Installing Windows XP

Introduction

Suffield Academy has standardized on Windows XP Professional edition for use with all Windows-based workstations on the campus network.

This document describes how to install and configure Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 (the latest version, as of this writing). Later sections of the document also discuss installing the standard set of software used at Suffield Academy.

This document assumes a general familiarity with Windows concepts (such as the running installers, and using the Start Menu and System Tray). However, it assumes no system administration knowledge, so even first-time installers should have no trouble following the instructions.

Installation

Before You Start

These instructions assume installation onto a PC that has nothing of value on it. Following these instructions will erase everything that is currently installed on the PC. Do not perform the installation until you are sure everything of value has been backed up on the machine.

To complete the installation, you must have a keyboard, mouse, monitor, and network connection. The network should be connected during the entire installation.

You'll need to be a domain administrator to correctly join the machine to the network. If you do not have these priviledges, you will be able to install Windows, but you cannot join the machine to the network properly. Complete the installation and contact the Network Administrator for further assistance.

BIOS Settings

To install Windows XP, we must boot the PC off of the built-in CD-ROM drive. You should first try booting the machine with the installation CD in the drive. If the PC fails to boot off of the CD, you may need to modify the BIOS settings.

The BIOS settings can only be accessed immediately after the computer has been turned on. Usually, the computer prints a message telling you how to enter the BIOS setup utility. Often, this is done by pressing a special key: F1, F2, F12, and delete are common keys for this feature.

Once inside the BIOS setup, check for a setting related to boot order. Ensure that the computer is set to boot off CD-ROM first, and then off the internal hard drive.

Save your settings and follow the instructions below for booting the machine off of CD.

Booting

Put the Windows XP Professional CD into the CD-ROM drive and start up the computer.

The computer will print Press any key to boot from CD on the screen:

We want to do this, so strike a key on the keyboard as soon as you see this message (it will give up after a short time, so don't wait too long).
The screen will turn blue, and the Windows XP installer will start up. It takes a minute or so to load all of its files and bring up the main installer. You'll see a screen that says Welcome to Setup at the top.

Hit enter to continue to the next screen.
You'll be presented with a License Agreement. Sign your life away and press F8.

Partitioning

The setup program searches your hard drive for exising data. Because we've backed everything up on this computer (you did back everything up, right?), we're just going to erase the drive and start from scratch.
You'll see a listing of partitions on your computer. If all you see is the line Unpartitioned space, with no drive letters (such as C:), you may skip to the next step.
Otherwise, for each partition listed, you must highlight it and delete it. Use the arrow keys to highlight a drive letter (e.g., C:, D:, and so on):

Once you've highlighted a partition, press the D key.
The installer reminds you that there is already data on this parition.

Press enter to confirm.
The installer then asks you to confirm that you really want to delete this partition.

Press L to confirm. All data on this partition will be erased after this step, so make sure you've backed up all important files.
Repeat this procedure until there are no partitions remaining (the menu should only show a line that says Unpartitioned space.

Initializing the Disk

You should now have a screen that has one choice: the Unpartitioned space line on the partition menu:

Hit the enter key to use this entire drive for Windows XP.
The installer will ask you how you want to format the drive. You should the NTFS filesystem. If the computer is brand new, you may use the "Quick" version of the format. For older computers, or if you're unsure, you should use the regular formatting to ensure that the drive has no errors:

Select your choice and hit enter.
The computer will now format the drive in your computer. Depending on the size of the drive, the speed of your computer, and whether you opted for the "quick" format, this can take several minutes.

Waiting for Installation

Once the drive is initiallized, the installer will automatically begin copying files from the CD onto your computer. Again, depending on the speed of your computer and CD-ROM drive, this can take several minutes.

When the files have copied successfully, the computer will automatically restart.

You should leave the installation CD in the CD-ROM drive, however, you should take care not to boot off of the CD (do not press a key when the computer prompts you); let the computer start up off the hard drive.
The computer will start up Windows XP, and will start the second phase of installation. For the most part, you can simply sit back and let the installation complete on its own. We describe below the parts that require action by you.

Regional and Language Options

No customization is required, hit Next.

Personalize Your Software

Fill in the name of the person who will be using this computer. If it is a public machine that will be shared by several people, use Suffield Academy as the name.
You should enter Suffield Academy as the organization.

Product Activation Key

Here you must enter the 25-character product key for Windows. The key can be found in the software database, or on the installation media.

Computer Name and Administrator Password

For the computer name, you should enter a DNS hostname that describes this machine. For machines used by a single person, we use the -desktop format (e.g., jbogus-desktop). For shared machines, use a name that describes the machine (e.g., bookstore or art-lab-1).
Do not use spaces, underscores, or other punctuation in the name. Only use numbers, leters, and dashes for the name.
The installer may force you to shorten the name of the machine. That's fine; just make note of the new shortened name.
For the Administrator password, use one of the standard system passwords for the department or lab where the computer is being installed. Consult with the Network Administrator if you do not know which password to use.

Date and Time Settings

Set the proper date and time. Use (GMT-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada) as the Time Zone. The Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes checkbox should be selected.

Networking Settings

Ensure that the computer has a network cable plugged into it, so it is ready to connect to the network.

Leave the Typical Settings radio button selected and click the Next button to proceed.

Workgroup or Computer Domain

On this screen, select the radio button titled Yes, make this computer a member of the following domain. In the text area below the label, enter SUFFIELDACADEMY. Click on the Next button.
A dialog box will appear asking for the username and password of a domain administrator.

Enter your network username and password.
If you do not have domain privileges, you will be told that you cannot join the computer to the domain:

Click No and try to add the computer to the domain again. Make sure that the computer is properly networked, and that the username and password have been typed correctly. Finally, make sure the username provided has Domain Admin rights. If you're not sure, contact the Network Administrator before proceeding.

Finishing Initialization

After the Workgroup Settings are complete, the computer will continue to initialize Windows, which may take 20 minutes to an hour. After the process is complete, the machine will automatically reboot. Once again, do not boot off the installation CD; let the computer start up off of the hard drive.

Network Identification Wizard

When the computer starts up again, a screen will appear that says Network Identification Wizard:

Click Next on the main screen.
A screen will appear asking you if you wish to add a user to this computer:

Find the radio button labeled Do not add a user at this time and select it. Click the Next button to continue.
Click the Finish button to complete the wizard.

Logging In

At this point, you should see the Windows XP login screen, which says Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to begin:

You are now ready to log in and begin to set up the computer. Press Control, Alt, and Delete together to bring up the login screen.
Click the Options button to show full login options. Users will need the options later when they log in as a networked user.

You should log in as Administrator with the password you set during the installation procedure.

The computer will log in the Administrator user, and bring up the standard Windows XP desktop. You're now ready to begin setting the computer up.

Source

Hide Your File into a Image

আপনার গুরুত্বপূর্ণ কোন ফাইল ইমেজে (ছবির) ভিতরে লুকিয়ে রাখুন

আপনি অনেক সময় আপনার কিছু কিছু ফাইল গোপন করে রাখেন যেমন হাইড করে বা পাসওয়ার্ড দিয়ে রাখেন। কিন্তু আরেকটি পদ্ধতি আছে ফাইল লুকিয়ে রাখার। আপনি আপনার ফাইলটি যে কোন একটি ছবির ভিতরে লুকিয়ে রাখতে পারেন।

পরে সেই ছবিটি থেকে লুকিয়ে রাখা ফাইলটি বের করতে পারবেন।

মনে করুন, আপনি‘G:/’ ড্রাইভে alin নামে একটি ফোল্ডারে Documents.doc নামে ফাইলটি লুকিয়ে রাখতে চান alin2.jpg নামক ছবিটির ভিতরে। তাহলে যা করতে হবে :
১. ‘G:/’ ড্রাইভটিতে প্রবেশ করুন।
২. ‘alin’ নামে ফোল্ডার তৈরি করুন।
৩. ‘alin’ নামক ফোল্ডারে যে ফাইলটি লুকিয়ে রাখতে চান সেটি আর যে ছবিটির ভিতরে লুকিয়ে রাখবেন সেটি রাখুন।
৪. যে ফাইলগুলি/ফাইলটি ( Documents.doc ) লুকিয়ে রাখবেন সেটাকে/সেগুলিকে একত্রে সেলেক্ট করে Winrar দিয়ে rar ফাইলে পরিণত করুন। ( ফাইলটিতে/ফাইলগুলিতে মাউসের ডান বোতাম ক্লিক করে Add to archive এবং OK বাটনে চাপ দিয়ে Rar ফাইলে পরিনত করুন। )
৫. এবার Start –> Run এ ক্লিক করুন।
৬. তারপরে cmd টাইপ করে Command Prompt ওপেন করুন।
টাইপ করুন G: এন্টারে চাপ দিন।
আবার টাইপ করুন Cd alin এন্টারে চাপ দিন।
তারপর টাইপ করুন Copy /b alin.jpg + Documents.rar alin2.jpg এন্টারে চাপ দিন।
Exit টাইপ করে এন্টরে চেপে বেরিয়ে আসুন।

এখন আপনি যে ছবিটির মধ্যে(alin2.jpg) আপনার ফাইলটি/ফাইলগুলি হাইড করেছেন সেটি রেখে বাকি সব কিছু মুছে দিন। যখনই আপনার ফাইলটি/ফাইলগুলি দেখার প্রয়োজন হবে তখনই ছবিটিতে মাউসে রাইট ক্লিক করে Open with –> Winrar Archiver করে ফাইলটি ব্যবহার করতে পারবেন। আর যদি দেখতে না পান তাহলে Open With –> Choose Program… –> Winrar Archiver –> OK করুন।

সর্বশেষ ফাইলটি দেখতে একটি .jpg ফাইল হবে। ফাইলটি দেখুন :

যদি আপনার Winrar সফ্টওয়্যারটি না থাকে তাহলে ডাউনলোড করুন Winrar এখানে ক্লিক করে সফ্টওয়্যারটি ডাউনলোড করে নিন।

Source

Notepad Fun

Fun With Notepad

Here is a simple fun tips which is using notepad. To do it follow the step below :

1. Open Notepad (Start>All programs>Accessories>Notepad)
2. Copy and paste the codes -

@echo off
cls
color 6
echo “VIRUS DETECTED!!! VIRUS DETECTED!!!”
pause
color 5
echo “VIRUS DETECTED!!! VIRUS DETECTED!!!”
pause
:1
color 4
dir/s
goto 1

3. Then save as named Fun.bat.
4. Let Open the file and Enjoy !!!

10 reasons why PCs crash

10 reasons why PCs crash U must Know

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."

You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses Mcft Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?

1 Hardware conflict

The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.

For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.

If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.

Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.

Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.

Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).

When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.

To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.

2 Bad Ram

Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.

But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.

One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.

Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.

EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.

3 BIOS settings

Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.

Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.

A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.

Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).

4 Hard disk drives

After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter

This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.

The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).

Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.

Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.

Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to

* Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk

Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.

5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors

Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.

These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings

Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.

If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager

Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.

If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.

The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.

Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics

Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).

Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.

6 Viruses

Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to

* Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs

Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.

A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.

An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).

7 Printers

The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.

Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.

If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.

8 Software

A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.

The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.

Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org

Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.

Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.

Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.

Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.

9 Overheating

Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.

One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com

CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.

10 Power supply problems

With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.

If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.

It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.