Windows 7 SuperGuide

Windows 7 Superguide 2

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Wi n d ow s 7 Su p e r g u i d e 2

By Matthew A. Buxton

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About the Author Matthew A. Buxton holds a degree in computer studies and has several years experience working in programming and technical support. He is the author and webmaster of the popular Windows website Top-Windows-Tutorials.com as well as the new VideogamePerfection.com and has written several articles about Microsoft operating systems. Matthew also writes about video games on blogs and forums and is a passionate game player across several different formats.

He currently works as a self employed webmaster and computer consultant. You can contact him by visiting his website, http://www.Top-Windows-Tutorials.com/

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Authors Acknowledgements First and foremost, I'd like to thank my family, especially my mother whose tireless dedication to proof reading and checking has made this e-book into the professional document that it is.

Secondly, I'd like to thank the folks at SBI, (http://www.sitesell.com/Matthew77.html) for their superb small business internet hosting service. Without you guys, I would probably still be bogged down in the technical details of single-handedly running a professional website and this book would never have been produced. Instead, I am adding content on a weekly basis and flying high in the search engine rankings!

Finally, I want to thank you, for purchasing my e-book and (hopefully!) visiting my website. I hope that this book teaches you a whole new set of tools and techniques and saves you time and money deploying and maintaining Windows 7.

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Table of Contents Authors Acknowledgements............................................................................................3

Foreword....................................................................................11 Introduction...............................................................................12 Chapter 1 – Preparing a Computer............................................14 Lesson 1 - Choosing the right version.......................................15

1.1 - All about Windows versions......................................................................................15 What are OEM editions of Windows?...........................................................................19 1.2 - Upgrade Advisor........................................................................................................19

Lesson 2 - Blasting into the BIOS..............................................26

2.1 - Accessing the BIOS...................................................................................................26 2.2 - Working with BIOS options.......................................................................................26 2.3 - ACHI and other considerations.................................................................................30

Lesson 3 - Preparing an existing operating system..................31 3.1 - Clean Vs Upgrade installation...................................................................................31 3.2 - Windows Easy Transfer............................................................................................32

Chapter 2 – Installing and Reinstalling.....................................42 Lesson 4 - Clean installation.....................................................43

4.1 - Starting a clean installation.......................................................................................43 4.2 - Where do you want to install Windows?...................................................................48 4.3 - Choosing a user name..............................................................................................50 4.4 - Choosing a password................................................................................................51 4.5 - Product key and activation........................................................................................52 4.6 - Updates, time zone and network settings.................................................................53

Lesson 5 - Upgrade installation.................................................56

5.1 - Starting an upgrade installation.................................................................................56 5.2 - Installation updates .................................................................................................58 5.3 - Product keys and activation......................................................................................61 5.4 - Update, time zone and network settings...................................................................62

Lesson 6 - Reinstalling Windows 7............................................65 6.1 - Startup repair.............................................................................................................65 6.2 - If Startup Repair fails.................................................................................................69

Lesson 7 - Installing from USB..................................................71

7.1 - Creating a Windows 7 USB installer.........................................................................71

Lesson 8 - Restoring Windows Easy Transfer...........................76 8.1 - Starting the restoration..............................................................................................76 8.2 - Transfer report...........................................................................................................83 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 4

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Chapter 3 – Soak Testing and Benchmarking...........................86 Lesson 9 - Testing Memory........................................................87 9.1 - Introducing Memtest..................................................................................................87 9.2 - Burning an ISO image...............................................................................................87 9.3 - Running Memtest from USB.....................................................................................89

Lesson 10 - Using Memtest.......................................................93 10.1 - Memtest is easy......................................................................................................93

Lesson 11 - What's under the hood?.........................................95

11.1 - System and Device Manager..................................................................................95 11.2 - Hardware subcategories.........................................................................................98 11.3 - About drivers..........................................................................................................100

Lesson 12 - 3DMark.................................................................102 12.1 - Installing 3DMark..................................................................................................102

Lesson 13 - Running 3DMark Vantage.....................................108

13.1 - Getting a trial key..................................................................................................108 13.2 - Running a benchmark/test....................................................................................109

Lesson 14 - OCCT....................................................................111 14.1 - Installing OCCT.....................................................................................................111

Lesson 15 - Using OCCT..........................................................118

15.1 - The OCCT Tests....................................................................................................119 15.2 - OCCT Options.......................................................................................................119

Chapter 4 – Managing PC's for the Family...............................123 Lesson 16 - Planning user accounts........................................124 16.1 - Advantages of standard user accounts.................................................................124 16.2 - Configuring family computers...............................................................................125

Lesson 17 - UAC Revisited.......................................................126 17.1 - Programs that cannot auto-elevate.......................................................................126 17.2 - Forcing a program to run as administrator............................................................128

Lesson 18 - Sharing folders.....................................................130

18.1 - Setting up a shared folder.....................................................................................130 18.2 - Accessing the share from another computer........................................................132

Lesson 19 - Managing shares and share access....................134 19.1 - Adding additional users to a share........................................................................134 19.2 - Manually accessing network shares.....................................................................135 19.3 - Auditing shares and how to stop sharing a folder.................................................135

Lesson 20 - Advanced file and folder permissions ................139

20.1 - Types of permission..............................................................................................139 20.2 - Overriding permissions.........................................................................................142 20.3 - Permission conflicts..............................................................................................143 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 5

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Lesson 21 - Mapping a network drive......................................144 21.1 - Creating a mapped network drive.........................................................................144 21.2 - Removing a mapped network drive......................................................................145

Lesson 22 - Game Explorer......................................................146

22.1 - Starting Game Explorer.........................................................................................146 22.2 - Game Explorer compatibility.................................................................................147 22.3 - Game Explorer options.........................................................................................147

Lesson 23 - Parental Controls.................................................149 23.1 - Configuring Parental Controls...............................................................................149 23.2 - Time limits.............................................................................................................151 23.3 - Parental Controls for games.................................................................................153 23.4 - Blocking specific games........................................................................................155 23.5 - Blocking specific programs...................................................................................156

Lesson 24 - Guest accounts....................................................158

24.1 - Enabling the guest account...................................................................................158 24.2 - Using a guest account...........................................................................................158

Chapter 5 – Encrypting File System........................................160 Lesson 25 - Introducing EFS....................................................161 25.1 - EFS vs NTFS file permissions..............................................................................161 25.2 - EFS files in Windows Explorer..............................................................................163

Lesson 26 - Backing up EFS Certificates................................165 26.1 - Creating a certificate backup................................................................................165

Lesson 27 - Restoring EFS Certificates...................................171

27.1 - Restoring a certificate from a backup...................................................................171

Lesson 28 - Limitations of EFS................................................177 28.1 - EFS needs NTFS..................................................................................................177 28.2 - EFS and backup software.....................................................................................178 28.3 - Lost certificates and lost files ..............................................................................178 28.4 - EFS is designed for enterprise..............................................................................178 28.5 - EFS is not full disk encryption...............................................................................178

Chapter 6 – Full Disk Encryption.............................................179 Bitlocker and why we are not covering it...............................179 Lesson 29 - Installing TrueCrypt.............................................180 Lesson 30 - TrueCrypt containers - Digital safes for your bits .................................................................................................184

30.1 - Your first TrueCrypt container...............................................................................184

Lesson 31 - Using TrueCrypt Volumes....................................193 31.1 - Mounting (unlocking) a container..........................................................................193 31.2 - Working with containers........................................................................................194 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 6

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31.3 - Locking containers................................................................................................195

Lesson 32 - Full disk encryption with TrueCrypt....................197 32.1 - Limitations of TrueCrypt full disk encryption.........................................................197 32.2 - Encrypting your computer ...................................................................................197

Chapter 7 – Windows XP Mode................................................212 Lesson 33 - Installing Windows XP Mode................................213

33.1 - Downloading the XP Mode files............................................................................213 33.2 - Installing the XP Mode components.....................................................................214

Lesson 34 - Getting into XP Mode...........................................220

34.1 - Starting XP Mode for the first time........................................................................220 34.2 - Party like it's 2001.................................................................................................225

Lesson 35 - Securing Windows XP Mode.................................226 35.1 - Windows XP Mode updates..................................................................................226

Lesson 36 - Installing and using software with Windows XP Mode.........................................................................................235

36.1 - Accessing files and folders in XP Mode ...............................................................235 36.2 - Troubleshooting installations in XP Mode.............................................................237

Lesson 37 - Using seamless mode..........................................240

37.1 - Launching XP Mode programs in Windows 7.......................................................240 37.2 - Running XP programs seamlessly ......................................................................241 37.3 - Manually installing XP programs...........................................................................243

Lesson 38 - XP Mode limitations and alternatives..................251 38.1 - XP Mode limitations...............................................................................................251 38.2 - Alternatives to Windows XP Mode........................................................................252

Lesson 39 - VirtualBox – The XP Mode Alternative................254

39.1 - Installing VirtualBox...............................................................................................254

Lesson 40 - Configuring an XP Virtual Machine......................261 Lesson 41 - Installing Windows XP on a VirtualBox Virtual Machine....................................................................................271 41.1 - Powering on the virtual machine ..........................................................................271 41.2 - Setting up Windows XP.........................................................................................272 41.3 - Activating Windows XP.........................................................................................288

Lesson 42 - VirtualBox Guest Additions.................................290

42.1 - Installing Guest Additions......................................................................................290 42.2 - Benefits of the Guest Additions.............................................................................295 42.3 - XP security considerations ..................................................................................296 42.4 - Activating Windows XP in VirtualBox....................................................................296

Lesson 43 - VirtualBox Seamless Mode and other integration features....................................................................................298 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 7

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43.1 - Sharing folders with the host.................................................................................298 43.2 - Seamless mode.....................................................................................................301

Chapter 8 – Advanced Tweaking and Customization .............303 Lesson 44 - Adding and removing Windows features.............304 Lesson 45 - Manually managing the Start Menu.....................306 45.1 - Showing hidden folders.........................................................................................306 45.2 - Opening the Start Menu in Windows Explorer......................................................307 45.3 - The two halves of the Start Menu.........................................................................315

Lesson 46 - Managing Start-up Applications..........................317

46.1 - System Configuration Tool....................................................................................317

Lesson 47 - Introduction to Services......................................319 47.1 - What are Windows services?................................................................................319 47.2 - Optimizing services...............................................................................................319

Lesson 48 - The Services Tool................................................321

48.1 - Starting and stopping services..............................................................................322 48.2 - Startup types for services......................................................................................324 48.3 - Service dependencies...........................................................................................325

Lesson 49 - Adding additional hard drives..............................327 49.1 - Types of hard drive................................................................................................327 49.2 - Formatting a new hard drive.................................................................................328

Lesson 50 - Adding and using a printer...................................338

50.1 - Parallel vs USB printers........................................................................................338 50.2 - Installing a USB printer.........................................................................................339 50.3 - Testing and configuring your printer .....................................................................339 50.4 - Sharing a printer....................................................................................................344

Chapter 9 – Advanced Boot Options........................................346 Lesson 51 - Introducing the Advanced Boot Options.............347 51.1 - Accessing the Advanced Boot Options menu.......................................................347 51.2 - The Advanced Boot Options in detail....................................................................348

Lesson 52 - The 'Repair Your Computer' option......................351 52.1 - System Recovery Options.....................................................................................352

Lesson 53 - Safe Mode.............................................................354 Chapter 10 – Backup and Maintenance Revisited...................356 Lesson 54 - Previous Versions.................................................357

54.1 - Restoring a previous version................................................................................359 54.2 - Secondary hard drives and previous versions......................................................363 54.3 - Previous versions and privacy..............................................................................365

Lesson 55 - Manually creating a system image......................367 Lesson 56 - Chkdsk..................................................................371 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 8

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56.1 - Running Chkdsk....................................................................................................372

Lesson 57 - Windows Experience Index..................................375 57.1 - Running or re-running the assessment.................................................................376

Lesson 58 - Reliability Monitor................................................378

58.1 - Viewing the stability index graph...........................................................................378 58.2 - Checking for solutions ..........................................................................................380 58.3 - Reliability event types...........................................................................................381

Lesson 59 - Resource Monitor.................................................383 59.1 - Finding resource hogs...........................................................................................384 59.2 - Managing processes.............................................................................................388

Lesson 60 - System Health Report..........................................390

60.1 - Running a System Health Report.........................................................................390 60.2 - Interpreting the results..........................................................................................393

Lesson 61 - Problem Steps Recorder......................................396 61.1 - Recording programs..............................................................................................396 61.2 - Viewing your recording..........................................................................................397 61.3 - Problem Steps Recorder options..........................................................................398

Chapter 11 – A Brief Introduction to Internet Explorer 9.......400 Lesson 62 - Getting started with Internet Explorer 9.............401

62.1 - Obtaining Internet Explorer 9................................................................................401 62.2 - Starting IE9............................................................................................................403 62.3 - Getting around IE9................................................................................................405

Lesson 63 - Internet Explorer 9 part 2....................................408

63.1 - Tabs.......................................................................................................................408 63.2 - Favorites................................................................................................................409

Lesson 64 - The IE9 Download Manager.................................412 64.1 - Starting a download .............................................................................................412 64.2 - Viewing downloads................................................................................................413

Chapter 12 – The Other Free Applications..............................416 Lesson 65 - Windows Notepad................................................417

65.1 - Starting Notepad...................................................................................................417 65.2 - Editing configuration files......................................................................................418 65.3 - Searching text files ...............................................................................................419 65.4 - Other Notepad options..........................................................................................420

Lesson 66 - Windows 7 WordPad.............................................423

66.1 - Starting WordPad..................................................................................................423 66.2 - Entering and manipulating text.............................................................................423 66.3 - Creating a simple letter.........................................................................................427

Lesson 67 - WordPad part 2.....................................................430 67.1 - Adding pictures......................................................................................................430 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 9

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67.2 - Lists.......................................................................................................................433 67.3 - Checking your work...............................................................................................435 67.4 - Printing..................................................................................................................435

Lesson 68 - Microsoft Paint Part 1 .........................................441 68.1 - Starting Paint.........................................................................................................441 68.2 - Brushes and colours.............................................................................................441 68.3 - Undo and Redo.....................................................................................................443 68.4 - Shapes..................................................................................................................443 68.5 - More about colours...............................................................................................444 68.6 - Saving your work and understanding picture formats..........................................445

Lesson 69 - Microsoft Paint Part 2 .........................................447

69.1 - Paint tools..............................................................................................................447 69.2 - Select tool..............................................................................................................449

Chapter 13 – Advanced Networking for Beginners.................453 Lesson 70 - A Command Prompt primer..................................454 70.1 - Starting the Command Prompt.............................................................................454 70.2 - Entering commands and navigating your computer.............................................455 70.3 - Cut and paste in the Command Prompt................................................................457

Lesson 71 - IPConfig and Ping.................................................459 71.1 - IPConfig.................................................................................................................459 71.2 - Ping.......................................................................................................................459 71.3 - Faster network browsing by IP address................................................................460

Lesson 72 - Finding and configuring routers...........................462

72.1 - Default Gateway = IPv4 address of your router....................................................462 72.2 - Notes on configuring routers.................................................................................463 72.3 - Choosing wireless security keys...........................................................................464

Lesson 73 - Connecting to a WiFi access point......................466 73.1 - Choosing an access point.....................................................................................467 73.2 - Changing WPA keys and reconnecting ...............................................................469

Lesson 74 - Tweaking networking features............................471 Lesson 75 - Troubleshooting connections and resetting Winsock...................................................................................474

75.1 - Repairing a connection.........................................................................................474 75.2 - Winsock reset .......................................................................................................476

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Foreword We are now over a year and a half into Windows 7's lifetime and it's official, Windows 7 is a resounding success. At least 180 million copies are known to have been sold worldwide. After the disappointment of Windows Vista, Microsoft seem to be back on form, producing an operating system that is rapidly making Windows XP a distant memory for many users.

Modern software never stays still as updates are constantly pushed out to us through the internet. However, since the launch of the first Superguide, Windows 7 has changed only slightly on the surface. A new version of Internet Explorer and a Service Pack which brought changes mostly for corporate customers are the only significant changes that most users were likely to have noticed. Although rumours of Windows 8 have already started to surface, it really does seem like Windows 7 is the new Windows XP and is likely to be with us for some time.

Windows 7 exists in a market that is vastly different to the one XP launched into. Broadband internet is no longer a luxury only available to large corporations but something that is increasingly common in the home. This opens up all kinds of new possibilities for distributed computing, sharing and collaborating with friends and colleagues all around the world. Windows 7 provides a fantastic platform for using the internet, but the internet also opens up more routes for the competition too. Ubuntu Linux continues to gain steam, Apple's OSX is still as strong a competitor as ever and even Google is getting in on the act with their new light-weight internet centric Chromebooks. The way people use computers and technology is changing too, slate devices like the iPad and the Kindle, which could have been right out of a science fiction movie a decade earlier, are now increasingly commonplace.

Yet, in spite of the ever changing world of technology, most of us are are still using Windows 7. The reason for this is simple, no other operating system, gadget or gizmo offers the range of software and hardware possibilities that Windows 7 does. OSX and Ubuntu Linux are powerful competitors, but they cannot boast the huge software library that Windows has. Google's Chromebooks may boot in 8 seconds but they are unlikely to offer anywhere near the power and flexibility of Windows 7. An iPad, Kindle or other tablet is great for reading and maybe surfing the internet, but for writing letters, editing video or playing anything more than simple games the Windows 7 PC wins hands down.

As you read and work your way through this guide, you will discover even more of the power and flexibility of Windows 7 and learn why Windows 7 is likely to be the dominant operating system for the rest of its lifespan.

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Introduction The first Windows 7 Superguide has been a resounding success, gaining praise and recommendations from such prestigious organisations as Seniornet New Zealand and PCWorld. Producing a second, more advanced guide seemed the natural thing to do. In this second guide, the aim is to show the reader the more advanced concepts and tools within the operating system. Unlike the first guide, there is no recommended order in which to tackle these lessons and it is unlikely that most readers will want to cover every single chapter. Some of the concepts we cover build on the skills demonstrated in the first Superguide, while others introduce entirely new skills and techniques.

We hope that the advanced skills and techniques in this book help you save time and money when using and deploying Windows 7. Thanks to home networking, Wi-Fi and broadband internet, the potential for maximising your PC investment is huge. Hopefully the material presented here will inspire you to use your Windows 7 PC's in whole new creative ways.

About this book Lots of websites have begun selling e-books. It is the authors belief that an ebook really misses the point. People like books because they are convenient and easy to read from. That (and the fact they don't run out of batteries when not plugged into the wall) is the reason why books have remained popular in the digital age. Moving a book into a computer brings none of the benefits of the computer and several disadvantages. With this course, we have tried to take advantage of the electronic book a little more. Because of this, you will find high resolution video guides for most lessons.

The best way to tackle each lesson is to first watch the video, then read the lesson notes here, or in the HTML version. Where appropriate, there are self test questions and exercises to help you practise any of the skills you saw in the lesson video or read about in the lesson notes.

Of course, you can print the text part of the lessons or the worksheets if you are more comfortable with working this way. So that users can print the material, we have not put any kind of copy protection or DRM (digital rights management) on this training course. We believe DRM punishes paying customers and rewards pirates, NOT something we want to encourage. Please, if your friends want a copy of this training course, kindly point them in the direction of our website!

We also designed the lessons presented in this book to be used as a quick reference. Video tutorials are great for introducing you to a new concept, but not so hot when you need to look up a concept for a quick refresher.

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Prerequisites Although it is not necessary to own the original Windows 7 Superguide, several of the lessons reference back to material presented in the first guide. Before tackling any of the lessons in this guide, you should have a firm understanding of the basics of Windows 7, including how to navigate folders, move, copy and delete files. You should be confident performing basic tasks with the Control Panel, such as changing the desktop background. If you are already using Windows 7 for your day to day computing tasks then chances are you are more than qualified to tackle the material in this second Superguide.

Conventions used in this book We have aimed to keep this book free of jargon and overly technical terms wherever possible. One convention we did decide on is regarding the use of the mouse. This book is written assuming a right handed mouse configuration.

When we instruct you to click on an item, we are talking about clicking with the primary mouse button. When we talk about right-clicking, we mean the secondary mouse button. We did consider using different terminology, such as “alt click” or something similar, but nothing was as clear as simply using “click” and “right click”. We hope left handed users will forgive us this bias.

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Chapter 1 – Preparing a Computer In our original Windows 7 Superguide, we did not cover installing Windows 7.

Actually configuring an operating system correctly is something that takes time and careful consideration and isn't something absolute beginners should normally consider doing. For the second Windows 7 Superguide however, we decided it was time we covered the topic in some detail. While it seems logical to put this topic at the start of the guide, do not feel that you need to understand or even try to install Windows 7 yourself in order to benefit from the rest of the guide. Buying a computer with Windows 7 pre-installed, or even paying a reputable IT technician or computer store to do the procedure for you is always a viable option.

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Lesson 1 - Choosing the right version 1.1 - All about Windows versions For those of you who want to go ahead and install Windows 7 on an existing machine, we first need to consider what to do with the existing operating system and data. The decision depends on the version of the existing operating system installed on your computer and the version of Windows 7 you wish to install.

Let's recap on the different versions available to the end user. There are a total of six different versions of Windows 7 available and each (apart from two) is available in 32 bit and 64 bit versions, but more on those later. To add more confusion, there are also Upgrade, Retail and OEM editions of each version too.

Let's take a look at each edition in a little more detail:Windows 7 Starter:- This version of Windows 7 is a light-weight, basic version designed for lower end portable computers. It lacks many of the advanced features such as the ability to play DVD's or to use Windows fancy Aero Glass desktop (Aero Glass uses the power of modern graphics cards to make your desktop look really stunning). This version is only available pre-installed with certain PC's. It is suitable for home users who want to carry out basic computing tasks such as light internet use or basic word processing.

Notable exclusions from this version:- Bitlocker, Encrypting File System, Windows Aero, DVD playback, limited corporate networking support (cannot join a domain), Windows XP Mode, no 64 bit version.

Windows 7 Home Basic:- This version is similar to the Starter edition but includes a few more features. It has been designed for emerging markets, that is countries which are rapidly expanding their economies. Windows 7 Home Basic edition is not available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, the United States or the United Kingdom. Where available, Home Basic edition is a reasonable way to get Windows 7 for older computers if you are on a tight budget, but most users will be better off with the Home Premium edition.

Notable exclusions from this version:- Bitlocker, Encrypting File System , Windows Aero, limited corporate networking support (cannot join a domain), Windows XP Mode, no 64 bit version.

Windows 7 Home Premium:- This is the version that most home users will choose. It includes the full Windows Aero interface experience, as well as Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center. Most computers sold to home users will come pre-installed with this version.

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Notable exclusions from this version:- Bitlocker, Encrypting File System, limited corporate networking support (cannot join a domain), Windows XP Mode.

Windows 7 Professional:- This is the version targeted at enthusiasts and IT professionals. It includes all the features of the Home Premium edition as well as the ability to join a Windows Server Domain. This could be an important feature if you need to use your computer at work, you should ask your IT department for more information. Professional edition also includes the encrypting file system and Windows XP Mode.

Notable exclusions from this version:- Bitlocker.

Windows 7 Enterprise:- This edition includes all the available features plus additional features designed for business customers use, such as Bitlocker drive encryption and UNIX application support. It is only available to business customers who have special volume license agreements with Microsoft.

Windows 7 Ultimate:- The Ultimate edition is for the man or woman who simply has to have it all. Yes, this version includes everything, all available features. It's actually the same as the Enterprise edition only this version will be available to all customers and not just businesses. If you are planning on buying this version you might be interested to know that there are no "ultimate extras" this time around. In Windows Vista, the Ultimate edition received several bonus features and downloads that the other versions never got, this isn't going to happen with Windows 7.

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Out of the versions we discussed previously, except for very specific cases, we can really narrow it down to three choices. The flowchart shown in figure 1.1 breaks things down more simply. To read more about each decision, see the text after the flowchart.

Start

No

Is Bitlocker required?

Yes

Yes

Is XP Mode required?

No Need to join a domain?

No

Yes

Windows 7 Home Premium

Windows 7 Professional

Windows 7 Enterprise (if available) OR Windows 7 Ultimate

Figure 1.1 – Use this flowchart to determine which version of Windows 7 you need to purchase Copyright Š Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 17

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Do you need Bitlocker? Think carefully about choosing Windows 7 Ultimate Edition purely for Bitlocker. The free, open source alternative TrueCrypt is a better choice for most users. See Chapter 6 - Full Disk Encryption for more information on Bitlocker. If you decide you really must have Bitlocker, buy the Enterprise or Ultimate edition of Windows 7.

Do you need Windows XP Mode? Before you spend the extra money to get Windows XP Mode, see Chapter 7 - Windows XP Mode. Windows XP Mode is not a silver bullet for legacy software compatibility issues (it's useless for games, for example). If you really need XP Mode, buy the Professional edition of Windows 7.

Will you need to join a domain? Most medium or large size Windows networks operate on a domain. In this scenario, there is a central computer called the domain controller, that manages everyone's credentials on the network. If you plan to use a computer in this kind of environment, you will need Windows 7 Professional, Business or Ultimate edition. You should check with your company's IT department to confirm this.

Already purchased Windows 7? If you have already purchased Windows 7, don't forget that you can upgrade your version of Windows at any time by using the Windows Anytime Upgrade. However, it is more cost efficient to purchase the required version rather than to upgrade later.

Now we know what edition of Windows 7 to buy, we still need to decide between 32 bit and 64 bit editions. If you buy a retail copy of Windows 7 (either full or upgrade), you will get both the 32 and 64 bit installation media, but of course you can only use one version. This basically boils down to what kind of PC you are using. You need to check your computers specifications to make sure it is compatible with the 64 bit version. In lesson 1.2 we use the Upgrade Advisor tool, which will let you know if your computer is capable of running the 64 bit version. If it can, we strongly recommend you use the 64 bit version unless there is a particular piece of incompatible software you cannot manage without.

The Upgrade Advisor will help you determine if any software is incompatible.

The 32 bit version of Windows 7 has better compatibility with older software, but the 64 bit version can use more than 4 gigabytes of computer memory, so it is the logical choice if you intend to use things like Windows XP Mode or other memory hungry applications. Remember that the 4GB memory limit includes the memory on your graphics card too, so if you have a high spec gaming graphics card (which can now include up to 2 gigabytes of memory or more!) you should strongly consider the 64 bit version of Windows 7.

The last decision to make is to go for a full, retail copy of Windows 7, an upgrade copy or an OEM copy. If you already have a copy of Windows installed, you can save money by buying an upgrade copy of Windows 7. More confident users may wish to investigate OEM copies of Windows 7 too.

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What are OEM editions of Windows?

OEM stands for “Original Equipment Manufacturer”. OEM versions of Windows are intended to be pre-installed on computers assembled by system builders, from the smallest local computer shop all the way up to giant multinationals like Dell and Asus. Usually you can buy an OEM copy of Windows 7 along with another piece of hardware, even something like a mouse will usually suffice.

OEM copies of Windows are cheaper, however, whoever builds the system is ultimately responsible for technical support. This means that if you build or install an OEM copy on your own PC you are not entitled to the same level of technical support from Microsoft as if you had purchased the retail copy.

Remember that when buying an OEM copy of Windows you will only receive either the 64 bit or 32 bit version of the operating system. Retail copies include both versions.

1.2 - Upgrade Advisor If you still need some help choosing the correct version of Windows 7, you can use Microsoft's own Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor. You can download the Upgrade Advisor here:- http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/get/upgradeadvisor.aspx. The tutorial below will show you how to use the tool.

The first step is to download the tool. Scroll down on the webpage and click on “Download the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor”

Figure 1.2 – Downloading the Upgrade Advisor Then, click on the download button.

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Figure 1.3 – Click Download to start downloading Internet Explorer will ask you what you want to do with the file, click on “Run”.

If a second security window appears, click on “Run” again. Once the file has downloaded, a simple installation wizard will start.

Figure 1.4 – Installing the Upgrade Advisor

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Make sure that “I accept the license terms” is selected, then click on “Install”.

There will be a short pause while files are copied and configured. Once the installation process is complete, check that “Launch Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor” is selected and click on “Close”. The Upgrade Advisor will then start.

Figure 1.5 – Starting the Upgrade Advisor checks Be sure that any USB peripherals you use are connected and powered on. Then click on “Start check”. Wait a moment while the program works. When the process is complete, you should see the window shown in figure 1.6.

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Figure 1.6 – An Upgrade Advisor report Once the Upgrade Advisor has scanned a system, you will see a list of any potential issues with this machine. In the screen-shot we can see four potential issues, they are:Custom Installation Required:- This means that the current version of Windows cannot be upgraded to Windows 7 automatically. It must be removed and then Windows 7 installed in its place. This almost always means losing all files on your computer, so a backup will need to be done first. You will also need to reinstall any software you use.

Windows Aero support:- Windows Aero refers to the enhanced graphical user interface in Windows 7 and Windows Vista. If your graphics card cannot support Aero, you can still use Windows 7, but certain features and visual enhancements will not be available to you.

256 MB of RAM:- There is not enough memory in the computer in the example. Windows 7 needs at least 1024 MB (or 1 gigabyte). Most computers can have their memory expanded. Check with your PC manufacturer or consult the documentation that came with your PC or motherboard.

16 GB free hard disk space required:- There is not enough free hard drive space on this PC. Windows 7 requires at least 16 GB free hard drive space. Most computers can have their hard drives easily upgraded (note that an external USB hard drive is not suitable for running Windows). Again, check the documentation that came with your PC for details.

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Windows 7 also requires a 1Ghz processor. Upgrading processors can be more difficult and this may necessitate a whole new computer.

Use the scroll control on the right side of the window to scroll down and see other issues that the Upgrade Advisor detected.

Figure 1.7 – Scroll down to make sure you view all of the Upgrade Advisor’s information The Upgrade Advisor found one potentially incompatible piece of hardware on our test machine, the AMD PCE Ethernet Adapter. This does not necessarily mean this hardware is incompatible. You should check with the manufacturer to see if an updated, Windows 7 compatible driver is available.

At the very bottom of the list, we can view any programs that the Upgrade Advisor has detected as incompatible.

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Figure 1.8 – The Upgrade Advisor can detect incompatible software too Only one program is detected as incompatible, the Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1. There is an updated version of this program available from Microsoft, so no cause for concern here. Click on “see all programs” to see which programs are definitely compatible with Windows 7. Even if a program is listed as unknown, chances are it will work, but you should check with the software publisher or developer if it is an application you rely on.

The system requirements for Windows 7 64 bit edition are slightly different to the 32 bit version. If you are interested in installing the 64 bit version, click the “64-bit report” link at the top of the Window.

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Figure 1.9 – System requirements are different for the 64 bit version of Windows 7 Now you can check if any of your hardware or programs are incompatible with the 64-bit version of Windows 7. The report works in exactly the same way.

If you need to save or print the report, use the icons at the top of the window.

You can also re-run the tool at any time by loading it from the Start Menu.

Once you have decided on which edition of Windows 7 to install and tested your computer for compatibility, you can start preparing your computer for installation, starting with the most low level configuration options, the computers BIOS.

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Lesson 2 - Blasting into the BIOS 2.1 - Accessing the BIOS The BIOS, or Basic Input Output System, is the software that controls what happens when you first turn on your computer. Settings in the BIOS affect which devices are used during boot up. If you are installing from a DVD or even from a USB device (see lesson 7) you will need to configure your computers BIOS to boot in the correct order. This procedure is difficult to demonstrate since it varies between computers. We have prepared an example guide showing you a typical BIOS configuration but, if you are in doubt, you should consult a qualified IT technician.

Accessing the BIOS can be a little tricky. It cannot be done from inside your operating system, rather it must be done when your computer first turns on.

You need to find the right key to press as soon as you push the power button on the PC. Your computer will normally tell you which key to press, but you may need to be quick to spot it. In the screen-shot shown in figure 2.1, we can see that the key is 'Del' or 'Delete'.

Figure 2.1 – Check when you turn your computer on to discover what key to press to enter the BIOS You must press this key as soon as your computer is powered on, if you are too slow, your operating system will start and you will need to restart your PC and try again.

2.2 - Working with BIOS options Once you access the BIOS, you should see a screen similar to the one shown in figure 2.2.

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Figure 2.2 – Typical BIOS screen When working with the computers BIOS, you cannot use the mouse. You must use the arrow keys to navigate around the options and the Enter key to choose an option. Use the right arrow key to choose the “Boot” tab.

Figure 2.3 – Choosing Boot options in the BIOS

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The “Boot Device Priority” controls which storage device your PC accesses when it starts up. Normally, your computer will start to load Windows from your hard drive. If you want to install a new operating system, we need to start from DVD (or USB device) instead. Select the Boot Device Priority option and press Enter.

If you are installing Windows 7 from a DVD, you need to make CD-ROM the first boot device. To do that, choose the “1st Boot Device” option and press Enter.

Figure 2.4 – Changing the default boot device Now, select “CDROM” and press Enter.

If you are installing Windows from a USB device, you should leave “Hard Drive” as the first boot device. Now, select “Hard Disk Drives” from the list and press Enter.

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Figure 2.5 – Setting hard drive boot priorities In figure 2.5 above, there is only one hard drive shown. If you have a USB device attached however, it should show up as a secondary hard drive, if your computer is capable of booting from USB. Choose “1st Hard Disk Drive” and press Enter, and then select your USB device.

When you are done making changes, don't forget to save them. Press the Save and Exit key (in our example, it's F10)

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Figure 2.6 – Saving changes to the BIOS configuration The BIOS configuration program will ask you to confirm. Select “Ok” and press Enter. Your computer will then reboot. If you have your installation media inserted now, the installation process will start.

2.3 - ACHI and other considerations Before we leave the BIOS behind, you may wish to consider one other setting.

ACHI is an enhanced performance mode for SATA hard drives. Windows XP support for this technology was limited, but Windows 7 supports it natively. If there is a AHCI option in your computers BIOS, we recommend you enable it unless you plan to dual boot Windows 7 and Windows XP. See the documentation that came with your computers motherboard/mainboard or consult your PC manufacturer for more information.

Finally, before you begin preparing your system for Windows 7, don't forget any additional drivers you may need. If your network card requires a driver, make sure you copy it onto a removable drive or CD/DVD disc. There's nothing worse than being in a catch-22 situation, needing to access the internet to download a driver, that is required so that you can connect to the internet!

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Lesson 3 - Preparing an existing operating system If you have programs and data already on your computer, then you will need to take some steps in order to prepare your existing operating system for the upgrade. There are two possible scenarios in this case, a clean installation or an upgrade installation.

3.1 - Clean Vs Upgrade installation Clean installation – This installation removes your old operating system entirely before replacing it with Windows 7. This is also often called a custom installation.

Upgrade installation – This kind of installation attempts to preserve the majority of your operating system programs and settings and then upgrade it to Windows 7.

In many instances, a clean installation is the only option. Performing and upgrade installation on a Windows XP machine is not possible for example.

Upgrading any 32 bit version of Windows to any 64 bit version of Windows 7 is also not possible.

For Vista users, Microsoft will allow upgrades in some instances but not all. For example, users who purchase an upgrade copy of Windows 7 Professional and have Vista Home Premium will only be able to perform a clean installation. The following versions of Windows Vista can be upgraded to Windows 7 however:Windows Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium Windows Vista Business to Windows 7 Professional Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Ultimate Just because you can do an upgrade installation, doesn't necessarily mean you should. Most Windows professionals agree that doing a clean installation is less problematic in the long run than doing an upgrade installation. We will show you how to do both types of installation but we recommend a clean installation wherever possible.

If, like many Windows users, you have spent some time getting your PC just the way you like it, then an upgrade installation may seem quite appealing. If you can't perform an upgrade installation or would rather have a clean installation, Microsoft's own Windows Easy Transfer utility can help. While it won't preserve all your customisations it can help to reduce the amount of time spent reinstalling and reconfiguring some things. We will look at this tool in a moment. Please note that the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard, which was bundled with Windows XP and was designed to transfer files and settings between XP computers, is not compatible with Windows 7.

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Finally, its always a good idea to take a backup of your old operating system before you begin installing Windows 7. Even if you plan to do an upgrade installation, things can and do go wrong. With a backup copy you can safely restore your old operating system if necessary. Using a tool like Acronis True Image will allow you to preserve all of your old operating system. If you plan to do a clean installation, you may even want to consider buying a new hard drive to install Windows 7 to, so that you can quickly swap back to your old operating system and have a fully working PC should you encounter any difficulties installing Windows 7.

3.2 - Windows Easy Transfer The Windows Easy Transfer program is designed especially for migrating data from an old PC, or Windows installation, to a new one. Equipped with a sufficiently big external hard drive, you can run Windows Easy Transfer on one PC and save all your important files, ready to migrate them to your new installation. Note that the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard that comes bundled with Windows XP is not suitable for transferring files to a Windows 7 PC. To use Windows Easy Transfer on a Windows XP or Vista PC, first download it from Microsoft. For Windows 7 users, the tool is included with the operating system. To download the tool, visit this link:http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/features/windowseasy-transfer The content of the page should look like the one shown in figure 3.1.

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Figure 3.1 – Choosing the right version of Windows Easy Transfer You need to download the relevant version of the software for your machine.

Almost all Windows XP machines and most Windows Vista machines are using the 32 bit version of the OS, but if you are unsure, check the link labelled “Is my old PC running 32-bit or 64-bit Windows?”. This will take you to a page with instructions on how to tell which version you have.

In this example, we will download the Windows XP 32 bit version. After clicking on the “Download 32-bit” button, check that the language is set to English and then click on “Download”.

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Figure 3.2 – Downloading Windows Easy Transfer Save the file to any convenient location on your PC. Once the file has downloaded, click on “Run”, or double click on the file in Windows Explorer. A simple installation wizard will then start.

Figure 3.3 – Installing the Easy Transfer tool on Windows XP Click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 3.4 will then appear.

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Figure 3.4 – Accept the license agreement to install Windows Easy Transfer Scroll down to read the license agreement. If you agree to the terms, choose "I agree" and then click "Next >". Now, simply wait while the program is set-up. If your firewall software pops up an alert during installation, be sure not to block the "Transfer Cable Driver".

When the process is finished, you will see a message telling you that you have successfully completed the Windows Easy Transfer Setup Wizard. Click on “Finish”. The program can now be started from the Start Menu. On a Windows XP machine, it is filed under All Programs->Windows Easy Transfer. When the program is started, the window shown in figure 3.5 will appear.

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Figure 3.5 – This window gives an overview of Windows Easy Transfer's features When working with the Easy Transfer tool, “old computer” means the installation of Windows you are transferring files from, while “new computer” means the installation you are transferring to. You could be moving files from your old computer to a new one, or you could simply be backing them up ready to upgrade from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 on the same machine.

At this point, you should connect your external hard drive (if you are using one) and then click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 3.6 will then appear.

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Figure 3.6 – Choosing a transfer method Now we can choose how to transfer the files. The three options are:An Easy Transfer Cable:- These cables are available from most major computer stores. They connect between the USB ports on each computer. Data is then transferred directly from the “old computer” to the “new computer”. The transfer cable method requires both computers to be available, powered on and next to each other. This means it is not suitable if you are upgrading from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 on the same PC, since the “old computer” and the “new computer” are the same machine.

A Network:- If your “old computer” and “new computer” are both connected to your home network, you can use this option to transfer files between them. As with the above option, this requires both the “old computer” and “new computer” to be available at the same time, so is not suitable if you are upgrading from Windows XP or Vista on the same PC. If you have a network storage device, or another computer that you can share files with, you can use the “external hard disk or USB flash drive” option to store an Easy Transfer File anywhere on your network.

An external hard disk or USB flash drive:- This is the easiest option to choose and the only one that will work in all circumstances. For the example shown in this book, this is the option we will choose. Figure 3.7 shows what Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 37

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happens when this option is selected.

Figure 3.7 – On Windows XP, we can only choose 'old computer' On Windows XP, there is only the option “This is my old computer”, since the Easy Transfer Tool only supports migrating data on a Windows XP machine.

Select this option and the window shown in figure 3.8 will appear.

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Figure 3.8 – Scanning for files to transfer You will need to wait while files are scanned on your old PC. This process might take some time. When it is complete, you will see the window shown in figure 3.9.

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Figure 3.9 – Choosing which data to transfer Once the tool has finished scanning your files, you can scroll down to see the estimated sizes of each users data. By default, all the data from the users profile is saved. By clicking on “Customize”, the data selection can be changed, as shown in figure 3.10.

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Figure 3.10 – Customizing data selections Use the options shown in figure 3.10 or click “advanced” to specify exactly what data to migrate. If in doubt, stick with the default options. You can always delete any data you do not need when you are up and running on your Windows 7 machine. When the relevant selections have been made, click on “Next”.

Windows Easy Transfer will prompt you to choose a password for your data. You do not have to choose a password, however if you do it will help protect your private files while they are stored on your external hard drive. We recommend using a password, just make sure that you do not forget it!

Once you have decided on a password (or decided not to use one), click on “Save”. Windows Easy Transfer will then prompt you to save the Easy Transfer file to your computer. Browse to your external hard drive or network location and click on “Save”. Windows Easy Transfer will then create the transfer file.

This process may take some time and you should avoid doing anything else on your computer until it is complete.

Once the transfer process is complete, remove your external hard drive and store it away somewhere safely. Once you have your new Windows 7 installation up and running, you can run the Windows Easy Transfer tool again and restore your documents from this drive. We will show you how to do this in lesson 8.

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Chapter 2 – Installing and Reinstalling Our preparation work is done and it is time to take the plunge and install Windows 7 onto our computer. If you already have a computer with Windows 7 installed, you can safely skip this chapter for now. However, since reinstalling Windows is also well-used as a last resort troubleshooting technique, you may need to refer to this chapter in future should you suffer a hard disk failure or very serious malware infection. We discuss reinstalling in more detail later in the chapter.

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Lesson 4 - Clean installation Performing a clean (or custom) installation is the preferred method for installing Windows 7. Although doing so will erase the contents of the computers primary hard drive, many IT experts prefer to start with a clean slate and a fresh installation of the operating system, rather than try to upgrade an older version of Windows. Although extensive testing by IT sites on the web has proved that there is little difference in performance between an upgraded Windows 7 system and a freshly installed one, the introduction of a new OS is a great time to spring clean your system and lose any unwanted programs or widgets that you no longer use. In many cases (for example if you are upgrading from Windows XP), a clean installation is the only option anyway.

One final, highly recommended preparation step – Before beginning to install Windows 7 (or indeed, any version of Windows) detach all external hard drives, USB devices and additional internal hard drives (where possible). Not only does this make it impossible to accidentally install Windows onto the wrong drive, it also helps the installer to keep all files and boot records on the same drive. After years of working with Windows, I have seen some strange things happen when installing on multi-drive systems, better to be safe than sorry.

4.1 - Starting a clean installation To get started, insert the Windows 7 DVD into your computers DVD drive and restart the PC. If you correctly configured your PC to boot from DVD as shown in lesson 2, you should see a message prompting you to “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD”. Quickly press a key on your keyboard and the installation process will begin.

Figure 4.1 – Watch for this message when starting your PC After a short delay, the window shown in figure 4.2 will appear.

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Figure 4.2 – Beginning a clean installation of Windows 7

To start the installation process, choose your language, time and currency format and keyboard or input method. Users in the USA can simply click “Next”.

Users elsewhere in the world should check to make sure the correct keyboard type is selected. Different countries all have slightly different keyboard layouts, for example, the characters @ and “ (quotation marks) are in different places on a UK keyboard compared to a US one.

When you have correctly configured these options, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 4.3 will then appear.

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Figure 4.3 – Continuing the installation process Click on “Install now”. Wait a moment while the installer starts. The window shown in figure 4.4 will then be displayed.

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Figure 4.4 – Accept the EULA to install Windows 7 Select the box labelled “I accept the license terms” and then click “Next”. The window shown in figure 4.5 will then appear.

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Figure 4.5 – Choosing the installation type For a clean installation, choose “Custom (advanced)”. The window shown in figure 4.6 will then appear.

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Figure 4.6 – Managing hard drive partitions

4.2 - Where do you want to install Windows?

The window in figure 4.6 asks “Where do you want to install Windows?”. Many systems will only have one drive with one partition. On this particular system we can see two partitions. A partition is an area of a hard drive that has been separated (partitioned) to act like a distinct device. Notice that both of the partitions are on the same disk (Disk 0). If you followed the advice given at the start of this chapter, there should be only one hard disk in the system (but possibly several partitions). To perform a clean installation on a computer, delete the Windows partition (marked “Primary”). It is also safe to delete the small “System Reserved” partition too. If your system has more than two partitions like this, be careful, as the third partition may be a data partition.

Note that after this step, there is no easy way back. All your old data and operating system files are destroyed, so make doubly sure that you have a backup of anything and everything you need to keep.

To delete a partition, select the partition you want to delete, then click on “Drive options (advanced)”. Figure 4.7 shows the resulting window.

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Figure 4.7 – Deleting a partition Click on “Delete” to remove the partition, the installer will warn you that doing this will destroy data on the drive. Click on “OK”. Delete all the partitions on the drive so that you are left with one chunk of “Unallocated Space”. Select this chunk and then click on “Next”.

The installer will now configure your hard drive and copy Windows 7 onto it.

This will take some time and the PC will reboot several times during the process. If you see the “Press any key to boot from CD or DVD” message again (as shown in figure 4.1) then do NOT press a key on your keyboard since the installation will now proceed from your hard drive. However, you should not remove the Windows 7 installation DVD until the process is complete.

When this stage of the installation process is done, the installer will stop and prompt you for a password and a computer name, as shown in figure 4.8.

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Figure 4.8 – Choosing a PC name and a user name

4.3 - Choosing a user name The user name you choose will be used to name your user account on this PC. You can use your own name or nickname. No two users can have the same user name on one PC, though in practise that is rarely a problem.

You should also enter a computer name into the second box. The computer name is only important if you have your own home network. In this case, the computer name will be used to identify this computer on your home network.

Every computer on your home network should have a unique computer name.

We recommend using upper-case letters and numbers for the computer name and keeping the length under 8 characters. This ensures compatibility with all legacy hardware, although in the 21st century it is extremely unlikely that you will encounter any problems if you ignore this recommendation.

When the user name and computer names are decided, click on “Next”. The Windows installer will now ask you to choose a password, as shown in figure 4.9.

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Figure 4.9 – Choosing a password

4.4 - Choosing a password Choose a password for your account and enter it into the box labelled “Type a password (recommended):”. Enter the password again in the second box, to confirm it. You also need to choose a password hint. This is a phrase or note that will jog your memory if you should forget your password. Remember that this hint can be seen by anyone who has access to the computer, so don't make it too obvious.

When you have chosen a password and entered a password hint, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 4.10 will then appear.

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Figure 4.10 – Entering your product key

4.5 - Product key and activation At this stage of the process, you should enter your product key. The product key will be in one of two places. Either on a sticker attached to your PC or, if you purchased a copy of Windows 7 separately from your computer, it will be on a piece of cardboard inside the DVD case. Do not be tempted to try and use a friends product key, each key is unique and is checked when Windows 7 is activated.

What is activation? Activation is an anti-piracy check that Microsoft introduced with Windows XP. It is designed to verify that your copy of Windows 7 is genuine (and not one that has been distributed on the internet, for example).

Activation works by verifying that the product key you enter at this stage is authentic and is not already in use.

You can activate Windows 7 automatically over the internet. If you want that to happen, make sure that you select the box labelled “Automatically activate Windows when I'm online”. If you deselect this box, Windows will periodically remind you to activate. You must activate your copy of Windows 7 within 30 days to continue using it. It is sometimes useful to delay activation, perhaps if you are reinstalling Windows as part of a troubleshooting process. Normally Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 52

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however, you would leave this option selected.

Note that it is possible to skip this step and continue to install Windows 7 without entering your product key. If you do this however, you will need to enter it when you activate later.

Click on “Next” when you are ready to proceed. The window shown in figure 4.11 will then appear.

Figure 4.11 – Setting update options

4.6 - Updates, time zone and network settings Keeping your Windows 7 machine up to date is an essential part of your security regime if you want to stay ahead of hackers and malware. Click on “Use recommended settings”. The window shown in figure 4.12 will then appear.

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Figure 4.12 – Setting date and time options Choose a time zone that matches your current location. Check that the time and date shown is accurate and adjust as necessary. When the settings are correct, click on “Next”. If the Windows installer detects your network adaptor, you will now see the window shown in figure 4.13.

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Figure 4.13 – Choose your network type The window in figure 4.13 will only appear if the installer detects your network card. Choose which type of network you are connected to. Remember, if your PC is connected directly to your cable/ADSL modem and you do not use file or printer sharing, you should choose “Public network”. Otherwise, choose Home network if you are at home, or Work network if you are in a corporate environment. You can always change these settings later so don't worry too much if you make the wrong choice.

The installer will now configure your network and finalise several other settings.

After a short delay you will see the Windows 7 desktop. You should now install any drivers you require, install your chosen antivirus solution and then manually run Windows Update.

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Lesson 5 - Upgrade installation In this tutorial, we are going to perform an Upgrade Installation of Windows 7.

This type of installation installs Windows 7 over the top of the current operating system, preserving the users documents, settings and most of the programs that are currently installed. There are two reasons for carrying out this procedure. Firstly and most obviously, you use an upgrade installation to upgrade from Windows Vista. However, you can also carry out an upgrade installation to repair a faulty installation of Windows 7 too. In this example we are performing an upgrade installation over the top of an existing Windows 7 installation, so a more accurate description would be a repair installation. The procedure for upgrading Windows Vista is the same as the one we show in this example.

If you are performing an upgrade installation to attempt to repair an existing Windows 7 installation, you may need to uninstall Windows 7 Service Pack 1 before you can begin.

5.1 - Starting an upgrade installation To begin an upgrade installation, insert your Windows 7 installation DVD. If the Autoplay window appears, click on “Run setup.exe”. Otherwise, simply open “Computer” and then double click on the DVD drive icon. You will need to enter your administrator password and/or click “Yes” if User Account Control prompts you to do so. After a short delay, the window shown in figure 5.1 will appear.

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Figure 5.1- Starting an installation Click on “Install now”. After a short pause the window shown in figure 5.2 will appear.

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Figure 5.2 – Getting installation updates

5.2 - Installation updates Here you can choose if you want to go online and check for new installation updates. If you have an internet connection, it is highly recommend that you do this, so click on the top option. Before you choose that option, you can also optin and send statistics and anonymous data about your installation to Microsoft.

If you want to do this, make sure to select the box labelled “I want to help make Windows installation better” before you choose either of the options on this window.

If you select the top option, the installer will check and download any online updates and then begin. After a short delay, the window shown in figure 5.3 will appear.

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Figure 5.3 – Viewing the Windows 7 license agreement You will now need to read the license agreement and if you agree, click the box labelled “I accept the license terms” and then click “Next”. The window shown in figure 5.4 will then be displayed.

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Figure 5.4 – Choosing installation type Now, choose the “Upgrade” option. The installer may take a moment to check for compatibility and then, if everything is compatible, the installation process will begin. This process will take a while, after a long delay the window shown in figure 5.5 will appear.

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Figure 5.5 – Entering your product key

5.3 - Product keys and activation At this point in the process, you will need to enter your product key, this is either located on a sticker on your computer or inside the packaging that your Windows 7 DVD came in. Enter the product key now into the box provided.

You can also choose if you want to activate Windows automatically, by selecting the box labelled “Automatically activate Windows when I'm online”. If you are performing a repair installation in an attempt to fix a problem, it is probably a good idea to delay activation until you know that the problem is fixed. If you keep reactivating your copy of Windows, it may be flagged as suspicious activity, meaning that you will have to call Microsoft in order to have it reactivated.

When you have configured these options, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 5.6 will then appear.

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Figure 5.6 – Choosing update options

5.4 - Update, time zone and network settings Now we need to decide on our automatic update settings. Keeping the operating system up to date is important in order to help keep hackers and malware out, so click on “Use recommended settings”. The window shown in figure 5.7 will then appear.

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Figure 5.7 – Setting date and time options Check that the date, time zone and time settings are correct and amend them if necessary, then click “Next”. The window shown in figure 5.8 may then appear.

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Figure 5.8 – Choosing the network type The window in figure 5.8 will only appear if the installer detects your network card. Choose which type of network you are connected to. Remember, if your PC is connected directly to your cable/ADSL modem and you do not use file or printer sharing, you should choose “Public network”. Otherwise, choose “Home network” if you are at home or “Work network” if you are in a corporate environment. You can always change these settings later so don't worry too much if you make the wrong choice.

The installer will now configure your network and finalise several other settings.

After a short delay you will see either the Windows 7 log-on screen (if the old installation was password protected) or your desktop. The upgrade, or repair installation is now complete. You will now be required to reboot after logging in to begin installing Windows Updates.

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Lesson 6 - Reinstalling Windows 7 If you have tried everything else and just can't get your Windows 7 machine back into tip-top condition, reinstalling Windows may be the best course of action. There are times when starting from scratch with a clean installation of the operating system is not only sensible but the only viable course of action.

Certain types of malware can completely ruin a Windows 7 installation, meaning that a clean installation is the only way to remove them.

Generally however, there is no need to reinstall Windows 7 unless you are having a serious problem with the operating system. There are some individuals who believe Windows should be reinstalled once a year, or even more frequently than that. Why do some people recommend frequent reinstalls? Simply because it results in a faster computer. However, once you have re-loaded all the software and gadgets you need onto your PC, it may end up performing exactly like it did before you started. Usually, a PC that is well maintained will not inexplicably slow down over its lifespan. Hardware failure, malware and running too many programs at startup all contribute to slowing a system down and often these problems can be solved without resorting to reinstallation.

6.1 - Startup repair If you cannot even start your Windows 7 PC, the first thing to try is a Startup Repair. To perform a Startup Repair, place your Windows 7 DVD into your computers DVD drive and restart the computer. Wait for the message shown in figure 6.1 which tells you to press a key, and then press any key on the keyboard.

Figure 6.1 – Watch for this message when starting your PC Setup will then initialise, after a short pause, you will see the screen shown in figure 6.2.

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Figure 6.2 – Setting language options for installation Choose your language, time and currency format and keyboard or input method. Users in the USA can simply click “Next”. Users elsewhere in the world should check to make sure the correct keyboard type is selected. Different countries all have slightly different keyboard layouts, for example, the characters @ and “ (quotation marks) are in different places on a UK keyboard compared to a US one.

When you have correctly configured these options, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 6.3 will then appear.

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Figure 6.3 – Choose “Repair your computer” to access repair options Now, click on the link labelled “Repair your computer”. The setup program will then scan your computer for Windows installations. There should normally be only one Windows installation, unless you have installed a multi-boot system.

(The practice of multi-booting, installing several versions of Windows on the same hard drive and then choosing between them at power up, is not covered in this guide). After a moment the window shown in figure 6.4 will be displayed.

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Figure 6.4 – Choose an OS to repair Choose the Windows installation to repair (there should only be one) and then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 6.5 will then appear.

Figure 6.5 – System recovery options

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The System Recovery Options menu is now displayed. Remember, you can also reach these options by using the Advanced Boot Options, we cover this in lesson 51. The System Recovery Options menu has several tools you can use for troubleshooting a system. You can use the System Restore utility to restore your system to an earlier time (see lesson 44 in the first Windows 7 Superguide), restore from a backup image, check your computers memory or open a Command Prompt to perform more advanced troubleshooting. The first option allows a Startup Repair to be performed. Clicking on this option will open the window shown in figure 6.6.

Figure 6.6 – Starting a Startup Repair The Startup Repair tool will now check for problems and attempt to automatically fix them. If a problem is detected, Windows will reinstall missing or corrupted startup files and then reboot. You may need to try the startup repair procedure several times, the software will notify you if this is the case.

6.2 - If Startup Repair fails If the procedure it not able to fix your PC, you should proceed to reinstall Windows, after you have backed up all of your important files of course. You have two options for reinstalling Windows 7. You can first try an 'upgrade' Copyright Š Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 69

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installation. When you perform an upgrade installation on an existing Windows 7 installation, you effectively perform a repair installation. This can sometimes fix problems with your computer though not always. We cover upgrade installations in Lesson 5.

On the other hand, if you just want a clean start, to completely reinstall Windows 7, follow the steps outlined in lesson 4 – Clean installation. Remember in this instance you will lose all your programs and any data stored on your PC's primary hard drive, so be sure to back up anything important before you begin.

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Lesson 7 - Installing from USB It may be that you have a PC in your house that does not have a DVD-ROM drive installed in it. Portable computers like netbooks often do not include optical media drives in order to reduce their overall weight. This leaves you with two options. The first option is to obtain an external USB DVD-ROM drive. With this device attached, you can follow the installation tutorials outlined earlier in this chapter.

The second option is to create a bootable USB drive and install Windows from there. To do this, you will need a USB storage device with a capacity of at least 4 gigabytes. You will also need a separate computer that has a DVD drive in order to create the bootable USB device. Despite what the official Windows help pages say, this process is more complicated than simply copying the contents of the Windows 7 DVD to a USB stick. In this lesson, we will take you through step-by-step and show you exactly how it is done. You will be using the Command Prompt for this lesson, so you may wish to view lesson 70 – Command Prompt Primer before beginning. Thank you to the www.intowindows.com/ blog for this method, which we have successfully tested.

7.1 - Creating a Windows 7 USB installer This process will delete all the contents of your USB stick, so backup anything on the stick that you want to keep. Make sure your Windows 7 installation disc is inserted into the computers DVD drive and your USB device is attached to a USB port. Now, start by opening Computer.

Figure 7.1 – Typical drives on a Computer

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In figure 7.1, the USB drive is drive 'G', and the Windows 7 installation disc is in the DVD drive letter 'E'. Note down the drive letters for the DVD drive and the USB device, they will be needed later. Make sure to note down the correct drive letters, choosing the wrong ones can result in the loss of data.

The next step is to open a Command Prompt window with administrative privileges. Open the Start Menu and search for “command prompt”, then rightclick on the icon that appears at the top and choose “Run as administrator”.

Enter your administrator password if asked, or simply click “Yes” if Windows User Account Control prompts you to do so. You should now have a Command Prompt window open, like the one shown in figure 7.2.

In the Command Prompt window, type the command diskpart and press Enter.

Now, type list disk and press Enter.

A list of the storage devices on the computer will now appear, the list should look similar to the one shown in figure 7.2.

Figure 7.2 – Running DiskPart in the Command Prompt Note down the number that corresponds to the USB device that is to become your Windows 7 installation media. In figure 7.2 we can tell that our USB drive is disk 2, because the size given is 3863MB, which is around 4 gigabytes. Be sure to note down the correct number before proceeding. It is very important to choose the right disk in this step, if you get the wrong one, you can end up erasing the computers hard disk.

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select disk 2 Next, type the following commands, pressing Enter after each one:clean create partition primary select partition 1 active format fs=ntfs If the commands were entered successfully, the Command Prompt window should look like the one shown in figure 7.3. If you get any of the commands wrong, simply correct your mistake and enter them again. It is important to enter the commands in the correct order, however.

Figure 7.3 – Formatting your USB device You will need to wait while Windows formats the USB device. When the process is complete, type the following two commands, pressing Enter after each one:assign exit Now we need the drive letter of the DVD drive that we wrote down near the Copyright Š Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 73

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beginning of the tutorial. Type the drive letter, in the case of this example it is the letter 'e', followed by a ':', (don't put a space in between the letter and the colon) and press Enter. Now, type the following command and press Enter:cd boot For the next command, the drive letter of the USB stick is needed. during the DiskPart process, the drive letter was removed from our USB stick, then reassigned. It is possible, as has happened in this example, that a different drive letter was assigned. Before carrying out the next command, go back to Computer and re-check the drive letter for your USB device, updating your note as necessary.

Now, enter the following into the Command Prompt, but do not press Enter just yet:bootsect.exe /nt60 Leave a space, and then enter the updated drive letter of your USB device, followed by a colon, and then press Enter. In this example, the drive letter is F, so the command would be:bootsect.exe /nt60 f:

Figure 7.4 – Adding bootcode to the USB device

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If the command executed successfully, your Command Prompt window should look like the one shown in figure 7.4. You may find however, that the command fails, telling you that this version of bootsect is not compatible with your version of Windows. If you are running a 32 bit version of Windows and trying to create a 64 bit installation disk (or vice versa), you may run into problems on this step. To get around this limitation, either use a 64 bit version of Windows to create a 64 bit installation disk, and a 32 bit version of Windows to create a 32 bit installation disk, or temporarily swap the Windows 7 installation DVD to a compatible version, carry out the above step and then swap the DVD back again.

Once you have successfully executed the bootsect command, all that remains is to copy the contents of the Windows 7 installation DVD onto your USB device.

To begin this process, enter the command cd.. and then press Enter. For the next step, we need the drive letter of the DVD drive containing the Windows 7 installation DVD and the drive letter of our USB stick. The command we need to enter is:xcopy (DVD drive letter): (USB device drive letter): /e /h In our example, the DVD drive letter is 'E' and the USB device letter is 'F', so the command to enter would be:xcopy e: f: /e /h Press Enter after typing this command. The copy process will then begin. There is a lot of information to copy, so this process may take a while. Once the copy is complete, you can boot from the USB device and install Windows 7, as long as your PC supports it and you configure your BIOS settings to boot from a USB device.

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Lesson 8 - Restoring Windows Easy Transfer If you used Windows Easy Transfer to backup files from your old computer, then once you have installed or reinstalled Windows 7, you will naturally want to restore these files. In this lesson we will look at how to do that.

8.1 - Starting the restoration To get started restoring your files, insert the USB or removable storage device that contains your Windows Easy Transfer backup. Windows 7 ships with the Windows Easy Transfer tool already installed, so there is no need to download it this time. Instead, simply start the program by going to the Start Menu and searching for “windows easy transfer”, then clicking the icon that appears at the top. After a short pause, the window shown in figure 8.1 will appear.

Figure 8.1 – Running Windows Easy Transfer on Windows 7

Click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 8.2 will then be displayed.

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Figure 8.2 – Choosing a transfer method Now choose “An external hard disk or USB flash drive” just like in lesson 3.2 when we saved the data. The window shown in figure 8.3 will then appear.

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Figure 8.3 – Choose “This is my new computer” to start restoring files

This time, choose “This is my new computer”. The window shown in figure 8.4 will then be displayed.

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Figure 8.4 – Choose “Yes” to begin restoring your files

The files for transferring should be waiting on your USB/removable storage device, so click on “Yes”. A standard Windows file requester will then appear.

Browse to where the Easy Transfer files are stored on your computer. Select the Easy Transfer file and click on “Open”. After a short pause, a window similar to the one shown in figure 8.5 will appear, assuming you set a password for your backup.

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Figure 8.5 – Entering the password for the backup

Enter the password for the backup and then click on “Next”. If you entered the password correctly, the window shown in figure 8.6 will appear after a short delay.

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Figure 8.6 – Choosing user accounts to restore

At this stage of the process it is possible to choose which user accounts to restore. By clicking on “Customize” it is possible to choose items or even individual files or folders. This works in exactly the same way as it did in lesson 3.2. See figure 3.10 for an example.

For this example, we will leave the data selections as the default and restore all the information associated with our two accounts. Click on “Transfer” to begin the process. The window shown in figure 8.7 will then appear.

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Figure 8.7 – Windows Easy Transfer is restoring your files Windows Easy Transfer will now restore the documents and other data to the new PC. This process may take several hours, depending on how much data was present in the original backup. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 8.8 will appear.

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Figure 8.8 – The transfer process is complete

8.2 - Transfer report It is now possible to view a report on what was transferred or a report on what programs you might want to install on your new PC. Clicking on “See what was transferred” will open a window similar to the one shown in figure 8.9.

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Figure 8.9 – Viewing a transfer report

The transfer report gives details on all the items that were transferred and reports any errors that might have occurred. Click on “Details” under any of the items to learn more. Clicking on the Program Report tab, or clicking on “See a list of programs you might want to install on your new computer” on the window shown in figure 8.8 will take you to the program report, an example of this is shown in figure 8.10.

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Figure 8.10 – Viewing a program report

The program report lists all the programs that were installed on your old PC. It also makes some recommendations for alternative programs if those programs are no longer available for Windows 7.

When you are finished viewing the program report or the transfer report, click on the window close button. You will now be returned to the window shown in figure 8.8. Click on “Close”. You will then be prompted to restart your PC. Once your PC has restarted, the Easy Transfer process is complete and you can start using your computer and accessing the files transferred from your old PC. This chapter is likely to be the most technical in the entire book. Let me stress again that knowing how to install Windows 7 is not a prerequisite for the rest of the chapters. Once Windows 7 is on your system, things get much easier, even in this advanced guide. In the next chapter, we look at testing and tuning a Windows 7 system and show you how to diagnose common software and hardware errors.

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Chapter 3 – Soak Testing and Benchmarking Running a PC that you built yourself (or even one you bought off the shelf) isn't always as straightforward as you would undoubtedly hope it would be. When strange or unexpected things happen on a brand new installation of Windows 7, it pays to know how to troubleshoot these issues as quickly as possible. The techniques you will learn here are used by computer repair shops and IT professionals to pin-point the cause of seemingly random crashes. Now, we will show you these techniques so that you can save on repair bills and frustration.

You may be surprised just how easy it is to troubleshoot some temperamental PC's!

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Lesson 9 - Testing Memory Checking that your computers memory is functioning correctly is one of the best places to start when you are trying to diagnose crashes or the blue screen of death in any version of Windows. In lesson 6, when we performed a Startup Repair, we accessed the System Recovery options on the Windows 7 installation DVD. From this menu, we can run a memory diagnostic by selecting “Windows Memory Diagnostic”.

9.1 - Introducing Memtest For a more thorough test of a machines memory, many power users recommend a utility called Memtest. Unlike many of the tools that you will use with Windows, this particular tool works outside of the operating system. This way, it can diagnose the areas of your computers memory that would normally be occupied by Windows itself. In order to run Memtest, we need to make a special CD (or other bootable media) and load the program as soon as the computer is turned on, in the same way we loaded the Windows 7 installation DVD. If you installed Windows 7 then your computers BIOS should already be configured (as per lesson 2). If not, refer back to that lesson before moving on.

If your BIOS is correctly configured, you will still need to download Memtest and record it to a CD-R. To download Memtest, visit the Memtest homepage at http://www.memtest.org/ . If you are using a CD/DVD burner, download the “Pre-compiled bootable iso (.zip)”. Once the file has downloaded, follow the tutorial below to burn it to a CD or DVD disc.

9.2 - Burning an ISO image An ISO image is a file which contains an image or snap-shot of a CD or DVD. Once downloaded, this file can be used with the appropriate software and a CD/DVD recorder drive to create a CD/DVD. Fortunately, burning an ISO image in Windows 7 is extremely easy. All you need to do is find the ISO file in Windows Explorer and then double click it. If you've just download the ISO from the internet, the file should be in your downloads folder. Double click on the file and the window shown in figure 9.1 should appear.

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Figure 9.1 – Burning an ISO image Choose your DVD recorder drive using the drop-down menu at the top, then place a blank CD or DVD into the drive. Close any autorun windows that might appear. Selecting “Verify disc after burning” is also recommended. Click on “Burn” to start recording the disc.

If you are using a rewritable CD or DVD, the window shown in figure 9.2 may appear.

Figure 9.2 – Erasing a rewritable CD/DVD Click on “Yes” to erase the re-writable disc. Remember that you will not be able to recover the contents of the disc after this operation, so make sure you have a backup of anything you want to keep.

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The Disc Image Burner will now erase (if applicable) and record the disc. The process will take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the speed of your DVD recorder and the amount of information on the disc (for Memtest or TrueCrypt CD's, it should not take more than a couple of minutes).

When the process is complete, the program will tell you that “The disc image has been successfully burned to the disc”. You can now close the disc image burner and use your newly recorded CD or DVD.

9.3 - Running Memtest from USB If your computer doesn't have a CD or DVD recorder, you can use Memtest from a USB device instead. Download the “Auto installer for USB Key” from the Memtest homepage (http://www.memtest.org/ ). In this tutorial, we'll show you how to use the auto installer and create a bootable USB device that contains Memtest.

After downloading the Auto installer, we need to copy the file from out of the zip folder. Do not try to run the auto installer without first copying it to another (non-compressed) folder.

To run the Memtest auto installer, do not double click the file, instead, right-click on the file and choose “Run as Administrator” from the menu. If you don't do this, the process will appear to work but the USB stick will fail to boot.

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Figure 9.3 – This program must be explicitly run as administrator You will need to enter your administrator password, or click on “Yes”, if User Account Control prompts you to do so. The installer will then start and the window shown in figure 9.4 will appear.

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Figure 9.4 – Installing Memtest to USB Click on “I agree”. The window shown in figure 9.5 will then be displayed.

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Figure 9.5 – Be careful when selecting your USB drive Now we need to choose the correct drive to install Memtest to. Use the dropdown box labelled “Select your USB Flash Drive”. Be careful to choose the correct drive letter. If you are in doubt, open up Computer and double check. All information on your USB stick will be deleted during this process, so make sure you backup anything on the stick that you need to keep. Select the box labelled “Check this box if you want to format the Drive” and then click “Create”.

Wait while the installer tool works, it will not take long. When you see the “Installation Done, Your Drive should be ready to boot!” message, click on “Next >” and then “Finish”.

Now, reboot your computer. If your BIOS is configured correctly, Memtest should start. If it does not, there is still the option of using the CD or ISO image version of Memtest from a CD recordable disc.

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Lesson 10 - Using Memtest 10.1 - Memtest is easy Using Memtest is so easy that we decided it wasn't even worth making a video tutorial. Once you have made a CD or USB device containing your copy of Memtest, simply insert it into your computer and reboot. If your BIOS is configured correctly, the screen shown in figure 10.1 should then appear.

Figure 10.1 – Running Memtest To use Memtest, there really isn't anything to do other than wait. In figure 10.1 there are two numbers circled. The number circled in red is the error count. If this value goes above 0, there are three possible reasons (listed in order of probability):1) Faulty memory module – If you have the technical know how, you can open your PC and remove a memory module and run the test again (assuming your PC has more than one to begin with). If this cures the problem, then you know that you have a faulty memory module.

2) Misconfigured BIOS – If you have a BIOS which allows overclocking and you changed the memory settings, you may have pushed things too far, reset them to the default. If you haven't changed the memory settings in the BIOS, you can normally rule this one out.

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3) Motherboard or CPU fault – This could be a hardware fault on the computers main board, or perhaps inadequate cooling.

The number circled in yellow in figure 10.1 is the Pass count. Each time this number goes up, Memtest has performed one full test of the computers memory. For a thorough test we recommend at least three passes. Any intermittent errors should reveal themselves by three passes. In rare cases, on really troublesome, intermittently crashing PC's, you may even want to leave Memtest running overnight.

Once you are done testing your computers memory, simply press the Escape (Esc) key and remove the CD. Windows will now start up as normal.

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Lesson 11 - What's under the hood?

To use the two soak testing tools we introduce in the next two lessons, you may need to update your systems drivers, particularly your graphics card drivers. To learn more about drivers and system components, we are going to take a look at the System and Device Manager. If a memory module has come loose, or your graphics card is not working as expected, then checking out the System section of the Control Panel can show you valuable information about what hardware Windows has detected in your machine. From this section of the Control Panel, you can also determine your Windows Experience Index score.

This benchmark is used by some Windows software when determining which features to enable. We cover this in more detail in lesson 57.

11.1 - System and Device Manager The following tutorial will show you how to access this section of the Control Panel, determine how much memory is in your computer, access your Windows experience score and dig down deeper into the system with Device Manager.

To get started, open up the Start Menu and search for “system”. Now, under Control Panel, choose “System” as shown in figure 11.1.

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Figure 11.1 – Accessing the System section of the Control Panel The system section of the Control Panel will now open, as shown in figure 11.2.

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Figure 11.2 – The system section of the Control Panel From the window in figure 11.2, we can tell a good deal about our system, including the amount of memory installed, the type of CPU or central processing unit and the type of system, either 32 bit or 64 bit.

To delve deeper into your computers hardware, use the Device Manager link near the top left of the window. This will open the Device Manager window as shown in figure 11.3.

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Figure 11.3 – Device Manager The Device Manager gives a detailed view of all the hardware Windows has access to. In figure 11.3 there are several devices that have a yellow exclamation mark next to them. This indicates a device that is not functioning, perhaps due to a missing driver.

11.2 - Hardware subcategories To see more information about a category of hardware, simply click to expand the arrow next to that category. For example, to find out what kind of display adaptor/graphics card you have, click the arrow next to Display adapters. Figure 11.4 shows an example of this.

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Figure 11.4 – Drilling down to find out more about our display adaptor You can find out even more information about a specific device by selecting it and then right clicking and choosing “Properties”. Figure 11.5 shows the properties for the graphics card in this system.

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The window shown in figure 11.5 can provide technical information that can be useful when troubleshooting. By clicking on the “Driver” tab you can see which driver version your computer is using. You can also manually install drivers by clicking “Update Driver”, but it's not usually necessary to do this, since when you download a new updated driver from a manufacturers website, you simply run it to install it automatically. We discuss drivers in more detail in lesson 11.3.

Click on “OK” when you are done viewing information about the device. Be careful if you delve into the advanced features of the Device Manager to modify drivers, it's possible to damage your operating system by incorrectly configuring hardware with this tool.

11.3 - About drivers Drivers are software components that communicate with the hardware in your computer. They 'drive' the data exchange between all components and the computers central processing unit. Because they perform such a critical role in the computer, making sure they are correctly installed is of paramount importance. Fortunately, doing this is fairly easy in Windows 7. Windows 7 ships with drivers for a huge amount of hardware, meaning that most devices can simply be plugged in and used. Occasionally you will come across a device that will not simply plug and play. In that case you may need to contact the manufacturer to obtain an updated driver.

Keeping your PC's drivers up to date is also a great way to ensure peak performance from your system. Although some driver updates can be obtained through Windows update, this is by no means exhaustive. Unfortunately, there are far too many different pieces of hardware available for Windows to cover them all. For critical components such as the graphics card, we recommend that you visit the manufacturer's website regularly and obtain the latest drivers.

Using the techniques we just outlined in the tutorial above, you can determine the make and type of graphics card in your PC. If you have an ATI graphics card, you can check for new drivers by visiting this website:http://support.amd.com/us/gpudownload/Pages/index.aspx If you have an Nvidia graphics card, you can check for new drivers by visiting this website:http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx.

If you have another brand of graphics adapter (such as Intel) you will need to visit the manufacturers website for further instructions.

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especially if you use game or multimedia software, keeping the other drivers on your system up to date may not be as critical, but can still be beneficial. If you want to easily check for new drivers for your system, you can use a tool such as Uniblue Driverscanner. See this page on Top-Windows-Tutorials.com for more information on this tool:http://www.top-windows-tutorials.com/driverscanner.html

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Lesson 12 - 3DMark Running a gaming or multimedia PC? Want to see if everything's running correctly? Futuremark's popular 3DMark series of benchmarking programs will run a series of graphically intensive scenes on your computer. Watching these programs run is not only fun, it can often reveal underlying problems with your graphics card that you might not notice otherwise. For this brief tutorial, we will take a look at 3DMark Vantage, since it is compatible with most Windows 7 graphics cards. You can download 3DMark Vantage here http://www.futuremark.com/benchmarks/. Before proceeding, make sure you are using the very latest drivers for your graphics card.

12.1 - Installing 3DMark Installing 3DMark is really easy, just in case you have any reservations, we prepared this quick tutorial to show you exactly how to do it. Once you have downloaded the 3DMark installer program from the link given in the previous paragraph, double click on the file or choose “Open” or “Run” in your browsers download manager. If Windows User Account control asks you to grant permission to install the program, you must enter your administrator password and/or click on “Yes” to proceed.

The window shown in figure 12.1 will then appear.

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Figure 12.1 – Installing 3DMark Click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 12.2 will then be displayed.

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Figure 12.2 – The EULA for 3DMark

Scroll down to read the license agreement and if you agree, make sure that “I accept the terms of the license agreement” is selected, then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 12.3 will then appear.

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Figure 12.3 – Choosing an installation type for 3DMark For simplicity, choose the “Express” installation option and then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 12.3 will then appear.

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Figure 12.4 – Click “Install” to begin copying files The installer is now ready to begin copying files. Click on “Install”. There will be a short pause while files are copied and configured. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 12.4 will appear.

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Figure 12.5 – Installation is now complete 3DMark Vantage is now installed and ready to use. Click on “Finish”. You can now proceed to the next tutorial.

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Lesson 13 - Running 3DMark Vantage Once you have installed 3DMark Vantage, start it in the usual fashion by clicking its icon on the Desktop or Start Menu. The program requires administrative rights in order to run, so enter your administrator password and/or click “Yes” when User Account Control prompts you to do so.

13.1 - Getting a trial key The first time you run the software, you will need to get a free trial edition key.

Once the program opens, click on “Get a Key”. This will take you to the 3DMark website. Fill in your e-mail address, you can also optionally subscribe to the two free newsletters, if you don't want these, be sure to deselect them.

Figure 13.1 – Getting a trial key from the 3DMark website Enter the two words into the box and then click “Get trial key”. A 3DMark Vantage trial key will now be e-mailed to the address you supplied. Check your e-mail for the registration code and then copy and paste the key into the 3DMark program.

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Figure 13.2 – Enter your trial key into this window Click on “Register” and the main program window will now appear.

Figure 13.3 – The main 3Dmark Vantage window

13.2 - Running a benchmark/test Using 3DMark is really as simple as clicking on “Run Benchmark” and then watching and waiting. Watch each scene carefully, if you see flickering triangles, incorrectly coloured pixels, or if your computer crashes then it is likely that there is a problem with your graphics hardware or a component that your graphics hardware depends on, such as the power supply. Double check that you have the latest drivers for your card and then contact the manufacture for advice.

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Figure 13.4 – The graphics demonstrations in 3DMark can be fun to watch When the tests are done, the screen shown in figure 13.5 will appear.

Figure 13.5 – The tests are complete Hopefully you enjoyed watching the demo and everything looked correct. If you like, you can click on “View Results Online”. This will take you to a website that gives you a 3D Mark score. Enthusiasts use this score to compare PC performance against their friends systems.

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Lesson 14 - OCCT OCCT (OverClock Checking Tool) is a piece of software that was designed for computer enthusiasts who wanted to overclock their computers. Overclocking a machine means pushing it beyond the manufacturers recommended limits into new and uncharted territories. Of course, by doing this you can easily create a computer that is unstable and so tools are needed that let enthusiasts quickly test their new settings. OCCT is one of the better tools for this task and is also useful for checking the cooling and stability of normal systems too.

A word of warning before you get started with the tool. OCCT really pushes your PC to its limits. We've seen otherwise perfectly stable PC's fail the temperature test. The default maximum CPU temperatures that OCCT fails a system on are conservative, especially considering that Intel announced that their latest processors can reach a scorching 100 degrees before the thermal protection mechanism cuts in. If your system fails the test, OCCT will simply abort and return you to the main program menu. However, if you experience crashes while running the OCCT benchmark, then this is indicative of a hardware problem.

14.1 - Installing OCCT As with most software, installing OCCT is very easy. Just in case any of our readers require a helping hand, we have prepared this simple installation tutorial. Firstly, visit the OCCT download page on the internet here:http://www.ocbase.com/perestroika_en/index.php?Download Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the “Auto-Install” link. Now save the file to your computer and open it once the download is complete. As usual, you will need to grant permission for the program to install if User Account Control prompts you to do so.

The window shown in figure 14.1 will then be displayed.

Figure 14.1 – Choose an installation language for OCCT

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Choose the language for the installation (English is selected by default) and then click “OK”. The window shown in figure 14.2 will then appear.

Figure 14.2 – Starting the installation process Click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 14.3 will then appear.

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Figure 14.3 – Choosing an installation directory You can now choose where to install the program files on your PC. The default location is fine for most users, so simply click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 14.4 will then appear.

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Figure 14.4 – Creating shortcuts You can now choose the location of the programs Start Menu shortcut. Again, the default option is fine, so simply click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 14.5 will then appear.

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Figure 14.5 – Optionally creating a desktop icon If you want to create a desktop shortcut for OCCT, make sure the “Create a desktop icon” option is selected, then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 14.6 will then be displayed.

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Figure 14.6 – Checking installation settings Check your settings and then click on “Install”. There will be a short delay while files are copied and configured. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 14.7 will appear.

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Figure 14.7 – Installation complete The installation process is now complete. Click on “Finish” and OCCT will start.

You can now move directly on to our next tutorial.

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Lesson 15 - Using OCCT Once OCCT is installed, you can start it from the desktop shortcut or from the Start Menu by searching for “occt” and clicking on the icon that appears. The program requires administrative rights to run, so enter your administrator password and/or click “Yes” when User Account Control prompts you to do so.

The main program window will then appear, as shown in figure 15.1.

Figure 15.1 – The main OCCT window

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In figure 15.1 we can see there are two CPU (or computer processor) tests, two GPU (or graphics card) tests and a power supply test. We will look into each test in a little more detail now.

15.1 - The OCCT Tests CPU – OCCT – This test is designed to stress the cooling on your PC. It will run some complex calculations on your computer, putting the CPU under heavy load and thus generating more heat. If your computers cooling fans cannot keep up with this heat, the test will shut down. As we stated previously, this test places the CPU under very heavy load, we have seen otherwise perfectly stable machines that fail this test.

CPU – Linpack – This test is similar to the OCCT test above but possibly even more aggressive.

GPU – OCCT – This test is like the CPU tests above, but for graphics cards rather than the central processor. Use this test to make sure your graphics card does not overheat, even under the most extreme use.

GPU – Memtest - This test checks the on board memory on your graphics card, making sure that there are no errors on it. This test is not so hard on your hardware. If you suspect a fault with your graphics card, start by running this test first.

Power Supply - This test works by stressing both the computers processor and its graphics hardware at the same time, thereby putting the most strain on the computers power supply. This is a good way of finding out if your power supply is up to the job of running your computer under heavy load, such as gaming.

To run any test, simply select the test you want to run by clicking on it, then click the green ON button near the top right hand corner of the program window. If your computer can pass these tests, you can be sure that it is ready for any task you will throw at it.

15.2 - OCCT Options The Options button is directly under the button for the Power Supply test. Click on this button to access the option screen, as shown in figure 15.2.

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Figure 15.2 – Basic OCCT options

From here, several basic options can be changed, such as the program language. To access the advanced settings, click on the orange gear icon near the top right of the program window. The window shown in figure 15.3 will then appear.

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Figure 15.3 – Advanced OCCT options

At the top of the window, we can see the “Max CPU Temp”. This is the maximum temperature the CPU is allowed to get to before the program automatically aborts the current test. For most processors this should be left at the default value of 85 degrees °C. For some high-end processors, like the Intel Core I7, the temperature can rise as high as 95 or even 100 degrees, before a shut-off is needed.

The other settings available on this window should be left at their default values. Click on “OK” when you have configured these settings.

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significantly when you start running the tests. Remember that for cooling to be effective, you need to leave adequate ventilation around your PC. Avoid placing your computer in cramped cupboards or directly against a wall.

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Chapter 4 – Managing PC's for the Family The days of using computers in isolation are long gone. Apart from the fact that almost all of us are connected to the internet, now many families have more than one computer in the house. If you share your internet connection with a router, then you also share your home network too. Now more than ever, the head of the household is responsible for his or her own little fleet of PC's, used by various family members. This needn't be a complicated task however and if done correctly, you can save money by sharing hardware and improve your families PC safety and security.

We discussed user accounts in lesson 21 of the first Superguide, in this Superguide, we will take the concept even further, turning you into your own home network manager and administrator!

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Lesson 16 - Planning user accounts User accounts are used to manage users access to computing resources, both on a local machine and on your network. In our first Superguide, we discussed setting up user accounts and using User Account Control. You should be familiar with the concept of adding accounts and changing between administrator accounts and standard user accounts. If not, go back and review Lesson 21 in the first Superguide.

16.1 - Advantages of standard user accounts Now that there are several PC's in many of our homes, the typical home setup becomes more and more like a small business network. In this situation, there's normally one person (perhaps the head of the house, or the person with most computer experience) who should nominate his or herself as the family administrator. This person will be responsible for maintaining the families computers. Why do it this way? If we look back at Windows XP, Microsoft's policy for the home user was to make everyone an administrator by default.

This had severe consequences in the long term, as it allowed malware to install itself easily. It is a much better approach to strictly limit the number of users that can install new software and change system settings. The benefits to working this way include:More difficult for inexperienced users to accidentally install malware:Many users (particularly children) cannot resist a new game, screensaver or gadget, no matter where it comes from. When all users in the house have administrative rights, they can install software from any source, often this includes malware.

Prevents children or other curious users from accidentally changing important settings:- We were all children at one time and we all remember how curious we could be. All the icons and settings in Windows can be one giant playground to a child. Making sure your children can't change any critical settings is one way to save yourself a lot of headaches.

Filtering/child safety software is much more difficult to remove or disable if the child has a standard account:- Related to the above, as children get older they get computer savvy very quickly. Any filtering or parental control software you install can easily be removed by a computer literate child, unless you take away their administrative rights.

As we stated in the previous Superguide, we recommend using administrator accounts as little as possible.

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16.2 - Configuring family computers Keeping all the computers in your house in tip-top condition starts as soon as you get a new PC. For each computer under your control, we recommend you do the following:1) Create an administrator account on the machine for your use. Make sure to add a password to this account. Typically, you will use the same administrator password on each computer in your home. I normally prefix this account -Admin. So for example if your name was Sarah, you could call the account “Sarah-Admin”.

2) Add user accounts for whoever is going to use the machine, including yourself if you intend to use it on a regular basis. Make these accounts standard user accounts. You may now have two user accounts in your name, named “Yourname-Admin” and “Yourname”. This is intentional. You use the standard account for your day to day computing activities and the administrator account only when performing administrative tasks, such as installing new software or reconfiguring hardware.

3) If your family member is fully trusted, you can create an administrator account for them too. This will mean that they can install their own programs, change system settings and basically have free reign of the system. Show your family member how to use their standard account for their day to day computing thus avoiding using their administrator account. The advantage of giving others their own administrator account is that they won't need to come to you for permission to install new software or change system settings. The disadvantage is, well, that they won't need to come to you for these permissions! Think of what roles your family members play. It's not advisable to give children full control of their PC's, especially if you plan to use any kind of internet filtering or parental control software. Adults and older teens, on the other hand, may frequently want to try new software or change their own computers as they see fit. As your nominated family administrator, you will have to make the decision yourself as to who can do what.

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Lesson 17 - UAC Revisited You should be familiar with the User Account Control (UAC) prompts in Windows 7. You should also be familiar with the process of temporarily elevating your standard user account to an administrator account too. If not, go back to the first Superguide and review lesson 21. In this lesson, we want to expand on the material we presented in the original Superguide and look at some of the issues you may encounter running as a standard user.

17.1 - Programs that cannot auto-elevate Normally, when you use a standard user account and you perform an action that requires administrator rights, you will see the familiar Windows User Account Control window appear. There are a small number of programs that need to be explicitly run as an administrator. This could be for compatibility reasons or because they aren't able to automatically elevate to administrator using the standard mechanism. One such program is Impulse, a popular digital distribution program. When a program update is available for Impulse, you will see the window shown in figure 17.1 if you start the program on a standard user account.

Figure 17.1 – This program requires explicit administrator privileges The program tells us that there is an update, but that in order to install it, we need to be running an administrator account. Why can't Impulse use UAC to automatically get administrative rights? Only the designers of the software could tell us that. However, there's no need to worry. Even in this situation, we do not need to switch accounts in the old fashioned Windows XP way. To get around this limitation, in Impulse or any other software that cannot automatically elevate with UAC, first close the program. Now, find the programs icon on the Start Menu or desktop and right click on it and choose “Run as Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 126

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administrator”, as shown in figure 17.2.

Figure 17.2 – Start a program with administrative privileges by choosing this option on the context menu The familiar UAC prompt will then appear and you can enter your administrator password. You may see a warning window like the one shown in figure 17.3.

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Figure 17.3 – Software should only be run as Administrator where absolutely necessary In figure 17.3, Windows is warning the user that they are running the program as an administrator. Of course, this means the program can make global changes to your computer. In this instance it is necessary, since Impulse needs to install an update, so the user would click on “No, Allow Impulse to run as Administrator”.

Impulse will now load and apply the update. When the updating process is complete, you should exit the program and restart it as a non-administrator.

17.2 - Forcing a program to run as administrator For programs that always have to be run with administrator rights, you can change the compatibility settings to force Windows to start them as administrator each time. To do this, right click on the programs icon and choose “Properties”. A properties window will then appear, click on the “Compatibility” tab. The window should look like the one shown in figure 17.4.

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Figure 17.4 – Compatibility options If you are currently running a standard user account, click on “Change settings for all users” and enter your administrator password into the UAC prompt. You will now be able to select “Run this program as an administrator” at the bottom of the window. Select the option and then click “OK”, then click “OK” again if necessary, to dismiss the window.

Now, when you start this program, Windows will immediately ask you to enter your administrator password (unless you are running an administrator account already).

There are occasions you will need to use these 'run as administrator' techniques even when running an administrator account. One such example is when using the Command Prompt. To use the Command Prompt to make system-wide changes, for example when troubleshooting, you will need to right-click and choose “Run as administrator” even when logged in with an administrator account.

That concludes this lesson on UAC and administrator rights. By now you should know enough to avoid using administrator accounts for your day to day computing.

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Lesson 18 - Sharing folders Home computers represent a significant investment for most households. In order to get the most out of an investment like this, it can be useful to know how to create and manage small home networks. Sharing files and storage space between machines is one of the easiest ways to make better use of computing resources. In the previous Superguide we showed you how to use Homegroups. Homegroups are a great way to easily share resources on a network, but they aren't compatible with earlier versions of Windows. In this tutorial, we'll show you how to share folders the old fashioned way.

18.1 - Setting up a shared folder By now, you should be very familiar with the concept of user accounts. Your user account name is shown on the logon screen and also at the top of the Start Menu, as shown in figure 18.1.

Figure 18.1 – Current user-name as shown on the Start Menu If there are other computers on the home network that have the same username and password, then manually setting up shared folders is easy. To share a folder, right click on it and choose “Properties”. Then, on the properties window, choose the “Sharing” tab. Figure 18.2 shows the Sharing properties for a folder called “exampleshare”.

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Figure 18.2 – Sharing properties To set up file sharing on the network, click on the “Share...” button. The window shown in figure 18.3 will then appear.

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Figure 18.3 – File sharing permissions In figure 18.3 you can choose who to share the folder with. Using the text entry box at the top you can type the user name, or simply select the user name from the drop-down box and then click “Add”. In figure 18.3 we can see that the user “Bucko” has already been added to the list of users allowed access to the share.

Click on the “Share” button when you are done setting permissions.

18.2 - Accessing the share from another computer The folder is now shared on the network. In figure 18.4, we can see an example of accessing this shared folder from a Windows XP machine on the same network. Remember that the XP machine must have the same user name and password as the Windows 7 machine where the shared folder is located.

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Figure 18.4 – Accessing a shared folder on another PC In the next lesson, we will show you how to give another user access to the shared folder.

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Lesson 19 - Managing shares and share access In this tutorial, we will demonstrate how to give another user access to a shared folder, using the standard Windows file sharing mechanism. As with the previous tutorial, the user in question must have an account on BOTH the computers you want to use. The account should have the same name and the same password on both machines.

19.1 - Adding additional users to a share To add another user to the share, access the File Sharing window (figure 18.3) by right clicking the folder and choosing “Properties”, just like we did in the previous lesson. Then use the drop-down box to choose the user and add them to the list. Remember to click on “Share” when you are done configuring the permissions. Figure 19.1 shows a file sharing window with two users added to the permissions.

Figure 19.1 – Managing user access to a network share Notice that in figure 19.1, the new user (Pat) has her permission level set to “Read”. This means that Pat will be able to access the share but not change its contents. If we wanted to, we could change the permissions to read/write, by Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 134

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clicking the small downward pointing arrow next to “Read”.

Pat would then be able to access this network resource on any network attached PC around the house, provided that she uses the same username and password on each.

19.2 - Manually accessing network shares You should be familiar with the concept of file paths. Every folder and file on your computer has a path, which indicates where it is stored. Network resources have their own path too. In figure 19.2, we can see a network resource in Windows Explorer on Windows XP.

Figure 19.2 – Browsing a network location in Windows XP The path to the network folder is '\\W7-VPC-FAKE\exampleshare'. W7-VPC-FAKE is the name of the computer, while exampleshare is the name of the shared folder. You can access any shared folder on your network by typing the address into Windows Explorer in the form \\(computer name)\(sharename). Computer name can either be the computer name you assigned to the PC when you first installed it (W7-VPC-FAKE as seen above, was assigned to the virtual PC in this example), or it can be the computer IP address on your local network. We discuss IP addresses in more detail in lesson 71.

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folder is via the Computer Management console. To access this tool, open the Start Menu and right click on Computer, then choose “Manage” from the context menu. The Computer Management window will then appear, as shown in figure 19.3.

Figure 19.3 – Computer Management There are dozens of options in Computer Management, but for this task we need to click on “Shared Folders” (circled in red in figure 19.3). The middle part of the window will then change to show three options, “Shares”, “Sessions” and “Open Files”. Click on “Shares”. The window will then change to resemble the one shown in figure 19.4.

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Figure 19.4 – Viewing and managing shared folders Figure 19.5 shows the centre part of the window in more detail.

Figure 19.5 – Shared folders on our Windows 7 machine We can now see at a glance all the shared folders on our machine. In this example we can see three shares (Testshare, Testshare2 and Exampleshare) and also some strange looking shared folders with dollar signs next to them (ADMIN$, C$ and IPC$). The shared folders with the dollar sign after them are created by Windows automatically and are only normally activated on corporate networks, so you can safely ignore them.

To stop sharing a folder, simply right click on the folder you want to work with and choose “Stop Sharing”. This is the easiest way we've found to stop sharing a folder on your computer.

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That concludes this lesson on sharing folders. In the next lesson we will be discussing file, folder and sharing permissions in more detail.

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Lesson 20 - Advanced file and folder permissions In the last two tutorials we have briefly discussed the concept of permissions.

Permissions control what a user can and cannot do with a file on a computer or on the network. In this lesson we will refine the concept further.

20.1 - Types of permission In figure 18.2 we can see that there are two buttons for configuring sharing options, one labelled “Share...” and the other labelled “Advanced Sharing...”. On modern Windows computers, there are, confusingly, two sets of permissions for files and folders. There are network permissions, which we configured in the last two tutorials and file permissions. Why are there two sets? Having file permissions means that two people can share a computer and not have access to each others files. This was a concept that was introduced to home users with Windows XP. We have encountered network permissions already, in figure 19.1 we can see a network permissions window with two users added. To configure file level permissions, click on the “Advanced Sharing” button. The window shown in figure 20.1 will then appear

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Figure 20.1 – Advanced sharing options On the window shown in figure 20.1, click on “Permissions”. The window shown in figure 20.2 will then appear.

Figure 20.2 – Advanced sharing permissions Now, in figure 20.2 we can see “Everyone” has permission to read, change or delete this folder, and yet this is the same folder we configured in the previous lesson so that only Bucko and Pat could access it over the network. The information shown here is different because it represents the file level permissions (often called the NTFS permissions) for the folder. Permissions you set here affect who can access the files on this computer.

For example, to make the folder accessible only to Bucko and not Pat when she was logged in to this computer, first click on “Everyone” in the top part of the window and then click on “Remove”. Now, click on “Add...” the window shown in Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 140

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figure 20.3 will then appear.

Figure 20.3 – Adding users to the security permissions Type in the name of the user you want to add in the box at the bottom of the window, in this case “Bucko”. Then, click on “Check Names”. If the username is valid, it will appear underlined in the window above as (computer name)\ (Username). Click on “OK”. The window shown in figure 20.4 is the same as the one we saw in figure 20.2, but with the new permissions configured.

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Figure 20.4 – File level permissions reconfigured Remember to give the user you just added read/write control of the folder by selecting the “Full Control” option. Click on “Apply” when you are happy with the permissions you just set.

20.2 - Overriding permissions Now, Pat is denied access to this folder. If Pat was also an administrator (that is, Pat's account was an administrator account), then she would still be able to gain access to the folder. This is because the Administrators group has permission to access the folder. It is possible to remove this rule (in the same way we removed “Everyone” earlier in the tutorial), but even then, administrators can override any changes to the file permissions and grant themselves permission to view the files. This is another reason why administrator rights should not be given to everyone!

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20.3 - Permission conflicts Network permissions and file permissions can contradict each other. In this example, Pat is not automatically removed from the network permissions window (figure 19.1). When conflicts arise, the following rules apply:When accessing a file or folder on the local computer, the network sharing permissions are ignored. Only the file level permissions (figure 20.4) are used when determining who can access the folders.

When accessing a file or folder across the network, the most restrictive permissions are used. So, in this example, Pat would not be able to access the folder from across the network either, despite what was set in the file sharing permissions (figure 19.1).

That concludes our lesson on advanced file permissions. File permissions can be very confusing, but luckily in most home networks you will not need to deal with permissions very often. Normally, the default settings are sufficient for home users to share their files and folders.

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Lesson 21 - Mapping a network drive If you use a shared network folder often on your PC, it can be convenient to have a shortcut to that folder available permanently. One way to do this is to use a mapped network drive. With a mapped network drive, your network folder will appear as if it was a physical drive to Windows and will always be accessible from Windows Explorer or Computer.

21.1 - Creating a mapped network drive Mapping a network drive is really easy. Firstly, open up Computer. Then, from the toolbar at the top, choose “Map Network Drive”. The “Map Network Drive” window will now appear, as shown in figure 21.1.

Figure 21.1 – Configuring network drive mappings Chose the drive letter you want to map the drive to by using the drop-down menu at the top of the window. This is the drive letter that will appear in Windows Explorer. You can use any drive letter that isn't taken by another device.

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or, you can click on the “Browse..” button to see all the computers on your network, and pick a share from there.

Figure 21.2 – Browsing for a network share When you have found the correct location, click “OK” and then click on “Finish”.

If the network connection was successful, and you have the appropriate permissions, the shared folder will open immediately. Now, whenever you open Computer, you will be able to access this network resource immediately, just as if it were a hard drive or other storage device directly attached to the PC.

21.2 - Removing a mapped network drive If you ever want to remove a mapped network drive, simply right click on the shared drive and choose “Disconnect”.

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Lesson 22 - Game Explorer The Windows 7 Game Explorer is a handy way of managing and finding information about the games on your PC. With mid-range PC hardware now eclipsing what can be done on games consoles and a huge choice of games available, more and more users are discovering the gaming power of their PC's.

22.1 - Starting Game Explorer To start the Games Explorer, simply search for “games explorer” on the Start Menu and then click the link that appears. Figure 22.1 shows a Game Explorer window on a PC with several games already installed.

Figure 22.1 – Games Explorer On the Games Explorer in Figure 22.1 we can see several games installed on the PC. To find out more information on a game, click on it once. Figure 22.2 shows the available information for the game “Purble Place”.

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Figure 22.2 – Viewing a games age rating In figure 22.2 we can see that the game “Purble Place” is rated for ages 3 and upwards. Not all games come with ratings information however.

22.2 - Game Explorer compatibility The Games Explorer is a convenient way to view your games, but not every game is compatible. Some games will install to your computer but not show up in Games Explorer. Any games which do not appear in Games Explorer cannot be managed with the gaming restrictions in the Windows 7 parental controls.

22.3 - Game Explorer options There are several options that can be configured in Games Explorer. To access them, click on “Options” at the top of the Games Explorer window. The window shown in figure 22.3 will then appear.

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Figure 22.3 – Game explorer options There are a few options we can configure here. For games which support it, we can have Windows automatically check for online updates and news. Windows can also download art and information for known games, so that the box art appears in Game Explorer.

Finally, if you don't want anyone to find out what you've been playing, you can deselect the option “Collect most recently played game information”.

Click on “OK” when you are done configuring these settings. That's all there is to using the new Game Explorer in Windows 7. In the next lesson we will show you how the Parental Controls integrate with Game Explorer to help you manage your children's use of games software.

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Lesson 23 - Parental Controls The Windows 7 Parental Controls allow you to limit how much time your children spend on the computer and also control the type of games they can play. In order to use parental controls, you need an adult with an administrator account and a child with a standard account. If you need a refresher on how to configure user accounts, see Lesson 21 in the first Windows 7 Superguide.

23.1 - Configuring Parental Controls To get started configuring Parental Controls, access the User Accounts and Family Safety section of the Control Panel and click on “Parental Controls”.

Figure 23.1 shows the correct location on the Control Panel.

23.1 – Opening the Parental Controls section

Figure 23.2 shows the Parental Controls section of the Control Panel.

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Figure 23.2 – Choosing an account to configure Parental Controls From the window shown in figure 23.2 we can enable or disable Parental Controls for each account. Let us imagine Bob was a child and we wanted to use the Parental Controls to restrict his use of the computer. First of all, click on Bob's account. The window shown in figure 23.3 will then appear.

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Figure 23.3 – Setting parental controls for a child’s account To turn on Parental Controls, click on “On, enforce current settings”. There are then three options we can configure for a child’s account. The options are Time Limits, Games and Allow and block specific programs.

23.2 - Time limits Time limits allow you to control when a child can use the computer, thus preventing secret gaming or web-surfing sessions after bedtime. Click on “Time limits” and the window shown in figure 23.4 will appear.

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Figure 23.4 – Configuring time restrictions By default, your child can use the computer at any time. By clicking on a time block, you can prevent access to the computer during those hours. So, for example, if Bob's bedtime was 9 pm, you can block any computer use after 9pm by clicking on these hours, so that all hours after 9 pm are set to “Blocked” (blue). Perhaps on weekends Bob could have an extra hour on the computer in an evening. To remove a restriction, just click on a square again. When you are done, the planner might look like the one shown in figure 23.5.

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Figure 23.5 – An example configuration for time restrictions Click “OK” when you're done setting time restrictions. You will then be returned to the window shown in figure 23.3.

23.3 - Parental Controls for games If you want to configure the Parental Controls for games, click on “Games”. The window shown in figure 23.6 will then appear.

Figure 23.6 – Configuring game restrictions The idea of the games section is to prevent children playing games that are unsuitable for them. You can turn off games entirely for your children, but that is not likely to go down well with most youngsters. More useful is the option to block games based on age rating, click on “Set game ratings” and the window shown in figure 23.7 will then appear.

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Figure 23.7 – Restricting games based on age ratings Lots of games do not come with ratings information. In this example, we could opt to block any game that isn't rated by clicking the option at the top under “If a game has no rating can Bob play it?”.

Using the controls under “Which ratings are OK for Bob to play?”, you can block any games that are rated as too mature for your child. For example if Bob was 7, we could click the “PEGI 7+” option we can see in figure 23.7.

By scrolling down to the bottom of the window, it is also possible to block specific types of content, even if the game is rated as suitable for your child’s age. Figure 23.8 shows these options.

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Click on any of the boxes shown in figure 23.8 to bar that specific type of content. As with the age ratings, this relies on the game publisher having provided this information and therefore these restrictions do not work with all games.

Click on “OK” when you are done configuring these settings, you will then be returned to the window shown in figure 23.6.

23.4 - Blocking specific games The Parental Controls also give you the option of blocking specific games regardless of age or content ratings. Click on “Block or Allow specific games” and the window shown in figure 23.9 will appear.

Figure 23.9 – Blocking specific games

The Game Overrides list shows all the games detected on your PC. You can choose to go with the User Rating Setting (that is, the game is allowed based on the age rating settings for your child) or you can always allow or always block the game regardless of content.

Remember that not all games are detected by Windows 7 automatically, so you may wish to use the program controls to restrict your child from running an unrated game. Click on “OK” when you are done configuring specific games. You Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 155

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will then be returned to the window shown in figure 23.6. Click on “OK” again to return to the window shown in figure 23.3.

23.5 - Blocking specific programs The Parental Controls also allow you to block specific programs for Bob, on the window shown in figure 23.3 click on “Allow and block specific programs”. The window shown in figure 23.10 will then be displayed.

Figure 23.10 – Allow and block specific programs You can choose between letting your child use all programs, or only programs you permit, by using the control at the top of the window. In this example, we have selected “Bob can only use the programs I allow”. This is an excellent way of preventing your child from running a trojan horse or malware program, now you simply give the user access to the software he or she needs. Because it is sometimes difficult to anticipate exactly which programs an individual will need access to, you may find yourself coming back to this list several times after you first implement these restrictions. Click on “OK” when you are done.

If your child tries to run a program that you have not given permission for, he or she can still fetch you and ask for permission. In this instance, the familiar User Account Control prompt will appear, and allow you to grant permission to run the program.

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Our child's account is now configured with these parental control options. If you need more parental control tools, such as web filtering, you can use Windows Live Family Safety or a third party product of your choice.

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Lesson 24 - Guest accounts Guest accounts are a little used feature of Windows 7. For the sake of completeness we will be covering them in this tutorial. The guest account feature allows visitors to use your computer without access to any of your personal files or folders.

24.1 - Enabling the guest account Guest accounts are disabled by default. To enable them, open the Control Panel and then choose “User Accounts and Family Safety”. Then, click on “User Accounts”. On the User Accounts window, click on “Manage another account”.

You should be familiar with the account management screen, since you have added and managed user accounts in the past. This time, click on “Guest”. You should then see the message shown in figure 24.1.

Figure 24.1 – Turning on the guest account Click on “Turn On”. You will then be taken back to the account management screen. Now, the next time you log out or restart your computer, the Guest account will be selectable from the log on screen. There is no password for the Guest account, simply click on it to log in.

24.2 - Using a guest account The guest account works just like a regular user account. The guest can use any program that does not need administrative privileges to run.

The guest account also has a documents folder, just like a regular account. Files can be saved here, but anyone who has access to the computer can read them.

As you can see, there is not much to guest accounts. They can be useful for allowing your friends to have a go on your new PC, without worrying about them accidentally changing or deleting anything. Remember that guest accounts can run any program that you have installed that does not need administrator rights. If you want to restrict which programs can be run, you will Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 158

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need to create a new account and use the Parental Controls feature instead.

Furthermore, if you plan on using the Parental Controls to restrict games or programs for your children, then you should disable the guest account, since your children could simply log on as a guest and run the game or program that was restricted on their own account.

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Chapter 5 – Encrypting File System Computer security is a broad topic that covers all kinds of scenarios. Now that many computers are permanently connected to the internet, computer security can refer to firewalls and antivirus software, designed to keep us safe from threats online. In some instances, computer security might mean encryption software, or other software designed to protect our data from physical attack such as theft.

In this chapter, we will expand on our discussion of security by looking at the Encrypting File System (EFS), a means of keeping files secure on your PC. EFS goes a step further than the regular file permissions we discussed in lesson 20.

When files are encrypted with EFS, they cannot be opened without the correct certificate, even by a computer administrator.

Windows 7 Home Users – Please note Encrypting File System is not available in your operating system. You can however, still use TrueCrypt, which we will discuss in the next chapter.

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Lesson 25 - Introducing EFS EFS, or Encrypting File System, is a way of protecting sensitive files on your computer from being opened by other users. Remember that EFS is only available to Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise users. In this tutorial, we will present a simple example of how to protect a file.

25.1 - EFS vs NTFS file permissions Figure 25.1 shows a folder in Windows Explorer with three files inside.

Figure 25.1 – Typical folder shown in Windows Explorer Most folders on your Windows 7 computer can be accessed by anyone. Special folders, such as your documents folder can normally only be accessed by you.

These folders are protected by file level permissions (also known as NTFS permissions). If you have studied lesson 20, you know that each file has a NTFS file permission associated with it. You could simply right click on a file and choose “Properties”, and then click the security tab. Then, using the NTFS security permissions we demonstrated in lesson 20, you could deny everyone permission to the file or folder, except yourself.

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know how and physical access to the machine. If a higher level of security is needed, EFS is one option. To access the EFS options for a file, right click on the file and choose “Properties”. Now, make sure the “General” tab is selected and then click on “Advanced”. The window shown in figure 25.2 will then appear.

Figure 25.2 – Advanced Attributes for a file At the bottom of the window shown in figure 25.2 there is an option labelled “Encrypt contents to secure data”. Select this option and then click on “OK”. The Advanced Attributes window will close and you will be returned to the file properties window. Click on “OK” again. The window shown in figure 25.3 will then be displayed.

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Figure 25.3 – Encrypting a single file or a full folder If you encrypt a single file in a folder, Windows will offer to encrypt the entire folder for you, but for this example we will just encrypt the file. You may then notice that a message pops up, prompting you to back up the encryption keys, we will cover this in the next lesson.

25.2 - EFS files in Windows Explorer When you encrypt a file with EFS, it will turn green in Windows Explorer, see figure 25.4 for an example.

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Figure 25.4 – Encrypted files are shown in green We can see that the file has turned green, this indicates that it is encrypted.

Double click on the file and it will open as normal. EFS is completely transparent, and any files that are encrypted under this user account can be opened immediately. What about a file that was encrypted by another user? Any attempt to open a file that another user encrypted will simply be met with an “Access is denied” window, even if you are using an administrator account. This is what makes EFS different from just regular file permissions.

This covers the basics of using EFS to encrypt your files. There are a few more details you need to know before using EFS in the real world, so proceed to the next lesson where we will discuss certificate management.

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Lesson 26 - Backing up EFS Certificates When you use EFS to protect your files, you will generate an encryption key or certificate that is unique to your account. If you upgrade your computer, or you have to reinstall your operating system, you will lose your encryption keys and therefore access to your encrypted files unless you have a backup. You should backup your encryption key immediately after you start using EFS. To backup your key, first insert a removable USB device or other suitable media. This device will be used to store your EFS backup 'certificate'.

26.1 - Creating a certificate backup To create a certificate backup, first open the Control Panel. Navigate to the User Accounts and Family Safety section and then click on “User Accounts”. Now, on the menu on the left (see figure 26.1) choose “Manage your file encryption certificates”.

Figure 26.1 – Click this link to start the certificate backup process Once you click this link, the window shown in figure 26.2 will appear.

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Figure 26.2 – Starting the EFS certificate management wizard The window shown in figure 26.2 will walk you through the process of backing up your certificate. Click on “Next” to get started, the window shown in figure 26.3 will then appear.

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Figure 26.3 – Selecting the certificate to back up If you have just started using EFS, then you should have only one certificate, make sure “Use this certificate” is selected and then click on “Next”. The window will then change to the one shown in figure 26.4.

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Figure 26.4 – Backing up the encryption certificate Now we come to the vital step of backing up the certificate. Click on “Browse...”

A standard Windows file requester window will then appear. Navigate to your USB device and select it. Enter a filename for your certificate, your name or Windows username will suffice, then click on “Save”.

We recommend you enter a password for your certificate, preferably one that is different from your login password. Enter the password into the Password box, and confirm it again in the box below. When you have set the file location and entered a password, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 26.5 will then appear.

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Figure 26.5 – Updating previously encrypted files

If you have used EFS on an older computer, you may have an old certificate backup. Rather than using both certificates on your new machine, you can update any files that still use the old certificate to use your new one instead. If you want to do this, make sure your old certificate is installed, then click the box next to “All Logical Drives”. For this example, we do not have any files to update and so we will simply click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 26.6 will then appear.

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Figure 26.6 – Your certificate is now backed up The encryption keys are safely backed up. Click on “Close” to dismiss this window. You should now safely remove the storage device you used during the backup process and store it away securely. You have now done everything you need to do to backup your encryption certificate and use EFS safely.

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Lesson 27 - Restoring EFS Certificates If you move your EFS encrypted files to another computer, or if you ever need to reinstall the operating system on your existing PC, you will find that you can no longer access your encrypted files. You might have assumed that as long as you keep your account name and password the same, that you will be able to access your EFS files. However this is not the case, because the PC no longer contains the certificate file that is necessary for decryption. In the previous tutorial we showed you how to backup a EFS certificate, in this tutorial we will show you how to restore one again.

27.1 - Restoring a certificate from a backup To restore a certificate, simply insert the backup media that contains the certificate backup, open it in Windows Explorer and double click on the certificate file. The certificate import wizard, as shown in figure 27.1, will then launch.

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Click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 27.2 will then be displayed.

Figure 27.2 – Importing a certificate The window shown in figure 27.2 allows the user to specify which file to import.

Since we double clicked on the file, this information is filled in automatically for us. Click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 27.3 will then be displayed.

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Figure 27.3 – Enter your certificate password You now need to enter the password you created when you saved this certificate (the password you entered into the window shown in figure 26.4 and not your regular Windows logon password). Enter the password into the box. It is also advisable to select the option “Mark this key as exportable”. If you do not select this, you will not be able to make any more backup copies of this certificate.

Leave the other options as the defaults and then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 27.4 will then appear.

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Figure 27.4 – Choosing a Certificate Store On the window in figure 27.4, you can explicitly tell the wizard where to store the imported certificate. The certificate should be saved to the “Personal Store”.

The wizard should place the certificate there automatically, but it can't hurt to make sure. Click on “Place all certificates in the following store” and then click on “Browse...”. The window shown in figure 27.5 will then be displayed.

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Figure 27.5 – Browsing for a Certificate Store Click on “Personal” and then click “OK”. The window will close and you will be returned to the window in figure 27.4. Now, click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 27.6 will then appear.

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Figure 27.6 – Completing the Certificate Import Click on “Finish” and then on “OK”. You will now be able to access your encrypted files. That is all you need to know to restore an EFS certificate from a backup.

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Lesson 28 - Limitations of EFS You now know how to encrypt and decrypt files using EFS and you have seen how convenient EFS can be for securing your files. Before you choose to use EFS, there are several limitations that you should be aware of. In this lesson we will discuss these limitations and also some workarounds. By the time you finish with this content, you should have a good idea if EFS is suitable for you.

28.1 - EFS needs NTFS EFS is implemented as part of the NTFS filing system. The NTFS file system was created to replace the old FAT32 filing system that was commonplace on Windows machines prior to Windows XP. However, most external hard drives and USB sticks still use the FAT32 file system. If you try to copy an EFS encrypted file from your PC to a FAT32 storage device, you will see the warning window shown in figure 28.1.

Figure 28.1 – File encryption is removed when copying to a non-NTFS device One possible workaround is to format your storage device as NTFS rather than FAT32. In doing so however, you may lose full compatibility with non-Windows computers and older (pre windows XP) computers.

EFS encrypted files also cannot normally be stored on CD or DVD recordable discs. Furthermore, EFS files cannot usually be copied across a network without being decrypted, even if both computers are using NTFS formatted hard drives!

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28.2 - EFS and backup software Due to the way EFS is implemented, many backup packages struggle to deal correctly with EFS encrypted files. If you plan to use EFS then make sure that any backup software you choose will correctly deal with EFS encrypted files.

28.3 - Lost certificates and lost files In the previous two tutorials, we stressed the importance of backing up certificates. By far the most common cause of lost data when using EFS is through incorrectly managed certificates. If you reinstall your computer or move to a new machine, then you will not be able to access your EFS encrypted files without a certificate backup. This is true even if you use the same user name and password as before.

If an administrator forces his or her way into your account by resetting your password, this will also cause the EFS certificate to become invalid and prevent you from accessing your encrypted files, so be careful.

Certificates are stored on the PC (by default) - In our simple EFS example scenario, we stored the encryption certificate on the PC. This is the default option and provides a reasonable level of security as long as a user does not share his or her password. Standard Windows login passwords have been shown to be vulnerable to attack, especially if the attacker has physical access to the machine. It is possible to store certificates on removable media instead, though doing so is a little more complicated and not something we cover in this guide.

28.4 - EFS is designed for enterprise EFS was really designed with the business user in mind, as a result understanding how to use it effectively can be difficult. There are many tools and techniques for using EFS on a corporate network, but of course we will not be discussing topics like that in a book aimed at home users.

28.5 - EFS is not full disk encryption EFS only protects individual files and folders. This means an attacker could potentially look at unencrypted areas of the hard drive, such as the Windows virtual memory files or even empty space (since traces of files remain in empty space areas after they have been deleted). A full disk encryption package, such as Truecrpyt or Bitlocker, is often a better solution. We will be discussing full disk encryption solutions in the next chapter.

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Chapter 6 – Full Disk Encryption One of the biggest drawbacks of EFS is that it does not protect your entire computer. Should your laptop or even your desktop PC be stolen, EFS can only go so far towards protecting your personal information. More and more, people are turning to full disk encryption solutions. Full disk encryption encrypts every last byte on your system, providing another layer of authentication on top of the standard Windows log-on. Full Disk Encryption makes it impossible for a thief to inspect the contents of your hard drive (unless your PC is stolen when it is unlocked of course), even if he or she removes the drive to another computer.

Bitlocker and why we are not covering it Microsoft recognised the need for full disk encryption software, especially from its enterprise customers. As a result, Microsoft introduced Bitlocker, a full drive encryption program, with Windows Vista. Bitlocker is also present in Windows 7, but we will not be covering it in this guide. The reason for this is that there is a free alternative that is better for home users, namely TrueCrypt. Bitlocker works well in enterprise IT situations, but it is generally unsuitable for home users because of the following reasons:Only available in Enterprise and Ultimate editions:- Bitlocker is not available in Windows 7 Home or Professional editions, meaning the vast majority of home users will not have access to it.

Designed for use with computers equipped with a TPM:- The small number of home users that could use Bitlocker will probably find that their computer lacks the required TPM or Trusted Platform Module, that Bitlocker requires in order to run. In Windows 7 it is possible to bypass this restriction by jumping through a few hoops, but the process is more complicated than simply using TrueCrypt.

May require manual repartitioning of hard drives:- Bitlocker requires your hard drive to be partitioned in a certain way. Microsoft provide a tool to help with this, but again it is easier to simply use TrueCrypt which does not have this restriction.

So, let's not dwell too long on the shortcomings of Bitlocker, and instead move directly to TrueCrypt, the ideal Bitlocker replacement for the home user.

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Lesson 29 - Installing TrueCrypt In this tutorial, we are going to download and install TrueCrypt to our Windows 7 machine. Although you should be familiar with the process of installing new programs now, we have included this guide just in case. The first thing you need to do is visit the official TrueCrypt homepage. Always download TrueCrypt from the official TrueCrypt homepage, as versions from other sources may have been tampered with. To visit the download page, use this link:http://www.truecrypt.org/downloads Scroll down and choose the download under “latest stable version”. At the time of writing, the latest version was 7.0a, but TrueCrypt is often updated and a new version may now be available. Click on “Download” and save the file to your desktop or somewhere where you can easily access it.

When the download is complete, double click on the downloaded file or click “Run” in your browsers download manager. Enter your administrator password and/or click on “Yes” if User Account Control prompts you to do so. The window shown in figure 29.1 will then appear.

Figure 29.1 – Reviewing the TrueCrypt license agreement You will need to accept the license agreement shown in figure 29.1. Scroll down to read it and then click on “I accept and agree to be bound by the license Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 180

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terms”. Then, click on “Accept”. The window shown in figure 29.2 will then appear.

29.2 – Choose “Install” to install the program We want to install the program, so make sure the top most option is selected, then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 29.3 will then appear.

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Figure 29.3 – Setting installation options The window shown in figure 29.3 allows us to choose where to install the program, as well as set several other options. We recommend that you leave all the options selected. The default installation location is also fine for most users, so simply click on “Install”. Now, wait a moment while the files are copied and configured. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 29.4 will appear.

Figure 29.4 – Installation complete Click on “OK” and the window shown in figure 29.5 will immediately appear.

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Figure 29.5 – Click to view the optional tutorial You now have the option of viewing the official TrueCrypt tutorial. Feel free to view this tutorial or simply click “No” and move on to the next tutorial in this Superguide.

Finally, on the main installer window, click “Finish”. TrueCrypt is now installed.

You can start it from the desktop short-cut, or from the Start Menu by searching for “truecrypt”. In the next tutorial, we will create our first encrypted file container.

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Lesson 30 - TrueCrypt containers - Digital safes for your bits TrueCrypt has two main ways of encrypting files on your computer. It can encrypt entire disks or partitions or it can create container files. Container files are like digital safes. They exist on your computer just like ordinary files.

However, once unlocked and mounted in TrueCrypt, they behave like storage devices, allowing you to safely store files inside of them. Once they are locked again, your files are encrypted and secured.

While file containers lack the convenience of EFS encrypted folders, they can exist on any kind of storage device regardless of filing system. They also work on other platforms too, such as Macintosh OSX and most kinds of Linux.

30.1 - Your first TrueCrypt container To get started, start TrueCrypt if it is not already running. If the program is running but you don't see the main program window, look for its notification area icon, it is a blue square icon, as shown in figure 30.1.

Figure 30.1 – The TrueCrypt notification area icon Double click on this icon to bring up the main program window, this window is shown in figure 30.2.

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Figure 30.2 – Main TrueCrypt program window

The main TrueCrypt program window shown in figure 30.2 shows a list of all the TrueCrypt volumes currently unlocked on the computer. At the moment, there are none, because we have not created any yet, so we will create one now.

Choose the Volumes menu and then select “Create New Volume”, as shown in figure 30.3.

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Figure 30.3 – Starting the new volume creation process

The new volume creation wizard will now start, as shown in figure 30.4.

Figure 30.4 – First step of the Volume Creation Wizard

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Choose “Create an encrypted file container” and then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 30.5 will then appear.

Figure 30.5 – Choosing standard or hidden volumes Choose “Standard TrueCrypt volume” and click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 30.6 will then appear.

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Now we need to choose somewhere to put our volume. Remember that TrueCrypt volumes are just files on your computers hard disk, so the new volume can go anywhere. Click on “Select File”, a standard Windows file browser window will then appear. Use the window to browse to the location you want to use, then enter a name for the container, you could name it anything you like.

Figure 30.7 – Naming and saving a container file

When you have chosen where to put the file and what to call it, click on “Save”.

You will then be returned to the window shown in figure 30.6. Click on “Next”.

The window shown in figure 30.8 will then appear.

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Figure 30.8 – Setting encryption options Expert users can now choose which encryption algorithm to use, as well as which hash algorithm. If that all sounds like another language, don't worry. The default settings will give you very strong encryption, used by the US government no less. Choose your options or simply leave them as the default and then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 30.9 will then appear.

Figure 30.9 – Choosing a volume size

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You now need to choose a size for the TrueCrypt volume. Make sure you make it big enough, as the only way to change the size later is to create a new, bigger volume and then copy all the information in from the old one. Enter the size you want to create in the box at the top, remembering to choose between KB (kilobytes) MB (Megabytes) and GB (Gigabytes). Remember you can right click on a file or a folder in Windows Explorer and choose “Properties” to see how big the file is.

Once you have decided on a size, click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 30.10 will then appear.

Figure 30.10 – Setting a volume password Each TrueCrypt volume you create will need a password. TrueCrypt encrypted volumes are nearly impossible to break into without their password, however if you choose a short password it might be possible for an attacker to use software that simply keeps guessing at your password until it gets it right. You should use a pass-phrase that contains several words and numbers, if you are able to remember them. Enter a password into the top text entry box and confirm it in the one below, then click on “Next >”. TrueCrypt will warn you if you use a password that is too short. If this happens, either choose a longer password or ignore the warning (not recommended). The window shown in figure 30.11 will then appear.

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Figure 30.11 – Volume formatting options

On the window in figure 30.11 you can set options for the filing system on your TrueCrypt volume. Again this is really for expert users, but using the NTFS file system rather than FAT is recommended, since it is typically more robust.

To improve the strength of the encryption, you should move your mouse around randomly in this window for a moment or two before clicking “Format”. If Windows User Account Control prompts you during the volume creation process, you must enter your administrator password and/or click on “Yes”.

When the formatting process is done, the window shown in figure 30.12 will appear.

Figure 30.12 – TrueCrypt volume has been created

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click on “Exit” to go back to the main TrueCrypt window. In the next tutorial, we will show you how to access your newly created TrueCrypt container.

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Lesson 31 - Using TrueCrypt Volumes Now we have created our first TrueCrypt container, we can unlock or mount it and use it to securely store files and folders.

31.1 - Mounting (unlocking) a container Mounting a TrueCrypt container is really easy. Firstly, choose a drive letter on the main TrueCrypt window by clicking on it. It doesn't really matter which letter you choose. In figure 31.1, we used drive 'S:', for secret.

Figure 31.1 – Choose any free drive letter for your container to use Once you have chosen a drive letter, click on “Select File”. The standard Windows file requester window will then open. Navigate to where you stored your TrueCrypt container file, click on it and then click “Open”.

To actually unlock the volume, click on “Mount”. TrueCrypt will now ask for your password, as shown in figure 31.2.

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Figure 31.2 – Entering a volume password Enter your password and click on “OK”. If you entered it correctly, you will now have a TrueCrypt volume mounted and ready for use. TrueCrypt volumes behave exactly as if you had just attached another drive to your computer, for example a USB stick drive or an external hard drive. You can double click the unlocked drive in the list (shown in figure 31.1) to open it. You can also access it through Computer.

Figure 31.3 – A TrueCrypt volume available for use in Computer

31.2 - Working with containers To copy files or folders into a TrueCrypt container, you can simply drag and drop the files, or choose copy/paste, whichever way you feel most comfortable with.

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Figure 31.4 – A file on a TrueCrypt container Once you have copied a file into your TrueCrypt container, if the file was really a sensitive document, you might want to use some kind of file shredding utility to remove it from it's original location. If you do not, an undelete program may be able to recover it.

31.3 - Locking containers When you have finished working with your sensitive files, close any Windows Explorer windows that are open on your secret drive, select the TrueCrypt volume in the list on the main TrueCrypt window (figure 31.1), and click on “Dismount”.

When a TrueCrypt volume is dismounted, it appears to Windows as a file that is simply a collection of random data. Inspecting the file in Notepad, for example, yields no clue as to what the contents may be.

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Figure 31.5 – Encrypted TrueCrypt containers appear to be nothing more than random data when inspected Your private files are securely locked away inside a dismounted container.

Without the correct password, unlocking a TrueCrypt container is virtually impossible. If you chose a suitably long password and kept it secure, it would take decades at least for even a very fast computer to guess the right password.

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Lesson 32 - Full disk encryption with TrueCrypt TrueCrypt makes an excellent alternative to Bitlocker for home users. It can encrypt your entire Windows drive, no matter which version of Windows 7 you have. This is great for protecting your privacy as it means there is no chance of leaving an important file in an unencrypted part of your hard drive and the various temporary files which Windows creates automatically are also encrypted.

32.1 - Limitations of TrueCrypt full disk encryption Before you decided to encrypt your computer, there is one important limitation you should be aware of. Once you use full disk encryption on your hard drive, you will not be able to use the Advanced Boot Options (see lesson 51) to repair your computer or run system restore. In order to use these options again the hard drive will need to be decrypted first, either through Windows or by using the TrueCrypt rescue CD that is created during the encryption process.

Decrypting a hard drive can be very time consuming, but this is the trade off against the extra security TrueCrypt provides.

32.2 - Encrypting your computer Before getting started with encrypting your computer, please back up your entire hard drive. See Lesson 55 – Manually creating a system image, for the details of how to do this. Although the encryption process includes several safeguards to prevent lost data, things can still go wrong, so backup now before we begin.

Once you have backed up your data, start TrueCrypt. On the main TrueCrypt window, choose the system menu, and select “Encrypt System partition/Drive” as shown in figure 32.1.

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Figure 32.1 – Beginning the system encryption process The window shown in figure 32.2 will then appear.

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Figure 32.2 – Choosing normal or hidden operating system encryption TrueCrypt will not only encrypt your entire hard drive, but hide an operating system too. For this tutorial, we will create a normal encrypted operating system. Make sure “Normal” is selected, then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 32.3 will then appear.

Figure 32.3 – Choosing the encryption area Now we need to decide if we are going to encrypt just the Windows partition on our hard drive, or the whole hard drive. In this example, we selected “Encrypt the whole drive”. This is because, like most PC's, we only have one hard drive partition. If you only have one operating system on your PC (i.e just Windows 7), choose “Encrypt the whole drive”, and then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 32.4 will then appear.

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Figure 32.4 – Dealing with the Host Protected Area TrueCrypt now asks if we should encrypt the “Host Protected Area”. This is a special area on some hard drives and encrypting it can cause problems, so we recommend you choose “No” and then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 32.5 will then appear.

Figure 32.5 – Setting the number of operating systems

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Now, you are asked how many operating systems are installed. Most users only have one operating system (in our case Windows 7 of course). If you have two or more, consult the TrueCrypt documentation before attempting to encrypt your computer. The rest of us can choose “Single-boot” and then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 32.6 will then appear.

Figure 32.6 – Configuring encryption options Here you can choose the encryption algorithm to use. We recommend leaving these values as the defaults for the best balance between performance and security, so just click “Next >”. If you are not using a standard US keyboard, the window shown in figure 32.7 will appear.

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Figure 32.7 – A warning about keyboard layouts Unfortunately, around the world keyboard layouts are slightly different. In the UK for example, several symbols are in different places to those of a US keyboard. When you start your computer, only the US keyboard layout is available. Because of this, TrueCrypt switches you to a US keyboard layout while you choose your system encryption password. You may wish to use just letters and numbers while choosing a password for system encryption (though using more kinds of character improves the strength of your password). Click on “OK” and the window shown in figure 32.8 will appear.

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Figure 32.8 – Setting the encryption password Here, we need to choose a password. The longer the password the better, but make sure it is something you can remember without writing it down. If you lose your password, you will lose access to your computer, there is no way to reset or remove it. Enter a password in the top text entry box and confirm it in the box below and then click “Next >”. If your password isn't long enough, TrueCrypt will warn you. Choose a longer password and then try again. If the two entered passwords match and the password is long enough, the window shown in figure 32.9 will appear.

Figure 32.9 – Generating random data for encryption For the encryption to be as strong as possible, we need to generate some random data. Wiggle your mouse pointer around randomly in this window for as long as you can, then click on “Next”. If Window User Account Control prompts you at this point, you must enter your administrator password and/or click “Yes”. The window shown in figure 32.10 will then appear.

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Figure 32.10 – Keys generated We have some keys generated. Click on “Next >” to proceed to the next part of the process. The window shown in figure 32.11 will then appear.

Figure 32.11 – Creating a rescue CD

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go over it again. Click “Next >” and then “OK”. The Windows Disc Image Burner will then open. Record the CD and place it in your CD/DVD drive, then close the Disc Image Burner. You should now see the window shown in figure 32.12.

Figure 32.12 – A rescue CD must be verified Make sure your rescue CD is inserted and then click “Next >”. TrueCrypt will then verify the CD. If the CD was recorded correctly, the window shown in figure 32.13 will appear.

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Figure 32.13 – Rescue CD verified The rescue CD is fine so it is safe to proceed to the next step. Important Before clicking “Next >”, be sure to remove the rescue CD from your computer and store it away safely. The window shown in figure 32.14 will then appear.

Figure 32.14 – Choosing a wipe mode

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wipe your hard drive, an attacker might be able to recover your unencrypted data in a forensic data laboratory. This is highly unlikely however, so in this example we are going to opt not to wipe the hard drive and simply click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 32.15 will then appear.

Figure 32.15 – Preparing the encryption pretest TrueCrypt will install its boot loader to make sure that everything is working correctly. The boot loader is the portion of the program that loads before Windows does and allows the user to enter their password to unlock the rest of the drive. No actual encryption takes place at this stage. Click on “Test”. The instruction window shown in figure 32.16 will then appear.

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Figure 32.16 – Encryption pretest instructions We recommend you print these instructions just in case you need them. When you have printed the instructions, click on “OK”. The window shown in figure 32.17 will then appear.

Figure 32.17 – Reboot your PC now to begin the encryption pretest

Time to reboot and check that everything is working, click on “Yes” and wait while the computer reboots. If the boot-loader has installed properly, you should see a screen like the one shown in figure 32.18.

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Figure 32.18 – The password entry screen should appear during the encryption pretest Figure 32.18 shows the screen you should see if the boot loader has installed properly. Enter your password and press Enter. Windows should now boot back up. Log back in as usual, note that your log in password has not changed.

If the pre-test goes successfully, you should see the window shown in figure 32.19.

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Figure 32.19 – Encryption pretest completed Now it's time to start encrypting the drive. Notice the warning about power failure or crashes, no need to worry about that because you took a full backup before you started. Press “Encrypt” to start the process. The window shown in figure 32.20 will then appear.

Figure 32.20 – In case of emergency, follow these instructions The information in this window tells you how to use your rescue CD if things go wrong, again we recommend you print this information before clicking “OK”. If Windows User Account Control prompts you at this point, you must enter your administrator password and/or click on “Yes”. The window shown in figure 32.21 will then appear.

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Figure 32.21 – The encrypting process begins The encryption process will now begin. This will usually take several hours on modern sized hard drives. Once the process is complete, you will see the window shown in figure 32.22.

32.22 – The drive is now fully encrypted Click on “OK”, then click on “Finish”. That's it! Your entire computer is now transparently encrypted and protected with TrueCrypt. Remember to store your rescue CD somewhere safe and never write down or share your password. Now that your PC is encrypted, we also recommend that you power down your PC (rather than putting it to sleep or hibernate) whenever you leave it unattended.

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Chapter 7 – Windows XP Mode The venerable Windows XP operating system can surely be considered as one of Microsoft's best products ever. Having been with us since 2001, XP conquered corporate and home desktops alike. Corporations all across the world developed applications and systems designed to work with Windows XP. Migrating from XP to Windows 7 can be a smooth process for many users. In the Top-WindowsTutorials.com labs we've encountered scant few programs that won't run even on the 64 bit version of Windows 7. Such programs do exist though, and one solution to running them is to use Windows XP Mode.

Windows XP Mode is only available to Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate edition users. However, users of other versions of Windows 7 fear not, since we cover VirtualBox, the popular XP Mode alternative too.

XP Mode provides a complete copy of Windows XP inside a 'virtual machine'. A virtual machine acts like another computer running inside your computer. You can think of it as a program you run that acts like a whole computer on its own.

This means you can run two operating systems at the same time and even share information and resources between them. In lesson 28.3 in the original Windows 7 Superguide, we briefly discussed XP Mode and what it can and cannot do. It's worth reiterating these restrictions again now. First and foremost, Windows XP Mode is generally unsuitable for multimedia software and all but the most simple games. Running a virtual machine incurs a significant performance hit and you should always try to find a way to run your software natively before resorting to XP Mode. If you are still undecided about Windows XP mode, review lesson 38 before you begin.

For those of you who want to go ahead and try Windows XP Mode, this chapter will walk you through the process of installing, configuring and using the feature.

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Lesson 33 - Installing Windows XP Mode Although XP Mode is touted as a feature of Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate editions, it is not actually present on the Windows 7 installation DVD and must be downloaded from Microsoft. In this tutorial, we will show you how to set up Windows XP Mode for the first time.

33.1 - Downloading the XP Mode files Firstly, you should visit the Windows XP Mode homepage on the internet, you can reach the page by visiting the link given here:http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtual-pc/download.aspx.

Figure 33.1 shows the link opened in Internet Explorer.

Figure 33.1 – Downloading XP Mode Select your version of Windows 7 from the drop down box and then select your language from the second drop-down box. Now, scroll down further on the page until you see the download links shown in figure 33.2.

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Figure 33.2 – The XP Mode download links There are three components needed in order to install Windows XP Mode or two if you are running Windows 7 Service Pack 1, which is now available. Download each component and save it to your computer.

33.2 - Installing the XP Mode components When all three downloads are complete, you should install the Windows XP Mode executable first. It should be called “WindowsXPMode_en-us”. Double click on the file to start the installation process. After a short pause, the window shown in figure 33.3 will appear.

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Figure 33.3 – Installing the first XP Mode component Click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 33.4 will then appear.

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Figure 33.4 – Choose a destination directory for the new files Here we can choose where to install the Windows XP Mode files. For most users, the default location is fine, so simply click on “Next >”. There will be a pause while files are copied and configured. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 33.5 will be displayed.

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Figure 33.5 – Setup of this component is complete Click on “Finish”. This phase of the set-up is now complete. You should now install the Microsoft Virtual PC component. The file name of this component should be similar to “Windows6.1-KB958559”. Double click on this component to start the installation process. The window shown in figure 33.6 will then appear.

Figure 33.6 – Installing the Virtual PC component Click on “Yes”. The window shown in figure 33.7 will then be displayed.

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Figure 33.7 – Review the license agreement for Virtual PC Scroll down to read the license agreement and if you accept, click on “I Accept”.

There will then be a short pause while the files are copied and configured. Once the process is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer. If you are, restart your PC before proceeding to the next step.

Finally, you should install the final update, named something similar to “Windows6.1-KB977206”. This update is not necessary if you have already installed Windows 7 Service Pack 1. If not, double click on the file to start the installation process, the window shown in figure 33.8 will then appear.

Figure 33.8 – Installing the final component

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Click on “Yes”. There will then be a short pause while the files are copied and configured. Once the process is complete, you may be prompted to restart your computer. If you are, restart your PC before proceeding to the next tutorial.

Now, you are ready to start Windows XP Mode. In the next tutorial, we will take you through configuring XP Mode for the first time.

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Lesson 34 - Getting into XP Mode With XP Mode now installed on your computer, it is time to power on the virtual machine for the first time and finish setting up the operating system.

34.1 - Starting XP Mode for the first time The first thing you need to do is start Windows XP Mode. You can do this by clicking on the Start Menu and searching for “windows xp mode”, then clicking on the icon that appears. The very first time you do this, the window shown in figure 34.1 will appear.

Figure 34.1 – Starting XP Mode

Scroll down to read the license agreement and if you agree to the terms, select the box labelled “I accept the license terms”, then click “Next”. The window shown in figure 34.2 will then appear.

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Figure 34.2 – Creating a password for XP Mode Unless you are an expert user, leave the installation folder as the default, then enter a password for your Windows XP machine. Just like a real XP machine, Windows XP Mode requires a user name and password, so enter one now. We highly recommend that you do NOT use the same password for both Windows XP Mode and for logging on to Windows 7.

Once you have chosen a user name and password, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 34.3 will then appear.

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Figure 34.3 – Setting update options for XP Mode Since XP Mode acts exactly like a real Windows XP PC, it can also be vulnerable to malware. Enabling automatic updates is one way you can help protect your XP Mode machine from such threats. We highly recommend you choose “Help protect my computer by turning on Automatic Updates now”. Then, click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 34.4 will then be displayed.

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Figure 34.4 – Configuring drive sharing Setup will now configure your machine so that the drives you can access on your Windows 7 machine are available on your Windows XP virtual machine too.

Click on “Start Setup”. The window shown in figure 34.5 will then appear.

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Figure 34.5 – Installing XP Mode Wait while XP Mode is configured on your computer. This process may take several minutes. In actual fact, what is happening in the background is that Windows XP is being installed to the virtual hard drive inside the Windows Virtual PC program. When setup is complete, you should see a Windows XP desktop running inside the Virtual PC window, as shown in figure 34.6.

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Figure 34.6 – The XP desktop on Windows XP Mode

34.2 - Party like it's 2001 As you can now see, Windows XP Mode is a fully functioning Windows XP installation, that runs inside your Windows 7 installation. In “My Computer” on the virtual XP machine, you can access all the drives that are present on your Windows 7 machine.

You may see several message balloons appear, telling you that a “Virtual PC Integration Device” has been found. Wait until these messages stop appearing and then proceed to our next tutorial, where we discuss ways to secure Windows XP Mode.

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Lesson 35 - Securing Windows XP Mode As we have stated before, Windows XP Mode works exactly like a real Windows XP computer and that also means that viruses, spyware and other malicious software can run on XP Mode. To minimise the risk, we will now look at how to use Windows Update on XP Mode.

35.1 - Windows XP Mode updates First of all, we will access Windows Update. In Windows XP Mode, click on the Start button and then on the Start Menu, click “Help and Support”.

Figure 35.1 – Opening Help and Support from the XP Start Menu The window shown in figure 35.2 will then be displayed.

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Figure 35.2 – Accessing Windows Update from Help and Support in XP Mode

From the options available in figure 35.2 choose “Keep your computer up-todate with Windows Update”. Windows update will now launch, after a short delay, the window should appear as shown in figure 35.3.

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for updates. You may see the warning window shown in figure 35.4.

Figure 35.4 – Internet Explorer warning

If you see the window in figure 35.4, click on “Yes”. You may also want to tick/check the box labelled “In the future, do not show this message”. The window shown in figure 35.5 will then appear.

Figure 35.5 – Updating Windows Update

We now need to update Windows Update to the latest version. Click on “Download and install now”. There will be a pause while this update is installed.

When the process is complete, click on “Close”. The window shown in figure 35.6 will be displayed.

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Figure 35.6 – These updates are now installed Click on “Continue”. Windows update should now display a list of all available updates, as shown in figure 35.7.

Figure 35.7 – Choosing and reviewing updates in XP Mode You can now scroll down and see all the updates that are missing. When you first start using Windows XP Mode, there will normally be a long list of updates to install. Click on “Install Updates” on the left hand side of the Window.

Windows Update will then ask you to “Review and Install Updates”. Click on “Install Updates”. The window shown in figure 35.8 may then appear.

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Figure 35.8 – Another license agreement, this time for Malicious Software Removal Tool This is the license agreement for the Windows XP version of the Malicious Software Removal Tool. Scroll down to read the license agreement and if you agree, click on “I Accept”. The updates will now be downloaded and installed.

When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 35.9 will be displayed.

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Figure 35.9 – Installation of this update is complete If you are prompted to restart your computer, you should click “Restart Now”.

Note that this refers to the Windows XP Mode component, your Windows 7 computer will not restart. Once the virtual machine is restarted, the window shown in figure 35.10 will appear.

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Figure 35.10 – Installing the WGA update The controversial Windows Genuine Advantage update manages to make an appearance in Windows XP Mode too. Of course, Windows XP Mode is fully authorised by Microsoft, so this update should not cause you any difficulties.

Click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 35.11 will then appear.

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Figure 35.11 – Yet another license agreement Choose “I Agree” and then click on “Next >”. There will be a short pause while files are copied and configured. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 35.12 will appear.

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Figure 35.12 – The WGA update is complete Deselect the option “Show me some of the many benefits of using genuine software when I click Finish”, and then click “Finish”.

The Windows update process is now complete. Now that you are familiar with the updating process, you should go back to the start of this tutorial and check for updates again. There may be additional updates available now that the initial batch of updates has installed.

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Lesson 36 - Installing and using software with Windows XP Mode Adding software to your Windows XP Mode virtual machine is, as you might expect, virtually identical to adding software to a normal Windows XP machine.

Continuing our theme of securing Windows XP Mode, we will install an antivirus package on to the XP virtual machine.

36.1 - Accessing files and folders in XP Mode To install software into Windows XP Mode, we simply have to run the setup file inside the virtual machine. To do this, you could download the software, by starting Internet Explorer from inside Windows XP Mode. Alternatively, if you have downloaded or saved the software using Windows 7, you can access your Windows 7 hard drive from within Windows XP Mode.

For example, if the program we wanted to install was saved to our G: drive on Windows 7, figure 36.1 shows the file open in Windows Explorer.

Figure 36.1 – This antivirus file needs installing in Windows XP Mode In Windows XP Mode, open the Start Menu and click on “My Computer”. You should now be able to find the Windows 7 'G' drive (or any other drive attached to your Windows 7 PC) under “Other”. Figure 36.2 shows how the Windows 7 Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 235

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drives appear in Windows XP Mode.

Figure 36.2 – Exploring Windows 7 drives within Windows XP Mode Figure 36.3 shows the Windows 7 'G' drive opened up in Windows XP Mode.

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Figure 36.3 – The host machines 'G' drive opened in Windows XP Mode The same files are shown in figure 36.1 as are shown in figure 36.3. This is because the locations are the same.

36.2 - Troubleshooting installations in XP Mode We can now proceed to double click the installation file and start installing our antivirus program. Most software will install correctly, but several programs will display an error message like the one shown in figure 36.4.

Figure 36.4 – Some programs require special action to install in XP Mode

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If you see the error message shown in figure 36.4, this means that the installer will not run when the Windows XP Mode integration features are running. The integration features provide access to your Windows 7 drives from within Windows XP Mode, facilitate clipboard sharing and all kinds of other neat features. We will explore them in more detail in the next lesson. For now, we need to do two things. Firstly, copy the installer file from the Windows 7 drive to another location inside the Windows XP virtual machine. Any location is fine as long as it is a location on the Windows XP machine and not a shared location.

The “My Documents” folder will be perfect.

We need to copy this file because in the next step, we will disable the integration features. This will, amongst other things, disable our access to any Windows 7 drives when using Windows XP Mode. To disable integration features, go to the “Tools” menu at the top of the window and choose “Disable Integration Features” as shown in figure 36.5.

Figure 36.5 – Disabling integration features Once you click this option, you will need to enter the password that you originally chose when you set up Windows XP Mode. You will then be returned to the Windows XP desktop. You can now open the location on the Windows XP virtual machine and double click on the executable file to start the installation process.

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Figure 36.6 – Our program will now install!

You can now proceed to install your chosen antivirus product. We will not take you through this process as it is different for every product on the market.

Once your antivirus is installed, you can re-enable integration features from the menu shown in figure 36.5. XP Mode is now ready to use. In the next tutorial we will show you how to seamlessly run legacy XP applications on your Windows 7 desktop.

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Lesson 37 - Using seamless mode In the previous lesson we installed a program inside our Windows XP Mode virtual machine. In this lesson, we will take things a step further and show you how to run Windows XP programs on your Windows 7 desktop, install XP programs that do not have their own installer and more.

37.1 - Launching XP Mode programs in Windows 7 In the last tutorial, we added an antivirus package onto our Windows XP machine. It is possible to launch Windows XP Mode programs directly from the Windows 7 Start Menu. To access Windows XP software in this manner, open the Start Menu and either search for your program, or navigate to “All Programs>Windows Virtual PC->Windows XP Mode->Windows XP Mode Applications”.

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Figure 37.1 – Browsing XP Mode programs in Windows 7 In figure 37.1 we can see a folder called “ESET”. This is the folder our antivirus software created when we installed it in the last lesson.

37.2 - Running XP programs seamlessly For the next example, we are going to start a Windows XP Mode program from the Windows 7 Start Menu. We will use the documentation files our anti-virus packaged installed. By clicking on the “Documentation” icon that can be seen in figure 37.1, the Windows XP virtual machine is started automatically. If you see the window shown in figure 37.2, be sure to click “Continue”.

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Figure 37.2 – Click “Continue” to launch your application Rather than loading to the XP desktop however, the window will open directly on your Windows 7 desktop.

Figure 37.3 – An XP application running seamlessly on the Windows 7 desktop Notice how the documentation is running in a window with the distinct Windows XP style. This program is actually running on the Windows XP virtual machine, in seamless mode. With the integration features enabled, you can even copy Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 242

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and paste between Windows XP and Windows 7 applications.

37.3 - Manually installing XP programs You can seamlessly run any application that you install in Windows XP Mode by launching it from the Windows 7 Start Menu. If your Windows XP program does not have its own installer, you will need to manually add it to your Windows XP Start Menu. To do this, first start XP Mode in desktop mode, by opening the Start Menu and searching for “windows xp mode” and then clicking on the icon that appears at the top. You will see the window shown in figure 37.4 if you have any XP Mode software running.

Figure 37.4 – Open XP Mode applications need to be closed before the desktop can be accessed again Make sure you save any work you have open in your XP Mode applications and then click on “Close All”. You will then be returned to the standard Windows XP desktop.

The next step is to locate the program you want to install. If it exists on your Windows 7 hard drive, use the techniques we discussed in the previous lesson to open the folder from within Windows XP Mode. Copy the program files you want to install to your Windows XP Mode virtual machine, just like we did in the previous lesson.

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Figure 37.5 – Very Old Games folder in our Windows XP Mode machine In figure 37.5 we can see the folder “Very Old Games” which has been copied to the Windows XP Mode virtual machine's 'C' drive. We could now go ahead and open the folder and run the program.

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Figure 37.6 – An old game running in Windows XP Mode As you can see in figure 37.6 the program will now run. This might be satisfactory, however, most users will prefer the program to run seamlessly with their Windows 7 applications. To do this, we need to manually add the program to the Windows XP Start Menu. From within Windows XP Mode, open a Windows Explorer window and navigate to “C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Start Menu/Programs”.

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Figure 37.7 – Accessing the Windows XP Start Menu in Windows Explorer Choose a location for the program you are adding. In this example, we are adding a game, so the Games folder is a logical choice. You can also create a new folder if necessary. Once you are in the desired folder, right click and choose “New → Shortcut”.

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The window shown in figure 37.9 will then appear.

Figure 37.9 – Point the shortcut to the program you want to run Click on “Browse...”. Browse to the location of the program you want to add to the Start Menu. In our example, the location is “C:\Very Old Games\Blackjack”.

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Figure 37.10 – Browsing to the program Click on “OK” when you have located your program. You will then be returned to the window shown in figure 37.9. Click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 37.11 will then be displayed.

Figure 37.11 – Entering a name for the shortcut

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Enter a name for your shortcut or simply leave the name as the default. Then click on “Finish”.

You should now be able to see your program on the Windows XP Mode Start Menu. Shut down Windows XP Mode now by going to the Action menu and choosing “Close”.

Now, on the Windows 7 Start Menu, you can launch your newly added program either by searching for it or browsing to it (as per figure 37.1). Click on your program to start it. You may see the window shown in figure 37.12.

Figure 37.12 – Click “Continue” to launch your XP Mode program If the window in figure 37.12 appears, simply click “Continue”. You should now see your Windows XP program running seamlessly on your Windows 7 desktop.

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Figure 37.13 – Manually installed XP program running seamlessly The old Black Jack game we installed in our Windows XP Mode virtual machine might not be very useful any more, but it serves as a good example of what can be achieved with XP Mode. We are running a 16-bit Windows application designed for Windows 3.1 from 1992 on Windows 7 64 bit edition. As you may be aware, 64 bit editions of Windows cannot normally run 16-bit programs.

That is all you need to know to use programs in XP Mode. Remember, running programs in XP Mode always incurs a performance hit, so try to run your programs natively on Windows 7 first before resorting to XP Mode. Windows 7 will run a lot of older software, meaning that XP Mode may be unnecessary for most users.

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Lesson 38 - XP Mode limitations and alternatives Windows XP Mode is an interesting and often useful feature for improving Windows 7's backward compatibility. Before you decide to run your software under Windows XP Mode, you might want to carefully consider the limitations of XP Mode.

38.1 - XP Mode limitations As you may have now gathered, Windows XP Mode uses a technology called virtualization. Virtualzation allows multiple operating systems (in our case Windows XP and Windows 7), to run simultaneously on one computer. Unlike an emulator, which simulates other hardware with software, Virtualization allows the sharing of resources between the host (Windows 7) and the guest (Windows XP Mode). This means memory and computing resources are shared between the two operating systems. However, the guest operating system typically only gets limited access to hardware in the host. For example, in the picture below, we can see that the graphics card on our host operating system is a very capable, 3D accelerated Nvidia model, but on our guest PC, we only have a very basic virtual graphics card.

Figure 38.1 – Not all hardware is available to XP Mode

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This means that for anything but the most basic games, Windows XP Mode is unsuitable. As we have stated at the start of the chapter, XP Mode is also only available to Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate users.

38.2 - Alternatives to Windows XP Mode Windows XP Mode isn't the only solution to running your old software on Windows 7. For Windows 7 Home users, or for anyone interested in running other operating systems (such as Linux) under Windows 7, we will be taking a look at VirtualBox in the next lesson. VirtualBox is also a virtualization solution, so has many of the drawbacks of Windows XP Mode. However, it is entirely free for non-commercial use (although a copy of Windows XP is required if you wish to run Windows XP through VirtualBox).

Solutions for gamers While we won't be looking in detail at other solutions, there are a couple of programs you might want to investigate if you are having difficulty running older games software.

DOSbox – Before Windows there was plain old DOS. Rather than point and click, you typed commands into the computer to tell it what to do. Up until Windows XP, Windows ran on top of DOS. Many older games, in order to maximise computer resources, ran outside of Windows using DOS. Now that DOS is gone, certain older games can still be run within Windows, but many titles exhibit peculiar behaviour or simply cannot be run. The solution to this problem is DOSbox. DOSbox is a fully featured emulator specifically designed for running games (there is limited support for productivity software too, but virtualization solutions are usually better in this case). You can find out more about DOSBox by visiting this link:http://www.dosbox.com/ Glide Wrappers – In the early days of 3D gaming, there was a company called 3DFX, who produced the 3DFX Voodoo cards. At the time, these cards were the pinnacle of 3D processing power on the PC. As time went on however, games started to transition more towards DirectX. 3DFX eventually went bankrupt in 2000. This left a lot of old software that would not run on newer cards, since they did not directly support the 3DFX 'Glide' standard.

Several clever individuals have produced Glide wrapper drivers, which convert the original 3DFX games into OpenGL, a standard supported on all graphics cards. One of the better versions of this program is Nglide, which is available from this link:http://www.zeus-software.com/downloads/nglide There's also OpenGlide, which you can find out about here:Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 252

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http://openglide.sourceforge.net/ You may still need to jump through a few hoops to get very old games to install, but the above programs can help with many situations. For more information on compatibility, review chapter 28 in the original Windows 7 Superguide and see the following link on Top-Windows-Tutorials.com:http://www.top-windows-tutorials.com/windows-vista-compatibility.html

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Lesson 39 - VirtualBox – The XP Mode Alternative If you don't have Windows 7 Professional, Enterprise or Ultimate editions, or you want to try out some other operating systems via virtualization, then VirtualBox is a great free alternative. Note that although VirtualBox is free, Windows XP isn't, so you will need to purchase a copy of Windows XP to run on VirtualBox before you can use VirtualBox as an XP Mode alternative.

Since VirtualBox is a virtualization solution just like Windows XP Mode, many of the same limitations apply. See Lesson 38 for more information on what virtualization can and cannot do.

39.1 - Installing VirtualBox To install VirtualBox, first visit the VirtualBox download page by using the link below:http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads Choose the download link next to “VirtualBox for Windows hosts”. Save the file to your computer in a location you can easily access. When the download is complete, double click on the downloaded file or choose “Open” in your browsers download manager. The window shown in figure 39.1 will then be displayed.

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Figure 39.1 – Beginning the VirtualBox installation Click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 39.2 will then be displayed.

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Figure 39.2 – Choosing components to install In the window shown in figure 39.2 you can choose which components to install. We recommend you simply leave the choices as the default options. You can also install VirtualBox to a different location by clicking on the “Browse” button. The default location should be fine for most users however, so simply click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 39.3 will then appear.

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Figure 39.3 – Creating shortcuts for VirtualBox The installer will create shortcuts on the desktop and the quick launch bar, unless you deselect the two tick/check boxes shown in figure 39.3. Configure these options however you like, then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 39.4 will then appear.

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Figure 39.4 – Your internet connection will be temporarily disconnected When installing VirtualBox, your network connection will temporarily be disconnected. If you have any online applications open you should close them now before proceeding. Click “Yes” when you are ready to begin installing VirtualBox. The window shown in figure 39.5 will then appear.

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Figure 39.5 – Click “Install” to begin copying files Click on “Install”. VirtualBox files will now be copied and configured. This may take several minutes. During the process you may see one or more windows the same or similar to the one shown in figure 39.6.

Figure 39.6 – These components must be installed with VirtualBox

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For every window you see that looks like the one in figure 39.6, verify that the publisher is “Oracle Corporation” and click on “Install”. When the installation process is complete, the window shown in figure 39.7 will appear.

Figure 39.7 – Installation is complete Click on “Finish” and VirtualBox will start. You can now proceed to the next tutorial where we will configure an XP machine inside VirtualBox.

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Lesson 40 - Configuring an XP Virtual Machine In this tutorial, we will set up a Windows XP VirtualBox machine, ready for creating our very own Windows XP Mode. Figure 40.1 shows the VirtualBox manager window. From this window we can add and manage our virtual machines.

Figure 40.1 – Main VirtualBox window To run Windows XP in VirtualBox, you will need a Windows XP installation CD and serial number. Insert your Windows XP installation CD into your computers DVD drive. Now, open “Computer” and make a note of the drive letter of the DVD drive.

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Figure 40.2 – Our XP Installation DVD is drive letter 'E' On the main VirtualBox window, click on “New” in the top left hand corner of the window. This will start the New Virtual Machine Wizard, as shown in figure 40.3.

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Click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 40.4 will then appear.

Figure 40.4 – Choosing the OS type and version Enter a name for your new virtual machine, you can name it anything you like.

Make sure “Operating System” is set to Microsoft Windows and “Version” is set to Windows XP, then click “Next”. The window shown in figure 40.5 will then appear.

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Figure 40.5 – Configuring virtual machine memory Just like a real PC, a virtual machine needs memory. We recommend you give the VM at least 256 megabytes (MB). If your PC has plenty of memory, then you can safely increase this to 512MB or even 1 gigabyte (1024MB), do not move the slider out of the green area however. The PC in our example has six gigabytes of memory, so it would be possible to increase the memory usage all the way to 3 gigabytes. However, 1 gigabyte (1024MB) should be more than enough for any XP programs you might want to run on the VM. Click on “Next” when you are done configuring memory. The window shown in figure 40.6 will then be displayed.

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Figure 40.6 – Setting hard drive options We now need to create a virtual hard disk, leave the options as the default and click on “Next”. The Create New Virtual Disk Wizard will then open, as shown in figure 40.7.

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Figure 40.7 – Starting the Create New Virtual Disk Wizard Click on “Next”. The window shown in figure 40.8 will then appear.

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Figure 40.8 – Choosing a hard drive type You can now choose between a dynamically expanding virtual hard disk or a fixed one. Dynamically expanding disks grow as you add data to the virtual machine, so they never consume more space than is required. This is obviously more convenient, so choose this option and then click “Next”. You will then be taken to the window shown in figure 40.9.

Figure 40.9 – Configuring virtual hard disk size By clicking on the yellow folder icon near the middle right of the window, you can choose where on your computer to store the new virtual hard drive. For most users, the default location is fine. You can also choose the maximum size for the hard disk. The default value of 10GB will suffice for most users. When you are done configuring these options, click “Next”. You will be shown a brief summary window, detailing the hard drive settings you chose, click on “Finish” to dismiss this window. You will then see another summary window showing you the settings you configured for the virtual machine. Click on “Finish” once again.

You will then be returned to the Virtual Machine Manager window, and the virtual machine will be shown in the list, just like in figure 40.10.

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Figure 40.10 – The new Windows XP virtual machine added to the list Our virtual PC is now created. There are a few more options to configure before pressing the virtual power button. Click on the virtual machine in the list (so that it is highlighted blue) and then click the “Settings” button (the yellow gear icon). The window shown in figure 40.11 will then appear.

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Figure 40.11 – Configuring display settings From the options on the left of the window in figure 40.11, click on “Display” first. We recommend increasing the amount of video memory if possible. Just like when we configured memory, do not drag the slider into the red. If you have a good graphics card in your PC, you can drag the slider all the way to the right.

You can also choose “Enable 2D Video Acceleration” under “Extended Features” for smoother performance. You should not select 3D video acceleration just yet however, as that requires special configuration.

When you have configured these options, click on the “Storage” option from the list on the left. The window will change to the one shown in figure 40.12.

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Figure 40.12 – Setting CD/DVD options We need to tell VirtualBox to use our DVD drive, the drive that contains our Windows XP installation CD. Click on the CD icon under “Storage Tree”. Now, click on the little CD icon on the right of the window (the icon under the mouse pointer in figure 40.12). You will then see a drop down box. Choose the drive letter that corresponds to the drive with your Windows XP CD in it. In our example, that was “Host Drive drive E:”.

After completing this step, click on “OK”. The virtual machine is now ready to be virtually powered on for the first time. In the next tutorial, we will start the VM and install Windows XP.

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Lesson 41 - Installing Windows XP on a VirtualBox Virtual Machine Picking up directly from the previous lesson, in this lesson we are going to power on our new virtual XP machine and install Windows XP.

41.1 - Powering on the virtual machine To power on a virtual machine, select it from the list in the VM VirtualBox Manager window (see figure 40.10) and then click the “Start” button at the top of the window.

As soon as the virtual machine is started, the window shown in figure 41.1 will appear.

Figure 41.1 – The VM will automatically capture the keyboard and mouse The window in figure 41.1 tells us that the keyboard and mouse inputs are locked inside the Virtual Machine window whenever you click on it. If you want to interact with programs other than VirtualBox, press the Right control key.

Click on “OK” and then Windows setup should begin. Clicking inside the Virtual Machine window will cause the window shown in figure 41.2 to appear.

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Figure 41.2 – Keyboard and mouse input will be captured by VirtualBox To interact with the virtual machine, click on “Capture”. Remember to press the right hand control (Ctrl) key when you want to unlock the mouse pointer to interact with other applications.

41.2 - Setting up Windows XP Windows setup should now begin. Wait a moment while Windows loads setup files. After a moment, the screen shown in figure 41.3 will appear.

Figure 41.3 – Starting Windows XP setup

At this point, press the “Enter” key. The screen will then change to the one shown in figure 41.4.

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Figure 41.4 – You must agree to the license agreement in order to install Windows XP To use Windows XP you need to agree to the terms and conditions set out in the license agreement. Use the Page down key on your keyboard to read through the license agreement and then press F8 to accept the terms. The screen will then change to the one shown in figure 41.5.

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Figure 41.5 – Choosing a drive to install Windows XP to We now need to format, or initialise, the empty space on our virtual hard drive.

Since the virtual hard drive is empty, there is only “Unpartitioned Space” available. Press the “Enter” key to select this space. The screen shown in figure 41.6 will then appear.

Figure 41.6 – Choosing formatting options Since this is a virtual hard drive, there is really no point doing a full format, so use the up arrow key to choose “format the partition using the NTFS file system (Quick)” and then press Enter. Note you cannot select these options with the mouse, so use the up and down arrow keys to move the selection.

The virtual hard drive partition will now be initialised, then files will be copied.

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window shown in figure 41.7 will appear.

Figure 41.7 – Setting regional and language options At this point in the process we need to configure our regional settings. If you are in the USA you can simply click “Next >”. For the rest of us, click on “Customize...”. The window shown in figure 41.8 will then be displayed.

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Figure 41.8 – Configuring regional options Change each option on the window in figure 41.8 to match your country of residence. When you are done, click on the “Languages” tab. The window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 41.9.

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Figure 41.9 – Configuring languages Click on “Details...”, the Text Services and Input Languages window shown in figure 41.10 will appear.

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Figure 41.10 – Changing input languages Now we need to add the keyboard for our country, since each country has its own minor differences in keyboard layout. Click on “Add...”. The window shown in figure 41.11 will then appear.

Figure 41.11 – Add a new input language

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Choose the Input Language from the first drop-down box and then choose the keyboard layout from the second box if it is different from the standard QUERTY keyboard. Click on “OK” when you have configured these options. You will then be returned to the window shown in figure 41.10. Make sure that the drop down box at the top of the window is set to your preferred language, then click on “Apply”, then “OK”. You will then be returned to the window shown in figure 41.9. Click on “OK” again and you will be returned to the window shown in figure 41.8. Review the regional settings and if you are satisfied they are correct, click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 41.12 will then appear.

Figure 41.12 – Entering your user name Now, enter your name or nickname into the “Name” box. You can also optionally enter an organization name. When you have entered this information, click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 41.13 will then be displayed.

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Figure 41.13 – Entering your product key Now we need to enter the product key, this is located on a sticker inside the packaging which your XP installation CD came in. Enter your key and then click “Next >”. If you entered the key correctly, the window shown in figure 41.14 will then appear.

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Figure 41.14 – Setting computer name and administrator password Enter a name for the virtual computer, you can name the computer anything you like, if you have a home network make sure that the name isn't being used by another computer. We recommend using just upper-case letters or numbers for best compatibility.

Enter an administrator password into the box on the lower half of the window and make sure you do not forget it. You may need it if you ever have to carry out maintenance on your virtual machine in the future. Confirm the password in the second box and then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 41.15 will then appear.

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Figure 41.15 – Configuring date and time options Choose a time zone that matches your current location and then check that the date and time shown on the top of the window is accurate and adjust as necessary. Then click “Next >”. Installation will now continue, after a few moments the window shown in figure 41.16 will appear.

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Figure 41.16 – Configuring XP networking settings At this point in the installation process we need to configure our networking settings, choose “Typical Settings” and then click “Next >”. The window shown in figure 41.17 will then appear.

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Figure 41.17 – Workgroup or domain?

Unless you are configuring this virtual PC for use in a corporate network, leave the option as “No, this computer is not on a network, or is on a network without a domain”. You can optionally enter a workgroup name, if you already have a workgroup name for your home network, use that, all the computers on your home network should have the same workgroup name. Click on “Next >” when you are done configuring these options. The installation will continue automatically. After several minutes you should see the window shown in figure 41.18.

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high resolution screen-modes, then click on “OK” again to confirm. Just a few more things to configure before we can get to the Windows XP desktop. After a moment the window shown in figure 41.19 will appear.

Figure 41.19 – Beginning the final set-up options You may need to use the scroll bars to move your view of the window to the bottom right, so that you can click “Next”. The window shown in figure 41.20 will then appear.

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Figure 41.20 – Setting update options

Since a virtual PC acts just like a real one, it is vulnerable to the same kinds of malware and hacking attacks that a real PC is. We highly recommend you turn on Automatic Updates, so select the top most option and then click “Next”. All the settings we configure here can be changed later, if necessary.

After a short pause, the window will now change to resemble the one shown in figure 41.21.

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Figure 41.21 – More networking options If your Windows 7 host machine is already connected to the internet, then your virtual machine should be able to connect too. Choose the top most option, “Yes, this computer will connect through a local area network or home network”, and then click “Next”. The window will change to the one shown in figure 41.22.

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Figure 41.22 – Activating Windows XP

41.3 - Activating Windows XP When you install Windows XP, you will need to activate it too. Because activation can sometimes be a lengthy process and involve telephone calls to Microsoft, you might want to delay doing so until you are sure you need to use this copy of Windows XP inside your virtual machine. Depending on the license you have for your copy of XP, activating it may also bind the license to this computer, meaning it cannot be uninstalled and reinstalled to a different PC, virtual or real. You can use Windows XP for 30 days before you are forced to activate it, which gives ample time to assess if a virtual Windows XP environment is right for you, so choose the bottom option, “No, remind me every few days”, and then click “Next”. The window will change to show the information shown in figure 41.23.

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Figure 41.23 – Configuring user accounts Enter a user-name for yourself and anyone else who uses this virtual PC. Passwords can be set later using the Control Panel. Click on “Next” when you have finished configuring users. The setup process has now finally finished, click on “Finish” if Windows XP prompts you to do so.

That's it, Windows XP is now installed on your VirtualBox virtual machine and we have our own, DIY Windows XP Mode. In the next tutorial, we will install some additional software that will make using the virtual PC more intuitive.

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Lesson 42 - VirtualBox Guest Additions Now that we have Windows XP installed to our virtual machine, we can go ahead and prepare it for use as a Windows XP Mode alternative. The first thing to do is install the guest additions, this software makes using the virtual machine much more intuitive.

42.1 - Installing Guest Additions To install the Guest Additions, use the right hand Control (Ctrl) key, if necessary, to unlock your mouse pointer from the VirtualBox window. Then, on the devices menu, choose “Install Guest Additions”.

Figure 42.1 – Use this option to install the Guest Additions You will now notice the window shown in figure 42.2 appear inside the Windows XP virtual machine.

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Figure 42.2 – Installing VirtualBox Guest Additions Click back inside the Windows XP virtual machine and then click on “Next >”.

The window shown in figure 42.3 will then be displayed.

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Figure 42.3 – Setting an installation directory Here you can choose where to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions. Leave the location as the default unless you are an expert user and then click “Next >”.

The window shown in figure 42.4 will then appear.

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Figure 42.4 – Selecting additional components Here you can choose which components to install. You will notice that by default, Direct3D support is disabled. Direct3D allows you to run lots of 3D content including games, but using it in VirtualBox is not easy and that is why it is disabled. For most games, a compatibility fix or workaround to allow them to run natively on Windows 7 is a better idea. We will be leaving Direct3D support turned off in our examples, please consult the VirtualBox documentation if you are considering trying Direct3D for yourself.

Click on “Install”. Wait while the files are copied and configured. During the installation process, you may see one or more warning messages the same or similar to the one shown in figure 42.5.

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Figure 42.5 – These drivers must be installed in order for the Guest Additions to work correctly You must choose “Continue Anyway” to install the driver components needed by the Guest Additions. When the process is complete, the window shown in figure 42.6 will be displayed.

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Figure 42.6 – Installation of the Guest Additions is now complete You will now be prompted to reboot your machine. Note that this is referring to the XP virtual machine and not your Windows 7 host machine. Click on “Finish” and wait for the VM to restart.

42.2 - Benefits of the Guest Additions Once your virtual PC has rebooted, you will see the window shown in figure 42.7.

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Figure 42.7 – Mouse pointer integration is now available Thanks to the installation of the Guest Additions, we can now smoothly transition our mouse pointer between the host operating system (i.e Windows 7) and the guest (i.e the Windows XP virtual machine). There is no need to use the right control key to unlock the mouse pointer any more. The window in figure 42.7 is basically letting us know that this is now the case. Choose “Do not show this message again” and click “OK”. It is now also possible to share the clipboard between your Windows XP guest and the Windows 7 host.

42.3 - XP security considerations Just like a regular windows XP machine, your VirtualBox Windows XP needs securing. You can use any XP compatible antivirus software and you should apply the latest windows updates. See lesson 35 – Securing Windows XP Mode if you need help with this, as the procedure is identical for Windows XP running on VirtualBox.

42.4 - Activating Windows XP in VirtualBox Finally, unlike the real XP Mode, you will need to activate your copy of Windows XP if you want to keep using it past the 30 day grace period. To do this, either click on the key icon in the notification area or go to the Windows XP Start Menu, choose “All Programs” and then “Activate Windows”. The window shown in figure 42.8 will then appear.

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Figure 42.8 – The Windows XP activation wizard You can choose to activate automatically over the internet, or phone a Microsoft representative. You have 30 days in which to activate your copy of Windows XP, so you may wish to wait a while and treat this grace period as a free trial to see if you find VirtualBox XP useful. Depending on the type of license you bought, this copy of XP may be bound to this virtual machine after you activate it, so be careful.

That concludes this tutorial. In the next lesson we will look at VirtualBox's seamless mode.

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Lesson 43 - VirtualBox Seamless Mode and other integration features In this lesson we will be discussing two features that help you work with VirtualBox virtual machines on your Windows 7 desktop. Before you start this tutorial, make sure you have installed the VirtualBox Guest Additions, as shown in the previous lesson.

43.1 - Sharing folders with the host If you have explored your virtual XP machine already, you may have noticed that it is not yet possible to access any of your Windows 7 drives from within the virtual machine. If you want to access a drive on your host OS, firstly, from the menu at the top of the VirtualBox window, click on “Devices” and choose “Shared folders...”, as shown in figure 43.1.

Figure 43.1 – Configure shared folders by clicking here The window shown in figure 43.2 will now appear.

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Figure 43.2 – Shared folders are displayed here Now click the add folder icon on the right. In figure 43.2, it is the icon that the mouse pointer is directly under. The window shown in figure 43.3 will then appear.

Figure 43.3 – Adding a share From the window shown in figure 43.3 we can choose a drive or folder on the Windows 7 host machine and then access it from the guest machine. Click on Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 299

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the drop down box under “Folder Path:” and choose “Other”. The window shown in figure 43.4 will then appear.

Figure 43.4 – Browse to a folder that you want to share Using the standard Windows file browser (figure 43.4) select the drive or folder you want to share. For example, in figure 43.4, if the user were to click “OK” the entire C: drive from the Windows 7 machine would then be available in the Windows XP guest machine. Some security experts advise against this, since viruses could pass from the Windows XP guest over to the host. Normally it is better to only give access to the folders you need on your guest. Nevertheless, for this example we'll give access to the entire Windows 7 C: drive.

Once you choose a folder or drive and click “OK”, you will be returned to the window shown in figure 43.3. If you want the drive to be available as soon as the virtual XP machine is started, select “Auto-mount” and also “Make Permanent” then click “OK”. The Add Share window will then disappear and you will be returned to the window shown in figure 43.2. Click on “OK” again.

After following all those steps, you may need to reboot the virtual machine before you can access the drive, so reboot now by using the “Turn Off Computer” option on the Windows XP Start Menu. After the virtual machine restarts, you will be able to access the drive under “Network Drives” on My Computer.

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43.2 - Seamless mode VirtualBox's seamless mode works in a similar way to the real Windows XP Mode. To activate it, go to the machine menu at the top of the VirtualBox window and choose “Switch to Seamless Mode”, or press the Host key (right Control) and L.

Figure 43.5 – Activating seamless mode

VirtualBox will then pop up a window telling you that to leave seamless mode, you will need to press the Host key (right control) and L keys together. Click on “Switch”.

When you run VirtualBox in seamless mode, you will see not one but two taskbars on your desktop. The standard Windows 7 one and the Windows XP one. Any programs you launch from the Windows XP Start Menu will be run on the XP VirtualBox, but will appear seamlessly on a window on your Windows 7 desktop. Figure 43.6 shows Windows XP Notepad running seamlessly on a Windows 7 desktop. The only way you can tell it is an XP application is because the window has XP's distinctive style.

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Figure 43.6 – VirtualBox running in seamless mode You can even copy and paste between XP applications and Windows 7 ones.

That is all you need to know to use VirtualBox on your Windows 7 machine.

Remember that running programs inside a virtual machine always incurs a performance hit, so always try to run your software natively in Windows 7 before resorting to XP Mode or VirtualBox.

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Chapter 8 – Advanced Tweaking and Customization While we covered lots of ways to customize your Windows 7 computer in the first Superguide, there were a few techniques that we either skimmed over or skipped. In this chapter, we will show you some new ways to tweak and customize your Windows 7 computer.

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Lesson 44 - Adding and removing Windows features Windows 7 comes with a whole host of features and free programs. Just like in previous versions of the operating system, any additional programs or features that are not required can be disabled. Although disabling Windows features is unlikely to have any noticeable effect on hard drive space or computer speed, it can still be useful to know how to carry out this procedure, especially if you ever need to turn a feature on! On Windows 7 Professional, for example, the free games are not enabled automatically, so in this tutorial we will show you how to enable them.

To get started, open the Start Menu and search for “Windows Features”. Then click the “Turn Windows features on or off” icon. You will then need to wait a moment while Windows scans the features on your system. When the process is complete, you will see the window shown in figure 44.1.

Figure 44.1 – Turning Windows features on or off Use the scroll bar to locate the feature you want to enable or disable, in our example “Games” is at the very top of the list. Click on the box next to Games so that there is a tick/check mark in it, then click “OK”. The window shown in figure 44.2 will then appear.

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Figure 44.2 – Wait while Windows configures this feature Wait a moment while Windows reconfigures your system. Once the process is complete, the window in figure 44.2 will close by itself. The Windows features have now been reconfigured and in this example, the free Windows games are now available.

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Lesson 45 - Manually managing the Start Menu In this tutorial, we will take a look at how to add or remove programs from the Start Menu manually, as well as rearrange the Start Menu. For some reason Microsoft decided to remove the ability to easily reconfigure the Start Menu in Windows 7. Perhaps now that we are used to simply searching for programs, it is not necessary to reorganise the Start Menu. On the other hand, if you need to manually add a program to the Start Menu, perhaps one that did not come with a proper installer, then this technique is still invaluable.

45.1 - Showing hidden folders To manually reconfigure the Windows 7 Start Menu, firstly open up Windows Explorer. There are two parts to the Start Menu. The public Start Menu, which shows programs and documents available to all users and the users own personal Start Menu, which shows programs and documents that are unique to the current user. We will edit the public Start Menu first. To do this we need to show hidden folders in Windows Explorer. We covered this in lesson 9 of the original Windows 7 Superguide, but just in case you forgot, here's how to do it.

In Windows Explorer, go to the “Organize” menu and choose “Folder and Search Options”.

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The “Folder Options” window will then appear, from the tabs at the top of this window, choose “View”. The window should then resemble the one shown in figure 45.2.

Figure 45.2 – Folder view options

Choose the option “Show hidden files, folders and drives” and then click on “OK”. Hidden files and folders will now be visible.

45.2 - Opening the Start Menu in Windows Explorer In Windows Explorer, navigate to the C: drive (or whichever drive Windows is installed to). A folder called “ProgramData” should have appeared.

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Figure 45.3 – The ProgramData folder Double click on this folder to open it. Inside the folder, locate a sub-folder called “Microsoft” and double click on it. Inside this folder, locate another sub-folder called “Windows” and double click to open it. Finally, locate another sub-folder called “Start Menu” and double click to open that. Your Windows Explorer window should now resemble the one shown in figure 45.4.

Figure 45.4 – Exploring the Start Menu in Windows 7 The folders and short-cuts contained in this folder are exactly what is displayed on the Start Menu. If you open the “Programs” folder, you will notice that most of the folders that are on your Start Menu under “All Programs” can also be found in the Programs folder you just opened. Remember that the Start Menu is actually made up of two folders, so some programs and short-cuts that appear Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 308

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on your Start Menu will not be present in this folder.

If you want to rename, move or delete a folder or short-cut from the Start menu, you simply delete the folder or short-cut here in Windows Explorer. In Figure 45.5, we have created a new folder called “Antivirus” and moved our Microsoft Security Essentials short-cut into this folder. This change is then reflected on the Start Menu immediately.

45.5 – Changes you make in this folder are reflected on the Start Menu immediately What about adding a new program to the Start Menu? Most programs will add their own shortcuts when you install them, but some programs do not come with a proper installer at all. For this example we will add a short-cut to a public domain program called Joy2Key. In Windows Explorer, navigate to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu (just like in the previous example) then choose the folder you want to use for the shortcut. Joy2Key is a gaming utility so we will use the Games folder.

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Figure 45.6 – There is no option to create a shortcut directly in this folder For some reason we cannot make a short-cut directly in this folder. Instead, first minimise Windows Explorer. Now, right click on the Desktop and choose “New>Shortcut”. The create Shortcut window will then appear as shown in figure 45.7.

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Figure 45.7 – Creating a new shortcut Click on the “Browse...” button and browse to the location of the item using the standard Windows file browser. In our example, the item was located in “C:\Program Files\joy2key”.

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Figure 45.8 – Point the shortcut to the program or folder you want to use Click on “Next” and the window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 45.9.

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Figure 45.9 – Naming the shortcut You can now enter a name for the shortcut if you like, or simply accept the default name, then click “Finish”. Now, all that remains is to cut and paste the shortcut onto the Start Menu. Right-click on the shortcut you just created and choose “Cut”. Restore your Windows Explorer window, making sure that you are still in the correct folder and then choose “Paste”. Windows User Account Control will prompt you to grant permission for this operation, so grant permission for the move operation in the usual way.

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Figure 45.10 – Our new shortcut in the games folder On the Start Menu it is now possible to access JoyToKey either by manually browsing to “All Programs->Games” or by searching for “joytokey”.

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Figure 45.11 – JoyToKey can now be found on the Start Menu

45.3 - The two halves of the Start Menu Remember we told you there were two parts to the Start Menu? You can access the other part by navigating to the following folder path in Windows Explorer:Computer\C:\Users\(your user name)\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu Again, adding and removing items here is exactly the same. The only difference is programs and shortcuts added here will only affect the current users account.

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C:\Users\Bucko\Appdata\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu If I do this, this shortcut will only appear on the Start Menu when I am logged in with my “Bucko” account. Of course, this does not stop another user running the program by another means, such as by browsing to it in Windows Explorer.

That is all you need to know to customize your Start Menu in Windows 7. We are not sure why Microsoft made this task more difficult this time around, but as long as you are familiar with Windows Explorer, manually editing the Start Menu is still a breeze.

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Lesson 46 - Managing Start-up Applications Having too many programs load as soon as your computer starts can not only increase start-up times but also generally slow your PC down too. In this tutorial, we are going to look at how to manage start-up programs using the System Configuration tool, or MSConfig. If you are troubleshooting a PC problem, it can also be useful to disable start-up programs to determine if they are the cause of the problem.

46.1 - System Configuration Tool To launch the System Configuration tool, open the Start Menu and search for “msconfig”, then click the icon that appears at the top. The window shown in figure 46.1 will then appear.

Figure 46.1 – System Configuration utility There are several tabs on the System Configuration utility, but the one we are interested in is the “Startup” tab. Click on the Startup tab and the window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 46.2.

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Figure 46.2 – Configuring start-up programs The window now shows a list of programs that start when Windows starts. The Windows machine used in the example had only recently been configured and so there are only a few programs in the list. Do not be alarmed if your PC has many more programs shown.

To disable a program from starting when your computer starts, click to remove the tick/check mark next to it and then click “Apply”. In the example above, both “Adobe Acrobat” and “Adobe Reader and Acrobat manager” are not needed and can be safely disabled. Disabled programs can, of course, still be started manually later. On the other hand, the “ESET” entry is an antivirus package and should not be disabled from running at start-up.

If there is a program listed that you are not sure about, it is advisable to search the internet first to discover what it does. Certain programs need to be run at start-up and disabling them may cause serious problems with your computer.

When you are done configuring start-up programs, click on “Apply” (if you have not done so already) and then “OK”. Windows will prompt you to restart your computer, but there is no immediate need to do so. The next time you do restart, the changes to your start-up programs will take effect.

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Lesson 47 - Introduction to Services No advanced guide to Windows tweaking is complete without a look at Windows services. Just what are Windows services and how do they affect a Windows 7 computer? Services are used extensively on Windows 7 and previous versions of Windows too. Windows PC's will usually have dozens of services running right from the moment that the operating system starts up, you cannot see them running on your desktop, but they are always there.

47.1 - What are Windows services?

Although working with services can feel like configuring some secret part of your PC, in actual fact services are just programs. There are two ways that services usually differ from regular programs. Firstly, services require no user intervention to run. A service won't pop up any windows asking for your input, instead it will simply carry out its tasks silently in the background. Secondly, services are managed by the Services Tool in Windows, where they can be enabled and disabled.

Many services are provided by Microsoft. Some services must be started when Windows 7 starts up to enable normal operation of your computer. Other services are installed by third parties with their software.

You can easily explore which services are running on your PC by starting the Services Tool. In the next tutorial we will show you how you can use this tool to inspect the services running on your PC and enable or disable them.

47.2 - Optimizing services Many Windows users advocate disabling certain services to help improve the speed of their computers. While it is true that every program (and therefore every service) that runs on your PC does consume some computing resources, disabling or tweaking services in order to gain improvements in PC performance usually yields very limited results. In most instances, disabling even several services will have virtually no noticeable impact on PC speeds and may have other unintended consequences, especially if you accidentally disable a service which is critical to Windows. Nevertheless, it can be useful to familiarise yourself with the Services Tool especially if you need to troubleshoot a specific problem. When removing software or disabling components you do not require, the Services Tool can also be useful for detecting third party services that can be safely disabled.

If you still want to try tweaking and modifying services on your Windows machine, you should proceed with caution. Create a System Restore point (we cover this in lesson 44 in the original Superguide) and make a note of which Copyright Š Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 319

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services you change. Remember that services can affect all kinds of things on your operating system, so you may not notice any problems until weeks or months later.

Black Viper maintains a list of Windows services and detailed information about which services can be disabled safely. Visit this Windows 7 service guide on the internet here:http://www.blackviper.com/2010/12/17/black-vipers-windows-7-service-pack1-service-configurations/

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Lesson 48 - The Services Tool If you want to inspect or change the services on your Windows 7 PC, then the Services Tool is the tool to use. Before you start, make sure that you read the previous lesson and understand that incorrectly modifying services on your PC can have disastrous consequences.

To start the Services Tool, go to the Start Menu and search for “Services” and then click the icon that appears at the top of the list. The Services Tool will then start, as shown in figure 48.1.

Figure 48.1 – The Services Tool Under the “Name” column (the first column) there is a list of services. Each entry on the list represents a single service that is managed by Windows.

Clicking once on a service in the list will bring up a more detailed description of the service in the area on the left of the screen.

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Figure 48.2 – Most services have more detailed information available The information shown in figure 48.2 is also available in the description column (second column from the left). Not every service has a helpful description, so you may need to do a web search on the service name to find out exactly what it is.

The third column from the left is the “Status” column. In this list you will see either “Started” or a blank space. Services that are marked as “Started” are currently running.

Figure 48.3 – The Application Information service is started

48.1 - Starting and stopping services You can stop or start a service by right clicking on it in the list, figure 48.4 shows the menu that appears when a service is right clicked.

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Figure 48.4 – Right click on a service to see these options You can also use the buttons at the top of the window, see figure 48.5 for details.

Figure 48.5 – Using the buttons to configure services Note that you are forbidden to stop certain services, because Windows relies on them.

As well as stopping, starting and restarting services, we can also change how they start up. To do this, double click on the service you want to change in the list. The window shown in figure 48.6 will then appear.

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Figure 48.6 – Editing a services properties

48.2 - Startup types for services Notice the “Startup type” control near the middle of the window. There are four different types of startup that can be used for a service, they are:Automatic:- This service will start when Windows starts.

Automatic (Delayed Start):- This service will also start when Windows starts, however it will be delayed until all other services have started. Delaying when the service starts can speed up start-up times by preventing too many programs and services from starting at once.

Manual:- This service will only be started when needed. Note that some services are not compatible with manual start-up and must be automatically started.

Disabled:- The service will not be started unless the user manually loads the Services Tool and starts it.

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48.3 - Service dependencies Another useful feature is the “Dependencies” tab. This is accessible for all services. Using the window shown in figure 48.6 click on the “Dependencies” tab. The window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 48.7.

Figure 48.7 – Service dependencies

This window is split into two sections. The top half shows which services this service is dependent on in order to run. If any of the services listed in the top half of the window are not running, then this service cannot start. In the window shown in figure 48.7 we can see that “Plug and Play” and “Remote Procedure Call (RPC)” must both be started before this service (Tablet PC Input Service) can start.

The bottom section shows which services depend on this service. In the example shown in figure 48.7, there are no services dependent on this service.

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(in our example the Tablet PC Input Service) would need to be started before the service or services listed in the bottom box could start.

That is everything you need to know to use the Services Tool. Please remember to use caution when working with this tool, as we have stated before, disabling or changing a service can have unintended side effects on your system.

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Lesson 49 - Adding additional hard drives The amount of storage used by the average computer user has dramatically increased over recent years. Now that our computers can process video and audio files as well as running increasingly sophisticated games and applications, the amount of storage space needed has mushroomed. Many users will want to add more hard drive capacity to their computers at some time. In this tutorial we will show you how.

49.1 - Types of hard drive There are two types of hard drive that a Windows user will typically add to their computer, they are internal and external. Figure 49.1 shows a typical external hard drive.

Figure 49.1 – A typical external hard drive An external hard drive can usually be plugged into the computer and used immediately.

Figure 49.2 shows a typical internal hard drive.

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Figure 49.2 – A typical internal hard drive Internal hard drives require the computer case to be opened in order to install them and they usually need initializing and formatting first, though in some very rare instances you may need to format an external hard drive too.

External hard drives are more convenient and can also be easily disconnected and carried between computers, perhaps at home and work. On the other hand, internal hard drives tend to be cheaper and faster. Furthermore, since they sit inside your computer, they don't clutter up your desk.

Since adding an external hard drive is usually just a matter of plugging it in, this tutorial will focus on initializing and formatting an internal hard drive. The technique we demonstrate will work with external hard drives too, should you discover one that does not work out of the box. If you are opening your computer to fit an internal hard drive, carefully consult the instructions that came with the drive and with your PC and if in doubt, contact a qualified PC technician.

49.2 - Formatting a new hard drive Once your hard drive is installed, usually it will not show up in Computer until you have initialized and formatted it. To do this, open the Start Menu and search for “administrative tools”. Click on the icon that then appears at the top.

The Control Panel will then open on the Administrative Tools section. From the options available, choose “Computer Management” by double clicking on it.

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Enter your administrator password if Windows User Account Control prompts you to do so. The Computer Management window shown in figure 49.3 will then appear.

Figure 49.3 – Computer Management From the options on the left of the window, choose “Storage” and then “Disk Management”. After a short delay, the window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 49.4.

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Figure 49.4 – Disk management detects new hard drives immediately If you have a brand new hard drive in your computer, the Initialize Disk wizard will now appear. Figure 49.5 shows this window close up.

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If your disk is 2 Terrabytes or less in capacity, leave the partition style as “MBR”, otherwise, choose “GPT” and click “OK”. The disk is now initialized.

The next step is to add a partition to the drive. Partitions are areas of the drive that contain data. We will just be adding one partition that takes up the whole space on the disk. It is possible to partition or section a disk into several smaller volumes, each with their own drive letter, but this is usually not necessary.

Using the lower middle part of the Computer Management window, scroll down and find the new drive. It should have its space marked as “Unallocated”. Click on the empty space part, so that it is highlighted, then right click and choose “New simple volume”. See figure 49.6 for an example.

Figure 49.6 – Adding a new simple volume The New Simple Volume Wizard will now appear, as shown in figure 49.7.

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Figure 49.7 – The New Simple Volume Wizard Click on “Next >”. The window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 49.8.

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Figure 49.8 – Configuring partition sizes On the window shown in figure 49.8 we can choose how much space to allocate to the new partition. Typically the drives you will encounter will be much bigger than the one shown in this example. By default, all the available space will be allocated to the new partition, which is normally the best way to configure the drive, so leave these values alone and then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 49.9 will then be displayed.

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Figure 49.9 – Assigning a drive letter Your new hard drive will need a drive letter so that you can access it from within Windows Explorer. Assign any drive letter you like to the new drive, then click on “Next>”. The window shown in figure 49.10 will then appear.

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Figure 49.10 – Configuring formatting options To use a hard drive partition, it must be formatted first. Formatting creates the directory structures and file allocation tables necessary for using the drive.

Choose “Format this partition with the following settings” and configure the settings like this:File system: NTFS Allocation unit size: Default Volume label: - Anything you like You also have the option of performing a quick format. Formatting a large hard drive can take a very long time, so quick format is tempting. However, doing a slow format or full format more thoroughly checks the disk for errors, so we recommend doing a full format.

You can also enable file and folder compression on the drive. This potentially means that more data can be stored, however there is a performance penalty for using this option and using it is usually not necessary.

When you have set these options, click “Next >”. The window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 49.11.

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Figure 49.11 – Completing the wizard We have now finished the partition wizard. click on “Finish” and the drive will format. You can monitor the progress of the format in the Computer Management window.

Figure 49.12 – Formatting progress can be monitored here

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Modern hard drives can take 10 hours or more to fully format, do not shut down your computer during the formatting process. If you do, it is unlikely that you will damage the hard drive, but you will have to start the formatting process from 0% again!

That is all you need to know to add extra storage to your Windows 7 computer.

In the next lesson we will look at adding a printer.

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Lesson 50 - Adding and using a printer The humble printer, while less important now than in the pre-internet days, still has an important role to play in many homes and offices. We are all encouraged to print less, but there are times when a hard copy is simply the only option. In this tutorial, we will show you how to add a printer to your Windows 7 PC quickly and easily.

Because printers vary widely between manufacturers, you should always check the documentation that comes with your printer before you try to install it. Pay particular attention to any software that came bundled with your printer, if the printer is an older model that pre-dates Windows 7, the driver CD that came with the printer may not be compatible. However, the printer may still work if you download new drivers from the internet, or it may even work simply by connecting it, as the drivers could be included with Windows 7 itself. This tutorial should be considered a general guideline only.

50.1 - Parallel vs USB printers Finally before we begin, it is still possible that you might encounter a printer that uses a parallel interface. These are becoming quite uncommon now, but they can still be found particularly at bargain prices second hand. Figure 50.1 shows a parallel printer cable. As you can see it looks very different from a USB cable, normally used to connect modern printers.

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If you have a parallel printer or are considering buying one cheaply, firstly check that your PC has the required parallel port. Many PC's have now dropped this connection entirely. Windows 7 does support some parallel printers, but check with the manufacturer before you part with any money. For parallel printers, you should first install any drivers and then connect the printer when it is powered off.

50.2 - Installing a USB printer For this example, we will be connecting a USB printer. For best results you should follow the instructions that came with your printer and the steps we outline here should be considered as a guideline only.

Firstly, power your printer on and then connect the USB cable from the printer to the PC. Windows should detect the printer and start to install the drivers right away.

Figure 50.2 – Most USB printers are automatically detected and installed In many cases, Windows will now install the driver and the printer will work, just like that. If driver installation fails, it is best to check on the manufacturers website for additional instructions.

50.3 - Testing and configuring your printer Once you have installed your printer, you may wish to test it. Open the Start Menu and search for “Devices and Printers” and then click the icon that appears at the top. The Devices and Printers section of the Control Panel will then open, scroll down to “Printers and Faxes” as shown in figure 50.3.

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Figure 50.3 – Devices and Printers on the Control Panel You should now see your new printer. The green tick or check mark indicates that it is the default printer. Right click on the printers icon and choose “Properties”. The printer properties window will then appear, it should look similar to the one shown in figure 50.4.

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Figure 50.4 – Printer properties The properties window shows us some information about the printer. The Model information should match the actual model number of the printer. If it does not, Windows may have installed the wrong driver, but it is worth testing the printer anyway as the driver could be compatible. Click on “OK” to close this window and return to the Devices and Printers Control Panel window.

Right click on the printer icon again and this time choose “Open”. The window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 50.5.

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Figure 50.5 – Printer options on the Control Panel From this window, you can see if there are any documents queued for printing, adjust various print options or customize the printer. We will take a look at “Adjust print options” first. The options that are available vary between printers.

For our printer, double clicking on this option causes the window shown in figure 50.6 to appear.

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Figure 50.6 – Printing preferences for our HP printer The window you see on your system may be different to ours, depending on the type of printer you are using, but it should have similar options. Usually you can choose the paper size, paper type, print quality, orientation (that is, which way round the print out will be on the page) and on some printers, you can choose to print on both sides of the paper. By clicking on the “Services” tab, you can often access options for cleaning or aligning the ink cartridges.

Click on “OK” to close this window when you are done setting options. This will return you to the window shown in figure 50.5. Now that your printer is installed and configured, you may want to print a test page. Double click on “Customize your printer”. A printer properties window will appear, similar to the one shown in figure 50.7.

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Figure 50.7 – Print a test page from this window Click on “Print Test Page”. If this page prints correctly, then you know your printer is functioning normally.

50.4 - Sharing a printer It is possible to share a printer on your home network. Use the “Sharing” tab on this window to share the printer with other Windows computers in your home.

This will allow other users in the house to access this printer, without having to come directly to this PC (so long as their computers are networked too, of course). Figure 50.8 shows the sharing tab.

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Figure 50.8 – Sharing a printer To enable printer sharing, simply click on “Share this printer”. You will now be able to add this printer as a network printer on other machines in your house.

You may need to install the manufacturers drivers on each PC that will access this printer.

Click on “OK” when you are done configuring your printer. Your printer is now ready for use in any program that supports printing. That is all you need to know to add and use printers in Windows 7.

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Chapter 9 – Advanced Boot Options The Advanced Boot Options in Windows 7 can help solve serious problems with Windows 7 machines. Before you consider reinstalling your operating system or contacting a PC repair specialist, familiarise yourself with the options available here and how they can help you.

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Lesson 51 - Introducing the Advanced Boot Options The Advanced Boot Options menu is a hidden menu that is accessible when your Windows 7 computer first starts up. This menu lets you launch several important troubleshooting tools.

51.1 - Accessing the Advanced Boot Options menu In order to access the menu, you need to press the F8 key on your computers keyboard. Getting the timing right for this is a little tricky, you need to press the key before you see the familiar “Starting Windows” boot screen and animation.

When you see the screen shown in figure 51.1, you should keep pressing the F8 key to access the Advanced Boot Options menu.

Figure 51.1 – Press the F8 key when you see this information and keep pressing it to access the Advanced Boot Options If you press the F8 key on your keyboard as soon as you see the information in figure 51.1 appear, then, with a little luck, you should be taken to the Advanced Boot Options. Truecrypt users please note:- If you have encrypted your hard drive, as per lesson 32, then press the F8 key immediately after entering your boot password.

Figure 51.2 shows the Advanced Boot Options menu.

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Figure 51.2 – The Advanced Boot Options The Advanced Boot Options menu allows you to launch several tools that can help troubleshoot your PC. Use the arrow keys to navigate between the options and the Enter key to choose an option (you cannot use the mouse to navigate the menu). The following is a breakdown of what each option on the menu does.

51.2 - The Advanced Boot Options in detail Repair your computer:- Launches the repair console that allows you to run System Restore, restore from a backup, test the computers memory, perform a start-up repair or open a Command Prompt. We cover these options in more detail in the next tutorial.

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Safe Mode:- Starts a special, bare bones mode of Windows that is designed for diagnostics. The number of additional components loaded is kept to a bare minimum. We discuss Safe Mode in more detail in lesson 53.

Safe Mode with Networking:- As Safe Mode, but also includes network drivers and functionality.

Safe Mode with Command Prompt:- As Safe Mode, but launches directly into a Command Prompt window.

Enable Boot Logging:- Creates a log file containing a record of the drivers and services loaded during startup. The name of this file is “ntbootlog.txt” and it is stored in the %SYSTEMROOT% directory, which on almost all machines is “C:\Windows”. Expert users can then inspect this file to gain a deeper understanding of the start-up process.

Enable low-resolution video (640x480):- Switches your video card into the lowest resolution screen mode commonly supported. Occasionally useful for troubleshooting problems with monitors or graphics cards.

Last Known Good Configuration:- Uses a copy of a system's hardware configuration and driver settings saved from the last time the system successfully booted. This option is very handy if you added a new driver and this caused problems during start-up, for example.

Directory Services Restore Mode:- Not applicable to Windows 7, this is an option for Domain Controllers used in corporate networks.

Debugging mode:- Starts Windows in an advanced troubleshooting mode intended for IT professionals and system administrators. Not useful for anyone other than the most advanced computer users, often used by computer programmers to help trace the cause of system crashes.

Disable automatic restart on system failure:- If you have ever encountered the blue screen of death error you may not have had time to read all of the information that was displayed when the computer crashed. If you need to read this information or record it to submit as part of a technical support request, use this option and the PC will not automatically reboot after crashing.

Disable Driver Signature Enforcement:- The 64 bit version of Windows 7 requires that all low-level drivers be digitally signed by a recognised authority.

Low level drivers are the software components that have access to the deepest parts of the operating system, known as ring-0 or kernel. This restriction was added to prevent malware from installing itself at the very core of the operating system where it is hardest to remove. This restriction can be temporarily removed by selecting this option. This was added mainly so that drivers that were under development could be tested.

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what each option does, we will delve a little deeper into the first option (Repair Your Computer) in the next tutorial.

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Lesson 52 - The 'Repair Your Computer' option In this tutorial, we will be looking at the repair options available under the Advanced Boot Options. To access the Advanced Boot Options, as shown in the previous lesson, we need to restart the computer and press the F8 key before Windows starts to load. If you get the timing just right, the Advanced Boot Options menu will appear (see figure 51.2). Choose “Repair Your Computer” from the menu to launch the recovery environment. After a short pause, the window shown in figure 52.1 will appear.

Figure 52.1 – Choosing keyboard layout for system recovery Choose your keyboard layout and then click on “Next >”. The window shown in figure 52.2 will then appear.

Figure 52.2 – Log in with your user name and password

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Log in with your standard user name and password. If you have several accounts on this computer, choose an administrator account. Type in your password and then click on “OK”. The window shown in figure 52.3 will then appear.

Figure 52.3 – System Recovery Options

52.1 - System Recovery Options From the window shown in figure 52.3 there are a number of repair options available to the user. The available options are:Startup Repair:- Attempts to fix problems that prevent the computer from starting normally. We cover Startup Repair in detail in lesson 6.1.

System restore:- We cover system restore in the original Windows 7 Superguide in lesson 44. Using System Restore here works just like it does under Windows. It can be useful to start it here and attempt to roll back to an earlier restore point if you cannot start your PC normally.

System image recovery:- Lets you recover a Windows Image Backup from an attached hard drive or DVD-R discs. Remember that all data you added to the hard drive since taking the image backup will be lost when you do this.

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Pro's believe Memtest does a more thorough job. To use this tool, simply choose this option. You will then be prompted to restart the PC so the memory test can begin.

Command Prompt:- Launches the standard Windows Command Prompt window (see lesson 70 – Command Prompt primer). Note that since this is the recovery environment, changes that you make to the Windows Registry will not transfer to your standard Windows 7 installation.

That concludes this tour of the Repair/System Recovery Options. Don't forget, these options are available from your Windows 7 installation DVD too. If you cannot start your PC from your internal hard drive, you can still access these tools by booting from the Windows 7 installation DVD.

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Lesson 53 - Safe Mode In this tutorial we are going to look at Safe Mode. Safe Mode is a special diagnostic mode that is often used for PC troubleshooting. To start Safe Mode, access the Advanced Boot Options (see lesson 51).

From the Advanced Boot Options menu, choose “Safe Mode”. Now wait while Windows starts, after a short delay you will see the standard Windows log on screen. Log on as normal, your desktop should now look like the one shown in figure 53.1.

Figure 53.1 – The desktop in Safe Mode You will notice that the desktop is reset to the most basic skin and that your start-up programs have all been disabled. The help window on the right explains how you can use Safe Mode to troubleshoot Windows. If Safe Mode starts correctly, then any problems you are having with your computer are probably caused by other programs and services and not the basic Windows 7 device drivers.

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uninstalled in Safe Mode. You can also access the Control Panel and change most Windows settings, as well as start tools like the Registry Editor (Regedit) or System Configuration (MSConfig).

That is really all there is to Safe Mode. When troubleshooting serious PC problems, Safe Mode is a very useful tool and one you should familiarise yourself with for those unfortunate emergencies!

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Chapter 10 – Backup and Maintenance Revisited In this chapter, we are going to cover some tools and techniques that build on the material we introduced in the first Windows 7 Superguide. We start with a look at two of Windows 7's data backup tools and then continue the chapter with several troubleshooting and diagnostic tools. As with most of the content in this second Superguide, it is better to use these tutorials to learn or use the tools as the need arises, rather than work through each lesson.

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Lesson 54 - Previous Versions In this tutorial we are going to look at Windows 7's previous versions feature. In the first Windows 7 Superguide, we introduced you to the System Restore Utility in lesson 44. What you may not have realised is that whenever you create a system restore point, or one is created automatically, Windows 7 also saves copies of any of your files that have changed. For example, consider the folder shown in figure 54.1 below.

Figure 54.1 – Typical files and folders in Windows Explorer In this folder there is a file called “top-secret-things”. Figure 54.2 below shows the contents of this file.

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Figure 54.2 – Example text file There is just one line of text in this file. What if we created a system restore point now? To create a system restore point, refer to lesson 44 in the first Windows 7 Superguide.

Now, after creating the system restore point, we will add another line of text to the file, so that the file looks like the one shown in figure 54.3.

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Figure 54.3 – Adding more text to our example file We will save and close the file once the extra line has been added.

54.1 - Restoring a previous version Now, imagine that for some reason we wanted to revert back to an earlier version of the file, with the Previous Versions feature that is possible. Right-click on the file and choose “Restore previous versions”, as shown in figure 54.4.

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Figure 54.4 – Click “Restore previous versions” on the context menu Wait a moment while Windows scans for previous versions, when the process is complete, the window shown in figure 54.5 will appear.

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Figure 54.5 – Viewing previous versions In figure 54.5, we can see that there are several previous versions available, the most recent being dated 10th March 2011 (remember that this book was written in the UK, where we write dates in the DD/MM/YYYY format). Figure 54.6 below shows what happens if we double click on the topmost file.

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Figure 54.6 – Viewing a previous version of a file To restore this file, click on the “Restore..” button shown in the bottom right hand corner of the window in figure 54.5. The window shown in figure 54.7 will then appear.

Figure 54.7 – Overwriting a newer version of a file with a previous version clicking on “Restore” on this window will overwrite the current version of this file. If you want to keep both versions, click on “Cancel” to return to the window in figure 54.5.

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Windows file requester will now appear. Browse to a folder where the file can be saved and then click “Copy”. Remember the file cannot be saved in the same place as the existing version since the file-names are the same. In the example shown in figure 54.8, the file is being saved inside a folder called “old version”.

Figure 54.8 – Saving a previous version of a file to a different folder Previous versions of files can be stored in backup sets created by Windows Backup, or in Restore Points as we have seen here.

54.2 - Secondary hard drives and previous versions In lesson 49 we showed you how to add another hard drive to your Windows 7 machine. If you store important files on a secondary hard drive, then previous versions for files on your secondary hard drive will not be available unless you turn on system protection for that drive. To turn on system protection for a secondary hard drive, first open the Start Menu and search for “create a restore point” and then click the icon that appears at the top. The window shown in figure 54.9 will then appear.

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Figure 54.9 – Configuring system protection for other drives Under “Protection Settings” on figure 54.9 we can see that there are two hard drives on our example PC. Notice how system protection is set to “Off” for drive 'E'. To change this setting, click on the required drive in the list, in our case “Data (E:)” and then click on “Configure...”. The window shown in figure 54.10 will then appear.

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Figure 54.10 – System protection settings for drive E: Turn on system protection by choosing “Restore system settings and previous versions of files” at the top of the window shown in figure 54.10. We also need to choose how much space to dedicate to system protection. The more space used, the more file revisions we can store. We recommend at least 5%. If you intend to store and edit larger files such as video, you may wish to increase this to 10 or even 20%.

When you have configured these settings, click on “OK”. System protection is now enabled for this drive, and previous versions of files will now be saved whenever a system restore point is created. Remember, previous versions is not a substitute for a proper backup strategy, since both current and previous versions are stored on the same hard drive, both will be lost in the event of a hard drive failure.

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stated elsewhere in the guide, deleting a file does not guarantee that it cannot be recovered again. For sensitive information that must be destroyed, then just as with paper a file shredder should be used. Of course, with previous versions, this means that there are potentially copies of deleted files stored within previous versions too. If security is a concern, see our lessons on TrueCrypt (lessons 29 to 32) for ways to protect your hard drive and its data.

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Lesson 55 - Manually creating a system image We covered the Windows Backup tool extensively in the first Superguide, but since we cover TrueCrypt in this guide, a little refresher on how to take a complete backup of your computer seemed like a good idea. If you ever need to carry out a potentially very risky operation on your PC, such as encrypting your hard drive, you can manually make a system image so that you are covered in the event of disaster.

To get started, open the Start Menu and search for “backup and restore” and click the icon that appears. The window in figure 55.1 will then be shown.

Figure 55.1 – Backup and Restore section of the Control Panel Now, from the options on the left of the window, choose “Create a system image”. The window shown in figure 55.2 will then appear after a short delay.

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Figure 55.2 – Saving a system image Using the window shown in figure 55.2, we need to choose a location to store the backup. You can use a hard drive, including a removable hard drive, by selecting the top most option. By using the middle option, you can use recordable DVD's if you have a DVD writer drive. Keep in mind that you may need a very large number of DVD's to accommodate the amount of data that is typically stored on a modern hard drive.

Finally, by choosing the third option you can store the backup on a network location. This option is very convenient for users who have purchased network storage devices, although it can sometimes be difficult to access network attached devices if you are restoring a system image using your recovery CD. For this example we will be using the hard disk option. Make sure “On a hard disk” is selected, then use the drop-down menu to select the hard drive to use.

In our example we're using drive “E:”. Click on “Next” when you have configured these options and the window shown in figure 55.3 will then appear.

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Figure 55.3 – Confirming backup settings Check that the C: drive is included in the backup and then click on “Start backup”. The window shown in figure 55.4 will then appear.

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Figure 55.4 – Saving the backup image You will need to wait while Windows backs up your disk. This may take several hours for larger disks. When the process is complete, you may see the window shown in figure 55.5.

Figure 55.5 – Windows will offer to make a system repair disc We covered System Repair discs in lesson 20 of the original Windows 7 Superguide, and we strongly recommend you make one if you do not have one already.

The system image is now complete. You can close the Control Panel window and proceed with making changes to your computers configuration.

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Lesson 56 - Chkdsk The Chkdsk utility is a useful system maintenance tool we did not cover in the first Superguide. In this tutorial we will use the Command Prompt to run the Chkdsk utility. If you have a problem with a hard disk or USB drive on your Windows PC, you can run Chkdsk to find and fix problems with the filing system.

Note – If you find using the Command Prompt difficult or confusing, you may wish to see our Command Prompt primer in lesson 70.

To get started, open a Command Prompt window with administrative rights. To do this, open the Start Menu and search for “command prompt”. Rather than clicking on the icon that appears, right click and choose “Run as administrator”, as shown in figure 56.1.

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Enter your administrator password, or simply click “Yes”, if User Account Control prompts you to do so. The Command Prompt window will now open. Now, we need to find the drive letter of the drive we want to check. Open up Computer and check the drive letter of the storage device you want to use. Figure 56.2 shows 'Computer' open on our example machine.

Figure 56.2 – Typical computer with two drives On this computer there is the system drive C: and a DVD drive D: There is little point in checking the DVD drive, since it is read only, Chkdsk could not fix any errors if it found them. Furthermore, Chkdsk is not compatible with shared network drives or folders. For this example we will be checking the 'C' drive.

56.1 - Running Chkdsk Return to the Command Prompt window and type the following command followed by the Enter key. Substitute C for another drive letter if you want to check a different drive. chkdsk c: /f

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Figure 56.3 – Checking your system drive cannot begin until Windows is restarted If the drive you are checking is not currently in use, then Chkdsk will start checking it for errors right away. If you try to check your system drive however, you will see the message shown in figure 56.3. Press the 'Y' key and then press Enter. You will now be prompted to restart the PC. The next time you restart your computer, the message shown in figure 56.4 will appear.

Figure 56.4 – Checking your system drive before Windows starts Wait for the countdown to finish and the message will change to be similar to the one shown in figure 56.5.

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Figure 56.5 – A Chkdsk disk scan started Wait for the checking process to complete. When it is finished your PC will reboot automatically.

Remember that Chkdsk cannot fix problems with your hard drive or storage medium that are caused by hardware failures. If you are regularly having to run Chkdsk on a drive to correct faults, it may indicate an underlying hardware problem. Chkdsk, like all disk utilities is no substitute for a proper backup strategy.

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Lesson 57 - Windows Experience Index In this tutorial, we are going to take a look at the Windows Experience Index.

This simple tool is a measure of your PC's overall performance. Some software requires that you have an up to date experience score, as certain features will be enabled or disabled based on the score. It is a good idea to update the score when you first get your PC or whenever you add new hardware.

To get started, open the Start Menu and search for “windows experience index”.

Click the icon that appears at the top of the search results that says “Check the Windows Experience Index”. A window similar to the one shown in figure 57.1 will then appear.

Figure 57.1 – A Windows Experience Index chart Let's take a closer look at the numbers, figure 57.2 shows the numbers on our test machine.

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Figure 57.2 – Windows Experience Index scores Each part of your computers configuration is rated. The higher the number the better. The base score given on the right is always determined by the lowest scoring component. In our case (and in the case of most users) the lowest scoring component is the hard drive, since only more expensive solid state drives manage to score higher than around 5.

57.1 - Running or re-running the assessment If you have never calculated your Windows Experience Index score before, then the window in figure 57.1 will have a button labelled “Check the Windows Experience Index”. Otherwise, you can re-check your score any time by clicking on “Re-run the assessment”. When you check the experience score, the window shown in figure 57.3 will be displayed. The screen may also flash and blank momentarily.

Figure 57.3 – Checking or re-checking the score

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Once the testing process is complete, you will be returned to the window in figure 57.1 with your new updated Windows Experience Index score.

That is really all there is to the Windows Experience Index. If you want to know more about how scores effect your computer, visit this page on the Microsoft website:http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows7/products/features/windowsexperience-index

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Lesson 58 - Reliability Monitor The Reliability Monitor is another tool in the home administrators toolbox that can be occasionally useful for troubleshooting your PC. To use the tool, open the Start Menu and search for “reliability”. Click on the “View reliability history” link that should appear at the top of the search results. The window shown in figure 58.1 will then appear.

Figure 58.1 – The Reliability Monitor

58.1 - Viewing the stability index graph Figure 58.1 shows the Reliability Monitor. The Reliability Monitor presents information that is also available in the Event Viewer tool, but in a format that is easier to view when troubleshooting. Above the graph in the middle of the window, the user can click to view the data by Days, Weeks or even Months (if Windows 7 has been installed that long). In figure 58.1 the data is shown by day and the computer has been pretty reliable. We can tell this because the blue line is running near the top of the graph. Figure 58.2 shows a graph taken over several weeks.

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Figure 58.2 – Viewing reliability data by week On the graph in figure 58.2 there are several red crosses. To get more information about a specific date, click on the date. Information about the errors, warnings or other events will be displayed at the bottom of the window, as shown in figure 58.3.

Figure 58.3 – Details of the fault can be seen at the bottom of the window In the bottom half of the window shown in figure 58.3 we can see the two critical events that Windows logged. Click on an event in this list and then click “View technical details” to find out more information. A window similar to the one shown in figure 58.4 will then appear.

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Figure 58.4 – Viewing problem details The technical details offered will only be of use to the most advanced users, but if you are reporting a problem, perhaps on a user forum or to your Microsoft technical support representative, you may be asked for information like this.

Click “OK” when you're done viewing the information.

58.2 - Checking for solutions Some events will have a “check for solutions” link instead of a view information link, figure 58.5 shows one such event.

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Figure 58.5 – Some events have a “Check for solution” link available You can use the “Check for a solution” link to check and see if this problem has been addressed by Microsoft. This requires an active internet connection. At the very bottom of the window (you may need to use the scroll bar to find it) you can also click on “Check for solutions to all problems”, to quickly check every problem that the Reliability Monitor has logged. Next to this link is “Save reliability history...”. This saves the entire reliability history to an xml file, which can be submitted as part of a bug report. Since this file is large, do not send it to anyone unless you are asked to.

58.3 - Reliability event types In the “Reliability details” part of the window, there are three types of event that can be logged:Critical Event – Marked with a white cross on a red background. This indicates a program or service that stopped working.

Warning – Marked with a black exclamation mark on a yellow triangle. This is an unusual event such as a program which failed to install correctly.

Informational – A white 'i' on a blue background. This is an event that executed successfully, such as a new driver installation.

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occasional red cross on the Reliability Monitor graph that there is anything fundamentally wrong with your PC. If your computer is stable when you are running it, that is all that matters.

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Lesson 59 - Resource Monitor In this tutorial we are going to take a look at the Resource Monitor tool. While the Reliability Monitor gives you an overview of things that have been happening on your PC, the Resource Monitor tool is a way to see what is happening right now. It is similar to the Task Manager, but can show slightly more detail.

To access the tool, open the Start Menu and search for “resource monitor”, and then click the icon that appears at the top. The Resource Monitor will then open, as shown in figure 59.1.

Figure 59.1 – The Resource Monitor

If you have used the Task Manager before (See lesson 45 in the first Windows 7 Superguide), you will probably be familiar with some of the information shown in the Resource Monitor here. On the overview tab (as shown in figure 59.1), we can get a quick look at what programs and processes are using the computers central processor (CPU), disk, network or memory. In figure 59.1 we can see that the CPU graph at the top shows only a tiny amount of processor usage. The Disk and Network graphs show some peaks, but this is nothing out of the ordinary.

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59.1 - Finding resource hogs If you are having problems with random slow-downs, then click on the CPU tab.

Figure 59.2 shows the resource monitor open on the CPU tab.

Figure 59.2 – The CPU tab of the Resource Monitor On the CPU tab you can see a list of all the programs currently running on the PC. The “Image” column shows the name of the program or process. In the description column there is a more detailed description of the process. If you have never delved into a tool like this before, you may be surprised at just how many background processes run on a typical Windows 7 machine.

Depending on your screen resolution, you may need to use the window scroll control to access the final two columns. Figure 59.3 shows the final two columns.

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Figure 59.3 – The CPU and Average CPU columns There are two very useful columns at the far right of the list. The column labelled “CPU” shows how much CPU or computing time that the currently running programs are using. For tracking down CPU hogs, the “Average CPU” column is very useful. Click on any column heading to sort by that column.

Sorting by average CPU use lets you quickly find those processor intensive applications, even if they are not currently hogging the CPU. The Resource Monitor is also useful for checking memory usage. Click on the “Memory” tab to see detailed information about the current memory usage on your PC. Figure 59.4 shows the Memory tab.

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Figure 59.4 – Memory tab The information presented in the Memory tab is rather technical. The way that Windows manages memory can be complex to understand. In very simple terms, the higher the numbers in these columns, the more memory a program is using.

Disk usage can be tracked by using the Disk tab. Figure 59.5 shows this tab.

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Figure 59.5 – Disk Activity tab In the top half of the window we can see any programs that are writing or reading to disk. If your hard disk is constantly whirring away, this tab might give you some clues as to which program is causing it.

Finally, there is the Network tab, this is shown in figure 59.6.

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Figure 59.6 – Network activity tab On the Network tab, we can see which programs are sending and receiving information over the network. Programs that have a non-zero value in the Send column are currently sending data.

59.2 - Managing processes Before we wrap up our tour of the Resource Monitor, we will go back to the CPU tab and look at a couple of useful features. Just as with the Task Manager you can close programs from within the Resource Monitor. Using the CPU tab, scroll to the program you want to terminate, right click on it and choose “End Process”. Remember that if you end a system process that is critical to Windows, you may cause your system to crash or become unstable until you restart it. If you are not sure what a process is, there's a handy feature, right click on the process and choose “Search Online”.

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Figure 59.7 – Searching directly from the Resource Monitor This automatically opens your web browser and does a Bing search on the process name, allowing you to find out more about it.

That is all you need to know to use the Resource Monitor. As you can see this program can be very useful for tracking down the root causes of slow PC's.

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Lesson 60 - System Health Report In this tutorial, we are going to take a look at another troubleshooting tool, the System Health Report. This report can highlight any potential problems on your computer.

60.1 - Running a System Health Report To run the report, we first need to access the Performance Information and Tools section of the Control Panel. Open the Start Menu and search for “performance information” then click the icon that appears at the top of the search results. The Performance Information and Tools section of the control panel will then open, as shown in figure 60.1.

Figure 60.1 – The Performance Information and Tools section of the Control Panel

Now, from the options on the left, click on “Advanced tools”. The window shown in figure 60.2 will then appear.

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Figure 60.2 – The option to generate a system health report is at the bottom of the Advanced Tools section Scroll right down to the bottom of the window shown in figure 60.2 and click on the last option “Generate a system health report”. The Resource and Performance Monitor will then open and start to scan your computer, as shown in figure 60.3.

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Figure 60.3 – Resource and Performance Monitor This scan will take several minutes. When it is complete, the window will change to resemble the one shown in figure 60.4.

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Figure 60.4 – Viewing a system health report

60.2 - Interpreting the results The diagnostic results will be different for every PC. The system results shown in figure 60.4 come from quite a low end PC. There are several informational items and one error at the top. The error tells us that we are missing a driver, or that there is another problem with a piece of hardware attached to the computer. Figure 60.5 below shows a close-up of this error information.

Figure 60.5 – Example of an issue the System Health Report has identified The information tells us to check our driver or uninstall then reinstall the device in Device Manager. The fault could be cured as easily as unplugging and then reinserting the device in some cases.

The second warning is an “Informational” warning. This means that it isn't necessarily a fault with your system, just something you should be aware of.

The warning reads “The Security Center has not recorded an anti-virus product”. this is a little bizarre, since we have an antivirus installed that Windows appears to have detected. This warning appeared on all the machines we tested, despite all of them having antivirus software installed.

To view more warnings, use the window scroll control to scroll down. Further down in the window, we can see the Basic System Checks section, figure 60.6 shows this section.

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Figure 60.6 – Basic System Checks

Under “Basic System Checks”, we can see our system passed all the tests apart from “Hardware Device and Driver Checks”, which has a red spot next to it. This is due to the error we looked at in figure 60.5.

Underneath the basic tests, there is a huge amount of information available from various other tests. This information is really only of interest to system administrators, programmers and IT experts. You can use the drop-down arrows next to the test headings to view the information.

Finally, should you need to save a system health report, use the “File” menu in the top left hand corner of the window and choose “Save As”. Now use the file browser and save the file to a convenient location. The file will be saved as a HTML document. If you open the file, it will open in Internet Explorer (or your default browser). Figure 60.7 shows the health report open in Internet Explorer.

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Figure 60.7 – Viewing a saved System Health Report The report can also be forwarded to a technical support representative if necessary. That is all you need to know to use the Resource and Performance Monitor and generate and view a system health report.

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Lesson 61 - Problem Steps Recorder In this tutorial we are going to look at the Problem Steps Recorder. This tool is a way of making simple presentations that can be used to show other users or a technical support representative how to recreate a problem.

61.1 - Recording programs To start the Problem Steps Recorder, go to the Start Menu and search for “record steps” and click on the icon that appears at the top. The Problem Steps Recorder window will then open, figure 61.1 shows the window.

Figure 61.1 – Problem Steps Recorder If you have a problem with any software on your computer and you want to report this problem, firstly click on “Record”. Now, replicate the problem you have been having. For example if a program crashes when you click 'Help', open that particular program and click 'Help'. Click on “Stop Record” when you are done. A standard “Save As” window will open. Save the file to any convenient location on your computer. The file will be saved as a zipped folder (ideal for sending the problem report to an IT expert or your system administrator).

Inside the zipped folder is a MHTML document.

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Figure 61.2 – Browsing inside the compressed folder generated by the Problem Steps Recorder

61.2 - Viewing your recording Double clicking on the MHTML file opens it in Internet Explorer. Here, we can view a screen-shot of each step along with a description in text of what the user was doing at the time.

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Figure 61.3 – Viewing a report generated by the Problem Steps Recorder Obviously this tool can be useful for recording problems, but of course it has other uses too. Need to make a simple tutorial for a friend or family member?

No problem! Learning some new software and want a record of how you performed a task? Again, the Problem Steps Recorder is ideal.

61.3 - Problem Steps Recorder options There are a couple of options that can be configured in the Problem Steps Recorder. If you find that your programs are not getting recorded properly, you may need to run the recorder with administrative rights. To do this, open the menu on the right of the program (see figure 61.4).

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Figure 61.4 – Options for the Problem Steps Recorder

Now, choose “Run as administrator” from the drop-down menu. You will need to enter your administrator password and/or click on “Yes” if User Account Control prompts you to do so. Note that the Problem Steps Recorder will not record User Account Control prompts under any settings.

If you want to change the default output directory (the default directory the Problem Steps Recorder saves its files into) open the menu and click on “Settings...”. The window shown in figure 61.5 will then be displayed.

Figure 61.5 – Changing the default output location Click on “Browse...” and use the file requester window to set the output location to wherever you like. The Problem Steps Recorder will still ask you where to save the recording when you are done, so you can always override this setting.

That is all you need to know to use the Problem Steps Recorder. Don't forget, you can use this tool and the top-windows-tutorials.com user forums to submit your own problem reports for us to help you with.

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Chapter 11 – A Brief Introduction to Internet Explorer 9 In the first Windows 7 Superguide we introduced you to the basics of Internet Explorer 8. Since then, Microsoft has pushed out a major update to Internet Explorer that brings more improvements and several changes. In this chapter we will update our introduction to Internet Explorer and show you how to get started with the new version.

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Lesson 62 - Getting started with Internet Explorer 9 In this tutorial, we're going to take a first look at Internet Explorer 9 in Windows 7. Windows 7 originally shipped with Internet Explorer 8, but by the time you read this guide IE9 may have been preloaded on your computer already.

62.1 - Obtaining Internet Explorer 9 For those of you who don't have IE9 yet, it can be obtained through Windows Update. Open the Start Menu and search for “windows update”, then click the icon that appears.

Figure 62.1 – Obtaining Internet Explorer 9 can be done through Windows Update Now, choose “important updates”, as circled in red in figure 62.1.

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Figure 62.2 – Internet Explorer 9 is listed under “Important Updates” You should now see IE9 in the list, make sure it is ticked/checked and then click “OK”. Now, click “Install updates”. Wait a moment while Windows Update works, after a short pause, you will see the window shown in figure 62.3, you may need to click the icon in the task bar to make the window pop up.

Figure 62.3 – Watch for the IE icon in the taskbar and click it, this window does not always pop-up automatically

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Now, click on “Install”. You will then see the window shown in figure 62.4.

Figure 62.4 – Close Windows Explorer in order to install IE9 Make sure you have saved any open documents before clicking on “Continue”.

The installation process will then continue, the taskbar might disappear from the screen for a moment but do not be alarmed. When the installation is complete, you may be required to restart your PC. Restart your computer and then continue with the tutorial.

62.2 - Starting IE9 Now that IE9 is installed, it can be started from the pinned icon on the Taskbar or the Start Menu, by searching for “internet explorer”. Start the browser however you prefer. The first time you run the browser, the window shown in figure 62.5 will appear.

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Figure 62.5 – Starting IE9 for the first time For this tutorial we will simply choose “Use recommended security and compatibility settings”. Expert users can always tweak these settings later. We will now be taken to the welcome page shown in figure 62.6.

Figure 62.6 – Internet Explorer 9 welcome page

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To read down a webpage, use the scroll control on the right. If the page is too wide use the control on the bottom to scroll left and right.

62.3 - Getting around IE9 The welcome page shows some basic features of IE9. We've reproduced the picture in more detail and added some additional annotations of our own in figure 62.7.

Figure 62.7 – Overview of the Internet Explorer 9 controls Just like in Windows 7 itself, clicking on blue text will take you to another page.

This is called a link or a hyperlink, so for example to visit iegallery.com, click on the hyperlink shown in figure 62.8.

Figure 62.8 – Click on a hyperlink to visit that page When you visit another page, the back button (see figure 62.7) becomes active.

To go back to the previous page, use the back button. You can then use the forward button to return to the page you just left.

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been merged. Type in what you want to search for in the address bar and then click on “Turn on suggestions” if necessary. See figure 62.9 for an example.

Figure 62.9 – Searching in IE9

When you enter text like this, all the keystrokes you type are sent to the Bing search engine. Click on one of the suggestions to be taken to a results page.

Search results are ranked automatically by the search engines own special criteria and do not necessarily reflect the pages accuracy.

The combined address/search bar shows the address for the current page when you are not searching. If you get a web address from TV or a magazine, for example, you enter it into the address bar. Click once on the address bar and use the backspace key to delete the current address and then type the new one and press Enter. If you entered the address accurately, you will be taken directly to that page.

Referring back to figure 62.7, there are three other icons on the address bar that we have not covered. The first icon is “Compatibility Mode”. It's labelled as “Click this button to help fix problems when a webpage doesn't look right”.

There are a small number of websites that will look better with compatibility mode enabled. For many sites it will not make a difference, or it may even make them look worse. Before turning on Compatibility Mode, you might want to try reloading/refreshing the page.

The “Reload page” icon forces a page to reload from the internet. From time to time a page might not fully load, clicking this icon forces the page to load again.

The “Stop loading page” icon stops the page loading any further, useful if you visit a slow loading page and simply want to give up on loading it.

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That concludes our brief introduction to IE9. In the next tutorial we will be looking at some other features of the browser, including Favorites.

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Lesson 63 - Internet Explorer 9 part 2 In this tutorial, we are going to look at a couple of neat features that make browsing the internet easier and faster with Internet Explorer 9.

63.1 - Tabs The first feature we are going to discuss is tabs. Tabs are useful when you want to work on two or more webpages, to compare prices for example. To open a new tab, click to the right of the last open tab, as circled in figure 63.1 below.

Figure 63.1 – Click to the right of the last open tab to open a new tab Internet Explorer will open a new tab and display the page shown in figure 63.2, which lets you jump to your most used sites.

Figure 63.2 – The default page for a new tab

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You can click to be taken to one of your most visited sites, or simply start a new search or enter a web address into the address bar. To switch between tabs, simply click on them.

In any of the open tabs, you can enter a web address or search query into the address bar or click on the house icon (circled in red in figure 63.1) to return to the “home page”. You can do these actions without affecting the content open in the other tabs. Any time you want to switch between open tabs, just click on them. You can have as many tabs open as you like, just click to the right of the last tab to open a new one. Of course, having too many tabs open can get confusing!

63.2 - Favorites When you find a website you want to revisit, you can add it to your Favorites (favourites). Other browsers call this “bookmarking”. It's really easy to do, simply click on the star icon (circled red in figure 63.3) and then click on “Add to favorites”.

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Figure 63.3 – Adding to Favorites The window shown in figure 63.4 will then appear.

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Now, click on “Add”. The site will then be saved in your Favorites. You can organise your Favorites into folders too, if you want to save your new Favorite in a new folder, use the drop-down box next to “Create in:” to choose the folder, before clicking “Add”.

The site is now added to your Favorites. Click on the star any time to view your saved 'favorites'. You can also make your Favorites appear as a sidebar by clicking the icon circled in green in figure 63.3.

To visit a site on your Favorites list, just click on it once and it will instantly open up. If you want to remove a site from your Favorites, just hover your mouse over it and press the delete key on the keyboard. The Favorite will then be sent to the Recycle Bin. That's all you need to know to start using the internet with IE9. Don't forget that we have only scratched the surface of what you can do on the web, so don't be afraid to experiment. In the next tutorial we will be taking a look at IE9's improved download manager.

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Lesson 64 - The IE9 Download Manager One of the biggest changes to Internet Explorer 9 concerns how downloads are handled. IE9 includes a whole new download manager that improves the reliability of downloading from the internet and allows broken or unreliable downloads to be resumed. In this short tutorial we will show you how to use it.

Downloading files is a skill you will need to master to get the most out of the internet. Fortunately, it is very easy.

64.1 - Starting a download In figure 64.1, Internet Explorer 9 is open on a webpage and the user has just clicked on a download link.

Figure 64.1 – Beginning a download in IE9 Let's take a closer look at the box that appeared at the bottom of the IE9 window. Figure 64.2 shows this box in more detail.

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Figure 64.2 – The download pop-up window

Internet Explorer displays the box shown in figure 64.2 at the bottom asking the user if they want to run or save the file. Clicking on “Run” will make the file open as soon as it is finished downloading. Clicking on “Save” will save the file to the hard drive without opening it. This is the option we selected in this tutorial.

Figure 64.3 – Downloading a program In figure 64.3 we can see the AIRoboForm file downloading. When it is finished, the download window will change to the one shown in figure 64.4.

Figure 64.4 – Download complete We can now click “Run” to install or run the file we just downloaded, “Open folder” to be taken to our downloads folder or “View downloads” to show all our current and completed downloads.

64.2 - Viewing downloads Clicking on “View downloads” causes the window shown in figure 64.5 to open.

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Figure 64.5 – Viewing downloads Figure 64.5 shows the main window of Internet Explorer 9's new download manager. IE9 now automatically resumes interrupted downloads and allows you to pause and resume active downloads. For downloads that have finished, you can click “Run” here to open them or, by clicking on the link in the “Location” column, open the downloads folder.

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Figure 64.6 – Downloads are sent to the Downloads folder by default Figure 64.6 shows a typical downloads folder. The file downloaded in the example is highlighted in blue. Downloaded files are no different to any other files on your computer. You can copy, move and delete them as appropriate and open them by double clicking.

That is all there is to downloading files in Internet Explorer 9. You can access the Download Manager window any time you are using IE9 by pressing the Control (Ctrl) and 'J' keys together on the keyboard.

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Chapter 12 – The Other Free Applications Windows 7 ships with several free applications to get you started. In this chapter we will take a brief look at Notepad, WordPad and Paint. While many users simply replace these tools with alternatives, they can still come in useful, particularly because they are always available, no matter whose Windows 7 machine you may be using.

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Lesson 65 - Windows Notepad In this tutorial, we are going to take a look at Notepad. Notepad is a text editor, this means it is designed for editing plain text files, rather than files containing fonts and formatting information. Plain text files are still used for many things, including program logs and configuration files. They also form the basis of most web pages.

65.1 - Starting Notepad To start Notepad, open the Start Menu and search for “notepad”, then click the icon that appears at the top. Notepad will now open, as shown in figure 65.1.

Figure 65.1 – A blank Notepad window Notepad is one of the Windows applications that has not changed much over the years. This is because it only performs a very basic function. To use Notepad, simply type into the window.

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Figure 65.2 – Text entered into Notepad There are no fonts or formatting options. As you can see, Notepad isn't designed for writing letters or other office tasks.

65.2 - Editing configuration files One task Notepad is often used for is editing simple configuration files. Some software may have hidden settings that can only be changed by editing a configuration file. Figure 65.3 shows an example of one such file open in Notepad. You can open configuration files by using the “File” menu and selecting “Open...” or by dragging and dropping the file from Windows Explorer.

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Figure 65.3 – Editing a configuration file Figure 65.3 shows a typical configuration file open in Notepad. To change an option, consult the programs documentation first, then simply edit the file. For example, you might change “EnableSound=0” to “EnableSound=1” to enable sound effects in this program. When you are done editing any file in Notepad, do not forget to go to “File->Save” to commit your changes. Remember that when editing a configuration file, you may need to run Notepad with administrative rights (by right clicking on its icon and choosing “Run as administrator”). If you do not, you may get an access denied error when saving the edited configuration file.

Notepad is a light-weight application and there are not many options to configure. The File menu has the standard “New”, “Open...”, “Save” and “Save As...” options, as well as the option to print the file.

65.3 - Searching text files In the Edit menu there is the usual selection of cut and paste options. There is also a very useful “Find...” option, which is great for searching through larger text files. To use it, click “Edit->Find...” . The window shown in figure 65.4 will then appear.

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Figure 65.4 – Searching a text file Enter a word or phrase and then click “Find Next”. The program will then highlight the first match. Remember that the search starts from the current cursor position. If you want to search the entire file, be sure to click at the top before performing the search.

Choosing the “Match case” option means that capital letters are treated differently to lower case ones. For example, with this option enabled, searching for “capital” will not find “Capital” since it begins with an upper-case letter 'C'.

65.4 - Other Notepad options There are two options available on the “Format” menu, “Word Wrap” and “Font...”. choosing Word Wrap makes long lines in files automatically wrap around to the next line, saving you the trouble of scrolling the window to the right. Without this option, lines of text that are longer than the Notepad window will not be visible without scrolling the window horizontally.

Choosing “Font...” will open the window shown in figure 65.5.

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Figure 65.5 – Choosing fonts The Font window allows you to specify the font used in Notepad. It is not possible to change the fonts of individual words or lines and this information is not saved in the text file, it simply affects what you see on the screen.

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Figure 65.6 – Font changed in Notepad That is really all there is to Notepad. It is a simple, lightweight tool for text editing, as you become more advanced with your computer you will find that it is a invaluable tool.

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Lesson 66 - Windows 7 WordPad In this tutorial, we are going to spend some time looking at the new improved WordPad in Windows 7. WordPad often gets neglected in favour of Microsoft Word, or free alternatives like Open Office Writer. For simple word processing tasks however, it's more than adequate.

66.1 - Starting WordPad To start WordPad, go to the Start Menu and search for “wordpad” and click the icon that appears. The WordPad window will then appear as shown in figure 66.1.

Figure 66.1 – WordPad open with a blank document

66.2 - Entering and manipulating text WordPad offers many more options and features compared to the minimal feature set of Notepad. To enter text, simply type into the white area of the window.

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Figure 66.2 – Entering text

Since WordPad is a full word processor, the text can be manipulated in several ways. One way is to change the alignment of the text. Figure 66.3 shows an example of text alignment.

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Figure 66.3 – Text alignment In figure 66.3, the alignment buttons are circled in red. From left to right they are; Align Text Left, Center, Align Text Right and Justify.

WordPad supports changing fonts/typefaces. To change fonts, select the text by clicking and dragging with the mouse, then choose the new font at the top left of the WordPad window. See figure 66.4 for an example.

Figure 66.4 – Changing fonts In figure 66.4 the text selected (highlighted in blue) will have its font changed when the user chooses a new font from the drop-down menu shown. The font size can also be changed by using the control to the right of this menu (that currently shows the number 11). The two buttons to the right of this control will make the font bigger or smaller by one increment.

For extra emphasis, we can also add styles to our fonts. Figure 66.5 shows an example of Bold, Underlined, Italic and Strikethrough styles.

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Figure 66.5 – Font styles In figure 66.5 the buttons for applying styles to the fonts are circled in red.

From left to right they are Bold, Italic, Underline and Strikethrough.

We can also apply Subscript and Superscript styles to the fonts, which makes the text smaller and lower than regular text, or smaller and higher. Figure 66.6 shows an example.

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Figure 66.6 – Superscript and Subscript In figure 66.6 there are two lines of text, the first line has text in Subscript, the second has text in Superscript. The buttons for selecting Subscript and Superscript are circled in red.

Also very important are the undo and redo buttons. If you make a mistake, press the back pointing arrow to undo your last change. Clicking the forward pointing arrow will re-do the change you just removed. These buttons are shown in figure 66.7.

Figure 66.7 – Undo and Redo buttons

66.3 - Creating a simple letter Let's use what we have learnt so far to write a simple letter. In figure 66.8, we have typed an address, pressing Enter after every line.

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Figure 66.8 – Starting a letter Pressing the Enter key after every line started a new paragraph and left additional space. This isn't suitable for a letter but fortunately this behaviour can be changed. To change this setting, make sure that the text is selected (highlight it with the mouse). Now, click on the button circled in red in figure 66.8. The menu shown in figure 66.9 will then open.

Figure 66.9 – Changing line spacing options For a letter, choose 1.0 line spacing, and deselect “add 10pt space after paragraphs”.

Using the skills we have learned, we can now produce a full letter.

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Figure 66.10 – Our letter is taking shape In the next lesson we will finish off our letter by looking at some more of WordPad's features and also discussing some of its limitations.

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Lesson 67 - WordPad part 2 In this lesson we are going to look at some more WordPad features and round off with a quick discussion of WordPad's limitations.

67.1 - Adding pictures WordPad documents can contain pictures. To add one, place your cursor roughly where you want the picture to go, and click on the Picture button. A sub-menu will then appear. Figure 67.1 shows the Picture button circled in red.

Figure 67.1 – The Picture button is circled in red If you don't see the picture button, either make the WordPad window slightly bigger, or click on the “Insert” button and choose “Picture” from the sub-menu.

See figure 67.2 for an example.

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Figure 67.2 – The Picture button can be found on the insert menu if your WordPad window is too small When you click the Picture button, a standard Windows file requester window will open. Browse to a picture on your computer and click on “Open”. The picture will then be inserted into your document, as shown in figure 67.3.

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Figure 67.3 – A picture inserted into a WordPad document By clicking on the picture, the alignment buttons can be used to reposition it just like with text. It is also possible to drag and drop the picture around the document, or resize it. Unlike more powerful word processors, WordPad does not have other options for flowing the text around the picture however.

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Figure 67.4 – Resizing a picture

67.2 - Lists Another useful feature is the lists feature. For this example we will add a list of faults with the widget. Place the cursor where you want to begin your list and then click on the list button. Type the list and the items on the list are automatically bullet-pointed. Figure 67.5 shows the list button circled in red and a completed list.

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Figure 67.5 – Adding a list

There are several other list styles beside bullet points. To select a different style, first select the entire list, then click the button circled in figure 67.6 and choose a different style.

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Figure 67.6 – List styles

67.3 - Checking your work At this point the letter might be nearly done. Remember that unlike other, more feature-complete word processors, there is no spell check in WordPad. Make sure you carefully check your document and use the mouse and arrow keys to correct any spelling mistakes.

Figure 67.7 – Check your document carefully for spelling mistakes

67.4 - Printing When you are sure that your document is fully proof-read, you may want to make a hard copy with your printer. Before printing, it is a good idea to check the page setup. Use the menu in the top left hand corner and choose “Page setup”.

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Figure 67.8 – Accessing page setup options The page setup window will then appear, as shown in figure 67.9.

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Figure 67.9 – Page Setup options On the Page Setup window, the user can choose different sizes of paper. Page margins can also be set. Be aware that if the margins are set too small, some printers may not be able to cope.

The page orientation can also be changed on this window. Choose either portrait (longer than wider), or landscape (wider than longer). Click on “OK” when you are done configuring these options.

Before you go ahead and print, you might want to get a Print preview, this shows exactly how the document will appear when printed. Use the menu in the top left of the window to choose “Print preview” as shown in figure 67.10.

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Figure 67.10 – Accessing Print preview The window shown in figure 67.11 will then appear.

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Figure 67.11 – A Print preview If you are happy with the Print preview, go ahead and click “Print”. If you have a printer installed and connected, you will now get a hard copy. Otherwise, click on “Close print preview” to go back to editing your document.

Don't forget to save your work when you are done editing it. Use the little floppy disk icon near the top left of the window. The familiar file requester will appear the first time you click this icon. Choose a location for your file and enter a name for it and then click “Save”. Next time you click the save icon, the document will be saved automatically. If you need to save it under another name, use the menu shown in figure 67.10 and choose “Save as”.

That concludes our whirlwind tour of WordPad. Although Wordpad is basic, it can still handle light-weight word processing tasks with ease. For users who need a more powerful Word Processor, the excellent free OpenOffice.org package is a fantastic option. Visit the following website for more information:Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 439

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http://www.openoffice.org/

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Lesson 68 - Microsoft Paint Part 1 Paint is another free Windows application that has had a major overhaul for Windows 7. In this tutorial we will have a quick look at the new Microsoft Paint.

68.1 - Starting Paint To start Paint, go to the Start Menu and search for “paint” and click on the icon that appears at the top. The main Paint window will then be displayed, as shown in figure 68.1.

Figure 68.1 – Paint open on a blank canvas Figure 68.1 shows a blank canvas open in the new Microsoft Paint. The top part of the window, with the tools and icons, is called the Ribbon. The best way to use a package like this is to dive right in and try things.

68.2 - Brushes and colours Choose a brush by clicking on the brush button (fourth from the left on the programs ribbon). Figure 68.2 shows the brush selection tool.

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Figure 68.2 – Brush selection tool Choose a colour by clicking on one of the small coloured squares on the top right hand side of the program window. These squares represent the colour palette. Now you can start painting. Simply move the mouse pointer to the canvas and hold down the left mouse button to press your virtual brush down, then move the mouse to paint.

Figure 68.3 – Painting in Paint

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least it should inspire you to have a go yourself. Using paint packages like this one can be a lot of fun. Read on to find out what else we can do in Microsoft Paint.

68.3 - Undo and Redo If you make a mistake when painting then do not fear. Use the Undo button to remove the last action. You can then use the redo button to restore the change you just removed. Figure 68.4 shows the undo and redo buttons.

Figure 68.4 – Undo and redo are very useful tools

68.4 - Shapes To draw shapes, click on the Shapes button (fifth button from the left on the ribbon). Figure 68.4 shows the available shapes.

Figure 68.5 – Choosing a shape to draw Choose any of the shapes and use the sub-menus on the right to choose outline type and fill colour. You may need to click the “Shapes” button again in order to choose the Outline and Fill colour.

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Figure 68.6 – An example of selecting a shape and outline type Figure 68.6 shows a diamond shape drawn using Outline set to Crayon and Fill set to Solid color.

Figure 68.7 – Perfectly drawn diamond thanks to the Shape tool

68.5 - More about colours You might have expected the diamond in figure 68.6 to be coloured in, so why is it not? In figure 68.5 you can see Color 1 (green) and Color 2 (white). Color 2 is the 'fill' colour. Because this is set to white, our shape was filled in white. To change Color 2, simply click on Color 2 on the ribbon and then click on a new colour. If you have not deselected the shape you just drew, the colour will change instantly and you can keep trying different colours until you are happy.

In the top right of the window in figure 68.3 we can see a palette of 30 colours.

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We are not limited to these 30 colours however. Click on the “Edit Colors” button on the far right of the Ribbon. The window shown in figure 68.7 will then appear.

Figure 68.8 – Adding new colours to your palette Use the cross-hairs on the colour chart on the right to pick a colour, then drag the slider at the far right of the window to change from light to dark. When you have chosen your colour, click “Add to custom Colors” and then click “OK”. The colour is now available for use in the painting.

68.6 - Saving your work and understanding picture formats When you are done creating your masterpiece, don't forget to save it, click on the little floppy disk icon near the top left of the Paint window. This icon is circled in red in figure 68.8. The file requester window shown in figure 68.8 will then appear.

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Figure 68.9 – Choosing a picture format and saving your work By now you should know how to use a file requester window to load and save data. However, you may not be aware of all the different picture formats available. In figure 68.8 the user has opened the “Save as type” menu. As you can see, there are several types of picture to choose from. As a very general rule, you should use PNG for drawings and JPEG for photographs. The other formats are occasionally needed too, especially if you want to import your work into other programs.

Once you have chosen a picture type, enter a name for your work and click “Save”. Your picture is now saved forever, well, assuming you remember to backup your computer too!

That concludes our first Paint tutorial. In the next tutorial, we will take a look at some of the other tools available in the program.

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Lesson 69 - Microsoft Paint Part 2 In this tutorial we will continue our look at Microsoft Paint by investigating some more of the painting tools the program offers.

69.1 - Paint tools In figure 69.1 we can see the tools section of the ribbon.

Figure 69.1 – Paint tools The first row of tools, from left to right are:Pencil – A free-form drawing tool, simply select this tool then click on your canvas to start drawing.

Fill with color – This fills an area with Color 1. You can use it to colour in shapes on your canvas. Be careful, if there is a break in the shape anywhere, the paint will 'leak' out and cover the rest of the canvas too!

Text – Add a text label to your drawing anywhere on the canvas. Click the tool and then click on your canvas, you will then be able to type your message. The ribbon will change to show the text entry options, as shown in figure 69.2.

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Figure 69.2 – Text entry options The typeface or font can be changed by clicking the drop-down box (the font is set to Calibri in figure 69.2). The font can also be made bigger or smaller by clicking the menu below the font selection box (the font is set to size 11 in figure 69.2). You can also select Bold, Italic Underline and Strikethrough styles for the font by using the buttons to the right of the font size selector.

By clicking on “Opaque”, the text entry box will be filled with Color 2, otherwise the text entry box will be transparent and any canvas elements will show underneath it. Click on the home tab when you are done entering your text.

The second row of tools, from left to right are:Eraser – The eraser tool is somewhat badly named. It will paint onto the canvas using Color 2, rather than erasing parts of the painting you just made. A quicker way to erase a big area of the picture is to use a rectangle shape with no outline and a solid fill, then just draw this shape around the area you want to erase.

Color Picker – This is a very useful tool. When selected, you can click on any part of the image. The colour directly under the cursor is then instantly set to Color 1. If you want to set Color 2 instead, simply right click.

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use the right mouse button.

Figure 69.3 – Zooming in on a picture

69.2 - Select tool Another important tool is the Select tool. You can see this tool being used in the painting shown in figure 69.4. The icon for this tool is the second big icon from the left, under the word “Home”. The Select tool is a useful tool for trimming and editing images. To use it, select it from the ribbon and then drag the selection rectangle around a part of the image.

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Figure 69.4 – Using the select tool By right clicking after we select an area of the image, we can copy this section of the image, then use the Paste button (first button on the ribbon), to make a copy of the stick man's head on the canvas. Of course, we could also paste this clip into another program which supports graphics, such as WordPad.

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Figure 69.5 – Pasting from Paint into WordPad We can also rotate the cutting by choosing the “Rotate” option, or resize it by using the “Resize” option. Figure 69.6 shows the Resize and Skew window.

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Figure 69.6 – Resizing a cutting Manually resize the clip by changing the values in this window. “Maintain aspect ratio” means that the height will increase relative to the width, making the graphic less distorted. Click on “OK” when you are done.

The other menu option shown in figure 69.4 that is often used is “Crop”. This will discard the rest of the image on the canvas and keep only the area that you have selected. This is very useful when working with screenshots, for example, as you can quickly clip the image down to the window or area you want to show.

That ends our whirlwind tour of Paint. As you can see, this little tool can be both fun and useful and is more than capable of dealing with many simple image manipulation tasks. For users who need more powerful image manipulation software, the excellent free Paint.net package is a good starting point, see the following website for more information:- http://www.getpaint.net/

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Chapter 13 – Advanced Networking for Beginners Troubleshooting problems with your internet connection can be frustrating.

None of us like to wait in the queue for the technical support assistant. In this chapter, we will introduce you to some of the advanced techniques that the professionals use for troubleshooting home networking problems. Hopefully, armed with these techniques, you can spend less time on the phone and more time on the internet!

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Lesson 70 - A Command Prompt primer In this tutorial, we are going to have a look at the Command Prompt. The Command Prompt, also sometimes called the command line, accepts typed commands rather than mouse clicks. It is reminiscent of the old MS-DOS computers. While most users find Windows Explorer an easier way of navigating their computers, some tools will only run when accessed from the Command Prompt. Many Windows users are intimidated by the Command Prompt, but it really is not difficult to use.

70.1 - Starting the Command Prompt To start the Command Prompt, go to the Start Menu and search for “command prompt” and click the icon that appears at the top. The Command Prompt window will then appear, as shown in figure 70.1.

Figure 70.1 – Command Prompt window Remember that when using the Command Prompt, you will not have administrator rights by default. This is true even if you are running an administrator account. Unless you open the Command Prompt by right clicking on the Command Prompt icon and choosing “Run as administrator”, you will not be able to make system wide changes. Administrator rights are needed for some troubleshooting techniques that we will discuss later, but for this introduction, we will be using the standard Command Prompt.

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70.2 - Entering commands and navigating your computer To work with the Command Prompt, type in commands on the keyboard. For example, to get a list of files in the current directory, type dir and then press the Enter key.

Figure 70.2 – the dir command shows a list of files in the directory To change to another directory, type the letters cd (which stands for change directory), then leave a space, and type the name of the directory. So for example, to change into the Music directory, we would type cd music and then press Enter.

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Figure 70.3 – the cd command changes directory There are couple of things to notice here. Firstly, the directories are not case sensitive, that means that capital letters and lower case letters are treated the same, so it did not matter that we typed “music” when the directory name is shown as “Music”.

Secondly, you should understand the concept of file paths now, if you do not, please revise the prerequisite tutorials in the original Windows 7 Superguide.

The current file path, or working directory, is always shown on the command line, this makes it easy to remember which directory you are in.

To go back up to the previous directory, we type cd and then two dots, or periods and press Enter, the command is shown below in full. cd..

When using the Command Prompt, any file names or folders that contain spaces in them must be entered with quotation marks. For example, if we wanted to change to the “Saved Games” directory, we would need to type the following, followed by the Enter key:cd "saved games" If you want to change the path to another drive, simply type the drive letter followed by a colon. For example, the command below will change to the 'D' drive. d: You now know how to get around in the Command Prompt, which is usually all you will need for most basic Windows troubleshooting. To run a program from the Command Prompt, you can just type the name of the program. This will work if you are in the same working directory as the program or, if the program is stored in the 'Path'. The Path is a set of locations that Windows looks into when you enter a command. Windows Notepad is in the path, so the command to launch Notepad is simply:notepad However, if your program is not in the Path, you will need to use the cd command to change directory into the programs directory. You can do this either by using the cd command to change down or up directories as shown previously, or, you can type cd followed by the full program path. For instance, if your program was stored in a folder called temp on the root of the C drive, you could type:cd "C:\temp" You can also type start, followed by a program name. This forces the program Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 456

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to start in a new window. The command below would force the ftp command to start in a new window:start ftp This leaves your original Command Prompt window free allowing you to keep working in it while the other program runs. Note that the new window will be closed as soon as the program finishes, meaning that you may not get the opportunity to read the programs output.

When entering commands, you can also use the up and down arrow keys on the keyboard, to scroll through the last few commands you executed. You can then press Enter to execute the command again or use the left and right arrow keys to edit it first.

70.3 - Cut and paste in the Command Prompt When working with the Command Prompt, it is not possible to use the Control C and Control V keyboard shortcuts to copy and paste information. Instead, to copy information from the Command Prompt window into another window, first right-click and choose “Mark”. Now drag the cursor over the area you want to copy and then press Enter.

Figure 70.4 – Marking an area to copy in the Command Prompt Now simply paste the information into a compatible application, such as Notepad or WordPad. To copy information from another application into the Command Prompt, first pick it up onto the clipboard in the usual way. Now, go to the Command Prompt window, right click and choose “Paste”. With this technique you can easily copy Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 457

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and paste commands from the Superguide into the Command Prompt window.

That concludes this introduction to the Command Prompt. You now know everything you need to know to use basic troubleshooting tools on the Command Prompt.

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Lesson 71 - IPConfig and Ping In this tutorial we will be looking at two useful network troubleshooting commands, namely IPConfig and Ping. To use these commands, we are going to need the Command Prompt. So open the Start Menu and search for “command prompt” and then click the icon that appears at the top. The Command Prompt window will then open.

71.1 - IPConfig To use the IPConfig command, simply type the following command into the Command Prompt and then press Enter:ipconfig The Command Prompt will now show lots of new information, similar to that shown in figure 71.1.

Figure 71.1 – IPConfig command The numbers we are interested in are for “Local Area Connection”. Specifically, we can see the machines IPv4 Address, which is 192.168.1.7 in this example.

This number is a unique identifier for our computer on our home network. No two computers on the same network can have the same IP address.

71.2 - Ping Once we know the IP address, we can use this information for troubleshooting.

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basic network connection between the two machines. Use the IPConfig command on your other computer and write down the IPv4 Address that the command shows, for example '192.168.1.7'. Then, enter the following command into the Command Prompt:ping 192.168.1.7 Obviously, you should substitute 192.168.1.7 for the number you wrote down from your other computer, then press Enter.

When you run the Ping command, the computer basically says “Hello, are you there?” to the other computer. If the target machine hears the ping, it will respond, and the output of the command will resemble that shown in figure 71.2.

Figure 71.2 – Executing a Ping command If the Ping command is successful you know that both computers can see each other on your network and any basic connectivity problems are due to software rather than hardware. If the Ping command fails, you will see “request timed out”. Make sure to disable all third party firewall software, double check the target computers IPv4 address and try again, if you still cannot get a reply to your pings, it may be time to start checking your networking hardware.

71.3 - Faster network browsing by IP address Another trick you can do when you know the IPv4 address of a computer on your network, is to use that address in place of that computers name in Windows Explorer.

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access a shared folder by clicking on the address bar and typing the path in the following format:\\(Computer name)\(Share name)\ If we know the IPv4 address of the computer, we can type the path like this:\\(IPv4 address)\(Share name)\ This will take us to the same place. Sometimes this can be faster, as Windows does not need to look up the IPv4 address associated with the computer name.

However, be aware that IPv4 addresses can and do change when you power cycle your computer, unless you configure your networking hardware and computer to avoid this. The details of how to do this vary between different types of computer and router and are beyond the scope of this tutorial.

That concludes this brief introduction to network troubleshooting with IPConfig and Ping.

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Lesson 72 - Finding and configuring routers In this tutorial, we are going to build on the skills we learned in the last lesson.

We will be using the command line to find the IPv4 address of our router and then using this information to access its configuration page.

To get started, open the Command Prompt by opening the Start Menu and searching for “command prompt” and clicking the icon that appears at the top.

The Command Prompt window will then appear.

72.1 - Default Gateway = IPv4 address of your router Now, use the IPConfig command, just as we did in the previous lesson, type the following command and press Enter. ipconfig Just as before, the Command Prompt window will show all kinds of numbers and information, just like in figure 72.1

Figure 72.1 – IPConfig command This time however, we are looking for the “Default Gateway”. In figure 72.1 that number is '192.168.1.1'. Make a note of this, or better still, use the techniques we discussed in lesson 70.3 to copy it to the clipboard.

Now, open Internet Explorer or your preferred web browser. Paste or type the IP address into the address bar, see figure 72.2 for an example.

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Figure 72.2 – Entering the default gateway address into a web browser Press Enter after you type the address and with a bit of luck, you will be taken to a login page for your router. Log in now with the user name and password your internet service provider gave to you.

Figure 72.3 – Logging onto a router

72.2 - Notes on configuring routers There are so many different types of router that it is difficult to make a tutorial on how to configure them. However, you should make sure that your wireless settings are set to at least WPA security mode and choose a long password made up of random characters if possible. Consult the documentation that came with your router or bridge for more information. We also highly recommend changing the routers default sign-in password to improve security.

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72.3 - Choosing wireless security keys If you use wireless (WiFi) networking, you need to choose a strong WPA key/password for each wireless machine on your network. You should always use WPA and not WEP security, since WEP is vulnerable to several well known exploitations. One of the best ways to come up with a WPA key is to use a key generator. Visit the website below for a free WPA key generator. http://www.yellowpipe.com/yis/tools/WPA_key/generator.php Figure 72.4 shows the WPA key generator from the above page.

Figure 72.4 – Generating a WPA key

For maximum security, choose a 63 character password, then click “Generate WPA key”. Now, all you need to do is copy and paste this key into your routers security page and click save.

To configure the wireless computers on your network, open Notepad and paste the generated key into a blank text file. Save this text file to a removable drive, such as a USB stick. Any computer which joins the wireless network will need this key, which you can then copy and paste from this text file. This is the most basic way to configure a wireless network, some routers or ISP's may provide different instructions which you should follow instead. When using this method, be sure to keep your USB stick safe, after all, if you lose it, anyone who finds it can then join your network.

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Note that if you have other devices on your network, such as internet radios or media streaming devices, you may need to enter your WPA key manually. entering a 63 character key manually can be difficult and time consuming, especially on devices without a keyboard. In this instance you may wish to choose minimum security instead. However, the key entry only needs to be done once, so we still recommend using 63 character keys if possible.

That concludes this simple tutorial, now you know how to find a router's IPv4 address and configuration page on any home network!

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Lesson 73 - Connecting to a WiFi access point In this tutorial, we are going to connect to a wireless access point (WiFi) on a Windows 7 machine. To connect to an access point either at home, at work or when out and about, make sure the WiFi on your computer is turned on and then click the connections icon in the notification area. This icon is circled red in figure 73.1.

Figure 73.1 – The connections icon If you cannot locate this icon, open the Start Menu and search for “network and sharing center”. Click on the icon that appears at the top and the Network and Sharing Center section of the Control Panel will then open.

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Figure 73.2 – Network and sharing center

Now, click on “Connect to network”. Whichever method you used, a menu similar to the one shown in figure 73.3 should then appear.

73.1 - Choosing an access point

Figure 73.3 – Choosing an access point Figure 73.3 shows a list of all the wireless access points in range of the computer. If you do not see the access point you want to connect to, click on the refresh button in the top right hand corner of the window before checking your router or access point.

The green bars next to the access point name indicate the signal strength. The more green bars, the stronger the wireless signal between computer and access point.

To connect to an access point, click its name once in the list and then click on “Connect”, as shown in figure 73.4.

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Figure 73.4 – Connecting to Skynet14 If you leave the “Connect automatically” option selected, Windows will try to connect to this access point every time it detects it in range.

If this is the first time you have connected to this access point, you will need to enter your security key, the window shown in figure 73.5 will appear and prompt you for the key.

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Figure 73.5 – Entering your WPA key You can now type your security key, or better still copy and paste it in from your text file. In the previous tutorial we discussed saving a randomly generated WPA key to a USB drive. If you are using this method you would now insert your USB device, open it in Computer and then open the text file containing your WPA key. Now simply copy and paste the key from the text file into the password box.

When you have entered your key, click on “OK”. There will be a short pause while Windows attempts to connect. If you entered the password correctly you should now be connected to the wireless access point. Test internet connectivity by opening your browser and connecting to a web page.

73.2 - Changing WPA keys and reconnecting If you have to change your WPA access key for any reason, you may have difficulty reconnecting to your access point because Windows does not prompt you to enter a new security key and instead keeps trying to connect with the old one. To deal with this problem, open the “Network and Sharing Center” (figure 73.2) and then choose “Manage Wireless networks” on the menu on the left.

The window shown in figure 73.6 will then open.

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Select the access point that has just had it's WPA key changed, right click on it and choose “Remove network”. Now, try to connect again (you may need to refresh connections). This time, Windows should prompt you for your WPA key.

That is all you need to know to connect to wireless networks. Remember that if you connect to unsecured networks or public WiFi access points, malicious users may be able to intercept passwords you use on websites such as Facebook, Twitter or even on E-mail or IM accounts you may access. We recommend against using unsecured access points for any sites that require you to log in.

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Lesson 74 - Tweaking networking features In this lesson, we are going to use the Command Prompt again to show you how to tweak or change some low-level networking settings in Windows 7. We only recommend changing these settings if you are having serious speed or reliability problems with your internet or network connection. If possible, test your network equipment on another machine to determine that Windows 7 is the cause of the problem before attempting any of the fixes listed below.

Please exercise caution when following this tutorial Although these changes can easily be undone, we recommend trying them one at a time and rebooting after each one. We also recommend creating a system restore point (see lesson 44 in the original Windows 7 Superguide) before proceeding. Please note that these commands are for users who are experiencing slow network speeds and not for users who cannot connect to their network/internet connection at all.

To get started making these changes, we need to open a Command Prompt window with administrator privileges. To do this, open the Start Menu and search for “command prompt”. When the Command Prompt icon appears, right click on it and choose “Run as administrator”. Enter your password and/or click on “Yes” if Windows User Account control prompts you to do so. The Command Prompt window will then open.

You should now type, or preferably copy and paste any of the commands given below into the Command Prompt window. Try each command one at a time, rebooting between them if possible and test your networking speeds again. We will discuss a little about what each command does before showing you the command to change it.

TCP Auto Tuning (default setting - normal) Windows 7 includes a mechanism that automatically optimises your network settings. However, in a small number of cases it can actually have a negative effect on your network connection. To turn off TCP Auto Tuning, copy the following command into the Command Prompt window and press Enter:netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=disabled If this tweak has no noticeable effect on your network performance, we recommend that you turn TCP Auto Tuning back on. There are five settings that you can set TCP Auto Tuning to, they are “disabled”, ”highlyrestricted", "restricted", “normal” and "experimental". To return to the default setting, enter the command below into the Command Prompt:netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=normal You may also try:Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 471

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netsh int tcp set global autotuninglevel=restricted Feel free to experiment with any of the available settings, we do not recommend using the experimental setting however.

ECN Capability (default setting - disabled) ECN stands for Explicit Congestion Notification. It's a clever new technology that works with your router to improve things when there's a lot of data going back and forth. Unfortunately this technology is incompatible with some routers. To find out if your router works, run the Internet Connectivity Evaluation Tool. You can access this tool on the internet by using this link:http://www.microsoft.com/windows/using/tools/igd/default.mspx If your PC passes the traffic congestion test, you can enable ECN by typing or copying the line below into your Command Prompt:netsh interface tcp set global ecncapability=enabled To disable ECN, enter the following line:netsh interface tcp set global ecncapability=disabled Be careful with this setting! When we enabled this setting on our Windows 7 and Windows Vitsta PC's, certain websites would no longer load on those machines!

Receive Side Scaling (RSS) (default setting - enabled) Receive Side Scaling attempts to take advantage of dual and quad core CPU's when transmitting data on the network. This feature is enabled by default. To disable it, copy or type the following line into your Command Prompt:netsh int tcp set global rss=disabled To enable it again, copy or type the following line into your Command Prompt:netsh int tcp set global rss=enabled TCP Chimney Offload (default setting - automatic) TCP Chimney Offload lets certain network cards carry some of the workload associated with processing network data that would otherwise be done by the computers central processor. To disable this feature, copy or type the following command into your Command Prompt:netsh int tcp set global chimney=disabled There are three settings that you can use, they are “enabled”, “disabled” and “automatic”. Feel free to experiment with the settings as you see fit.

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the command below:netsh interface tcp show global That concludes this tutorial. In most instances you will not need to change these options in order to get the most out of your internet connection, but it is useful to know that these options exist should the need ever arise to change them.

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Lesson 75 - Troubleshooting connections and resetting Winsock In this tutorial, we're going to look at two network troubleshooting steps you can follow in Windows 7. If you have no network connectivity, or you cannot access the internet, try these two steps as a last resort.

75.1 - Repairing a connection When faced with no network or internet connectivity, the first thing to try is repairing the network connection. To do this, open the Start Menu and search for “network and sharing center” and then click the icon that appears at the top.

The window shown in figure 75.1 will then appear:-

Figure 75.1 – Click here to begin repairing a connection From the options available, choose “Local Area Connection”, or whatever the link is next to “Connections”. The option is circled red in figure 75.1. The Local Copyright © Top-Windows-Tutorials.com / ACEL Systems 2011 474

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Area Connection Status window will now appear, as shown in figure 75.2.

Figure 75.2 – Network connection status On the connection status window, click on “Diagnose”. Windows will now run some tests on the connection and make recommendations. For example, you may be advised to restart your broadband modem.

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Figure 75.3 – Follow the advice in the troubleshooter before attempting a Winsock reset Follow the steps given in the troubleshooter and then click “Next”. The troubleshooter may suggest more steps or finish. Click on “Close” to close the troubleshooter and then check your internet connectivity by loading a web page. If there is still no internet connection, you may wish to try a Winsock (Windows Sockets) reset.

75.2 - Winsock reset To perform a Winsock reset, we need to open a Command Prompt with administrator privileges. Open the Start Menu and enter “cmd” in the search box, then right-click on the icon that appears at the top and choose “Run as administrator”. The Command Prompt window will then appear.

Now, type (or copy and paste) the following command into the Command Prompt and press Enter:netsh winsock reset When the command is completed successfully, the confirmation shown in figure 75.4 will appear.

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Figure 75.4 – Winsock reset successfully performed You should now reboot your PC and try your network connection again.

That concludes this tutorial on basic network troubleshooting. The techniques here will cure lots of networking and internet access problems, without needing a visit from the technician.

This is the last tutorial in the book! We hope you have found the information in this book useful and don't forget to come join us on the Top-WindowsTutorials.com forum, use the link below to access our forums. http://www.top-windows-tutorials.com/forum.html We hope to see you all there soon.

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