No action required
Failed: Incomplete Volume
Import remaining
disks in set
Foreign
Import foreign disk
Viewing Disk Properties
Label. Provide a user-friendly name to the volume, partition, or drive
that describes its content or the device itself.
Used and available disk space.
This information is useful in
maintaining a disk, deleting files from the Recycle Bin to gain additional
space, determining when to extend a volume or partitions, and other
space maintenance tasks
Drive compression
For NTFS formatted disks only, this option
specifies to compress the disk. By default, only files in the root directory
are compressed automatically. To have Windows XP Professional
compress all folders on this disk, select the Also compress subfolders
check box in the box that appears when this option is enabled.
Indexing Service. This option specifies
that the contents of the drive be indexed,
which improves the speed of your
searches. Indexing enables you to search
for information such as text in the
document, or properties, such as creation
date, of the document. The entire contents
of the drive are not indexed unless you
select to index files and subfolders when
prompted.
Extending Partitions on a Basic
Disk
Partitions on a basic disk can be extended if:
The disk is formatted as NTFS.
There is available space on the same disk and
the partition or logical drives on the basic disk are
followed by contiguous unallocated space.
To extend a partition you must use the DiskPart
utility. You cannot extend the current system or
boot partition.
Deleting a Volume or Partition
To delete a partition, open Disk Management, right-click the partition that you
want to delete, and then click Delete Partition.
Converting File Systems
Converting File Systems
Converting a volume's file
system is different from
formatting a volume. You
format a volume that has
no previous file system
format. You convert a
volume's file system when
changing the existing file
format to a new file
format. Windows XP
Professional can convert
FAT, FAT32, and NTFS in
Windows NT to the version
of NTFS in Windows XP
Professional.
Managing Data Compression
Compressed files and folders
occupy less space on an NTFSformatted volume, thus enabling
you to store more data. You can
designate the compression state of
files and folders as either
compressed or uncompressed.
Also, files and folders that you copy
or move can retain their
compression states, or they can
assume the compression state of
the target folder to which they are
copied or moved. There are best
practices for managing data
compression that you should follow.
Compression State Display
Color
You can set an alternate display color for compressed files and
folders.
In Windows Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
On the View tab, select the Show encrypted or compressed NTFS
files in color check box, and then click OK
File Compression contd.
Copying and Moving Compressed
Files and Folders
File Compression folder
movements
Action
Result
Copy a file or folder within
a volume
Inherits compression state
of the destination folder
Move a file or folder within
a volume
Retains original
compression state of the
source
Copy a file or folder
between volumes
Inherits compression state
of the destination folder
Move a file or folder
between volumes
Move a file or folder
between volumes
Securing Data by Using
Encrypting File System (EFS)
• Provides file-level encryption for NTFS
files
• Users simply have to set the file attribute
of encryption
• EFS is especially useful for securing
sensitive data on portable
• It operates in the background and is
transparent to users and applications
Contd.
• It enables only authorized users to gain
access to an encrypted file
• Authorized data recovery agents can
recover data that was encrypted by
another user
• Files can be encrypted locally or across
the network
• A display color can be used to designate
encrypted files and folders
To encrypt a file or
folder:
Right-click the file or
folder, and then click
Properties.
Click the General tab,
and then click
Advanced.
Click Encrypt
contents to secure
data.
Securing Data by Using EFS
To remove encryption from a
file or folder:
Right-click the file or folder,
and then click Properties.
Click the General tab, and
then click Advanced.
Clear the Encrypt contents
to secure data check box.
Configuring the Desktop Environment
Configuring the Desktop Display New (modified) themes are saved in the
My Documents folder
To choose a theme, select it from the drop-down list on the Themes tab,
click Apply, and then click OK.
Customizing the Desktop
Choosing a Theme
To choose a theme, select it from the drop-down list on the Themes tab,
click Apply, and then click OK.
Configuring the Desktop Display
To choose a theme, select it from the drop-down list on the Themes tab,
click Apply, and then click OK
Customizing the Desktop
To choose a background, click the Desktop tab on the Display Properties
sheet
Background images can be stretched to fill the desktop
Customize Desktop. The Desktop Items property sheet displays, which
has a General tab and a Web tab
On the General tab, you can choose which of the following icons to display
on the desktop: My Computer, My Network Places, My Documents, and
the Recycle Bin.
On the General tab, you can also select the style of the icons to represent
the shortcuts, and perform or schedule a desktop cleanup.
On the Web tab, you can choose to display content from Web pages, or
other items collectively known as Desktop Items.
Configuring a Screen Saver
On the Screen Saver tab, you can select a screen saver, configure the
number of minutes without user interaction before the screen saver starts,
and select whether the screen saver should be password protected.
The Screen Saver tab also enables you to configure power management
options.
Configuring Advanced Appearance Options
To gain access to Display Properties, right-click the desktop, and then
click Properties.
Configuring Advanced Appearance Options
Configuring Appearance Options
On the Appearance tab, you can choose the style of windows, buttons, color schemes, font
sizes, visual effects, and advanced appearance options.
The Effects button brings up a property sheet that enables you to configure the visual
effects used by menus and windows. For example, you can configure transition effects for
windows, configure whether a shadow appears around windows, and whether you can see
the contents of a window while dragging it. Note that enabling these options uses more
memory.
The Advanced button brings up the Advanced Appearance property sheet that enables you
to configure the color of windows, the desktop, and other items, such as borders and title
bars. Configuring options on this page will override the selection for windows and buttons
on the Appearance tab.
Configuring Settings
The Settings tab enables you to configure screen resolution and color
quality
Clicking the Advanced button on the Settings tab enables you to configure
additional monitor display properties on the (Multiple Monitors) and video
adapter property sheet
Configuring Desktop Shortcuts Desktop shortcuts appear as icons on
the desktop.
Adding a Program Shortcut
click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and
then click Backup
To add a program shortcut, move to the user's Programs folder, right-click
the desired program icon, click Copy, right-click the desktop, and then click
Paste Shortcut.
Adding a Web Site Shortcut
To add a Web site shortcut, open Microsoft Internet Explorer, go to the
desired Web site, right-click anywhere on the page, click Create Shortcut,
and then click OK.
Configuring Shortcuts
You can change the icon that represents a shortcut
Changing Icons
right-click the shortcut, click Properties, click Change Icon, and then select
an icon. You can choose from the hundreds of icons in Windows XP
Professional, or click Browse to locate another icon image
Customizing the Desktop Environment
Examining the Windows XP Professional Start Menu
The right frame of the Start menu
consists of three sections that display
standard folders and utilities.
The left frame also consists of three
sections. The top section displays the
pinned programs, which are programs
that are manually attached to the top
left of the Start menu. The default email program and browser always
appear in pinned programs.
Beneath the pinned programs, recently
used programs appear.
Start menu is color-coded. The
white area of the Start menu is
user-based, while the light blue
area is operating-system-based
Customizing the Start Menu for All Users
you are adding an item that anyone logged on to the computer can use
You can add a submenu to the Start menu for easy access to a group of
programs.
You can also add to the Start menu a shortcut to a specific program or resource,
or drag a frequently used item in a submenu onto the main Start menu.
Right-click Start, and then click Open all Users.
Double-click the folder to which you want to add the submenu.
Adding a Shortcut for All Users
If you place the submenu in the Start Menu folder, it becomes pinned to the top
of the All Programs menu. If you place the submenu in the Programs folder, it
will be placed alphabetically in the list of programs.
On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
Adding a Submenu for All Users
Right-click Start, and then click Open all Users.
Double-click the folder to which you want to add the submenu.
If you place the submenu in the Start Menu folder, it becomes pinned to the top
of the All Programs menu. If you place the submenu in the Programs folder, it
will be placed alphabetically in the list of programs.
On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
Adding a Shortcut for All Users
Right-click Start, click Open All Users, click File, point to New, and then click
Shortcut.
Type the location of the item for which you want to create a shortcut, or click
Browse to locate the item, and then click OK.
Click Next, type a name for the shortcut, and then click Finish.
Customizing the Start Menu for Individual Users
You can add shortcuts and submenus, and pin programs to an individual's Start
menu.
Adding a Submenu for an Individual User
 Right-click Start, click Explore All Users, expand the folder of the user whose
Start menu that you want to customize, and then click Start Menu.
Adding a Shortcut for an Individual User
Right-click the object for which you want to create a shortcut, and then
click Create Shortcut.
Drag, or cut and paste, the shortcut into the individual's Start menu or
Programs folder.
Changing Start Menu Properties
 Right-click Start, click Properties, click Customize, make desired changes on the
General and Advanced tabs, and then click OK twice
Pinning a Program to the Start Menu
Right-click the program that you want to pin to the Start menu, and then click
Pin to Start menu.
Customizing the Startup Folder
Right-click Start, and then click Explore All Users.
Expand either All Users or a specific user.
Expand Start Menu, and then click Programs in the left pane.
In the right pane, copy the shortcut for the programs that you want to start
automatically upon logon.
Expand Programs, right-click Startup, and then click Paste.
Customizing the Taskbar
Adding Programs to the Quick Launch Toolbar
Right-click an empty area of the Quick Launch bar, and then click
Open Folder.
On the File menu, click New, and then click Shortcut.
Type the location of, or browse to, the desired program, click Next, and then click
Finish.