How to install windows XP

Installation process

Installing Windows XP can take up to two hours. To make the process more manageable, it has been broken up into several sections. When you are ready, install Windows XP:

•	Part 1: Begin the installation
•	Part 2: Continue the installation
•	Part 3: Complete the installation

Part 1: Begin the installation

1.	Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer and restart your computer.
2.	If prompted to start from the CD, press SPACEBAR. If you miss the prompt (it only appears for a few seconds), restart your computer to try again.
3.	Windows XP Setup begins. During this portion of setup, your mouse will not work, so you must use the keyboard. On the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER.
4.	On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement page, read the licensing agreement. Press the PAGE DOWN key to scroll to the bottom of the agreement. Then press F8.
5.	This page enables you to select the hard disk drive on which Windows XP will be installed. Once you complete this step, all data on your hard disk drive will be removed and cannot be recovered. It is extremely important that you have a recent backup copy of your files before continuing. When you have a backup copy, press D, and then press L when prompted. This deletes your existing data.
6.	Press ENTER to select Unpartitioned space, which appears by default.
7.	Press ENTER again to select Format the partition using the NTFS file system, which appears by default.
8.	Windows XP erases your hard disk drive using a process called formatting and then copies the setup files. You can leave your computer and return in 20 to 30 minutes. Part 2: Continue the installation
9.	Windows XP restarts and then continues with the installation process. From this point forward, you can use your mouse. Eventually, the Regional and Language Options page appears. Click Next to accept the default settings. If you are multilingual or prefer a language other than English, you can change language settings after setup is complete.
10.	On the Personalize Your Software page, type your name and your organization name. Some programs use this information to automatically fill in your name when required. Then, click Next.
11.	On the Your Product Key page, type your product key as it appears on your Windows XP CD case. The product key is unique for every Windows XP installation. Then, click Next.
12.	On the Computer Name and Administrator Password page, in the Computer name box, type a name that uniquely identifies your computer in your house, such as FAMILYROOM or TOMS. You cannot use spaces or punctuation. If you connect your computer to a network, you will use this computer name to find shared files and printers. Type a strong password that you can remember in the Administrator password box, and then retype it in the Confirm password box. Write the password down and store it in a secure place. Click Next.
13.	On the Date and Time Settings page, set your computer’s clock. Then, click the Time Zone down arrow, and select your time zone. Click Next.
14.	Windows XP will spend about a minute configuring your computer. On the Networking Settings page, click Next.
15.	On the Workgroup or Computer Domain page, click Next. Part 3: Complete the installation
16.	Windows XP will spend 20 or 30 minutes configuring your computer and will automatically restart when finished. When the Display Settings dialog appears, click OK.
17.	When the Monitor Settings dialog box appears, click OK.
18.	The final stage of setup begins. On the Welcome to Microsoft Windows page, click Next.
19.	On the Help protect your PC page, click Help protect my PC by turning on Automatic Updates now. Then, click Next.
20.	Windows XP will then check if you are connected to the Internet: • If you are connected to the Internet, select the choice that describes your network connection on the Will this computer connect to the Internet directly, or through a network? page. If you’re not sure, accept the default selection, and click Next. • If you use dial-up Internet access, or if Windows XP cannot connect to the Internet, you can connect to the Internet after setup is complete. On the How will this computer connect to the Internet? page, click Skip.
21.	Windows XP Setup displays the Ready to activate Windows? page. If you are connected to the Internet, click Yes, and then click Next. If you are not yet connected to the Internet, click No, click Next, and then skip to step 24. After setup is complete, Windows XP will automatically remind you to activate and register your copy of Windows XP.
22.	On the Ready to register with Microsoft? page, click Yes, and then click Next.
23.	On the Collecting Registration Information page, complete the form. Then, click Next.
24.	On the Who will use this computer? page, type the name of each person who will use the computer. You can use first names only, nicknames, or full names. Then click Next. To add users after setup is complete or to specify a password to keep your account private, read Create and customize user accounts.
25.	On the Thank you! page, click Finish.

Congratulations! Windows XP setup is complete. You can log on by clicking your name on the logon screen. If you’ve installed Windows XP on a new computer or new hard disk drive, you can now use the File and Settings Transfer Wizard to copy your important data to your computer or hard disk drive.
After logon, take a few minutes to validate your copy of Windows. Validation gives you access to hundreds of free downloads from the Microsoft Download Center. To learn about the new features Windows XP provides, click the Start button, click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click Tour Windows XP.

Read More

How can I install Windows XP Pro on my computer?

Step #1: Plan your installation

When you run the Windows XP Professional Setup program, you must provide information about how to install and configure the operating system. Thorough planning can make your installation of Windows XP Professional more efficient by helping you to avoid potential problems during installation. An understanding of the configuration options will also help to ensure that you have properly configured your system.

I won't go into that part right now but here are some of the most important things you should take into consideration when planning for your XP installation:

* Check System Requirements
* Check Hardware and Software Compatibility
* Determine Disk Partitioning Options
* Choose the Appropriate File System: FAT, FAT32, NTFS
* Decide on a Workgroup or Domain Installation
* Complete a Pre-Installation Checklist

After you made sure you can go on, start the installation process.
Step #2: Beginning the installation process

You can install Windows XP in several methods - all are valid and good, it all depends upon your needs and your limitations.

* Manual installations usually come in 3 flavors:
* Boot from CD - No existing partition is required.
* Boot from the 6 Setup Boot Disks, then insert the CD - No existing partition is required (see the Create Setup Boot Disks for Windows XP page).
* Boot from an MS-DOS startup floppy, go to the command prompt, create a 4GB FAT32 partition with FDISK, reboot, format the C partition you've created, then go to the CD drive, go into the I386 folder, and run the WINNT.EXE command.
* Run an already installed OS, such as Windows NT 4.0 Server. From within NT 4.0 go to the I386 folder in the W2K installation CD and run the WINNT32.EXE command.
* If you want to upgrade a desktop OS such as Windows 98 into Windows 2000 Professional you can follow the same procedure as above (You cannot upgrade Windows 98 into W2K Server).

There are other non-manual installation methods, such as using an unattended file along with a uniqueness database file, using Sysprep, using RIS or even running unattended installations from within the CD itself, but we won't go into that right now.

It doesn't matter how you run the setup process, but the moment it runs - all setup methods look alike.
Step #3: The text-based portion of the Setup program

The setup process begins loading a blue-looking text screen (not GUI). In that phase you will be asked to accept the EULA and choose a partition on which to install XP, and if that partition is new, you'll be asked to format it by using either FAT, FAT32 or NTFS.

1. Start the computer from the CD.

1. You can press F6 if you need to install additional SCSI adapters or other mass-storage devices. If you do you will be asked to supply a floppy disk with the drivers and you CANNOT browse it (or a CD for that matter). Make sure you have one handy.

1. If you want, you can press F2 to run the ASR sequence. For that you need a good backup created by the Windows XP backup program, and the ASR floppy disk. If you plan to install a new copy of XP - don't do anything.

1. Setup will load all the needed files and drivers.

1. Select To Setup Windows XP Professional Now. If you want, and if you have a previous installation of XP, you can try to fix it by pressing R. If not, just press ENTER.

1. Read and accept the licensing agreement and press F8 if you accept it.

1. Select or create the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. Depending upon your existing disk configuration choose one of the following:

* If the hard disk is unpartitioned, you can create and size the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional.

* If the hard disk is already partitioned, but has enough unpartitioned disk space, you can create an additional partition in the unpartitioned space.
* If the hard disk already has a partition that is large enough, you can install Windows XP Professional on that partition. If the partition has an existing operating system, you will overwrite that operating system if you accept the default installation path. However, files other than the operating system files, such as program files and data files, will not be overwritten.
* If the hard disk has an existing partition, you can delete it to create more unpartitioned space for the new partition. Deleting an existing partition erases all data on that partition.

If you select a new partition during Setup, create and size only the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. After installation, use Disk Management to partition the remaining space on the hard disk.

1. Select a file system for the installation partition. After you create the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional, you can use Setup to select the file system with which to format the partition. Windows XP Professional supports the NTFS file system in addition to the file allocation table (FAT) and FAT32 file systems. Windows Server 2003, Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, and Windows NT are the only Microsoft operating systems that you can use to gain access to data on a local hard disk that is formatted with NTFS. If you plan to gain access to files that are on a local Windows XP Professional partition with the Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating systems, you should format the partition with a FAT or FAT32 file system. We will use NTFS.

1. Setup will then begin copying necessary files from the installation point (CD, local I386 or network share).
2. Note: If you began the installation process from an MS-DOS floppy, make sure you have and run SMARTDRV from the floppy, otherwise the copying process will probably last more than an hour, perhaps even more. With SMARTDRV (or if setup was run by booting from CD) the copying will probably last a few minutes, no more than 5 max.

1. The computer will restart in graphical mode, and the installation will continue.

Step #4: The GUI-based portion of the Setup program

The setup process reboots and loads a GUI mode phase.

It will then begin to load device drivers based upon what it finds on your computer. You don't need to do anything at this stage.

1. Click Customize to change regional settings, if necessary.

* Current System Locale - Affects how programs display dates, times, currency, and numbers. Choose the locale that matches your location, for example, French (Canada).
* Current Keyboard Layout - Accommodates the special characters and symbols used in different languages. Your keyboard layout determines which characters appear when you press keys on the keyboard.

If you don't need to make any changes just press Next.

If you do need to make changes press Customize and add your System Locale etc.

Note for Hebrew users: Unlike W2K, it is SAFE and it is OK for you to install Hebrew language support at this phase.
To install Hebrew support:

After pressing Customize go to the Languages tab and select the "Install files for complex script and right-to-left languages".

A warning message will appear. Press Ok.

Warning: You must now press Apply!!!

Setup will copy the necessary files from the installation point.

You can now go to the Regional Options tab and select Israel in the Location drop-down list, and Hebrew in the Standards and Formats drop-down list. Click Ok.

1. Type your name and organization.

1. Type the product key.

1. Type the computer name and a password for the local Administrator account. The local Administrator account resides in the SAM of the computer, not in Active Directory. If you will be installing in a domain, you need either a pre-assigned computer name for which a domain account has been created, or the right to create a computer account within the domain.

1. Select the date, time, and time zone settings.

1. Setup will now install the networking components.

After a few seconds you will receive the Networking Settings window. BTW, if you have a NIC that is not in the HCL (see the What's the HCL? page) and XP cannot detect it, or if you don't have a NIC at all, setup will skip this step and you will immediately go to the final phase of the setup process.

Press Next to accept the Typical settings option if you have one of the following situations:

* You have a functional DHCP on your network.
* You have a computer running Internet Connection Sharing (ICS).
* You're in a workgroup environment and do not plan to have any other servers or Active Directory at all, and all other workgroup members are configured in the same manner.

Otherwise select Custom Settings and press Next to customize your network settings.

1. One thing you CAN do (you don't have to do it, it's your call - read more about it on the Increase Internet Connection Speed in Windows XP page) is to uninstall the Qos Packet Scheduler. Click it and press the Uninstall button. If you want to keep it you can simply remove the mark from the QoS check-box. In anyway you can later install or uninstall it if you want.

Keep the TCP/IP, Client for Microsoft Networks and the File and Print Sharing options selected.

1. Highlight the TCP/IP selection and press Properties.

In the General tab enter the required information. You must specify the IP address of the computer, and if you don't know what the Subnet Mask entry should be - you can simply place your mouse pointer over the empty area in the Subnet Mask box and click it. The OS will automatically select the value it thinks is good for the IP address you provided.

If you don't know what these values mean, or if you don't know what to write in them, press cancel and select the Typical Settings option. You can easily change these values later.

1. In the Workgroup or Domain window enter the name of your workgroup or domain.

* A workgroup is a small group of computers on a network that enables users to work together and does not support centralized administration.
* A domain is a logical grouping of computers on a network that has a central security database for storing security information. Centralized security and administration are important for computers in a domain because they enable an administrator to easily manage computers that are geographically distant from each other. A domain is administered as a unit with common rules and procedures. Each domain has a unique name, and each computer within a domain has a unique name.

If you're a stand-alone computer, or if you don't know what to enter, or if you don't have the sufficient rights to join a domain - leave the default entry selected and press Next.

If you want to join a domain (NT 4.0 domain of W2K/2003 Active Directory domain) enter the domain's name in the "Yes, make this computer a member of the following domain" box.

To successfully join a domain you need the following:

* The person performing the installation must have a user account in Active Directory. This account does not need to be the domain Administrator account.

and

* The computer must have an existing computer account in the Active Directory database of the domain that the computer is joining, and the computer must be named exactly as its domain account is named.

or

* The person performing the installation must have appropriate permission to create a domain account for the computer during installation.

Also, you need to have connectivity to the domain's domain controllers (only to the PDC if on an NT 4.0 domain) and a fully functional DNS server (only in AD domains). Read the Joining a Domain in Windows XP Pro and Requirements when Joining a Domain pages for more on this issue.

Enter the Active Directory domain name (in the form of xxx.yyy, for example: DPETRI.NET) or the NetBIOS name of the NT 4.0 domain (in the form of xxx, for example: DPETRI). Press Next.

Note: If you provide a wrong domain name or do not have the correct connectivity to the domain's DNS server you will get an error message.

A username/password window will appear. Enter the name and password of the domain's administrator (or your own if you're the administrator on the target domain).

Note: Providing a wrong username or password will cause this phase to fail.

1. Next the setup process will finish copying files and configuring the setup. You do not need to do anything.

1. After the copying and configuring phase is finished, if XP finds that you have a badly configured screen resolution it will advise you to change it and ask you if you see the new settings right.

BTW, the minimum supported screen resolution in XP is 800X600.

1. Setup finishes and boots Windows XP.

1. A Welcome screen is the first thing you see. The computer checks your Internet connectivity (required for the mandatory Activation and voluntary Registration processes).

You will be asked to register your copy of XP. You can decline if you want.

1. XP will ask you for the default username that will log onto this computer. You can enter as many as 5 users, but you can create more after the installation is finished.

BTW, the Administrator is not shown as a valid logon option (read more about it on the Add the Administrator's Account to the Welcome Screen in XP Pro page).

1. That's it! you're done!

Read More

How to Format a Hard Drive With Windows XP

If you want to format a hard drive while using or installing Windows XP, you've come to the right place. This can be very useful for clearing everything off a secondary drive or when installing a fresh copy of Windows. Formatting a computer hard drive is simple and can help eliminate viruses, storage issues and other hard-to-resolve problems.
Instructions

Preparation

1. When you format a computer hard drive you will lose everything that is on the drive. Therefore, it is very important to back up anything you might want later. Additionally, if you are going to be formatting and installing XP you need to make sure you have the discs for any applications or third party hardware you use since you will need to re-install your programs and drivers after re-installing Windows.

2. Take a moment to think of anything that you have on the computer that you wouldn't want to lose. Generally, you probably want everything in your My Documents folder, and you also want to save things like your favorites or bookmarks from your Web browser. Remember that each user on the computer has his or her own My Documents folder, Desktop items and Favorites/Bookmarks.
3. Save everything to a CD, DVD or a hard drive that you won't be formatting.
Formatting a Secondary Hard Drive
4. Right-Click on the "My Computer" icon either on your desktop or in the Start Menu and select "Manage."
5. A new window titled "Computer Management" comes up. Select "Storage" from the left hand side by clicking it once, then select "Disk Management(local)" from the right side by double-clicking it.
6. Now in the lower part of the main frame (right side) of the window you should see a nice visual of all your hard drives. Each line is a different drive. Each box on a line (with a colored bar at the top and a size displayed in MB or GB) is a partition on the drive. Partitions are separations of space on a drive. Unless you are doing something specific that requires multiple partitions, you only want one partition per drive.
7. First you must delete any existing partitions on the drive you are going to format. Do this by right-clicking on the partition's box and selecting "Delete Partition..." Since you already know that you will be deleting everything on the drive, and have already backed everything up, you can safely say yes to any warning the computer presents you with.
8. If there are multiple partitions make sure you have saved everything off them since they might each have different drive letters (i.e. "D:" or "F:"). Then repeat the above step for each of them. If you only want to format one partition that is OK and you can continue to the next step without deleting the other partitions.
9. The box for the drive to be formatted should now have a black bar at the top of it and should say "Unallocated" under its size (see picture). Right click on it and select "New Partition..." The New Partition Wizard comes up.
10. In the New Partition Wizard click next. On the next page make sure "Primary Partition" is selected and click next. Now make the size equal to the maximum (it should already be set to it), and click next again. On the next page the computer will automatically choose the first available drive letter for the new drive. However, if you like you can choose another drive letter from the drop-down menu, and then click next.
11. Finally the New Partition Wizard asks if you would like to format the new partition and if so what format. Choose "NTFS" as it is faster and more secure. Leave the "Allocation unit size" as "Default." In the "Volume label" field enter whatever name you want the drive to have. Simple is better. Avoid using spaces. Lastly, if the drive is brand new and has never been used before check the "Perform a quick format" box. If the drive has been used before leave this box unchecked. Leave the "Enable file and folder compression" box unchecked and click next. Then on the next page click finish.
12. The wizard will now spend a little while formatting the drive. On old or large drives this may take a while. Do not close the "Computer Management" window until it finishes. You will know it is done when the word under the size of the drive changes from "Formatting" to "Healthy" and the name and drive letter you chose for the new drive show up. After it is finished you can proceed to use your newly formatted drive.
Formatting and Installing from the Windows XP CD
13. This section explains how to reformat a drive from the Windows XP installation CD. This can be used when installing a fresh copy of Windows onto a computer. Here it is especially important to backup all of your important information because upon formatting you will lose EVERYTHING that used to be on the drive. This includes all applications and device drivers, so you must back up everything you can.
14.

Insert your Windows XP installation disc into your CD drive (Home or Pro--it does not matter).
15.

Now as you computer boots a little more it will say "Press any key to boot from CD.." press a key to do so.
16.

The CD will load up a blue screen and then spend a while loading files it needs. When it is finished it will list a few options, mainly "Press ENTER to set up Windows XP." Press Enter or Return.
17.

Now you will be at a screen to select where to install Windows to. This is where you can delete old partitions and format drives. The box in the bottom half of the screen shows all your drives and the partitions that exist on them. Use the Up and Down arrow keys to highlight your "C:" partition and press the 'D' key (if all that shows up is "Unpartitioned space" and you have no C: or D: partitions, skip this step). On the next screen press the 'L' key to finalize deleting the partition.
18.

Now you are back on the screen to choose where to install Windows. The box on the lower half of the screen should no longer show a partition but simply have an entry "Unpartitioned space xxxxxMB." Select this with the arrow keys and press the 'C' key to create a partition on the drive. The next screen tells you the minimum and maximum sizes the partition can be and lets you pick the size. The default size is the maximum, but double check that the number entered is the maximum and hit enter.
19.

Now you will again be back at the choose where to install Windows screen. But this time you will have a partition that looks something like this "C: Partition1 [New (Raw)]xxxxxxMB." Highlight this entry and press enter.
20.

The next screen lets you choose which file system to format the drive with. Choose NTFS as it is faster and more secure. If the drive is brand new and has never been used before then use one of the options that ends in "(Quick)." Or, choose one of the lower down options. Use the arrow keys to select the proper one and press Enter or Return.
21.


From here you are all set and the installation of Windows will proceed starting with a format of your drive. This will take a while (over half an hour) so you can take a little break.

Read More

how to set password in folder?

To add a password to your personal folders follow these steps:

If the Folder List is not visible, then click Folder List on the View menu.


Right-click the Personal Folders, and then click Properties For "Personal Folders" on the shortcut menu.


On the General tab, click Advanced.


Click Change Password.


In the Change Password dialog box, type your new password and verify it by typing it a second time.


Make sure that the "Save this password in your password list" check box is cleared (not checked). This prevents the password from being cached. You will need to type it each time you run Outlook.


After you have entered the password successfully, click OK three times.


The next time you start Outlook, you will be prompted to type a password before viewing the contents of the personal folder.

Read More

How to install drivers in windows XP

Drivers are the brains that show hardware how to function. In this article I will show you how to install drivers for most any hardware. Some very common driver installations are for network adapter, wireless adapters, CD-ROMS, Hard Drives, Video Cards, and Printers.

Right-Click MY COMPUTER

Click MANAGE.

3

Highlight DEVICE MANAGER.

4

Choose the hardware category your hardware relates to and click the + symbol next to it.

5

Now Right-Click the specific device you would like to install the driver for and click PROPERTIES.

6

Click the DRIVER tab located at the top of window.

7

Click UPDATE DRIVER and browse to location where driver files reside. This will install a new driver or update an existing driver for your H/W.

8

At times, you will see devices in the UNKNOWN DEVICES category. Devices here are hardware recognized by windows, but have no existing drivers installed. It is the same procedure to install drivers for these devices as mentioned in STEP 7.

Read more: How to install drivers in windows XP | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4592175_install-drivers-windows-xp.html#ixzz1EZupEoGM

Highlight DEVICE MANAGER.

Choose the hardware category your hardware relates to and click the + symbol next to it.

Now Right-Click the specific device you would like to install the driver for and click PROPERTIES.

Click UPDATE DRIVER and browse to location where driver files reside. This will install a new driver or update an existing driver for your H/W

At times, you will see devices in the UNKNOWN DEVICES category. Devices here are hardware recognized by windows, but have no existing drivers installed. It is the same procedure to install drivers for these devices as mentioned in STEP 7.

.

2

Click MANAGE.

3

Highlight DEVICE MANAGER.

4

Choose the hardware category your hardware relates to and click the + symbol next to it.

5

Now Right-Click the specific device you would like to install the driver for and click PROPERTIES.

6

Click the DRIVER tab located at the top of window.

7

Click UPDATE DRIVER and browse to location where driver files reside. This will install a new driver or update an existing driver for your H/W.

8

At times, you will see devices in the UNKNOWN DEVICES category. Devices here are hardware recognized by windows, but have no existing drivers installed. It is the same procedure to install drivers for these devices as mentioned in STEP 7.

Read more: How to install drivers in windows XP | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4592175_install-drivers-windows-xp.html#ixzz1EZujdfce

2

Click MANAGE.

3

Highlight DEVICE MANAGER.

4

Choose the hardware category your hardware relates to and click the + symbol next to it.

5

Now Right-Click the specific device you would like to install the driver for and click PROPERTIES.

6

Click the DRIVER tab located at the top of window.

7

Click UPDATE DRIVER and browse to location where driver files reside. This will install a new driver or update an existing driver for your H/W.

8

At times, you will see devices in the UNKNOWN DEVICES category. Devices here are hardware recognized by windows, but have no existing drivers installed. It is the same procedure to install drivers for these devices as mentioned in STEP 7.

Read more: How to install drivers in windows XP | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4592175_install-drivers-windows-xp.html#ixzz1EZujdfce

Read More

How To: Open a Rar file

How can you open a Rar file downloaded from a web site or received in an email? What is a Rar file anyway? This article will answer your questions and provide links to free downloads of the best Windows and Mac software to open Rar files.

What is a Rar file?

Rar files are compressed archives. The term "Archive" means that the file may contain not just one, but several files. It may even contain folders full of files, much like folders on your hard disk. "Compressed" means that mathematical techniques have been used to reduce the space needed to store the files, so that the size of the archive may be much smaller than the total size of the files it contains. In short, Rar files are a space-saving way of storing single files or groups of related files.
There are many different compression techniques in use today. "Rar" is a development of the Zip compression method invented by a Russian programmer Eugene Roshal (hence the name, Roshal Archive.) The Rar format uses advanced compression algorithms that can create some of the smallest archives - typically 8 to 30 per cent smaller than Zip archives - but the penalty is that compression may take a long time.
Other benefits of the Rar file format include redundancy, which can enable damaged archives to be repaired, and support for international character sets, allowing files with non-English filenames to be stored. For this last reason, Rar files are often used by computer users in Russia and other countries that use different alphabets.
Files stored in a Rar archive will decompress to exactly their original state. This is called "lossless compression." By contrast, the compression methods used to create JPG photo image files or MP3 music files are called "lossy compression" because some of the quality of the original image or sound is lost during the compression process.
Rar files occupy less storage space and take less time to send or download. They also provide a convenient way to package and send groups of related files. However, you can't run a program directly from a Rar file. The contents of the archive must be extracted to a folder on your hard drive before they can be used.
No computer operating system has built-in support for the Rar archive format. So if you have received a Rar file you will need to download and install some third party software to open it. There are several programs that can open Rar files on both Windows and Mac OS.

Open Rar files in Microsoft Windows

If you want to open Rar files on a Windows PC, Tech-Pro.net recommends BitZipper 2010. We believe that BitZipper 2010 is the best Windows archive manager available. It can open Rar files, Zip files and just about any other compressed or encoded file format you are ever likely to come across in the future.
As well as allowing you to open all these file types, BitZipper 2010 lets you create archives using many of these formats. It's also a fast and flexible backup tool. So it's something you'll find useful for a lot more tasks than opening the occasional Rar archive!
BitZipper 2010 has a Wizard interface that makes it easy to use even if you have never seen a Rar file before. More experienced users can benefit from the a Classic interface, shown on the right, which provides menu and toolbar access to all the product's functions. BitZipper 2010 is a solid and stable archive manager that can handle the largest archives without crashing.

• Find out more about BitZipper 2010
• Download a trial version
• Get it FREE!

BitZipper 2010 runs on Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and new Windows 7.

Open Rar files in Mac OS X

If you use an Apple Mac computer then we recommend Stuffit Deluxe to open Rar files. Stuffit is one of the classic Mac utilities that have been around since the first Apple Macs, and contains a complete set of tools for opening and creating the various types of compressed archive that you find on the Web.
Stuffit has a handy "Quick Look" feature which saves time by letting you peek inside archives without opening them. It can also be used as a powerful backup program, which can create encrypted archives that can be saved directly to iDisk, CDs, DVDs or an FTP server. Stuffit Deluxe also has some great tools that make it really easy to send large files (up to 2GB) to your friends and coworkers,

• Find out more about Stuffit Deluxe 2011
• Download a trial version
• Find out about Stuffit 2011 standard version

Creating Rar files

The programs described above will enable you to open Rar files that you receive or download from the web. The only products that can create Rar files are those developed by the owners of the Rar format, RARLAB: WinRAR for Windows and RAR for Mac OS X.
The use of uncommon compression formats such as Rar causes problems for others who do not have the software to open them. Tech-Pro.net's advice is to use only the standard Zip format when creating archives that are intended to be opened by other people, as support for Zip archives is now built in to most computer operating systems.

Read More

how to capture a picture from a video

When trying to capture an image or create a screen shot from a video in Microsoft Windows Media Player using the print screen button the captured image will be a blank or black image. There are several different answers that can apply to this question. Depending on the movie that is being played and what codec it is using may change what will work and what will not work. We suggest going through each of the below recommendations; if a solution does not work, continue down the list.

First solution

While in Microsoft Windows Media Player, press "CTRL + I"; if the video you are watching is using a Microsoft supported movie file, you should receive a "Save Captured Image" window, allowing you to save the image as "capture" or any other name.

Although this solution is a quick and easy solution, you may not get the results you want as the image will often be smaller and lesser quality than what you see when you press the keys. If you wish to capture better images at any size, even full screen, try the second solution.

Second solution

Notice: This solution should only be used to capture images from any video; once done, it should be changed back as it may cause other issues. However, this should work with all video files.

1. Open Microsoft Windows Media Player.
2. Click Tools and then Options.
3. Within the Options window click the Performance tab.
4. Within Performance click the Advanced button.
5. In Video Acceleration Settings uncheck "Use Overlays"
6. Click Ok.
7. Finally, click Apply, say Yes if prompted, and then Ok in the Options window.

Once the above steps have been completed in Windows Media Player start the movie file and when to the location you wish to capture a screen of press the print screen button on your keyboard. You can print the screen in window mode or in full screen mode, although full screen mode may not have the best resolution.

Once you've pressed print screen it should be sent to the clipboard and allow you to paste that file into another program. If it is not working properly in your image editor program try pasting the screen shot into Microsoft Paint.

Finally after you have captured the screen shot repeat the same above steps however check the "User Overlays" box to re-enable this feature.

Read More

How To View Hidden files in windows

Introduction

By default Windows hides certain files from being seen with Windows Explorer or My Computer. This is done to protect these files, which are usually system files, from accidentally being modified or deleted by the user. Unfortunately viruses, spyware, and hijackers often hide there files in this way making it hard to find them and then delete them.

By following the steps below for each version of Windows you will be able to change the operating systems behavior so that you can see hidden and protected files. In this way you will be able to delete or replaces files for troubleshooting purposes.

Windows 95

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the View menu and then click Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Scroll down until you see the Show all files radio button and select it.
6. Press the OK button and close the My Computer window.
7. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 98

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the View menu and then click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Scroll down until you see the Show all files radio button and select it.
6. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and close the My Computer window.
7. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows ME

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
9. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows NT
To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the View menu and then click Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Scroll down until you see the Show all files radio button and select it.
6. Press the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
7. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 2000

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
9. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows XP and Windows 2003

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
3. Select the Tools menu and click Folder Options.
4. After the new window appears select the View tab.
5. Put a checkmark in the checkbox labeled Display the contents of system folders.
6. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide file extensions for known file types.
8. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
9. Press the Apply button and then the OK button and shutdown My Computer.
10. Now your computer is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows Vista

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps:

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Click on the Start button. This is the small round button with the Windows flag in the lower left corner.
3. Click on the Control Panel menu option.
4. When the control panel opens you can either be in Classic View or Control Panel Home view:
   
   If you are in the Classic View do the following:
   1. Double-click on the Folder Options icon.
   2. Click on the View tab.
   3. Go to step 5.
   
   If you are in the Control Panel Home view do the following:
   1. Click on the Appearance and Personalization link .
   2. Click on Show Hidden Files or Folders.
   3. Go to step 5.
      
      
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files and folders.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files.
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button.
9. Now Windows Vista is configured to show all hidden files.

Windows 7

To enable the viewing of Hidden files follow these steps. Please note a guide with images that shows the same steps can be found here:

How to show hidden files in Windows 7

1. Close all programs so that you are at your desktop.
2. Click on the Start button. This is the small round button with the Windows flag in the lower left corner.
3. Click on the Control Panel menu option.
4. When the control panel opens you change it so you are using Category view.
   
   
   1. Click on the Appearance and Personalization link .
   2. Under the Folder Options category, click on Show Hidden Files or Folders.
   3. Go to step 5.
      
      
5. Under the Hidden files and folders section select the radio button labeled Show hidden files, folders, or drives.
6. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide extensions for known file types.
7. Remove the checkmark from the checkbox labeled Hide protected operating system files (Recommended).
8. Press the Apply button and then the OK button..
9. Now Windows 7 is configured to show all hidden files.

Please note that you will now see icons that were not previously visible. One of the most common concerns is that you will see a file called desktop.ini throughout your computer. These are legitimate hidden files and can be ignored.

Read More

How To Edit Video

The most useful aspect of computer video editing is that you can weed out all the “junk video” that finds its way into everyone’s home movies. I don’t know about you, but I believe that 95% of home movies are incredibly boring … mostly because you have to sit through hours of inane film in order to get to the few minutes of interesting material. I’ve found that the audience attention span for my own “fantastic” home movies is very short … so I now try to keep all my own movies under 5 minutes long.
There are many kinds of “junk video” that you might want to remove from your home videos …

1. Zooming
   Overzealous use of the camcorder’s zoom function is the number one sign of a beginning videographer. Zooming tends to make your audience sea-sick and should only be used for framing shots (i.e. Zooming between recorded scenes). Fortunately, you can edit these zooms right out of your videos and only show the wide establishing shots followed by close-up shots.
   
    
2. Preparing to speak
   If you are filming a narrator or filming a family member, there’s always that couple of seconds where they say “Ok … is the camcorder running?” Now you can cut that part out and start right with your interview.
   
    
3. Stillness
   Good video needs motion … action … something happening. For example, if you are filming a birthday and it takes your small child two minutes to open his birthday present, consider cutting out the middle 1.5 minutes. Your audience wants to see the motion … your child’s delight at seeing the present, and the triumph of getting it open. Unless the child gets an exciting paper-cut, the rest of the video is unnecessary.

There are several ways to get rid of junk video, and a video editing program like Movie Maker 2 makes it easy.

1. "Manual capture” only the video that you actually want
   When you transfer digital video from a camcorder to your computer, Movie Maker gives you the option of “manually capturing” your video, letting you decide exactly what sections of your tape you want to transfer. This allows you to capture ONLY the parts of your video tape that you want in your finished move, thus saving you a lot of precious hard drive space. While Movie Maker gives you the option of capturing an entire video tape, I rarely do this because 75% of my video is “junk” that I never want to watch again.
   
    
2. Cutting clips in half
   Movie Maker allows you to “cut” your video clips in half. This is a great way to get rid of large chunks of “junk film.” You cut your clips in two different places within the program … both in the preview monitor, and also while working on the timeline. Simply find the location you want to cut and click the “cut button” located under the preview monitor.
   
   
   
   Cutting clips is great way for getting rid of large areas of video (or breaking up clips that you want to place at different places on your timeline). The only problem with cutting is that you must stay organized -- if you cut 30 separate video clips, you’ll end up with a whooping 60 video clips in your video collection and that can be hard to sort through.
   
    
3. Trimming the ends of clips
   For the finest control, you can trim the ends off your clips by setting the exact “in and out” points of each video clip. While working on the timeline, simply “drag the ends” of each clip to the exact point that you would like it to start and stop. You can accomplish very fine control of each clips start/stop points by trimming … especially if you zoom in on each clip using the magnifying glass.
    

As you can see, deleting unwanted film is very easy to accomplish within an editing program like Movie Maker 2. This gives you much more freedom when you actually film … as now it’s OK to film your kids’ entire 2 hour soccer game. You can always edit out the junk (those other pesky kids) using your computer. After all, film is cheap, and you never when you’re going to film that surprise goal!

Read More

How to Take a Screenshot in Microsoft Windows

Take a screen shot

Ever see something on your screen that you’d like to e-mail or save for later? With Microsoft Windows XP, you can take a screen shot and capture an exact image of what’s on the screen.
Screen shots are useful in many ways. For example, if you receive an error message, you can take a screen shot and send your support person an exact replica of the error window, which makes communicating about the error simple. You can also use a screen shot to show someone a Web page without sending them a link. Microsoft uses screen shots to demonstrate how to do tasks within Windows. If you’re helping someone with a computer task or problem, and you can’t be right there with that person, you can use screen shots to illustrate your points through e-mail, instant messaging, or Microsoft Word.
Note: The only times you can’t take a screen shot are before you log on to your computer and when you are playing a video in Microsoft Windows Media Player.
To take a screen shot and save it as a picture

1.	Click the window you want to capture. Press ALT+PRINT SCREEN by holding down the ALT key and then pressing the PRINT SCREEN key. The PRINT SCREEN key is near the upper right corner of your keyboard. (Depending on the type of keyboard you have, the exact key names on your keyboard may vary slightly.) Note: You can take a screen shot of your entire desktop rather than just a single window by pressing the PRINT SCREEN key without holding down the ALT key.
2.	Click Start, click Accessories, and then click Paint.
3.	In the Paint window, click Edit, and then click Paste.
4.	When the image appears in the Paint window, click File, and then click Save As.
5.	In the Save As dialog box, in the File name box, type a name for the screen shot, and then click Save.

You can now print or e-mail the saved screen shot just like you would any other picture.

Read More

How to partition and format a hard disk by using Windows XP Setup program

Microsoft Windows XP Professional Full Version with SP2
This article describes how to partition (prepare) and format a hard disk before you install Windows XP using the Windows XP Setup program. This article also contains things to consider before you partition or format your hard disk, and links to resources that can help you troubleshoot if problems occur. This article is intended for an advanced user. 

You can use other methods to partition and format the hard disk before you install Windows XP, such as the Fdisk and Format tools. For additional information about how to use Fdisk and Format to partition and format your hard disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

255867  How to use the Fdisk tool and the Format tool to partition or to repartition a hard disk

If your computer is already running Windows XP, and you want to create partitions other than the System or the Startup partitions, you can use the Windows XP Disk Management tools. For additional information about how to use the Windows XP Disk Management tools to partition and format your hard disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

309000  How to use Disk Management to configure basic disks in Windows XP

Before you partition and format the hard disk

Before you partition and format your hard disk, make sure that you do the following:

Prepare the hard disk according to the manufacturer's instructions

If you are using a SATA hard disk, skip this step and go to the "Determine the type of file system that you want to use" section. If you are using an IDE hard disk, set the jumpers and the cabling according to the role of the hard disk (for example, master or subordinate) and make any required BIOS (or CMOS) changes. To set the jumpers and cabling, and make any required BIOS or CMOS changes, see the documentation that was included with your hard disk and motherboard, or contact the manufacturers.

Determine the type of file system that you want to use

You can use either the NTFS or FAT file systems. NTFS is the preferred file system to format the hard disk unless you want to run an earlier version of Windows that cannot read NTFS partitions. For additional information about the differences between the FAT and NTFS file systems, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

100108  Overview of FAT, HPFS, and NTFS file systems

310525  Description of the FAT32 file system in Windows XP

If the hard disk already contains data, back it up

Make sure that you back up all your important data before you continue. When you partition and format a hard disk, all the data on that partition is permanently deleted. You can view current partition information without deleting your data. For additional information about how to use the backup utility or the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

320820  How to use the Backup utility to back up files and folders in Windows XP Home Edition

309340  How to use Backup to restore files and folders on your computer in Windows XP

293118  How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard

306186  How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard from CD-ROM

306187  How to use the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard Disk in Windows XP

If the hard disk has a drive overlay or a disk management program, make sure that it is compatible

If your computer uses drive overlay software for large hard disk support, do not use the Windows XP Setup program to partition or to format the drive until you have verified that Windows XP is compatible with the software. If you have drive overlay software installed, contact the software manufacturer to find out whether it is compatible with Windows XP. If you are not sure whether you have drive overlay software installed, contact the manufacturer of your hard disk drive or motherboard.

If you have software that you want to reinstall, verify that you have the disks

Make sure that you have the original CDs or floppy disks so that you can reinstall the software programs after you partition and format your drive. If you purchased an upgrade for a program, make sure that you have the full version of the original program. Many upgrades for programs require a compliance check before you can install the upgraded product. If you cannot find the original CDs or floppy disks, contact the software manufacturer before you continue.

If you have updated device drivers for peripheral devices, back them up

If you have installed an updated device driver for your peripheral devices (for example, modems and printers), make sure that you back up the new driver for the device to a location other than the drive that you want to format and partition so that you can reinstall it after you install your operating system.

Configure your computer to start from the CD or DVD drive

To start your computer from the Windows XP CD, your computer must be configured to start from the CD or DVD drive. In some cases, you may have to modify your computer's BIOS settings to set this configuration. For information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD or DVD drive, see the documentation that is included with your computer, or contact the computer manufacturer.

If you have a computer that cannot start from the CD or DVD drive and you need to start your computer from the startup disk, make sure that you have the floppy setup disks so that you can run the Setup program from the floppy disk drive. 

Note You can obtain Windows XP Setup boot disks from Microsoft, but only by download. We provide the Setup boot disks so that you can run the Setup program on computers that cannot use a bootable CD-ROM. If you can start your computer from a CD-ROM or from a network-based installation, we strongly recommend that you use those installation methods instead. Future products will no longer support installation by using the Setup boot disks.

Back to the top

How to partition and format the hard disk using the Windows XP Setup program

You can use the Windows XP Setup program to partition and format the hard disk. To do this, use the following steps:

Step 1: Partition the hard disk

1. Insert the Windows XP CD into your CD or DVD drive, or insert the first Windows XP Setup disk into the floppy disk drive, and then restart the computer to start the Windows XP Setup program.
   
   Note If you are using the Windows XP Setup disks, insert each additional disk when you are prompted, and then press ENTER to continue after you insert each disk.
2. If you are prompted, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD or DVD drive.
3. If your hard disk controller requires a third-party original equipment manufacturer (OEM) driver, press F6 to specify the driver. For more information about how to use F6 to supply a third-party OEM device driver while the Windows Setup program is running, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   314859  Limited OEM driver support is available with F6 during Windows XP Setup
4. At the Welcome to Setup page, press ENTER. 
   
   Note If you are using the Setup disks (six bootable disks), the setup prompts you to insert the Windows XP CD.
5. Press F8 to accept the Windows XP Licensing Agreement.
6. If an existing Windows XP installation is detected, you are prompted to repair it. To bypass the repair, press ESC.
7. All existing partitions and non-partitioned spaces are listed for each physical hard disk. Use the ARROW keys to select an existing partition, or create a new partition by selecting the non-partitioned space where you want to create a new partition. You can also press C to create a new partition using non-partitioned space. 
   
   Note If you want to create a partition where one or more partitions already exist, you must first delete the existing partition or partitions, and then create the new partition. You can press D to delete an existing partition, and then press L (or press ENTER, and then press L if it is the System partition) to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Repeat this step for each existing partition that you want to include in the new partition. When all the partitions are deleted, select the remaining non-partitioned space, and then press C to create the new partition.
8. To create the partition with the maximum size, press ENTER. To specify the partition size, type the size in megabytes (MB) for the new partition, and then press ENTER.
9. If you want to create additional partitions, repeat steps g. and h.
10. To format the partition and install Windows XP, go to step 2. 
    
    If you do not want to install Windows XP, press F3 two times to exit the Windows Setup program, and then do not follow the remaining steps in this article. 
    
    To format the partition without installing Windows XP, use a different utility.

Step 2: Format the hard disk and install Windows XP

1. Use the ARROW keys to select the partition where you want to install Windows XP, and then press ENTER.
2. Select the format option that you want to use to format the partition. You can select from the following options:
   • Format the partition by using the NTFS file system (Quick)
   • Format the partition by using the FAT file system (Quick)
   • Format the partition by using the NTFS file system
   • Format the partition by using the FAT file system
   • Leave the current file system intact (no changes)
   Notes
   • If the selected partition is a new partition, the option to leave the current file system intact is not available.
   • If the selected partition is larger than 32 gigabytes (GB), the FAT file system option is not available.
   • If the selected partition is larger than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT32 file system (you must press ENTER to confirm).
   • If the partition is smaller than 2 GB, the Windows Setup program uses the FAT16 file system.
   • If you deleted and created a new System partition, but you are installing Windows XP on a different partition, you are prompted to select a file system for both the System and Startup partitions.
3. Press ENTER.
4. After the Windows Setup program formats the partition, follow the instructions that appear on the screen to install Windows XP. After the Windows Setup program is finished and you have restarted the computer, you can use the Disk Management tools in Windows XP to create or format more partitions. For additional information about how to use the Windows XP Disk Management tools to partition and format your hard disk, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   309000  How to use Disk Management to configure basic disks in Windows XP

Back to the top

Additional notes

Before you can install an operating system such as Windows XP, you must first create a primary partition on the first physical hard disk (Disk 0) on your computer. Then, you can format a file system on that partition to create what is called the System partition. 

Or, you can create a separate partition for the operating system on any physical hard disk. This is known as the Startup partition. The System partition on Disk 0 can also be used as a Startup partition.

Read More

How to Unzip a File or Folder With Winzip

Winzip "Unzip" Tutorial

In this tutorial we will learn how to "unzip" a zip file using the winzip program.

You can download a free copy of the Winzip program here.

• Find the .zip file you want unzipped within your Windows Explorer Files.
  
  
• Highlight the .zip file.
  
  
• Double click on the .zip file.
  
  
• The winzip program will automatically open.
  
  
• Click "I Agree"
  
  
  
  
  
• Highlight the file/s and click "Extract"
  
  
  
  
  
• Select the folder where you wish to place the file/s and click "Extract"
  
  
  
  
  
  
• The Winzip program will unzip the chosen file/s into your selected folder.
  When the green light shows at the bottom, the program is finished and you can close the Winzip Program.
  
  
  

Read More

How To access remote desktop

Start a Session

Updated: August 25, 2004

Once you have enabled your Windows XP Professional computer to allow remote connections, and installed client software on a Windows-based client computer, you are ready to start a Remote Desktop session. You must first establish a virtual private network connection or remote access service connection from your client computer to your office network, or host computer.
To create a new Remote Desktop Connection

1.	Open Remote Desktop Connection. (Click Start, point to Programs or All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, and then click Remote Desktop Connection.)
2.	In Computer, type the computer name for your computer running Windows XP Professional that has Remote Desktop enabled and for which you have Remote Desktop permissions. Tip To find the computer name, right-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, click Properties, and then click the Computer Name tab.
3.	Click Connect. The Log On to Windows dialog box appears.
4.	In the Log On to Windows dialog box, type your user name, password, and domain (if required), and then click OK. The Remote Desktop window will open and you will see the desktop settings, files, and programs that are on your office computer. Your office computer will remain locked. Nobody will be able to work at your office computer without a password, nor will anyone see the work you are doing on your office computer remotely.

Note To change your connection settings, (such as screen size, automatic logon information, and performance options), click Options before you connect.
To open a saved connection

1.	In Windows Explorer, open the My Documents\Remote Desktops folder.
2.	Click the .Rdp file for the connection you want to open.

Note A Remote Desktop file (.rdp) file contains all of the information for a connection to a remote computer, including the Options settings that were configured when the file was saved. You can customize any number of .rdp files, including files for connecting to the same computer with different settings. For example, you can save a file that connects to MyComputer in full screen mode and another file that connects to the same computer in 800x600 screen size. By default, .rdp files are saved in the My Documents\Remote Desktops folder. To edit an .rdp file and change the connections settings it contains, right-click the file and then click Edit.
To log off and end the session

1.	In the Remote Desktop Connection window, click Start, and then click Shut Down.The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears.
2.	In the drop-down menu, select Log Off <username>, and then click OK.

Read More