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XP Bits of This and That

by Lee Alexander

Bits of This and That

Some common and not-so-common facts and tips about the Windows XP Operating System.

IE6 or IE7?

 In IE6, if you expect to print a web site, pre-set your printer to Landscape mode. Sites are typically formatted to the normal monitor aspect ratio of 3:4.

For IE7, there is no need. It can scale the site to enable full coverage via the default “Shrink to fit.” This version of Internet Explorer added a helpful toolbar to the Print Preview command under File. Check it out for many added features.

IE7 added protection against phishing – malicious websites masquerading as legitimate organizations, mostly financial. Note that “protection” is not an absolute guarantee; you still have to use common sense.

IE7 Add-ons – such as the Flash player and ieSpell have become fairly common. Many can be downloaded from Microsoft's www.ieaddons.com . However, some can be troublesome, slowing down your computer or even causing crashes. After starting IE7, you can manage addons via Tools | Manage Add-ons.

Where'd it go?

In Windows XP, for some strange reason, the Clipboard viewer went “underground.” In Microsoft Office Suites, the Clipboard can hold up to 24 clips and show them via Edit | Office Clipboard. But this only works in Office applications. To see the contents of Win XP's single item holding Clipboard, you must access the Clipbook Viewer via Start | Run • Clipbrd.exe

The Clipboard Viewer's behavior can be confusing. Right-click a photo file (.jpg) in Windows Explorer, select Copy and OLE (Microsoft's Object Linking and Embedding) kicks in, adding a link to the clipboard. Go to another application such as Word or a graphic viewer like IrfanView and select paste and the file (photo) will display in all its gorgeous color (if your display monitor is set appropriately).

Dragging the *.jpg file to the desktop creates a shortcut. Dragging that shortcut into a Word document or IrfanView will open the file to show the photo.

The free photo editor from Google, Picasa, automatically searches for photos and one of its “Folders on Disk” is the Desktop. You can see the photos, select, and proceed to editing and saving.

Extract Photos from an Email Message

Using the Clipboard and the free utility, IrfanView, you can copy individual photos, rename them, and store them in a folder of your choice.

Right click the photo and drag it to the Desktop. Open IrfanView and drag the shortcut into the IrfanView window. .

Now you can Save As … the graphic in any number of formats and in a new folder or an existing one.

From the desktop you also drag the photos into editing programs such as Adobe Photoshop Elements and the like.

Customize Folder Icons

In Win Explorer's Thumbnail view of Pictures, icons of folders containing photos show 4 small shots of contents. These are typically too small to make out distinctly.

You can replace them with a single photo or another graphic. Right-click the folder and select Properties. Click the Customize tab and then hit the Choose Picture button. A dialog box will open with the contents of the folder.

Reducing Photos

The best way to reduce a photo file size is by using a photo editor.

In the absence of an editing program or if you want a quick batch operation Select the photos (click 1st, <Shift>, click last). Right click one of the photos and choose Send To from the pop-up menu, then Mail Recipient. Allow XP to “Make all my pictures smaller.” Go to your mail program (Outlook or OE)

Select the attachments, now reduced in file size, and drag them to the Desktop or a folder.

Tips

Keyboard shortcut: bring up Properties of an item by selecting it, then hold down <Alt> and double click it.

Internet Security

Go to Internet Options (either from Inet Explorer or the Control Panel) and click the Security tab. While in the Internet Zone, hit the Custom Level button. Now scroll down to ActiveX and script items and set the majority to Prompt. If this slows down your browsing too much, consider disabling items such as Unsigned ActiveX controls.

Win XP's Command Prompt

In earlier versions of the OS, it was called MS_DOS Prompt (Microsoft Disk Operating System) because those versions were built on the DOS kernel. XP is based on a kernel of Windows NT (New Technology). So, of course, Microsoft had to rename the application.

The fastest way to get to the Command Prompt is via Start | Run and enter cmd . The window that opens is one familiar to old timers – small with white text on a black background. You do not have to put up with this default. Since it is a window , it has properties. Right-click on the Title Bar and select Properties. In the resultant dialog box you will find tabbed pages to resize and recolor the window to your liking.

To see the parameters of commands (aka switches) in the Command Prompt window, follow the command by a space and /? (forward slash, no space, question mark).

A DOS command that is still functional in XP is doskey . Although it is not necessary, as XP keeps a history of commands; however, I still prefer using doskey – just hit the up cursor key to cycle through the commands. Enter it at any prompt in the Command window.

System Restore

Starting with Windows ME (Millennium Edition, worth forgetting), Microsoft introduced a sanity saving feature – System Restore. System Restore is a kind of back up for your Operating System. The emphasis is on operating system, it does nothing for your data or applications. As such, you cannot consider it as a full backup system. What does it do? It takes a snapshot of your system files and present settings and saves the data as a Restore Point. When does it do this? At various times: the first time you boot up in Windows, after 10 hours of operation, every 24 hours if the computer is left running, when you install a new program using Microsoft Windows Installer or InstallShield, and on Automatic Updates. All that is in theory; however, I would not depend upon this automatic behavior. Play it safe and visit Help and Support periodically; click on “Undo changes to your computer with System Restore” and observe the bold days on the calendar for restore points.

It is intuitively simple to manually set a Restore Point. A good time to do this is prior to installing new hardware or software, before performing maintenance such as defragging, and experimenting with hardware settings. On the System Properties dialog box there is a tab for System Restore. You can turn off System Restore for all drives (in the case of multiple HDs or Partitions), turn off individual drives and set the size of the disk space to use for each. There are rare occasions when you want to turn off System Restore. See the following section for such an instance.

Microsoft went the extra mile with this feature by auto-deleting Restore Points older than 90 days. They went even further by allowing you to quickly undo the last restoration – Back to the Future.

Stubborn Viruses

Some malware can interfere with Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware programs, bypassing or disabling them. For a persistent intruder try the following websites for an on-line scan:

service.symantec.com/sa (for Support Assistant)

vil.nai.com/vil/stinger (for McAfee)

www.symantec.com/cgi-bin/securitycheck.cgi provides a more extensive scan. Note: cgi stands for Common Gateway Interface - a scripting language.

Turn off System Restore, to avoid retaining old versions, and run your scans in Safe Mode.

Flash Cards and Digital Cameras

Flash cards, the removable memory used in digital devices such as cameras, now come with speed ratings much like CDs and DVDs. The unit write speed for the solid state memory (no moving parts), 1 X, is 150 Kbps (Kilobits per second); thus a 4 X card can write at 600 Kbps. The newer flash memories use SLC (Single Level Cells) storing 1 bit per cell; older cards use MLC (Multi Level Cells) storing 2 bits per cell. The SLCs can read and write faster, accounting for speeds up to 120 X. These premium cards come at a higher cost, naturally. However, before you spring for those extra dollars, make sure your camera's write speed is not a limiting factor.

Card Readers

Instead of connecting your camera to your PC, use a card reader that handles the flash memory card format of your camera. Win XP will see it as a removable drive. Within Explorer you can Drag and Drop between the card and any other drive/partition in your computer.

This will save wear and tear on the camera and transfer or copy the photos (typ) faster than your camera software; particularly with USB 2.

Suggestions towards organization and mnemonics:

Create a new folder with a descriptive name to store the originals with EXIF (EXchangeable Image Format) data.

Create a similarly named folder to save edited versions, such as copies with reduced file sizes for e-mailing, playing with editing, etc. That way you can always return to the originals for further processing. For example: MUG0704 and MUG0704-edited.

As your collection grows, you may want to off-load the originals for safe keeping to a CD or DVD, or at least make an archive.

Cyberguys ( www.cyberguys.com ) has a card reader that handles 30 varieties of flash cards for $15 plus shipping.

Security Tip

Go to Internet Options (via the Control Panel or from the browser) and click the Security tab. While in the Internet Zone, hit the Custom Level button. Scroll down to ActiveX and script items and set the majority to Prompt, where possible. If this slows down your browsing too much, consider Disabling items such as Unsigned ActiveX controls