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Today's Tips 08/25/2006
Sharpen Your Tools For When Disaster Strikes!
System failure, data loss, and computer instability are common problems
for administrators and end users alike. Fortunately, Windows XP
Professional and Home Edition include several built-in disaster recovery
tools to help get your system-and data-back up and running.
Here are a few utilities to add to your troubleshooting arsenal:
- LAST KNOWN GOOD CONFIGURATION: If you are unable to boot the computer
because of hardware or software changes, use Last Known Good
Configuration. On the Boot loader screen, press [F8] and select Last
Known Good Configuration. This only works if you haven't logged on after
the problem occurred.
- SAFE MODE: If you are unable to boot Windows XP, try to boot into Safe
Mode, which loads only the basic drivers needed for the system. On the
boot loader menu, press [F8] and select Safe Mode.
- RECOVERY CONSOLE: If you are unable to boot Windows XP, and Last Known
Good Configuration and Safe Mode are not working, use Recovery Console
to try to repair the system. Run Recovery Console from the Windows XP
CD-ROM by selecting R for repair during the setup.
- DEVICE DRIVER ROLLBACK: If the computer becomes unstable after
installing a new driver, roll back to the previously installed driver.
To do this, run Device Manager, right-click on the Device, and select
Properties. Go to the Driver tab, and click Roll Back Driver.
- SYSTEM RESTORE: If the system is not working as expected after
installing an application--or when you're uncertain about the problem
but know that the system worked fine the previous day--use System
Restore to return the system to the previous, working configuration.
System Restore is located on the Start menu in the System Tools folder.
Keep in mind that System Restore doesn't save or restore user data.
- BACKUP: The Backup utility allows you to save data and system files.
If data is lost on the hard drive, you'll be able to restore it from the
backup. By default, backup is not automatic on Windows XP Home Edition,
so either perform the backup manually or schedule it to automatically
back up your data at certain intervals.
- AUTOMATED SYSTEM RECOVERY (ASR): This utility allows you to back up
the system and then restore it. ASR is useful when the system becomes
unable to boot and no other disaster recovery tools work. Perform
regular backups and try all other methods before ASR, because it formats
the disk and sometimes deletes data.
Gary Chambers
Transfer Files Via Remote Desktop!
Remote Desktop is a feature of Windows XP Professional that allows you
to work on and see a remote machine as if you were physically in front
of its screen.
One of the benefits of Remote Desktop is that you can transfer files
between a local and remote computer. To do this, use the Remote Desktop
Connection application that ships with XP. If you are connecting from
Windows 9x or a Windows NT/2000 machine, install the client utility from
the XP CD-ROM.
Follow these steps to complete the file transfer:
1. Run the Remote Desktop Connection.
2. Enter the IP address of the computer you want to connect to.
3. Click Options and go to the Local Resources tab.
4. Select the box for Disk Drives and connect/logon to the remote
Windows XP Professional computer.
5. Open Windows Explorer. You'll notice additional hard drives (x on
tsclient) that represent the hard drives on the local computer.
6. Copy the files between the local and remote computer by dragging and
dropping the files in Windows Explorer.
Note: Copying files from local to remote computers can also be
accomplished by using XP command line utilities.
Gary Chambers
Enable Or Disable the Task Manager In Windows
XP!
1. Start Regedit
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Gary Chambers
Duplicate Quotas From One Drive To Another In
Windows 2000!
Drive quotas give administrators the means to control the amount of
drive space consumed by users, and they can be handy in preventing one
or two users from hogging all the available storage space on a shared
workstation.
When you add another drive to a computer, Windows 2000 doesn't
automatically replicate quotas from an existing drive to the new one.
You'll need to configure the quotas, but you can simplify this task by
exporting the existing quota entries to the new drive.
Follow these instructions to duplicate drive quotas:
1. Open My Computer, right-click the existing drive, and choose
Properties.
2. On the Quota tab, select Quota Entries.
3. In the Quota Entries dialog box, select the quota entries to export,
choose Quota | Export, enter a filename (don't use a file extension),
and click Save.
4. Open the Properties for the new drive and click Quota Entries on the
Quota tab.
5. Choose Quota | Import, select the quota file created in Step 3, and
click Open. Close the Quota Entries dialog box.
6. On the Quota tab for the new drive, choose Enable Quota Management,
specify the default quota settings, and click OK.
Note that just importing the quota entries isn't sufficient to impose
quotas on the new drive. You must also enable quotas on the drive and
set the default quota values as explained in Step 6. These default
values apply to any users who don't have an existing quota entry.
Gary Chambers
Turn Off Plug And Play To Solve Network Card
Problems In Windows 98!
If you have a Plug and Play network card installed on your Windows 98
computer, the card may not function properly after you install a 16-bit
real-mode driver. When you're forced to use this driver, you'll need to
turn Plug and Play off in order for the network card to work properly.
To do this, follow these steps:
1. Locate the setup disk that was supplied with the network card, which
should include a setup utility program. If you cannot locate the disk,
check the manufacturer's Web site for the setup program download.
2. Run the software setup utility and set the card to Non-Plug And Play
Mode.
3. In Control Panel, double-click System and select the Device Manager
tab.
4. Expand the Network Adapters tree and choose the network card.
5. Select Remove.
6. Click OK.
7. In Control Panel, double-click Add New Hardware.
8. Manually reinstall the network adapter.
Also, be aware that some cards will have a separate driver for Plug and
Play and non-Plug and Play installations.
Gary Chambers
Being Prepared For The Worst Will Stand You In
Good Stead In Case Of A System Meltdown. Your preparation will save you
time and trouble during that nerve-wracking initial stage of disaster
recovery, considerably ease your tension and anxiety, and ensure a
smoother, more focused approach of the final stages.
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