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Chime in about Windows XP

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This is the fourth discussion thread of our ongoing Windows XP discussion, where you can post your Windows XP questions, enter comments about our weekly Windows XP e-newsletter, and offer suggestions for future tips.

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Topic

How to…

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

uninstall tcp/ip without reloading XP? Microsoft claims that tcp/ip cannot be corrupted, but what if it happens? Also if you forget the admin password technet claims that all you need to do is create floppy on that machine with the required files and enter safe mode, but it claims you need to log on as admin?
I admit I am not a fan of XP and find it a disapointment and choose to use win2k.

Use the NETSH command

In reply to How to…

netsh can be used to reset the Windows XP TCP/IP stack back to its default configuration.

http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q299/3/57.asp

P.S. You have to make the password reset disk _before_ you forget the admin password.

Malcolm

Tcpip

In reply to How to…

Remove protocol and the add it back and any other to rebuild the protocol stack. However, previously used setting for TCPIP are retained in the registry keys. They are NOT recreated when reinstalling. I know of now way to reset or purge them without coping a good key from another system. The occurs also in W2k as I had delt with the issue. Hope this helps.

reset admin password

In reply to How to…

here is one that i found should work on reseting the admin password.
http://neworder.box.sk/codebox.click.php?id=35326&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dmzs.com%2Fftproot%2Fsecurity%2Fpassword%2FNTRecovery-DMZS.iso

i have found several more. they are all linux boot cds or disks. i use a boot disk and it works great on xp, 2k, nt4. look around, im sure you will find the utility that is right for u.

as for removing tcpip you might try uninstalling the network adapter then reinstalling it. that may actually reinstall tcpip. or not i havent tested it, just a thought.

Resetting the password

In reply to How to…

If you use wininternals admiministrative pack3 and build an ERD Commander recovery disk, it has locksmith on it and you can reset the admin password. plus that netsh command that someone else mentioned will reset the tcpip– I learned one caveat–before you reinstall windows over an old xp install, remove the service pack. If you don’t,after you install windows over the top, you dial up will not function. You need to reinstall the service pack–and if your on a dial up without a full copy of service pack one, your dead in the water. Microsoft acknowleges the error

Troubles with XP

In reply to Resetting the password

I may be teeing off some people but I believe all of the problems people have with XP stem from the fact they are too lazy or unskilled to reformat and make a fresh install. They install it over an existing system. I don’t even trust a new PC when I buy it with XP already installed. I reformat it and build it from scratch. I have had no problems with XP, or none that I can attribute to the operating system.

Troubles with XP

In reply to Troubles with XP

Congratulations JTerry. That is a rare occurrence with XP. I tried 4 times to get it loaded before I finally got it to load properly. Working with a clean (new)system, I got 2 loadings with a 2gig max C drive, getting that taken care of I next encountered start up glitches, resolving that my next glitch is with IE. It seems that winsock2 didn’t load, and wasn’t on the CD. Calling Microsoft was a waste of time because they wouldn’t give support unless it was paid for and then it wasn’t guaranteed. I am still in the process of repairing this one. Oh yes! Each time after the first loading and activation of XP you have to keep calling them for a new activation number. It’s alway refreshing to hear of a Microsoft installation success story or anything successful with Microsoft. Thank you.

XP Woes!

In reply to Troubles with XP

Hi All,
I must admit that I loved XP, I installed it on a machine I built my self in November 2001, not long after its release and I have run it without any problems. Then a couple of weeks ago it started the dreaded reboot loop, I tried safe mode, safe mode with network, safe mode with command prompt and still no luck. So I then I thought I would try booting to the XP CD-ROM, but it kept bypassing my CD and trying to boot to the HDD! I then tried booting to a Knoppix CD (a full version of Linux on a CD-ROM, if you have not tried it you should, it as saved some important files for me in the past http://knoppix.net) and it booted no problem! It shows your HDD on the desktop so I took this opportunity to transfer any important data over to my Linux server. I have tried to boot to all my old windows CD-ROM’s (98SE,NT, 2K etc.) and still it went sraight to the HDD. After formatting the HDD I tried again and no it tells me “DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER” I have sinced tried 4 different CD-ROM drives, another motherboard a new HDD and still the same results! The really weird thing is it will boot any of my Linux CD-ROM’s (RH9, Mandrake, Lycoris etc.) Anyone got any suggestions before I have to throw Windows through the window!!!!!!!
Regards,
Del

Re:Xp Woes!

In reply to XP Woes!

alwaysared why dont you just put a boot-loader?? how about lilo or even grub, you can mount just about anything with them i have win98, XP and Red Hat 8 working on the same Pc and no problems with them even the fact that my kid brothers use the Pc. The part of the Win CDRoms not booting is odd even to me that i have almost 5 years experience with OS Instalations and Troubleshooting PC’s are you sure that your CDRoms havent been Corrupted? By the message it prompts you it seems that your bios isnt set to the right Boot sequence or that your Roms aren bootable.

Same as you

In reply to Re:Xp Woes!

I would like know what I can do too !!!! with XP and NTFS. Is the safest option – Reformatting and reloading ?

Go the easy way out…

In reply to XP Woes!

Mine does that “DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER”… I would like a solution that would fix it… But for now, I hit “Ctrl, Alt, Del”, It seems to be some sort of a fix. It just begins to install after that. That is without any disks in the drives. …and I thought I was the only one…
Thanks,
Dennis

Similar experience

In reply to XP Woes!

I had the same experience when I attempted to reload XP due to some file corruption. The CD drive light would come on momentarily and the boot process would then immediately jump to the HDD with a “DISK BOOT FAILURE” message. After several hours of effort, including determining the CD was good and the drive was functioning, I decided to boot up off a Windows 98 boot disk. The drive started to read the boot disk (3/12″) and immediately started the XP install process off the installation CD. People don’t believe me when I relate this. Anyone have an explanation?

boot disk sequence in CMOS

In reply to Similar experience

If you aren’t even getting tthe ‘Hit any key to boot from CD’ message (with a bootable CD in the drive), check your ‘Boot Configuration’ in the system’s BIOS. The boot sequence is probably set to A:, C:, CD-ROM. Put the CD-ROM ahead of the hard drive in the sequence…..

My beliefs of XP/ME/98

In reply to Similar experience

I suspected a long time ago that XP Professional was from the home version of XP.
With that, microsoft back with 95, 98 was attempting to make trouble-shooting for the end user very simple. Users hated calling for support everytime something happened. This was a marketing ploy to keep the users they had and eliminating technical support. By what I just read, when getting a message of ‘Disk Boot Failure’ which is of no return, only by pressing Ctrl, Alt, Del and the system start reloading XP without any disk is something that would make it simple for the home user and not something a true technical support person would want.
Personally, I want to install, uninstall from scratch myself. Windows 95 was the sign of a true technician, since then, IT technical support is the way for me now, the whole scope.

P.S. I’m using Windows 2K, everyone else in my group has XP

Similar Experience – Reply

In reply to Similar experience

The FD was flagged as bad and the W98 boot disk has all of the drivers needed to get the CDROM working. XP automatically knew it needed to be repaired because of the failure. The BIOS for some of the components needs to be kept up to date or you get errors and some auto-installation problems like this.

Boot the right way….

In reply to Similar experience

Microsoft can come in handy once in a while. They have posted a link to create boot disk floppies for XP Home and Pro. You will need six floppies. The links below will give instructions.

Home Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290

Professional Edition
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?releaseid=33290

Make sure you download the correct boot disk your for edition of XP. These operating systems cannot be booted from the wrong disk.

Help With Booting

In reply to XP Woes!

When I originally installed Win XP to my Asus A7V board with a promise ATA100 Raid card set to mirrior the array it would not work XP always installed a driver called (Evian.Something or other) and would continually loop to the select boot device screen after post. I then did something I normally do not DO! I paid a notable local IT company to do the fresh install on the mirriored array! Turns out that the Promise web site update only updated the MB driver for Promise ATA100 not the PCI card. The PCI (Promise) card needed a bios update of some sort which would have required me to install into a machine with win 98SE (last place it worked good.) so the IT experts said that it was working under XP (it was) but you could not use the utilities. (scheduled sychronize, or rebuild array) this made it usless to me. I removed the 2nd drive from the system (unplugged the power) and away I went now if you use the restore feature for any reason you come to the screen for select boot device I just cursor down to select scsi and it boots to the Promise HDD. When you look at the drive in device manager it has a 8mb or 8kb partition on it. what i have noticed is this is some form of MBR (Master Boot Record) have you cheked to see if you have a good MBR on the offending drive? if not create one or atempt to repair it (if it was not a completely fresh install ie. format HDD it may have picked up boot sector virus or some other malformationof data.) this selection of scsi occurs only after a restore or system hang. after I select the scsi as a boot device the system work just fine never show that screen until the next problem or hang occurs. when I installed (fresh w/format) Win XP and prior to taking to the local IT PRO (???) it did the same thing continually with the select boot device hac I know to select the scsi or just hit escape I would have saved myself 2 weeks without my PC and $400 in their diagnoistic charges.

Microsoft XP Boot Disks

In reply to XP Woes!

Microsoft has two boot disk creators that are downloadable. There are two flavors…one for home and one for pro. They will create a bootable floppy set. There was one version of XP cd’s that didn’t have the boot files on it. I believe it was one of the Upgrade versions.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;310994&Product=winxp

Six XP Boot Discs …. everyone should have them

In reply to Microsoft XP Boot Disks

Hiya,
Please try this location for the XP boot discs ….
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

You create six boot discs which will work for those systems which are unable to boot from CD/DVD drives.

I’ve been using them as a ‘fall-back’ for over a year now with no coplaints ….

IS THERE A PART OF A COOKIE THAT CAN WRITE INTO CMOS ? IS THER E A VIRUS…

In reply to XP Woes!

S THERE A PART OF A COOKIE THAT CAN WRITE INTO CMOS ? IS THER E A VIRUS THAT DOES THE SAME THING ?

crap software

In reply to Troubles with XP

I mostly agree with you – Microsoft software is crap. But I am surprised you haven’t got round the activation problem – you don’t need to bother with that. just another couple of issues I am almost sure you have thought of. XP doesn’t work with less than 128MB RAM, and that 2GB HD might be too small. On the whole XP is less reliable than Win98, based on the number of system failures I get. And that doesn’t allow for the Blasterworm problem which doesn’t affect Win98.

why not use a standard image

In reply to Troubles with XP

I guess that I may be using a long shot here .. but agreeing with JT; if you’re operating within a corporate enviroment, (two or more machines), sureley it would be better to have a standardised build that can be deployed to a machine upon receipt – this is definetly something that I do irrespective of the supplier, thereby ensuring that I am able to control the base level deployment, along with the AV updates. Currently I’m working with an individual build for each model, but trying to produce a “single unified build” that can be installed upon each machine irrespective of hardware spec – this is using base level compliant drivers, which XP will update from the SUS. Grateful for any advise – especially lessons learnt in light of previous experience
Thank you
Arthur

that’s all very well….

In reply to Troubles with XP

…but I’m trying to unload an XP that came bundled with a PC. I cant use add/remove – the program isn’t shown there and I can’t format the hard drive as XP is using the NTFS system.

Where does that leave me?

Use w98 boot disk w/fdisk

In reply to that’s all very well….

Have you tried fdisk? It should allow you to delete the partition and start over with new partition which will require reformatting.

XP Revised

In reply to Use w98 boot disk w/fdisk

It is quite possible to get rid of XP. Do a google search for autoclave which uses a triple pass 1010 write. Another awesome utility is Barts boot disks. http://www.nu2.nu Go into boot disks and it lets you build any time of 98 based boot disk ou can imagine. A far as XP and activation I remember reading something about saving two files the reinstalling them from a dos prompt but cant remember where I saw them.

Also I have used XP since its retail release. It was a little cranky until SP1 but is basically a dream compared to any other windows OS before it. I hope this helps.

Reply To: Chime in about Windows XP

In reply to Use w98 boot disk w/fdisk

Use ” delpart ” (good luck trieing with fdisk) to delete the NTFS partion.

to that’s all very well

In reply to that’s all very well….

Try booting with a boot floppy (Win98) and than fdisk, and format

XP Boot

In reply to to that’s all very well

No one has yet mentioned the XP boot floppy disks.
Search on MS web site for XP boot floppy. D/L the prog and run it. It creates 6 floppies that can be used to re-format a drive and install XP when the cd wont boot.

also available …

In reply to XP Boot

This is another location
http://www.bootdisk.com/bootdisk.htm

Re-Load XP

In reply to that’s all very well….

I had to reformat re-load XP on my PC at home. I didn’t have a single problem. All went very smooth and XP has run flawlessly.

Reply To: Chime in about Windows XP

In reply to that’s all very well….

Try using Killpart
It kills your partition table and you are home free….Your HDD is clean as it was from the factory.You must boot with a boot disk and run the program in DOS MODE. A Windows 98 Boot Disk would be ideal. Good Luck!!!

re:That’s all very well

In reply to that’s all very well….

Boot to a Win98 CD and use Fdisk delete the Non-dos partictian. Then reformat, if your going to install a clean XP then no need to reformat. The XP will see your HD as a new drive and give you fromat options.

I also don’t like installing over a previous OS, I prefer to do a clean install. Less headaches !

I do 5 or 6 XP installations a day and only occasionally do I get an installation glitch. It’s usually bad memory or CD drive that’s the problem.

Format winXP

In reply to that’s all very well….

You cannot format Windows XP and it running it will not allow it to be done ! You must have a bootdisk with format on it and boot from it, and then when you get the a prompt A: type in the following command and it will format = format c: thats all there is to it, it will ask you if you are sure that you want to format it and all you haft to hit is Y and it will Format But you cannot start Windows and then format Even a old Dos boot disk will work as long as you have format on it!

WIN XP Pro. Inatall Problem with ECS 648 FX-A S478 Mother board

In reply to Troubles with XP

I have tried for the last few days to install Windows XP Pro. on a computer with ECS 648 FX-A S478 mother board. I have 512 MB DDR PC3200. I have installed the latest BIOS update 648fxa_10c1.bin from the manufactor. I have also tried to install WIN ME no luck. The only OS that I can install is WIN 2000 Pro. When I try to install WIN XP Pro. (clean install) it will get the files and when it should go to the part, where you setup your hard drive, all I get is a black screen with the cursor blinking. There are no Error messages. This is driving me nuts. The computer worked fine until I changed the Mother board. PLS. HELP
Thanks John

Re: WIN XP Pro. Inatall Problem with ECS 648 FX-A S478 Mother board

In reply to WIN XP Pro. Inatall Problem with ECS 648 FX-A S478 Mother board

You should try using the floppy of death that is mention on one of the articles from techrepublic technote and as far as i know the ECS Boards have no trouble with Xp Instalation myself and some friends have installed over a dozen of those and they work pretty damn good (some times even better than an intel). Another thing is check if all your jumpers are correctly set up and your IDE cables as well some times the installation goes a bit crazy if you have one of your IDE Peripherals on CS (cable select) i recommend you tell it slave or master. Even tho for installation try giving your drives an IDE cable for each one

SOLVED WIN XP Pro. Install Problem with ECS 648 FX-A S478 Mother board

In reply to Re: WIN XP Pro. Inatall Problem with ECS 648 FX-A S478 Mother board

I found the problem to be the PCI Graphic card that the Mother board did not want to work eith. I installed an AGP card and was able to install WIN XP PRO. without any problems. So the lesson here is, I guess, do not think that you can use a PCI Graphic card even if it worked fine with the same OS but different Mother Board.

wanted an explanation from the manufacturer /ecs how the chipset is……..

In reply to SOLVED WIN XP Pro. Install Problem with ECS 648 FX-A S478 Mother board

wanted an explanation from the manufacturer /ecs how the chipset is constructed and programmed in that style to cause such incompatablity ? WHAT INSTRUCTIONS IS THE CHIPSET WORKING ? AND WHAT OTHER INSTRUCTIONS WILL THE CHIPSET WORK WITH ?

AMEN BROTHER

In reply to Troubles with XP

You hit the nail right where it hurts! We have upgraded a couple of “Cheep” customers who didn’t want to authorize the “Full” install time. Well, needless to say, the regular customers who just said “Do what needs to be done to do it right” have not had any troubles atributed to the OS while the “Cheap” users have more then tripled the cost of the original installs.

Troubles with XP

In reply to Troubles with XP

Reformatting and starting from scratch is the way to go. However, the update engine for Critical, XP OS and drivers is a major flaw. The update engine selects all critical updates. However, you can not install all at once with out causing problems. Several fail to install and you must really reformat, install and then one by one install the critical updates, OS updates and drivers. MS must make this engine work smoothly just like it has in Office XP.

XP and HP

In reply to Troubles with XP

Has anyone else had trouble with HP printers after installing (upgrading) to XP? on a network with an HP2100tn with Xp the printer now (randomly) moves the entire document over to the right cutting if off and givine about a 2.5″ margin. Also when you chang the margin size it gives error that margin is outside the printable ares and wants to give it about a 2.5″ bottom margin. It worked fine with win98. It also has the latest HP drivers for the printer.
Thanks

XP & HP Nightmares

In reply to XP and HP

I too have had problems with XP and HP printers. I had similar margin problems with an HP Deskjet 670C. I also have had horrendous problems with an HP Laserjet4L. This worked perfectly under 98SE but when attempting to use on XP it refuses to print until I shut the system down. THEN it prints all the pages I have tried to send despite the fact that I have purged all print jobs from the queue. It also ejects a blank sheet between each page with a part row of 1/2-1/2 characters across the top. I have ‘fixed’ the problems by using a junker Win98SE box as a printer server but would like to have it work correctly. Incidentally, this happens with both the M$ and HP drivers. Any bright ideas, please?

HP not XP

In reply to XP & HP Nightmares

I had problems with HP products in gerneral before XP. I have 3 HP scanners in the basement from each time I upgraded from one windows version to an other only to be told by HP to buy thier drivers to make thier equipment work. My most recent was an HP G85 and all in one models. After 2 hours on the phone and downloading new drivers for a different modem my success was not the greatest. Seem anything else I throw at XP for printers and scanner (by another manufacture) they work.

forgotten admin password

In reply to Resetting the password

Why not use the Password Reset Disk to recover
the password…create a floopy reset disk when you set up the system then when you forget the
password use the floppy to reset it…easy…when you forget the password type in the admin account name then type in an incorrect
password and follow the instructions from there….

How do I change the default save directory for OE?

In reply to How to…

When saving an attachment received in Outlook Express running under Windows XP, the save directory always comes up as “C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\My Documents”. I want to change the default save directory to “C:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Desktop”.

Under Windows 2000, if you changed the save directory the new directory would remain the default until it was changed. Under XP, though, the save directory keeps coming back to “My Documents”.

Any ideas?

Found the answer!

In reply to How do I change the default save directory for OE?

After beating my head against the wall for weeks I finally installed X-Setup (Xteq Systems, http://www.xteq.com). This little freeware program has the ability to change the save directory. 🙂

Problems with Sharing/Private Folders

In reply to How to…

I’ve read many of the articles on how to set or limit access to folders using “Sharing & Security” tab and could not figure out what was being described. Until I was over at a friend’s and took a look at his computer. We are both running XP Pro, but when he click on “Sharing & Security” the window that opens on his computer is different than the one that opens on mine. Has anyone else run into this, is this something that was configured at the factory???

Issue–Sharing/Private folders

In reply to Problems with Sharing/Private Folders

Two things to check
1. Windows explorer/Tools/Folder Options/Advanced
uncheck Simple file Sharing
2. Need to be using NTFS file system for the best permission ptions to be available

service pack 1/Java

In reply to How to…

I can’t get sevice pack 1 as I got my computer from a friend and said the xp pro isn’t a registered copy. any clues as to how I can register it? anyone having problems with java? mine takes forever to load. any suggestions?
thank you,
Ralph

Sun to the rescue

In reply to service pack 1/Java

either ‘activate’ windows and pay $150, or download sun java for windows http://www.java.com. works as well if not better than M$ VM

service pack 1/Java

In reply to How to…

I can’t get sevice pack 1 as I got my computer from a friend and said the xp pro isn’t a registered copy. any clues as to how I can register it? anyone having problems with java? mine takes forever to load. any suggestions?
thank you,
Ralph
bojojr@charter.net

DISABLE XP’S SPLASH SCREEN

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Windows XP E-Newsletter Oct 9th, 2002

DISABLE XP’S SPLASH SCREEN

Don’t do this if you use Norton Systemworks or Utilities. See Sysmantec knowledgebase document ID:199733115529.

Anoying E-mails with the Microsoft “Patch”

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

The last few weeks I have been getting on an average 10-20 E-mails a day, with the Microsoft Patch and the Swen virus. My Norton 2003 Pro. takes care of the virus but is there a way of blocking that type of E-mails. I’m using Outlook 2002.
Thanks.
John

SPAM

In reply to Anoying E-mails with the Microsoft “Patch”

Try using the rules built into out look to filter and delete the email. In the email message go into View|options. Look at the bottom of the page and you will see the internet header. Forward this to your ISP’s abuse mailbox and see if it has any useful info you can use for the rule.

You can filter for domain (but they can change it) or words (use word combos not commonly used by others) even use the subject line.
Another great alternative is I hate spam or any other spam filtering software.
Make sure your HD is clean too. No one program can cover all of it so I use Norton as my main program but I go to http://housecall.trendmicro.com/housecall/start_corp.asp once a week to make sure I am clean. Trend has caught stuff Norton missed. Good Luck

Easier way to use rules

In reply to SPAM

Open the e-mail message and select Actions/Create Rule on the toolbar. It will open and allow you to create a rule based on the content of the open message.

Security Problem

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I don’t know if anyone else has encountered this problem, or even knew to try it but I had another tech bring me their laptop that wouldn’t boot after installing a program. (No surprise.) So I attempted to boot in safe mode but the assigned administrator password that I put in when configuring the computer wouldn’t work. For giggles, I tried hitting just enter (blank password) and the computer logged in. I decided to try it on another computer, different make, model, and the same results. Why would the password I assign for the computer administrator account not take when I login as administrator, instead just enter (no password) got me in. I would see this as a large security risk. I am glad that right now, I have only a couple XP systems in the company and the rest 2000.

It’s common…

In reply to Security Problem

If the machine came from an oem such as IBM or DELL and an unattended setup of XP was performed, or even a hand-load, the password is usually blank by default for the Administrator account.

I would suggest coming up with an IT “default” password and resetting the password for the admin account as soon as possible on arrival. It’s not really a flaw in XP, just in the lethargic deployment practices of the OS.

sort of happened to me too . . .

In reply to It’s common…

I found out through a Dell phone tech that if you aren’t careful when setting up an XP box for the first time, the Administrator password will be blank (no password). What I do is purposely let is set itself that way during setup, then log in as Administrator and change the password – and I use the same “default” password for all my XP Administrator accounts in my department like someone else suggested here.

Security Problem

In reply to Security Problem

First, which version of XP are you using? Pro or Home?

Here at work we use XP pro and when we set the admin PW it works!

Policy settings

In reply to Security Problem

adjust your domain policy settings for your workstations; in the GP for the OU, set the workstation security policies to sync your admin logon names/passwords. use it here (all XP/2k3 domain) works great.

i hate xp

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

xp is horrible i have had so many problems with it i cant take it anymore…. i called best buy and asked if my computer had a warranty on shot gun shots b/c i wanted to shoot that thing so bad

See if you can go to Linux.

In reply to i hate xp

You may be able to force the manufacturer to refund the cost of that crappy Windows OS and substitute Linux. You should check it out.

You need to educate yourself

In reply to i hate xp

All upcoming ne OS from MS will
become more and more Unix centric.
It means you have to invest substential time/money
to get to know how to get on XP and the like.
Otherwise, bring an EXPERIENCED specialist.
It’s not just click-and-go eny longer.
ustek

WindowsXP disconnects mapped drive

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Hello:
Does anyone know why XP fails to reconnect mapped drives? I create one (and check “reconnect at logon”), and log out or shut down. Then, on restart, XP gives a startup message stating “some drives could not be reconnected”. I’ve explored everything to fix this; to no avail. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Credentials?

In reply to WindowsXP disconnects mapped drive

Does the user have the right credentials for the share?

Do you have a login script that is fighting the static drive mapping you created?

Yes, correct credentials

In reply to Credentials?

Yes, the user is using the same password & username assigned to his server account. I did not create any special login scripts. My Win9x & W2k Pro PC’s don’t experience this problem. If you have any additional ideas, fire away! Thanks.

Same Problem

In reply to Yes, correct credentials

I have the same problem; it seems to happen randomly for me. Even when the user is working on a shared app.

Here Is Some More Detail

In reply to Same Problem

I have had the same problems that others have described with disconnectiong network drives. It seems most predominate when using a wireless connection but also happens when using wired as well. I can open My Computer and click on the drive and it will connect but if I use the back button to return to My Computer to view the drives that are mapped or my C drive the network drive says Disconnected. It dosn’t seem to affect how XP works but it does get annoying when you log on and the “Can’t Connect” message is displayed.

Use NET USE

In reply to Here Is Some More Detail

The only solution I found was to create a .bat file and place it in the startup folder. exa.
NET USE F: \\SERVER\D HAPPYDAY

HAPPYDAY is their password
Once in awhile I still get the can’t connect message but XP lies. If you look in My Computer the drive is connected. I’m sure this is a bug in XP but M$ will never admit it and probable won’t fix it.

Microsoft’s answer

In reply to Use NET USE

Check this link. http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283492&Product=winxp

Network card

In reply to WindowsXP disconnects mapped drive

I found that XP is “funny” with a DLink 538 network card. Not sure what kind of NIC you have. There is an update under driver updates on the Microsoft site and when I updated the driver (this was after a clean install) the problems seem to have stopped (for now). Good luck!

Microsofts reply to this

In reply to WindowsXP disconnects mapped drive

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;283 492&Product=winxp

that Microsoft suggested to this didn’t even work. I hate being used and taken advantage of.
Should have never stopped where they did with the anti-trust suit.

where is the Show Desktop Icon?

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Is there an easy way to bring back my “Show Desktop” icon in the toolbar? I miss being able to click on that to minimize all my open programs. Thanks!

RE: Show desktop

In reply to where is the Show Desktop Icon?

Don’t know how to re-create the show desktop icon on the toolbar but a quicker way to get it is use the Windows key + D.

Show Desktop

In reply to RE: Show desktop

You can right click on the tool bar and choose the Quick Launch check, this will bring it back.

Show Desktop

In reply to Show Desktop

Kewl.

restore ‘Show desktop”

In reply to where is the Show Desktop Icon?

Using Notepad, copy the following text below the dashed one , including the blank line, into notepad and then save it as a file cnamed “desktop.scf” to your desktop. Then drag it to the Quick Launch toolbar.
———————————————

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3

[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Personalise “Send To: Mail Recipient”

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Hi Folks,

Does anybody know how to add a specific mail recipient to the “Send To” options? I used to be able to right-click, select “Send To”, and then select a specific recipient (a friend showed me how to do it back with Windows ’98 or ’95 but I don’t remeber how to do it now). It was great for my frequently-used contacts.

Thanks,
Canadensis

winxp

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

1- win xp when i turn off computer hardrive is on or idle the only think ican turn off manual the back at the supply power by bushing putton

2- startup or booting win it is very slow about three minutes, if click icon don’t working after couple of minutes yes working.

partial help, maybe

In reply to winxp

First, I had bad experiences with Video cards not allowing the system to completely shutdown. Try updating the video drivers to the latest or windows acceptable drivers.

second, startup of windows 200 and XP can slow down to large fiels in your profile as well as nto enough memory. Try migrating files on the desktop to a folder outside of your profile, like c:\my_stuff. Also, change the cache size on internet explorer to a more manageable size. Default is 10% of existing space on your primary drive. if your drive is 120gb, the you have a way over bloated cache of 12gb. That is truly unacceptable, even for MS. also try defragging your primary drive and getting rid of spyware. spyware that gets loaded on your system (sometimes without your knowledge) can keep running in the background taking up resources your system needs. Try AdAware at lavasoftusa.com. Next, run a chkdsk on the primary drive and then clean out the registry of unneeded entries. you will need to find a good program as my free one is no longer available as a free download. But it works great… Finally, delete any foreign profiles or unneeded profiles from your system. if you are an admin, you can check the folders for files and sotware that you may need first, but get rid of profiles you no longer need. Do not delete it if you don’t know what you are doing or don’t have a backup either. now you can delete the c:\winnt(windows)\temp folder. It houses temporary items you probably do not need anymore. if all this is done, reboot twice to clean out the memory and reset the registry and see if this doesn’t help speed things up a bit…

Good luck!

-E

run command shortcut

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I tried creating the shortcut to the RUN command but found that I can’t create one to it or anything else in the lower part of my start menu window. Anyone know how?

run command shortcut

In reply to run command shortcut

The run command is simply a shortcut to the command prompt. It allows you to execute a statement that you would normally run from the command prompt without actually opening the command prompt window. The equivalent shortcut would be a shortcut to the command prompt window where you can execute your command line statement.

I think you will find the cmd.exe program in Administrative Tools menu. I long ago put it in my task bar so I don’t remember for sure which menu folder it was in. In any case you can find it in here: %SystemRoot%\system32\cmd.exe .

the coolest trick I know

In reply to run command shortcut

if you use a command prompt very often, or if you ever use the “run” line, right click on your taskbar, go to toolbars and turn on the address toolbar (taskbar must be unlocked). the adress toolbar is the best windows trick I know and nobody knows about it. you can use that little address bar for everything. Want to open a command prompt? type cmd in the address bar, want to open a network share? type \\servername\share. no my computer browse crap. just go straight to it. want to run an app? path\app name and botabing. no browsing no explorer, no desktop clutered with shortcuts.

quick launch junkie

In reply to the coolest trick I know

I use the taskbar as my staging ground for everything. I’ve raised it to two rows with the top row being buttons for all of my frequently used apps, the bottom row showing what’s open. Lets you keep all your stuff maximized when you need to open something new, rather than going to the desktop for a shortcut. You can pretty much just drag any shrotcut you want to the taskbar, and it’ll make a quicklaunch button – one click and you’re there!

Run command shortcut

In reply to run command shortcut

John,

I can’t get it to work for my either. Does anyone here ever reply to these questions?

Reply To: Chime in about Windows XP

In reply to Run command shortcut

You should be able to drag the Run command
of the Start menu. I do this to the desktop and then can put it where I want.

Mike Honeycutt

can win xp setup be changed

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I bought a computer with win xp home on it but when I click on any drive to open it it opens in search as default is there anyway to make it open instead?

If you’re saying what I think you are, try this

In reply to can win xp setup be changed

select:My computer
select: view
select: goto
select: my computer

Lost my Task Manger, have to go in through Admin each time

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Any ideas? Haven’t found an answer that works yet other than re-install. Would take too long at this stage of the game. Don’t have the time for such a convenience. It would be nice to get it back though.

you lost it?

In reply to Lost my Task Manger, have to go in through Admin each time

so…what….when you hit alt,cntr and delete the windows sec diolog box doesnt come up? you can also run taskmgr from the runline or see my other post in this forum titled the coolest trick I know. was it there before and now it doesnt work? did you reinstall? are you running home or pro?

Been along time

In reply to you lost it?

Had it , lost it, got mad and fixed it myself. Seems like I get intelligent when I get upset. Means I have to put my thinking cap on and not so much in my own auto mode.
Thanks anyway

Loss of Task Manager

In reply to Lost my Task Manger, have to go in through Admin each time

Did you tried your mouse… click on right side on your task bar..it shows “task manager” Hope this help.

Incorrect Registry Tip in e-Newsletter!

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

The Windows XP Tips newletter today incorrectly states: “You can find the default values for most of the settings in the HKEY_CURRENT
_USER branch in the HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT branch of the registry. This is the part of the registry that Windows XP uses as a template when you create new user accounts.” This was true of Win9x but is not true of NT/2000/XP! the .default branch stores the SYSTEM’s profile. This is the profile which is loaded when you are not logged on. To easily demonstrate this, change HKEY_USERS\.DEFAULT\Control Panel\Colors\Background to “0 0 0” then log off. When you log off, you should notice that the background is now black. Then create a new user. Notice that in all likelihood the background is not black. That’s because the location of the registry hive which is used to create new user profile’s is stored in “C:\Documents and Settings\Default User\NTUSER.DAT”.

Please, let’s try to keep the facts straight.

Investigate changes with the System Information tool

In reply to Incorrect Registry Tip in e-Newsletter!

Windows XP newsletter dated today has a good tip about using Msinfo32.exe
———————————————-
Instead of typing this in at the command prompt, I just type this in at the Run command off the start menu of Windows XP Professional.
———————————————-
I have not had success opening this tool as stated in Step 1 – Open the System Information tool by typing Msinfo32.exe at the command prompt. (You can also access it by going to Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Information.)

XP is so slow

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Why is XP so slow. whenever I open any program or run IE, it takes few seconds to load. Earlier when I had Win 98 SE, I had no problem at all. Switching between programs is also a headache.

Speed it up

In reply to XP is so slow

I would reccomend changing the them back to windows classic and disabling the new gui effects. I also disable many programs that I don’t use, like the language bar if you’re using office.
You can also speedup the boot time greatly by changing the boot.ini file to timeout in 4 seconds instead of the default 30. BootVis could help out too…
http://majorgeeks.com/download664.html

Speed up XP

In reply to XP is so slow

XP does not always either detect or at least set the L2 Cache. Try this with your machine…. Download this tool from http://downloadfinder.intel.com/scripts-df/download.asp?url=/3084/eng/fidenu25.exe&ProductID=441 , this will tell you what CPU you have. Then follow these directions…
Open Regedit —
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
SYSTEM
CurrentControlSet
Control
Session Manager
Memory Management ——SecondLevelDataCache
(Double Click)
Value Data: *** Base: Decimal

*** = 64 for AMD Duron
256 for AMD Athlon XP

128 for Celeron
256 for Most P-4’s
512 for High-End P-4’s

This should help your system run programs more efficiently.
GOod Luck

Tuning for speed

In reply to XP is so slow

I have XP pro running on a 400 MHZ portable with 416 MB of memory. I use the classic interface and stopped all the cute features and the speed is quite good and more reliable then 98.

Unknowns

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Why does Microsoft ommit all important informatiom?Is it to prevent you from controlling the necessary parameters in order to be independant.

Cloning

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I am confused on the procedure for cloning different types of systems using a base image. I am currently using a site license for XP PRO and my imaging utility is Novell ZEN4. Any help suggestions or instructions how to do this would be great.

Reply To: Chime in about Windows XP

In reply to Cloning

First thing to remember is you cannot make an image of any NT based machine when the OS is running. So if your utility cannot boot and clone from the dos screen then you may have a problem.

Base clone image

In reply to Reply To: Chime in about Windows XP

What I want to do is mak a base image for XP that I can use on different types of CPU’s in our organization. I thought it was done by running sysprep -bmsd, but this won’t let some machines load (re: laptops) I guess my question is what file do i need to replace in the image that has been created. I am using Novell Zen4 to do the imaging on a netware 6 server with PXE boot.

In the beginning

In reply to Base clone image

There is a process of adding driver files neccessary to the configuration of the setup. i think you would have to add all of the ones needed for all systems to get this to work properly, but I have not done this myself. i more simply have 6 different images to choose from on our network. Might need to make more for yours…

-E

Dark secrets of Sysprep.inf revealed.

In reply to Cloning

I have a single image that can be cloned to all 5 of my hardware platforms. After spending time with what passes for documentation for Sysprep, I determined that if your other hardware platforms do not have the identical mass storage controller as your image platform you will get the BSOD after a restart. You need to add entries to the sysprep.inf file. One to populate the inf file with entries for all the mass storage devices supported by XP. Also, if you have video, network, sound or other devices not supported natively by XP or want to use updated drivers then those need to be copied into a folder pointed to by an entry in sysprep.inf. When you run sysprep make sure you select detect “plug and pray” on restart.(or words to that effect)

Preventing program installation

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Is it possible to prevent a user from installing any program on an XP machine without permission.
I would like to prevent folks using Hospital equipment from installing just any old thing they want on Hospital equipment. Mainly due to possible virus introduction or spyware and such on HIPPA compliant equipment.
thanks

lock em down

In reply to Preventing program installation

use group policies. build a nice boot script

Preventing program installation

In reply to Preventing program installation

I have XP pro and use password/passwords and lock this password for myself only.. no one can enter my PC

Good Tip

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I have found this tool to be very useful to manage my printers.

Good Tip?

In reply to Good Tip

Sorry – am I missing something somewhere?
What tool? Where?

Trouble with Custom tool bar

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Recently while sleeping on my keyboard J I awoke to find that I was no longer able to keep the custom toolbar that I keep my quick launch and drive shortcuts on closed. What?s happening is I can close them , I reboot and they come back. I have tried everything I can think of from deleting the folder where they reside to running the taskbar repair utility and to no avail. Is there a location or reg key that may be keeping me from doing the changes. I?m logged in as admin to a XP pro sp1 non networked machine. I was told that my ntuser.dat was the culprit any ideas ?

Scheduled task authentication

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

When you schedule a task using XP’s scheduled task wizard, there are entries for run task as and fields that must be filled. When you change your password as demanded by good security policy, you have to change it both for the OS login and then go to each of your tasks and change the password for each of them by right clicking on the task, selecting properties, and then pressing the “change password” button. Does anyone know of a way to propogate password changes throughout the system so this manual password change for scheduled tasks is not required?

By design

In reply to Scheduled task authentication

This is By Design (has been since Windows 2000 – NT 4.0 DIDN’T!)

Ideally you should create a user with administrative rights and a strong password(which doesn’t change) and use that as logon account for services.

Most should run as “system” account anyway

LFT

WinXP is my fav Gaming Platform

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I use Linux (SuSE) as much as I can.
Win2000 when I have to.
And WinXP for playing games.
(Seriously!)

Trying to use Paste to STEP & REPEAT businesscards Can you help

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

open the program for ten card perfed blanks, but can’t seem to keep program stable, has some unplanned completion issue that make it very difficult to complete a print preview I don’t want re-compile for each of the ten frames. What am I doing wrong. Reply to Voyager556@msn.com 06 feb 04 stop

Problem with XP, at every step

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

While booting the system, instead of the startup sound, I hear a jittering sound and all for unknown reasons. Everything worked well until I installed Win XP. After giving (the system) a break of 5 minutes, every music seems to sound perfect. But thats not all, sometimes same jittering can occuring again while listening to music on the system. Any clue to this? (Sound card worked fine when I had 98 or ME)

Another problem is the IE….after remaining open & idle for long time or too many IE windows open, it closes automatically with an unexpected problem. Also asks for sending information to microsoft. Wondering what do they do with so many same kind of problems sent to them, do they really try and solve it!!!!!!!

Drop in few lines if anyone can solve these problems.

Opening Files from Windows Explorer

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I’ve had this problem for about six months and no one can provide a solution. When I try to open a file by double clicking on it in Windows Explorer, The Hour Glass will sit there for a good 30 to 45 seconds before the application opens and the document can be seen. This occurs in MS Word (.doc), Excel (.xls), Powerpoint (.ppt), Access (.mdb), Acrobat (.pdf) or almost any other application that displays a file. It occurs both from the client and over the network. Opening the app from Start/Programs is instantaneous, a this used to be. Can anyone help?

How much memory is installed?

In reply to Opening Files from Windows Explorer

Sounds to me like the delay is while XP swaps something out to the paging file. More memory usally speeds this up. Open Task Manager (right-click on a vacant space on the Toolbar) and then on the Performance tab. This will show you how much memory is available at the moment, and how much is being paged.

recommendation

In reply to How much memory is installed?

Hiya,
Apologies, but I’d set the swap/paging file to 3x the physical memory installed & make it static that way you get past the problem of fragmentation
Arthur

Opening files from Win. Explorer

In reply to Opening Files from Windows Explorer

It seems there is a clutter in your PC, and not enough memory in windows.. clean, deletes unwanted files,,, scan your disk.. it this does not help you need more memory. more RAMS.. I had this problem years ago… the Rams took care of this.. also is your PC up to it.. too many new hardware on a old PC slows everything down…

Need Paperport Driver for XP

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I still am looking for a driver to run my parallel port scanner. It is a paperport One Touch. I have been unable to find any parallel port drivers for XP.

To DamiantheX

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

Your links to get XP boot floppy files have the same link— just to XP Home. What’s the XP Pro link?

The file for the Home ver

In reply to To DamiantheX

The file for the Home ver. is WinXPSP1a_EN_HOM_BF.exe
You can do a Google search for the File or go to
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=33a21833-7773-4f59-bd90-63cacb89ac4e&DisplayLang=en

XP problem BCCode Errors

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I am looking for a Site that can give some info. on this BCCode error.

Google has nothing about this error …

BCCode : d1 BCP1 : 65440B23 BCP2 : 00000002 BCP3 : 00000000
BCP4 : F88F7E35 OSVer : 5_1_2600 SP : 1_0 Product : 768_1

Thanks,
Jerry

fyi re:Windows XP Process Explorer script

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

[newsletter 12thFeb2004]
I downloaded this, opened the zip and read the README.
This refers to WMIC
“…Since the Process Explorer script relies on WMIC, it will only run on Windows XP–it won’t run on Windows 2000.
”

…I suspect that README should indicate that XPpro is required as this was nowhere to be found on my XPhome system but was present on my XPpro system.

File and Folder Tasks Settings

In reply to Chime in about Windows XP

I can not find where to go to set these up. When I open a folder that has multiple files in it that I want to print, I select the files, and then right click to get the menu that has the print function. After selecting print, XP then opens a dialog window to “move” the files.. when I click cancel it then prints the files, but I have to cancel the “move” dialog each time. HOW do I correct this to skip “moving” and just start printing? TIA!

[Author]

Replies