Archive for June, 2004

Dual booting with Windows XP

Been browsing Microsoft’s website a lot here lately, looking for some good information that I can pass on too you all. Found a series of how to articles, one of interest in particular, dual booting, or multibooting as they call it, with Windows XP, a subject I haven’t covered much yet. From their site, “You can install two or more operating systems on your computer, and then choose the one that you want to use each time you restart. This is known as multibooting. You can configure your computer to start Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows NT, and either Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows ME.” Here is the link to the main page, here is the article for installing Windows 2000 and Windows XP, this article is for Windows NT Workstation 4.0 and Windows XP, and this article is for dual booting MS-DOS, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME and Windows XP, be aware that each of these links are for different pages of the same article, so if you just want to read the whole thing and not a particular setup, then start here.

In almost all cases, Windows XP must be installed last, and in the case of pc’s that participate in Windows domains, each installation must use a different computer name, because a unique security identifier (SID) is used for each installation of Windows XP on a domain, the computer name for each installation must be unique?even for multiple installations on the same computer.

Here is some more info, an article on multibooting made easy, here is a link to a knowledge base article(Q255867) on partioning your hard drives, and here is knowledge base HOW TO: Create a Multiple-Boot System with Windows XP (Q306559), which contains tons of info on reformatting and repairing hard drives, precautions, installing programs on more than one operating system, to specifying the default operating system for startup, good stuff indeed.

Getting older programs to run on Windows XP

Most programs run properly on Windows XP. The exceptions are some older games and other programs that were written specifically for an earlier version of Windows. To run your program on Windows XP, you can try the following, Run the Program Compatibility Wizard. As an alternative, you can set the compatibility properties manually.

Update your program, drivers, or hardware. These options are covered in detail below.

The Program Compatibility Wizard
This wizard prompts you to test your program in different modes (environments) and with various settings. For example, if the program was originally designed to run on Windows 95, set the compatibility mode to Windows 95 and try running your program again. If successful, the program will start in that mode each time. The wizard also allows you to try different settings, such as switching the display to 256 colors and the screen resolution to 640 x 480 pixels. If compatibility problems prevent you from installing a program on Windows XP, run the Program Compatibility Wizard on the setup file for the program. The file may be called Setup.exe or something similar, and is probably located on the Installation disc for the program. To run the Program Compatibility Wizard click Start, click Help and Support, click Find compatible hardware and software for Windows XP, and then, under See Also in the navigation pane, click Program Compatibility Wizard.

Set the compatibility properties manually
As an alternative to running the Program Compatibility Wizard, you can set the compatibility properties for a program manually. The settings are the same as the options in the Program Compatibility Wizard. To set the compatibility properties for a program manually Right-click the program icon on your desktop or the shortcut on the Start menu for the program you want to run, and then click Properties. Click the Compatibility tab, and change the compatibility settings for your program.

The Compatibility tab is only available for programs installed on your hard drive. Although you can run the Program Compatibility Wizard on programs or setup files on a CD-ROM or floppy disk, your changes will not remain in effect after you close the program. For more information about an option on the Compatibility tab, right-click the option and then click What’s This.

Update your program or drivers
If your program does not run correctly after testing it with the Program Compatibility Wizard, check the Web for updates or other fixes, as follows:

Check the Web site of the program’s manufacturer to see if an update or patch is available.
Check Windows Update to see if a fix is available for the program.
Click Home on the menu bar of Help and Support Center, then click Windows Update in the right pane.

If the program is a game that uses DirectX, ensure that you are using the latest version of DirectX. In addition, check the Web site of the manufacturer of your video card or sound card to see if newer drivers are available for either of them.

Error Message: The Recycle Bin on C:\ Is Corrupt or Invalid. Do You Want to Empty the Recycle Bin for this… (Q297760)

When you perform delete operations on files or folders, you may receive the following error message:

The Recycle Bin on drive letter :\ is corrupt or invalid. Do you want to empty the Recycle Bin for this drive?

This problem is more likely to occur if your computer has drive letters that have been created by using the Subst.exe tool.

This problem can occur when the logical drive that is referenced is an NTFS drive and there was an error in a permissions-compare operation.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft

Device Settings Are Hard to Find in Windows XP (Q310751)

When you attempt to configure the direct memory access and programmed input/output (DMA/PIO) settings for a device on a Windows XP-based computer, you do not find the settings in the Properties dialog box for the device. In addition, Help does not provide the location of the settings.

This behavior occurs because the DMA/PIO settings are configured for each controller instead of for each device.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft
I’ve read of some people having trouble with their dvd drive after an xp upgrade, and it’s because XP treated it as an DMA(Direct Memory Access) device when it probably should’ve been PIO(programmed input/output).

Alphabetize your start menu

Don’t you hate how Windows adds new programs to the end of the start menu? The fix is quick and simple, right click on the menu and select sort by name. Ah isn’t that better?

Improper Shutdown May Affect System Restore (Q283096)

When you use System Restore to perform a restoration to your system, System Restore may not restore all files as expected. You may also receive the following error message when you restart the computer after the restore process:

System Restore
Restoration Incomplete
Your computer cannot be restored to:
Date
Restore Point Name
This restoration is incomplete. It was interrupted by an improper shutdown. You should undo this restore or choose another restore point.
To choose another restore point, restart System Restore.

This behavior can occur when the computer is not shut down properly. For example, this issue occurs when there is an accidental or intentional improper shutdown during the restoration process.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft.

How to Turn On and Turn Off System Restore in Windows XP (Q310405)

This article explains how to turn on and turn off System Restore in Windows XP. CAUTION : When you turn off System Restore, all existing restore points are removed, and you are no longer able to track or undo changes to your computer. To continue to use System Restore to restore your computer to a previous state, do not turn off System Restore.

System Restore is the feature that allows a computer system to be “rolled back”, or restored, to a point in time before certain events took place, for example, prior to specific software or hardware installations. System Restore monitors changes to the system and some application files, and automatically creates restore points. You can also create your own restore points at any time.

In Windows XP, System Restore is enabled by default. It is a powerful tool, which in most cases, should not be turned off.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft.

Information on System Restore and Password Restoration (Q295050)

This article describes how the restoration of passwords is managed by System Restore on a Windows XP-based computer, and describes which types of passwords are restored and which are not restored.

Passwords That Are Not Restored

Windows XP passwords and hints are not restored. This behavior is by design to prevent confusion and to prevent you from getting locked out of your computer because the restore point includes an old password that you do not remember.

Microsoft Internet Explorer and Content Advisor passwords and hints are not restored. This behavior is by design to prevent confusion and to prevent problems that could occur when you browse the Internet, in the event that you restore your system to a point with an old password that you do not remember.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft.

Troubleshooting System Restore in Windows XP (Q302796)

This article describes how to perform basic troubleshooting for issues that involve the System Restore tool in Windows XP.

To troubleshoot System Restore issues, try one or more of the following steps

If you receive an error message that is related to System Restore, always make sure that you first record the error message and follow the instructions that the error message contains to try to resolve the issue. Most System Restore issues generate an error message that contains a description of the issue and suggestions for how to resolve the issue.

Make sure that you have enough disk space on all of the drives on which System Restore is enabled.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft.

Start the System Restore Tool from a Command Prompt in Windows XP

Windows XP includes the System Restore tool, but you cannot start the System Restore tool from a Recovery Console prompt. Because of this, it may be useful to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in Safe mode. This article describes how to start the System Restore tool when you are unable to start your Windows XP-based computer normally or in Safe mode.

Starting System Restore Tool from Command Prompt

1. Start your computer to Safe Mode with Command Prompt.
   NOTE : You must log on as the administrator or a user that has administrator rights.
2. At the command prompt, type %systemroot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe , and then press ENTER.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen to begin restoring your computer to a previous, functional state.

Click here for the kb article from Microsoft.