Windows XP FAQ

• 1 CPU Windows XP Personal
• 2 CPUsWindows XP Professional

• Windows XP Personal
  233 MHz CPU, 64MB Ram and 2 GB hard disk space. Recommended: 300 MHz CPU and 128MB Ram
• Windows XP Professional
  233 MHz CPU, 64MB Ram and 2 GB hard disk space. Recommended: 300 MHz CPU and 128MB Ram

• You can use the export function in the System Registry Editor.
• You do this manually:
  Open HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CotnrolSet001\Control\HiveList\ with the System Registry Editor. It shows you the locations of all the files that make up the registry on your PC. Make copies of NTUSER.DAT, USRCLASS.DAT, and all the hive files to create a full backup.

• Do the upgrade from an existing older version of Windows on the hard disk (run D:\>setup if the XP CD doesn’t autostart when the CD is inserted, where D: is your CD-ROM drive) and remove partitions/partition/format the C: drive from Setup.
• Boot to the CD-ROM drive, if your computer will boot to the CD-ROM drive (make it the first boot device and try). It will boot to Setup. If a previous version of Windows is not on the hard disk drive, it will ask you to insert a CD from qualifying version of Windows to verify before continuing the installation. I don’t know if your previous version of Windows will work. I have heard that Windows 95 cannot be upgraded to Windows XP; however, the qualifying products listed when I did it (several times) were:
  “Please insert your Windows NT 3.51 Workstation, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Millennium CD into your CD-ROM drive.” After verification, you can then delete, create, and format partitions.
• From the DOS prompt, use Windows 98, Me (95 OSR2 might work). Put a copy of smartdrv.exe on the Startup floppy. You should be able to find a copy on and existing Windows 9x/Me computer at C:\windows. It is on the CD’s in D:\win98. Use fdisk to partition the drive. Format the C: drive. Do not install the system files. If you have more than one partition, they can be formatted during the Windows XP installation or with Windows XP after it is installed. Also, use fdisk to manually make C: active if there is more one partition. Load smartdrv.exe…
  
  A:\>smartdrv.exe
  
  …and run D:\i386\winnt.exe.
  
  It will ask for a CD from a previous version of Windows. Do not delete or reformat C: with this method. Winnt.exe copies the install files to that partition. You can convert it to NTFS and that process is fast. This method also works with a generic copy of Windows XP Professional OEM, which is a full version of Windows for computer manufacturers to install on new computers. It should also work if the i386 directory is copied to a scratch hard disk and the hard disk is connected to the secondary IDE interface.
• Download the Windows XP Home Edition Setup floppies from Microsoft at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290. BTW, that link also states that Windows 95 qualifies. There are six Setup floppies (sigh!), which probably makes this method the least desirable. I don’t have the foggiest idea why Microsoft did not include the capability to make the floppies from the CD like Windows NT and 2000.
  Furthermore, the requirement to use six floppies to get a setup going is an imposition of absurdly unnecessary inconvenience on the end user/shop and is an extreme example of absolute laziness on the part of Microsoft. It should not have been used for Windows NT. It should have been overhauled with Windows 2000. It was made worse by XP. If you ever make and use these floppies you will know what I mean and the reason for this flame.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Login into a Windows domain server (Windows NT, 2000 Server) on a local area network.
• Personal Web Server. The Pro version has Microsoft's Internet Information Server which has a much more sophisticated web server than the Personal Web Server plus ftp and gopher servers. The IIS web server can run on the Internet.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Login as the Administrator or as a Member of the Administrators Group.
• Right-click My Computer, Manage, Computer Management, Disk Management, right-click the drive.
• Change Drive Letter and Paths, Change.
• Assign the following drive letter.
• OK.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Where it says Files, Edit, View, Favorites, in the IE (I'm using IE 6) main menu click Favorites.
• Move the mouse past Add to Favorites... and Organize Favorites...
• to the folders and shortcuts below those entries.
• Right-click anywhere in that area.
• Select Sort by Name from the resulting menu.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Click Start, Control Panel, double–click Network Connections, select the Internet connection, Network Tasks.
• Change settings of this connection, Advanced tab, Internet Connection Firewall, uncheck or check the Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet check box.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Go to Internet Options from the Tools and choose the Advanced tab.
• Under the browsing you will see the Disable script debugging choose it and clear the check box for the Display a notification for every script error.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• This one took some real thought over at the Microsoft campus on how to make things simple... Start, Control Panel, Performance and Maintenance, Administrative Tools, Computer Management, Disk Management, Storage, right-click the Volume, Tools, Options, Check Now button, Select Options, Start.
• Start, All Programs, Accessories, Windows Explorer (right where it is really handy!), Expand My computer, right-click the drive, Properties, Tools, Check Now..., Select Options, Start.
• Start, right-click My Computer, Manage, Storage, Disk Management, right-click the Volume, Properties, Tools, Check Now..., Select Options, Start.
• Double-click My computer on the Desktop (or Start, My Computer), select drive, File, Properties, Tools, Check Now..., Select Options, Start.
• My Computer, right-click the drive, Properties, Tools, Check Now..., Select Options, Start.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• HOW TO: Increase Windows XP Shutdown Time So That Processes Can Quit Properly (Q305788)
• Windows XP Stops Responding (Hangs) During Windows Shutdown (Q307274)
• Computer Hangs During Shutdown or Displays a "Cannot Find Enough Free Resources" Error Message (Q314101)
• How to Clear the Windows Paging File at Shutdown (Q314834)
• "Logoff" and "Shutdown" Are Missing From the Start Menu When You Use Remote Desktop (Q303070)

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• In the second column of the table, choose your version of Windows (e.g., Windows 95/98/Me)
• Right-click the appropriate file (e.g., TCPRW32K.REG) with your mouse, choose Save Target As... in the resulting menu, and select a location to save the file (e.g., your Desktop).
• Go to that location and double-click the file.
• Restart Windows.
• To undo the "damage," use the appropriate file in the fourth column. Editing (or tweaking) the Windows registry can get you in a lot of trouble and may make Windows unusable.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Start, Control Panel, Network Connections, Right-Click an existing connection, Properties, General tab, Install, Protocol, Add, Have Disk;
• Insert the Windows XP CD-ROM, open the Valueadd\msft\net\netbeui folder, double-click the Netnbf.inf file;
• OK, OK, and restart Windows when prompted.

Source: Dux Computer Digest

“Use NetBIOS from a DHCP server. If static address is used or the DHCP does not have a NETBIOS setting, enable NetBIOS over TCP.”

Source: Dux Computer Digest

Source: Dux Computer Digest

• Identify the file system that you are using. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Double-click My Computer on the desktop or from Explorer right click the My Computer Icon.
2. Right-click the disk that you want, and then click Properties.
3. Look for the File System entry.

• If the disk is formatted in NTFS, your options for returning to Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me are limited. The Win 9X based operating systems do not read or recognize NTFS, and you cannot convert the disk to use the FAT or FAT32 file system. The bootable disk that you use and the drive on which you want to install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me cannot use NTFS. Microsoft does not support any third-party solutions for converting NTFS to FAT or FAT32.

• If the drive is using the FAT file system, you can install any operating system. If the drive is using the FAT32 file system, you can install Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or later.

Different scenarios:

• Non-system disk:You can format a NTFS, Fat, Fat32 drive or partition from Computer Management, Disk Management. Disk Management can be accessed by right clicking on My Computer and select Manage. Use help from the Disk Management console to learn about the use of DM.

• XP system disk you want to reformat to install a different OS or XP but on Fat/Fat32 file system, you will need to use a Windows 98/Me startup disk with the format command on the disk.

• XP System diskbooting from the XP CD to create and format new partition/s from Recovery Console, or from the XP setup routine.

• XP system disk formatted NTFS you want to remove without booting from XP CD.

• XP system disk with a Fat/Fat32 file system.

1. Access Computer Tools; Disk Management by selecting it from Start; All Programs; Administrative Tools or by right clicking on My Computer and selecting Manage from the menu.
2. Select Disk Management.
3. From Disk Management select the non-system drive to format by placing the mouse pointer over the drive and right clicking to bring up the menu.
4. Choose format> from the list of option.
5. All data will be lost on the drive, so make sure any information that is not replaceable from other media is backed up

BIOS must be set to boot from CD before hard drive.

1. Formatting an XP System Disk by booting from the XP CD is accomplished by loading the Recovery Console by typing R at the first window.
2. After selecting the Windows installation you want to access and typing in the Admin password [leave blank if no password was created] you will see a command prompt.
3. Type Map and press ENTER
4. Note the letter designation of the drive you want to format. [write it down]
5. type format x: /fs:fat32 then press ENTER, where x is the drive letter you want to format. Substitute NTFS or FAT if desired.
6. Type Y to confirm your selection and then type exit and press ENTER to restart computer.
7. To view other format commands, type format /? and press ENTER at the RC command prompt.

Note: I find this method to format a NTFS partition more time consuming than the use of FDISK from MS-DOS, but if a boot disk is not available use this method.

1. Formatting an XP System Disk by booting from the XP CD and using the setup routine is initiated by selecting ENTER at the first window. Example follows in step #2

2. When you see the "Welcome To Setup" screen, you will see the options below

   This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft
   Windows XP to run on your computer:
   
   To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER
   To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.
   
   To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.

3. After selecting ENTER will prompt you to accept the EULA and then give you the option to choose the location to install XP. You choices will include deleting partitions. Choose the XP partition and then enter.

4. Choose F3 to end setup.

5. You will need to use a bootdisk or boot from the OS you want to install to format the unallocated space.

Click on boot disk from the web page tool bar.

1. Format with a Win98/Me Startup disk.
2. Use a Windows 98/Me startup disk to delete the non-dos partition.
3. Boot from Startup Disk.
4. Load FDISK by typing "fdisk.exe" at the "A" prompt without the quotes.
5. Say yes to large disk support ...........? [Y] ENTER
6. Enter choice #3 to "Delete partition or Logical Dos Drive" Press ESC to return to FDISK options
7. Enter #4 to "Delete Non-DOS Partition". Select the Non-DOS partition by typing the number and then ENTER. Press ESC to return to FDISK options. Note you cannot delete a NON-DOS partition located inside an Extended partition.
8. Reboot with startup disk and load FDISK.
9. Say yes to Large disk support as above.
10. Enter choice #1 Press ESC to return to FDISK options
11. When asked if you want to use the maximum size for the partition and make it active, type Y if you want to use the whole drive, or N if you want to set a maximum sized for the partition.
12. After setting the size, reboot.
13. If you want to install another OS; after reboot: Type format X: at the A: prompt; where X is the drive/partition letter designation.
14. If you want to reinstall XP clean.After setting the size, reboot, remove the disk from the floppy drive and insert the XP CD in the CD drive.
15. Boot from the XP CD and do a clean install to the new partition.

1. Boot from a Windows 98/Me Startup disk or a boot disk with specialized content.
2. Type format X: at the A: prompt; where X is the drive/partition letter designation.

Source: Michael Stevens Tech

Continue to the following steps after backing up all important data and anything that cannot be restored from other media.

• Identify the file system that you are using. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Double-click My Computer on the desktop or Explorer.
2. Right-click the disk that you want, and then click Properties.
3. Look for the File System entry.

• If the disk is formatted in NTFS, your options for returning to Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me are limited. Those operating systems do not read or recognize NTFS, and you cannot convert the disk to use the FAT or FAT32 file system. The bootable disk that you use and the drive on which you want to install Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me cannot use NTFS. Microsoft does not support any third-party solutions for converting NTFS to FAT or FAT32.

• If the drive is using the FAT file system, you can install any operating system. If the drive is using the FAT32 file system, you can install Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 (OSR2) or later.

The above was copied from http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q314052

Remove XP and Install Win 98/Me when XP is installed using NTFS file system

1. Boot from Startup Disk.
2. Load FDISK by typing "fdisk.exe" at the "A" prompt without the quotes.
3. Say yes to large disk support ...........? [Y] ENTER
4. Enter choice #3 to "Delete partition or Logical Dos Drive" Press ESC to return to FDISK options
5. Enter #4 to "Delete Non-DOS Partition". Select the Non-DOS partition by typing the number and then ENTER. Press ESC to return to FDISK options. Note you cannot delete a NON-DOS partition located inside an Extended partition.
6. Reboot with startup disk and load FDISK.
7. Say yes to Large disk support as above.
8. Enter choice #1 Press ESC to return to FDISK options
9. When asked if you want to use the maximum size for the partition and make it active, type Y if you want to use the whole drive, or N if you want to set a maximum size for the partition.
10. After accepting the max size or setting the size, reboot.
11. To install another OS; reboot: Type format X: at the A: prompt; where X is the drive/partition letter designation.
12. Insert your Win 98/Me CD.
13. Reboot from boot disk with CD-Rom support.
14. Type sys c:
15. Type X: for CD drive location where X is the CD drive location.
16. Type setup.exe
17. Follow setup prompts

1. Boot from a Windows 98/Me Startup disk or a boot disk with specialized content.
2. Type format X: at the A: prompt; where X is the drive/partition letter designation.
3. Insert your Win 98/Me CD.
4. Reboot from boot disk with CD-Rom support.
5. Type sys c:
6. Type X: for CD drive location where X is the CD drive location.
7. Type setup.exe
8. Follow setup prompts

1. This assumes Windows98/Me is presently installed to the C: drive
2. Boot from Windows 98/Me Startup disk or a boot disk with specialized content. Make sure you have support for CD-ROM.
3. Type: sys C: You will no longer have access to XP after this command.
4. Rename the Windows and Program Files.
5. Type: attrib c:\windows -r -s -h then ENTER
6. Type: ren c:\windows c:\windows.old then ENTER
7. Type: attrib c:\progra~1 -r -s -h then ENTER
8. Type: ren c:\progra~1 c:\prog.old then ENTER
9. To free up space, the windows folder can be deleted.
10. Type: deltree windows then ENTER
11. The following root files can also be deleted by
12. Typing: del then ENTER
    • Boot.ini
    • Ntbootdd.sys
    • Ntdetect.com
    • NTLDR
    • Hiberfil.sys
    • Pagefile.sys
13. Insert your Win 98/Me CD.
14. Reboot using a boot disk with CD-Rom support.
15. Type X: for CD drive location where X is the CD drive location. then Enter
16. Type: setup.exe then Enter
17. Follow setup prompts

Copying the Win98/9x folder and running setup from the Win98/9xfolder is an alternate method of installing.

Source: Michael Stevens Tech

When installing XP from DOS using a Win 98/Me startup disk, you will need to load smartdrv.exe before running setup. Not doing so will result in setup taking an extraordinarily long time to copy the files for setup.

1. Boot with the special boot disk choosing to load with CD support.
2. Load smartdrv.exe from the A: prompt by typing smartdrv.exe then press ENTER.
3. Change to the CD drive from the A: prompt by typing "CD :" without the " or <> then press ENTER
4. Type CD i386 from the prompt.
5. Type winnt.exe press ENTER.
6. Follow the setup prompts to install Windows XP.

Source: Michael Stevens Tech

Although I would not recommend creating a Fat 32 hard drive partition larger than 32 GB. Many queries are made and some confusion exists about how to create a Fat 32 drive or partition larger than 32 GB.

Plain and simple you cannot do it from Windows XP, you will need to partition the 32GB + hard drive using fdisk from a Win 98/Me startup disk, or preferably a custom boot disk from www.bootdisk.com with all the necessary MS-DOS utilities needed for emergency or hard drive maintenance.

1. Boot from Startup Disk.
2. Load FDISK by typing "fdisk.exe" at the "A" prompt without the quotes.
3. Say yes to large disk support ...........? [Y] ENTER
4. If multiple hard drives and a drive is formatted NTFS you will get this option
5. The first Fdisk window will look like the example below.
   1. Create DOS partition or Logical DOS Drive
   2. Set active partition [Your C: drive is usually your active partition]
   3. Delete partitions or Logical DOS Drive
   4. Display partition information [Use this option to verify your work]
   5. Change current fixed drive [For systems with more than one HDD]
6. If you have more than one hard drive, select option # 4 to verify the drive you want to format.
   Fdisk will list your hard drives like the example below.
   • Drive 1 = Primary Master
   • Drive 2 = Primary Slave
   • Drive 3 = Secondary Master
   • Drive 4 = Secondary Slave Drives 1 and 2 will be on the same cable, and drives 3 and 4 will be also be together.
7. If this is a new drive, after verifying the location ; You will need to create the partition.

   Partitions are created in the following order: Primary -> Extended -> Logical DOS Drives (in the Extended DOS partition).

   If this is your only hard drive , make it the Primary Partition. Only one[1] Primary partition per system is needed. All other drives can be Logical DOS drives in Extended partitions. Each hard drive with a primary partition will take the next highest letter. Care should be exercised when creating primary hard drives or partitions. For example, if the first partition on a hard drive is created as a primary the following enumeration would happen.

   Primary Partition	Extended partition
   drive 1 Primary would be C	Logical DOS Drive would be G
   drive 2 Primary would be D	Logical DOS Drive would be H
   drive 3 Primary would be E	Logical DOS Drive would be I
   drive 4 Primary would be F	Logical DOS Drive would be J

   When you create an Extended partition, the first extended logical DOS drive would take the next available letter. So be aware of your hard drive positioning, as it can have adverse effects on applications that are installed on drives other than the primary drive.

8. If this is the only drive in the system, you have the choice of breaking it up into manageable partitions or creating one big Fat 32 partition. Answer yes, if you want to use all the space, and no if you want to create more partitions.
9. If this is the only drive in your system and you use all the space, it will automatically be the active partition. If you break it up into manageable chunks, you will need to specify the partition you want to make active. Usually this will be the C:\ drive.

Source: Michael Stevens Tech

There is no "deactivation" process for XP. If you need to move XP to a new PC, the steps below must be completed.

1. Remove XP from it's current location.
   
2. When setup checks Activation status, setup will detect you are installing on significantly changed hardware, and you will be prompted to call the telephone number listed on the screen. If it has been over 120 days since it was last activated, you will activate over the internet without making the phone call.
3. Tell the activation center you removed XP from one PC and installed it to another PC in compliance with the EULA. Other than supplying the AC with the 50 digit key, nothing else should or needs to be conveyed. If you did not register, there will not be any record of your personal identity transmitted during the activation. If the optional registration was completed, then that information will be transmitted during the activation process.
4. You will be given a 42 digit key to activate XP on the new PC.
5. Moving an OEM version of XP is usually not allowed by the OEM EULA, so a call to the activation center will probably disallow activation on the new PC even when removed from the old PC. According to Microsoft©, OEM versions are technically linked to the PC to which they are first installed. Consult the vendor EULA and OEM EULA for exceptions and requirements. I.E. the Dell EULA allows transfer with the motherboard.

Note

If you are selling the copy of XP you removed, you will need to sell with all manuals, documentation, etc. that was originally supplied. You should also include a receipt stating you sold the copy of XP in compliance with the EULA. Steps 2 thru 4 should also be explained to the buyer. It is not necessary for the buyer to explain anything other than it was removed in compliance with the EULA and installed on a new computer.

Windows XP Product Activation

Technical Details on Microsoft Product Activation for Windows XP

Microsoft Product Activation Frequently Asked Questions

Microsoft Product Activation - Piracy Basics

Windows Product Activation (WPA) on Windows XP by MS-MVP Alex Nichol

Source: Michael Stevens Tech

No, IIS comes only with XP Professional. You will need to upgrade to the Pro version.

If your computer came pre-installed with Home and you need Professional, check with your vendor for discounted upgrades. Within 30 days of purchase of a computer preinstalled with XP Home, Microsoft offers a $75 us $110 ca rebate for the XP Pro upgrade. The rebate ends 1/31/03. See link below.

Microsoft Rebates

Alternate third party web servers are available to install on XP home. Most recommended is Apache, but others are available.

ServerWatch

Source: Michael Stevens Tech

Backup on the Home edition of XP is not installed by default.

The backup application on the retail version is located on the XP CD in the Valueadd folder, Some OEM's include backup, but some OEM's elect not to supply the additional folder.

Place the XP CD in the CD drive and select Additional Functions, then browse the CD.

CD-ROM Drive:\VALUEADD\MSFT\NTBACKUP.

The readme file includes additional information on installing backup.

Once installed, it can be accessed from Start, All Programs, Accessories, System, Backup.

Source: Michael Stevens Tech