Points and Recover from Failures 727 Creating a Manual Restore Point 728 Restoring a Previously Created Restore
Point 729
Using the Recovery Console 731
Installing the Recovery Console 732 Running the Recovery Console from CD 734 Using Recover Console Commands 734
Backing Up Your System 736
Recovering Your System with Automated System Recovery 746 Summary 748
Solutions Fast Track 748
Frequently Asked Questions 750
Index 753
Using the Recovery Console
Windows XP includes the Recovery Console, which was introduced in Windows 2000. The Recovery Console is a text- based command
interpreter, which is different from the normal Windows XP cmd.exe command interpreter in that it has a different set of commands and it allows you to access a Windows XP system that is not booting normally or is otherwise inaccessible.
As I write this foreword, the official release of Windows XP is only weeks away.
Already,Windows XP is proving to be an extremely popular operating system among those fortunate enough to have access to prior beta releases or the Release to
Manufacture (RTM) version. Most of the Windows XP users I have talked to are enthusiastic about Windows XP, and I have no doubt future users will be as well.
There is already a huge amount of Internet activity, in newsgroups and Web sites, dedicated to the advent of this latest operating system from Microsoft.
For many home and corporate users, the replacement of Windows 98 and Windows Me, in particular, with a stable operating system based on a 32-bit NT kernel will likely be welcome news. Users who use NT Workstation or Windows 2000 Professional and already experience the benefits of a stable 32-bit NT kernel will also likely be impressed by the many new and useful features of Windows XP and will be strongly motivated to upgrade.
Time will tell what the ultimate success of Windows XP will be. However, early indications are that its release will be comparable in some of its effects to the release of Windows 95. Although Windows XP is unlikely to have the large impact on sales of computer hardware that Windows 95 did,Windows XP may prove to be just as pop- ular. Many corporate and home consumers will find its features attractive enough to warrant purchasing it, especially if they are running an operating system based on the Windows 9x code base. For those users running products such as Windows 95, 98, or Me, the better stability of Windows XP is probably sufficient reason alone to upgrade.
With XP, the chances that poorly written code will cause the entire system to fail, an event otherwise known as a stop error or “the blue screen of death (BSOD)”, are greatly reduced. Stop errors may still occur because of faulty hardware. However, software-related stop errors will only occur if the software in question is a poorly written device driver (a program that provides the means of allowing the operating system to communicate with a piece of hardware, such as a modem or sound card,
xxvii
Foreword
attached to the computer). A system-wide failure of Windows XP will not occur because of a poorly written application, such as a game. If the application fails, only the application stops, not Windows XP.
This kind of stability has long been available with Windows NT and Windows 2000. However, that stability has come at somewhat of a price: the inability to run as many programs as the Win 9x code base can. As a result, NT Workstation and
Windows 2000 Professional have not been the first choice of many knowledgeable home computer hobbyists, in particular those who like computer games.That issue should no longer be a factor in the decision to use Windows XP.Windows XP is able to a run wide range of legacy applications and to run them, if necessary, in an envi- ronment that emulates that of an earlier operating system, such as Windows 95.This feature, known as the Program Compatibility Mode, ensures that a program specifi- cally written for an earlier operating system will most likely run on Windows XP.
Because Windows XP is less prone to stopping and requiring a reboot, there is less chance of file corruption and other related problems occurring that were beyond the skills of many users to troubleshoot and correct without assistance.Windows XP is also as easy to set up as Windows 98 or Me. For the home user, there are many wizards and simplified interfaces that will make even hitherto advanced configura- tions relatively easy. In particular, home users will find that Windows XP offers superb functionality for connecting the computer to the Internet and for making the Internet available through Internet Connection Sharing to other computers in the household.Windows XP is also potentially much more secure than the earlier con- sumer operating systems. For example,Windows XP includes an Internet Connection Firewall, which will go a long way towards helping protect the computer from mali- cious users on the Internet.
Home and corporate users will be able to leverage the security and stability of the NTFS file system. Users and administrators will be able to control access to indi- vidual files and folders based on permission, something not possible with the
Windows 9x operating systems. Furthermore, even if the computer stops or is turned off unexpectedly, NTFS will make it far less likely that files are damaged.
Among the other benefits provided by NTFS in Windows XP are the Encrypting File System (EFS) and compression. Users will be better able to secure sensitive files on their computer by encrypting them with EFS.This is an especially desirable fea- ture for laptop users whose computers may contain sensitive information.
Unfortunately, EFS is not available in XP Home, the edition that is targeted for the mass consumer market.
Corporate administrators will also find that Windows XP offers a number of sig- nificant advantages over other operating systems. If the corporate network comprises computers running the Windows 9x code base, administrators will find many reasons to advocate upgrading to Windows XP.The most significant reason is probably the reduction in time administrators will spend responding to help desk calls from users, due to the superior stability of Windows XP and its other many improvements.
For companies that already use NT Workstation or Windows 2000 Professional as their desktop standard, the benefits that result from a more stable operating system should already be clear. In these cases,Windows XP represents an incremental upgrade and provides fewer reasons for upgrading. However, one new feature of Windows XP will turn many administrators into advocates for Windows XP: the Remote Assistant.With the Remote Assistant feature, administrators will be able to take control of a user’s desktop to correct a problem or to provide a teaching
demonstration to the user.The administrator will be able to do this from his worksta- tion and will not have to be physically present at the user’s workstation.
The Remote Assistant uses the same technology as another tool in XP that will help productivity: Remote Desktop.With Remote Desktop, which is available on XP Pro but not XP Home, users can connect to their computers from a remote computer using the Remote Desktop Connection client, which was previously called the
Terminal Services client. Upon connection, users are able to gain access to a session running on the remote Windows XP computer.This means that they will be see the desktop of the remote computer within a window on the local computer and be able to work within that window as if they were sitting down at the remote computer. A user working from home could connect to her computer on the corporate network and be able to use it as if she were physically sitting down at it.The bulk of the traffic that occurs between the two computers would mainly comprise information about the desktop display on the remote computer, a very small amount of traffic. Even over rela- tively slow links, such as 28.8 Kbps dial-up connections, performance is excellent.
Help and Support in Windows XP features a completely new design that improves greatly on the Help found in prior operating systems.The Help and Support search engine not only searches its own local files for information, but will also search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, if the computer has a connection to the Internet.The Help and Support utility, like many of the tools on Windows XP, offers a lot of configuration options. Users can turn off the ability to search the Knowledge Base, or they can change the focus of the Knowledge Base search on the Microsoft Web site to some other category.The Help and Support utility also provides useful tips and advice in a “Did You Know?” section of the interface.The headlines in the
“Did You Know?” section are refreshed with content from the Web whenever users launch the utility.This ensures that up-to-date and relevant information, such as secu- rity bulletins, is displayed here.
These are only a limited sample of some of the new and desirable features of Windows XP that will help to drive its popularity.There are many other features of Windows XP that administrators and users alike will find desirable and useful.
Windows XP, for all its ease of configuration and use, is a large and complex product.
To provide expert support for it and to make the most of it in the corporate or home environment requires significant knowledge.
In creating this book on Windows XP, we were always mindful of the need for the content of the book to provide an accurate reflection of the depth and com- plexity of the product itself.That is why this book is relatively large. Given the size and complexity of the product and the enormous number of useful features included in it, the book has to provide a lot of information to do justice to the product itself.
This book contains 15 chapters that together provide comprehensive information on Windows XP. Chapter 1 establishes the foundation for the book and provides an introduction to the new Windows XP and .NET family of products from Microsoft.
This chapter provides the larger overall context in which we can see where Windows XP is positioned and how it fits into the strategic goals of the next generation of Microsoft operating systems.The chapter also provides a discussion of the notable new features that set it apart from Microsoft’s prior operating systems.
Chapter 2 provides information on the various methods for installing Windows XP.
Here, you will find information on how to install Windows XP from a CD or from the network.You will also find information on how to use Setup Manager and how to perform scripted, unattended installations of the product.We also discuss installing Windows XP using Remote Installation Services (RIS), but we place this discussion in Chapter 12, where we provide information on other IntelliMirror technologies.
The user interface of Windows XP has undergone significant changes from prior versions of Windows. Chapter 3 guides you through the complexities of using both the Windows XP and the Classic interface view.You will find advice and instruction for configuring the interface so that you can use it productively, whatever your par- ticular needs may be.You will find information on configuring the desktop, Start menu, and taskbar. In Windows XP, Control Panel now provides two different views:
the Category and Classic views.This chapter will show you how to configure Control Panel for your preferred view.
We next look at managing Windows XP in Chapter 4.This chapter covers a wide range of topics that are central to the management of Windows XP.These
topics include creating Users and Groups, sharing folders, managing devices and storage, in addition to using tools such as Event Viewer and Trace and Performance Logs.You will learn, for example, how to create Alerts to notify you when the com- puter encounters some critical event that you define, such as running out of disk space or excessive CPU use.You will also find an explanation of the differences between file systems such as NTFS and FAT32, as well as explanations of Basic Disks and Dynamic Volumes.
System tools that will assist you in the maintenance of Windows XP are the sub- ject of Chapter 5. If you haven’t looked at the System Tools in Windows XP, you will be pleasantly surprised by the new additions and the functionality of these tools. For example, you will find the new Disk Cleanup and System Restore tools in addition to the tools you would normally expect to see, such as the Backup,Task Scheduler, and Disk Defragmenter utility.You will find thorough information on the use of these tools.
Chapter 6 provides a comprehensive examination of networking in Windows XP.
Because this book is intended for both new and experienced users and administra- tors, you will find a summary explanation of the basic concepts of computer net- working. After this introduction to networking, the chapter takes you through the details of configuring TCP/IP, IPS/SPX (NWLink), RAS and Virtual Private Network (VPN) connections.We also look at how to configure Bridging, Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), and the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). Chapter Six also provides information on the new Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) standard, which is more a networking standard than a hardware standard, in spite of its name.
The chapter ends with a discussion of the new features for wireless networking in Windows XP.
Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with the operating system to the same extent it was in Windows 9x or Windows 2000. However, because Internet Explorer 6.0 introduces a number of new and useful features and because it will be the browser of choice for the majority of users, this book would not be complete without a separate chapter that provides in-depth information on IE 6.0, along with Outlook Express. One of the exciting new features of IE 6 that we examine in Chapter 7 is the privacy settings that allow you to control whether your computer will receive cookies, based on whether the Web site has a machine-readable privacy policy.This is very recent and emerging technology, and we have striven to provide you with the latest information on it. Of course, you will also find lots of good information for configuring the familiar features of Internet Explorer and Outlook Express for both the home and corporate environment.
Windows 95 introduced the world to a Plug and Play operating system and was revolutionary in providing consumers with an easy way to add hardware devices to their computers, hence the enormous boom in computer peripheral devices in recent years. However, compared to the Plug and Play capability of Windows XP, that first attempt at Plug and Play in Windows 95 seems crude.Windows XP will put to rest the tired and clichéd joke of “Plug and Pray.” Plug and Play in Windows XP is much more reliable than in previous operating systems.That said, you will still have to know how Plug and Play works and how to add and remove hardware devices to the computer running Windows XP.
Chapter 8 covers the topic of adding new and legacy hardware.The primary tool for this is the Add Hardware Wizard, which makes it possible for novice and experi- enced users alike to install and configure hardware with relative ease. Chapter 8 also covers installing new software through the use of the Add And Remove Programs tool. Additionally, the chapter provides information on the use of Windows Installer for managing the installation and removal of programs on your computer.Together the tools for hardware and software addition and removal provides mechanisms that enable Windows XP to repair itself to some degree and to eliminate much of the frustration associated with troubleshooting and correcting failed software or hardware components.
Windows XP provides a wide range of tools to enable communication with other people and computers. Included among these tools is the new Remote Desktop tool, which enables you to view the desktop on your Windows XP com- puter from another, remote computer. Chapter 9 begins with coverage of this tool and then explores other tools that you can use for communication.These tools include HyperTerminal and NetMeeting, which appears to be headed for replace- ment by Windows Messenger.The chapter also provides detailed information on configuring Windows XP for faxing and configuring connections to the Internet.
Power management on Windows XP has been improved and offers better func- tionality and greater configurability than prior operating systems. Chapter 10 dis- cusses the power management features that will allow you to minimize the power you consume on both your laptop and desktop computer.
Making computers easier to use for persons with disabilities has been one of Microsoft’s laudable goals for some time now.You will find a great deal of information in Chapter 10 regarding the accessibility features Microsoft has built into Windows XP, which again improves on the accessibility features of Windows 9x and 2000.
Windows XP is designed to be used in many geographic locales. Chapter 10 also includes an in-depth look at the available regional and languages settings.
Chapter 10 ends with a thorough examination of the System Properties, one of the most important interfaces in Windows XP.Through System Properties, you can configure settings for Automatic Updates, System Restore settings, performance, login, user profiles, remote desktop, and others.
Security is an important concern for anyone who uses computers.Windows XP has many features that, if properly configured, will go a long way towards making your system more secure. For example, one of the new features that Windows XP provides is the Internet Connection Firewall (ICF).With ICF, you can block any unsolicited traffic from the Internet. If you have ICF enabled and configured with the most restrictive settings, your computer will be invisible to other computers on the Internet (unless you initiate the traffic to a remote host by, for example, using your browser) and will drop any traffic, including pings, from any host.This is an especially useful feature if you are connected to the Internet with a permanent connection.
ICF is only one feature of Windows XP that can enhance the security of your system.There are many others, such as Encrypting File System and NTFS. Chapter 11 examines these features and also provides information and advice on configuring file security, account security, network security, and other security-related topics.
If you are using Windows XP Pro, as opposed to Windows XP Home, you can take advantage of the IntelliMirror technologies that Microsoft has developed for use in Windows. IntelliMirror technologies, of which Group Policy is a core element, allow you to control and manage all aspects of the Windows 2000 or Windows XP desktop environments.These include Registry settings, software installation, logon and logoff scripts, and so on. For example, with IntelliMirror you can control the automatic installation (or deinstallation) of software through Group Policy settings.
Chapter 12 provides information on this topic, Group Policy, Resultant Set of Policy (RSOP), Remote Installation Services (RIS), and other topics related to the use of IntelliMirror.
Chapter 13 looks at printing from beginning to end, from installing a printer to configuring auditing for it.
In spite of the improvements in Windows XP over other operating systems and advances in computer hardware and computer hardware standards, users and adminis- trator will still need to troubleshoot problems that may arise from any number of causes.Windows XP includes a large number of useful tools to help you troubleshoot problems that you may experience. One such tool is the new Network Diagnostics tool, which provides a very detailed report on the status of your network connection and system. Chapter 14 shows you how to locate and use the many tools that will prove invaluable for troubleshooting.You will also find a detailed explanation of