10 Ways to Maximize

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10 Ways to Maximize
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Welcome and Introductions

• CTAP Region 1 Technology Manager
• jhaugen_at_ctap1.org
• [phone]
• Subject matter covered - Microsoft XP Pro
• Learn how to create, organize, and work
• with information on your XP computer.
• Attendee Requests?
• www.ctap1.org

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Agenda

• Start menu
• Task bar
• Organize file and folders
• Help and Support Center
• Personalize working environment
• Enable ClearType
• Forgotten password recovery
• MSconfig Utility
• Backup with MS SyncToy
• Performance and Maintenance

Task
XP
Menu
Start
Icon
Files
Search
Power
Tools
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Exploring the XP Interface

• Desktop
• Icons (shortcuts)
• Start menu
• Task Bar
• TIP Show desktop shortcut Win D keys
• Demo Tour Windows XP
• StartAll ProgramsAccessories
• CtrlAltDelete

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1 The Start Menu

• Takes you anywhere
• 1 Pinned programs
• 2 Most Frequently
• Used List
• 3 All Programs menu
• 4 Files and folders
• 5 System tools
• 6 Log off/turn off

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Essential Start Menu Tweaks

• 1
• Quick-fire preferencesclick Open sub-menus when
  I pause my mouse on thembox

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Essential Start Menu Tweaks

• 2
• Stop XPs annoying habit of flagging up new
  programs un-tick Highlight newly installed
  programs

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Essential Start Menu Tweaks

• 3
• Access any Control Panel instantly Control Panel
  Display as a menu

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Essential Start Menu Tweaks

• 4
• Tick the Favorites menu box and your Favorites
  will appear as a cascading without having to open
  Internet Explorer.

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Essential Start Menu Tweaks

• TIP for Windows
• classic view
• Right click Start
• Select Properties,
• Select the Classic
• Start menu radio
• button
• Click OK.

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2 The Taskbar

• Provides quick access to programs
• Includes
• Start menu button
• Quick launch bar
• Taskbar buttons
• Notification Area

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Taskbar Recommended Settings

• 1 Lock the Taskbar ON
• 2 Auto-hide the
• Taskbar OFF, except small screens
• 3 Keep the Taskbar ON
• top of other windows ON
• 4 Group similar
• Taskbar buttons ON
• 5 Show Quick Launch ON
• 6 Notification area
• customizations

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TIP The Taskbar

• Exercise
• Switch between windows without using taskbar,
  press AltTab
• Open Internet Explorer and Word
• Toggle back and forth between them using the
  AltTab keys
• AltF4 keys close any Window

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3 Organize Files and Folders

• Exploring Folders
• Exercise Creating Files and Folders
• TIP How to make all folders Detailed View
  Option?
• Moving Files and Folders
• Exercise Screen Capture
• Searching Files and Folders

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Exploring Folders

• 1 Folder Bar
• 2 Folders icon
• 3 View menu
• 4 More View options
• 5 Folder window

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Creating Files and Folders

• Exercise
• Open Windows Explorer (Right click Start and
  select Explorer)
• Chose File New Folder Or
• Right click empty area on desktop
• Select make New Folder
• Type name for New Folder
• Press Enter
• Create 3 folders, with 1 file in each folder
• (e.g. Parent, Teacher, Student)

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TIP Creating Files and Folders

• Save in My Documents
• Nest folders deeply
• Ignore file types (i.e. Word, Excel, etc)
• Reduce desktop clutter shortcuts only
• Use Desktop Cleanup Wizard
• Ideally, dont save anything in root C/
• Files and Folders cannot contain symbols
  \/?

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Folders Detailed View

• Exercise
• Right click Start
• Click Explore
• Select View Details
• Select Tools
• Select Folder Options
• Select View Apply to All Folders

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Moving Files and Folders

• Exercise
• Open Windows Explorer (right click Start)
• Select a folder or file to move or copy
• Right click Move to (icon) or Copy to (icon)
• Navigate to desired folder click Move or Copy
• Or, use keyboard shortcuts
• Cut ctrlx
• Copy ctrlc
• Paste ctrlv

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Screen Capture

• Exercise An easy way to permanently record error
  messages or any other useful information thats
  displayed on your computer screen is to take a
  snapshot of the screen and save it to a file.
• Simultaneously press the ALT-PRINT SCREEN keys
  Windows automatically captures the image on your
  computers screen.
• Open the Microsoft Paint (or Word) program in
  Windows by selecting Start All Programs
  Accessories Paint.
• Press CTRL-V to paste the saved screen image into
  the Paint (Or Word) program. The image will
  appear in the Paint interface.
• Save the file as a BMP file. Click File Save
  As, give the file a name, and select the folder
  where you want to store it.
• You can now easily e-mail the image of your
  screen to a support technician or anyone else
  trying to help you.

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Searching Files and Folders

• Launch Search Companion F3
• What are you looking for?
• Media Files or Documents?
• All Files or Folders
• Search by Location
• Advanced Options
• Review the results

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TIP Searching Files and Folders

• Exercise
• Type .do? to find all Word files
• Results may list duplicate entries
• Use results before search ends
• All or part of the search name
• Use Wildcard characters
• Example
• ? one character
• zero or more characters

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4 Help and Support Center

• Designed to work like a Web site
• Exercise
• Launch Help and Support Center F1 key
• Select Windows Basics
• Select Core Windows tasks
• Select Working with files and folders
• Select Move a file or folder
• Run a Search for Disk Cleanup

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5 Personalize Your Working Environment

• Change Screen Resolution
• - http//www.youtube.com/watch?vXbjTliUfC0Q
• Display properties right click Desktop
• Using Control Panel
• Managing Visual Effects
• Windows Classic look

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6 Enable ClearType

• Exercise
• Right click on the
• desktop properties appearance effects
• Open Word, compare text clarity
• You try

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7 Forgotten Password Recovery

• Exercise
• Ctrl-Alt-Delete change password backup
• Follow Wizard prompts
• Save to USB drive

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8 MSconfig Utility

• Remove unwanted startup programs
• Improves system performance
• - http//www.youtube.com/watch?vX754ryfj5UY
• Exercise
• Go to Start Run
• Type msconfig in the text box (This brings up the
  System Configuration Utility)
• Select the Startup tab. Youll see a list of all
  the programs that automatically start with
  Windows, as shown below.
• Remove the check in the box next to a program
  name, and that program wont start with Windows.

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9 Backup with MS SyncToy

• Backing up Your Files MS SyncToy
• Copy, move, rename, and delete files between
• folders and computers quickly and easily
• Its FREE!
• Download from Microsoft at
• http//www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?F
  amilyIdE0FC1154-C975-4814-9649-CCE41AF06EB7displ
  aylangen

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10 Performance and Maintenance

• Windows updates
• Disk Cleanup
• Start Programs Accessories System Tools
• Disk Defragmenter
• Start Programs Accessories System Tools

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Windows Update
1 Install Updates 2 Options 3 Administrator
Options 4 Express 5 Automate
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Keyboard Shortcuts

• Exercise
• The Windows key is often overlooked
• Pressing Windows key will open the Start menu
• Calculator quick launch properties CtrlAlt
  C
• Press Windows Pause/Break to access the
  System Control Panel quickly
• Press Windows E to open an Explorer window
• Windows F to launch the Search Companion
• Quickly minimize all open windows by press
• Windows D to undo this, press Windows
  D

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Free Utilities

• Msconfig.exe
• WNTIPCFG - www.microsoft.com/downloads
• TweakUI - http//www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downl
  oads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
• Process Explorer -http//www.microsoft.com/technet
  /sysinternals/utilities/processexplorer.mspx
• Jv16 Powertools - http//www.macecraft.com/
• Sage - http//support.microsoft.com/kb/253597
• MS SyncToy - http//www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/do
  wnloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx
• Stop Startup Monitor - http//www.mlin.net/Startup
  Monitor.shtml

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Automate Defrag Disk Cleanup
Microsoft tutorial http//support.microsoft
.com/kb/253597 (Sage Utility) cleanmgr /d
c/sageset100 cleanmgr /d
c/sagerun100 Create batch file
(XPcleanup.bat) Delete /temp files Task Scheduler
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Extra Strong Passwords

• Password Checker
• http//www.microsoft.com/athome/security/privacy/
  password_checker.mspx

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Extra Customize Your Web Browsing Layout

• Create a Custom Toolbar Layout
• Internet Explorer has three built-in toolbars
• Standard buttons toolbar
• Address bar
• Links toolbar

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Extra Rearrange Toolbars

• Drag the Move handle that appears at the left
  edge of each toolbar in IE
• Move handle with double-headed arrow
• To adjust how much of a toolbar is visible, drag
  the Move handle left or right

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Extra Increase Page Viewing Space

• Here are 3 tips for increasing the amount of
  space you have to view a Web page
• 1. You can hide toolbars that you don't use
• 2. Internet Explorer in full screen view,
  minimizes the toolbars and hides the Windows
  XP Taskbar
• 3. You can use the F11 key to toggle back and
  forth between normal and full screen view

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Why Clear Internet Cache?
The Temporary Internet Files folder contains a
kind of travel record of the items you have seen,
heard, or downloaded from the Web, including
images, sounds, Web pages, even cookies
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Clearing Browser Cache
All those files stored in your cache take up
space, so from time to time, you may want to
clear out the files stored in your cache to free
up some space on your computer.
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More Speed or More Room?
Why increase the size of your Temporary Internet
Files folder? Because Internet Explorer will
read already-viewed files from the cache first
rather than take the time to download the same
page from the Web thus saving you time and money.
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Extra Burning CDs

• TIP
• Right click desired folder or files
• Select send to (your burning program)
• A few options are data, exact copy, audio, etc

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Next Steps?

• Next training sessions?
• www.ctap1.org
• WebEx Overview?
• Survey feedback of training session
• Go to www.ctap1.org Evaluation
• Select 10 Ways to Maximize XP

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Where to Get More Information

• Microsoft
• www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/
• MS Knowledge Base
• MS PowerToys
• http//www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/power
  toys/xppowertoys.mspx
• Using Windows XP
• http//www.microsoft.com/windows/using/windowsxp/d
  efault.mspx
• Support http//www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/s
  etup/support/default.mspx
• PC Magazine http//www.pcmag.com/
• http//www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/win/basics/index.
  html

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Where to Get More Information

• Flash stick Portable Applications Suite
• http//portableapps.com/
• Switching from a Mac
• Mac OS X for Windows Users A Switchers Guide
• Switching to the Mac The Missing Manual
• Read them backward
• Langa List Now www.WindowsSecrets.com
• Tech Republic http//techrepublic.com.com/
• TechSETS
• www.techsets.org (visit Career Academy Training)
• Free Tutorials
• http//www.courses-online.co.uk/free-training-cour
  ses/windows-xp-introduction.html