Left Click (single click) – Used for selecting an object. If held down will allow you to drag and drop.

Right Click (always single click) – Used for options on a selected object. z

Double Left Click – Used to activate an object. Double Clicking a Word document will load it in word.

A note on Double Left Click : The double click activation feature is often exploited by virus makers to cause you to activate a viral attachment. Rather than Double Left Clicking an attachment that you receive in mail, we suggest you first save it to your Desktop, then open the program that would normal utilize the file type, and have it open the attachment. For example, open Word first and tell it to open the suspected Word document.

Initial Configuration

If your system was setup by Extension Computing, then you can skip all of this section. If your computer was setup by someone else or shipped directly to you, we strongly suggest you make the following changes. They are designed to make Windows XP act more like previous versions of Windows. Windows XP in its default mode has a quite different menu configuration and several settings that make decisions about content. These “out-of-the-box” settings can do things like remove any shortcuts from your desktop that you have not used in a specified length of time. That being the case, we suggest you follow these instructions and disable these features. If you choose not to do this, some of these instructions will not work and some of these features may not function as expected. All of these steps must be carried out by a Local Administrator Account.

Display Settings Changes:

All of these settings are changed from the Control Panel. To access the Control Panel, Left Click Start , Settings , Control Panel .

Double Left Click the Display icon.
Left Click the Themes tab.
Left Click Windows Classic from the drop down theme menu.
Left Click the Screen Saver tab.
Change the screen saver to none .
Left Click the Power button at the bottom on the Monitor Power portion.
Left Click the Hibernate tab and Uncheck the Enable Hibernation box.
Left Click the Power Schemes tab and set the Monitor setting to 20 minutes and the Hard Disk option to never .
Left Click OK .
Left Click the Desktop tab.
Left Click the Customize Desktop button.
Uncheck the box for Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days . This option removes less used icons from your desktop. This can cause great confusion.
Let Click OK .
Left Click the Appearances tab.
Left Click the Effects button.
Change the Method to smooth edges of screen fonts to Clear type .
Left Click OK .
Left Click Apply .
Left Click OK .

Task Bar and Start Menu

All of these settings are changed from the Control Panel. To access the Control Panel, Left Click Start , Settings , Control Panel

Double Left Click the Taskbar and Start Menu icon.
Left Click the Taskbar tab.
Left Click the box for Show Quick Launch .
Left Click and remove the check for Group Similar taskbar buttons .
Left Click and remove the check for Hide inactive icons .
Left Click the Start Menu tab.
Left Click the Classic Start Menu option.
Left Click OK .

Folder Options

All of these settings are changed from the Control Panel. To access the Control Panel, Left Click Start , Settings , Control Panel

Double Left Click the Folder Options icon.
Left Click the General tab.
Left Click Use Windows classic folders .
Left Click the View tab.
Left Click and remove the check next to Use simple file sharing(recommended) option.
Left Click OK .

Systems Options

All of these settings are changed from the Control Panel. To access the Control Panel, Left Click Start , Settings , Control Panel

Double Left Click the System icon.
Left Click the System Restore tab.
Left Click the Turn off System Restore option.
Left Click the Automatic Updates tab.
Left Click the Turn off automatic updating option.
Left Click the Remote tab.
Left Click and remove the check for Allow Remote Assistance .
Left Click the Advanced tab.
Left Click the Settings button under Performance .
Left Click Adjust for Best Performance .
Left Click OK .
Left Click Error Reporting button at bottom right.
Left Click Disable Error Reporting .
Left Click OK twice .

My computer

Close Control panel by Left Clicking the upper right hand X .
Double Left Click My Computer .
Double Left Click C: .
Left Click Show Contents of This Folder .
Left Click View , Icons .
Close My computer by Left Clicking the upper right hand X

Using Windows Explorer

If you already have experience on the look and operation of Windows Explorer, please skip to the next section. Understanding how to use Windows Explorer is crucial to file management and configuration of many options in Windows XP. Windows Explorer has not greatly changed since Windows 95, but the location in the menu has changed to:

Start, Programs, Accessories

If you are not comfortable using Windows Explorer, please see pages 8-14 for basic instruction by following the link below.

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/esoc/ectu/services/lessons/FileManagement.pdf

Security and User Accounts in Windows XP

In Windows 98 everyone that logs into the computer has the same access to resources (files and programs) on the computer, no matter what account is used. This means all user accounts share the same settings for Programs, Desktop and the same My Documents folder. With Windows XP this is not the case. Each user that logs in has their own settings for Programs, Desktop, Shortcuts, and Background. They also have their own My Documents and other user specific data folders (My Music, My Webs, My Pictures). No special care or configuration must be done for this to happen, as long as the computer is joined to our domain. The first time they login on the machine the necessary user account profile containing all these user specific features is created.

Logging In

In order to login to the system a user must depress the CTRL, ALT, and Delete keys simultaneously. Users of Windows 98 or earlier operating systems might know this as the reboot key sequence. It is different with Windows XP and this will not reboot Windows XP. It is the new way to access the login menu.

At the login screen a user will need to make sure their Username, Domain (CN or fs_mail), and password are typed in the corresponding locations. If you were the last one to use the system, the Username and Domain should show up as your own. When you use a Windows XP system you will always login to the Domain even if the machine is a portable such as a laptop. XP uses a system of credential caching to store your user login information for verification off-line (when you are not hooked up to our network). The system still requires you to specify your password, and then it checks it against a local record. If you do not see the Domain field, you may access it by Left Clicking the Advanced button at the login screen . If you normally login to this machine it is not necessary to have the machine display the domain.

Adding Accounts to the Computer

OSU Computers are part of either the CN or FS_MAIL domain, so we use domain accounts to login to our computers and check e-mail. Based on the new security configurations in Windows XP, In order for someone to be able to login to an XP system, they must first be part of the Domain. Without your existing domain accounts being added to the local Administrators group, they will only have rights to edit their own My Documents and data folders. Users that do not have local Administrator rights will not be able to install or remove programs. If you wish to grant someone these rights you must add their existing domain account to the Administrators group on the system To add another user to the system, follow these steps.

Left Click Start, Settings, Control Panel .
Double Left Click User Accounts.
Left Click Add .
Type in the persons Username and their domain (CN or FS_Mail) Domain then Left Click Next .
Choose what level of rights the user needs. If you are unsure read the paragraph below.
Left Click Finish .

That is all it takes to add a user to your system. The type of rights gives the person who is logging in certain restrictions on what they can and cannot do. The actual owner of the system and anyone that they authorize to be able to administrate the machine (add and delete users, install programs, etc.) should be set to Other and Administrator . Any other domain account can already login as a user, they don’t specifically need to be added as a user. Any other users that just need access to the system should be Standard Users . A Standard User does not have rights to install or remove programs. An Administrator has the rights to do anything on the system, including removing or creating accounts. ECTU has also created several default groups to help you quickly assign rights to everyone at your site. These groups are G4_sitename such as G4_Baker . Adding this group as a user will quickly give everyone at your site the desired level of access on the machine.

My Documents Folder Location

As mentioned previously, each user login has its own My Documents folder. This folder is not in the same location as in Windows 98. To find the My Documents folder for your account follow these steps:

Double Left Click My Computer.
Double Left Click C:.
Double Left Click Documents and Settings.
In this folder you will see several folders, one for each of the user names with accounts on this system. Double Left Click on your user name.
Here are all the folders that correspond to your user account profile. Desktop contains your desktop items, Favorites contains your internet shortcuts links in Internet Explorer, and Username’s Documents contains your documents. Backing up the contents of this folder would protect your configuration and standard files.

Security - Locking the Machine when away from your work area

If you wish to protect your system from others using it while you step away, hold down the Ctrl , Alt , and Delete keys to bring up the Windows Security window. This window allows you to do things like restarting the computer or shutting down. Also on this screen is a button that says Lock Computer. If you Left Click this button the system will require either you or a member of the Local Administrators to login before the system will resume normal function.

Customizing the Start Bar and System Tray

The Start, Programs menu and the icons at the bottom left of your system tray are also configurable for each user.

Start Bar

Left Click Start, Programs.
Right Click Programs and then Left Click Explore.
This will load the Start, Programs for your user profile in a Windows Explorer window. The short cuts can be sorted, deleted, or new ones created. They will then appear on the Start, Programs menu.
Left Click the upper left hand X to close the editor when you are finished.

Note: These Shortcuts are only the shortcuts that pertain to you as user. The default Programs menu is stored in another profile. We do not suggest trying to edit that profile as it effects all the users of the system. Deleting icons from this section in no way uninstalls programs; it just removes access to them by shortcut.

Shortcut Bar – Part of the Taskbar at the Bottom of the Windows Screen

Items can be added or removed from the shortcut bar on the left side of the Taskbar as well.

To delete a shortcut, Right Click and then Left Click Delete.
To add a shortcut to the bar, Left Click and Hold, Drag it to the location in the bar that you wish it to reside (you will see a dark black line showing where the icon will be placed), and then let go of the mouse.
Additionally, the gray line at the end of the bar can be Left Clicked, Held and Moved from side to side to provide more or less room for shortcuts.

Note: To copy a shortcut:

Right Click the desired target program and then Left Click Copy .
Go to the Desktop, Right Click and then Left Click Paste Shortcut.

Customizing the Desktop

The Desktop is totally configurable for each user account so you can choose to customize it anyway you like. Here are the steps to set certain useful details. All of these are accessed by Right Clicking on any open Desktop area and Left Clicking Properties. You can also get to the same place by Left Clicking on Start, Settings, Control Panel and then Double Left Click the Display icon .

Screen or monitor Resolution

Left Click the Settings tab.

Under Screen Resolution is a slider that allows you to set the size of the screen. Sliding the slider to the right result in smaller icons and fonts, to the left larger with less space on the screen. The most common standard is 1024 x 768 . Note: Some video cards cannot keep the same colors in higher resolutions. If the color drops below 16Bit some background picture and web pages may not look correct.

Once you have selected your resolution Left Click Apply .

The computer may ask if you wish to apply the settings without rebooting Left Click Yes.

If you are finished changing settings to the Desktop Left Click OK . Otherwise Left Click Apply and continue with the next setting.

Left Click the Settings tab.

Left Click the Advanced button .

You will be on the General tab. Under the DPI setting you can change the size of your on-screen fonts. The default is 96, large is 120, or you can set a custom size.

Left Click OK to save this setting.

If you are finished changing settings Left Click OK and they will take effect. Otherwise Left Click Apply and OK which will continue with the next setting.

Screen Saver

Left Click the Screen Saver tab .

Under the Screen Saver box is a drop down from which you can choose one of the screen savers installed on your system. You can also customize how much inactive time must pass before the screen saver starts, and whether or not you wish to set a password for the screen saver.

Also there should be a Power button at the bottom of this screen. It is important that you disable the hibernate function here at a minimum. Left Click the Power button.

On the first tab Power Schemes , you have a choice for turning off the monitor or the hard drives. The monitor turn off is harmless and hitting the Space Bar or Tab key will wake the system up from this mode. The hard drive option will slow down the wake up time because the hard drive has been stopped. Either of these settings is optional.

Left Click the Hibernate tab and Uncheck the Enable Hibernation box. The Hibernate function will write the full contents of memory (Open files, settings, system status) to the hard drive before shutting the system down to save power. You will have to power the system back on for this function to recover. Since even a small amount of open data can cause massive memory storage, this process could take a very long time. We do not suggest you ever use this feature. It is also a known problem feature, systems do not always wake up like they are supposed to when they have entered hibernation.

If you are finished changing settings Left Click OK , and they will take effect. Otherwise Left Click Apply and continue with the next setting.

Background

Left Click the Desktop tab.

Some pictures are already listed here. If you prefer one of those, Left Click it and then skip to Step 4. Otherwise Left Click Browse.

Browse to the picture you wish to use and Double Left Click.

Under Position decide whether to Stretch the picture to fit the screen, or Center it at current size.

Left Click OK to save your changes.

Basic Functions

Dynamic Start Menu

Windows XP uses a dynamic menu system that shows you the most often used items instead of displaying the entire list. If you Left Click Start, Programs you can see this in action. At the bottom of any menu that is dynamic you will see a double down arrow . If you Left Click this arrow it will show you the remaining options. You can turn off this feature by Right Clicking on the Task Bar , Left Click Properties , Left Click the Start Menu tab, Left Click the Customize button, scroll down the list and uncheck the Use Personalized Menus option, Left Click OK twice.

Adding/Removing Programs

Installing new programs works just the same as it did in Windows 98 with one difference, if your account is not a member of the Local Administrator’s group, you will not be able to install most software. If your account is a member of the local administrators group, you can install software for everyone on the system. Not all software will install and automatically work for everyone. New software has an option for it to install for just you or for everyone. To remove a program , first Left Click Start, Settings, Control Panel and then Double Left Click Add or Remove Programs. Find your program and then Left Click it. A button will appear that says Change/Remove. Left Click this button and then follow the usually simple instructions to either change or remove the program. If your program does not appear in this list, see if it has an uninstall file in the Start, Programs menu. Failing this, call your computer support people for assistance.

Locations of Windows Utilities

A few of the common windows utilities are located in a little bit different spot than in Windows 98. Here is a short list of the some of the more commonly used programs.

Windows Explorer – Start, Programs, Accessories

Disk Defragmenter - Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools

Volume Control – Start Programs Accessories, Entertainment

Sharing Files

Sharing files is different than Windows 98. Instead of putting a password on a share, everything is done with permissions which are granted to domain or local user accounts. It takes two steps. The first is sharing the folder. The second is assigning people to the share and giving them rights. Here is a link to the handout on how to do this:

http://extension.oregonstate.edu/esoc/ectu/support/helpdocs/winxpfsoffcampus.php

Sharing Printers

Sharing printers is very similar to sharing folders.

Left Click Start, Settings, Printers and Faxes.
Right Click the desired printer and Left Click Sharing.
Left Click the Sharing tab.
Left Click Share this printer.
Change the Share Name if you wish.
Left Click Security.
Left Click the Add button
The Select Users, Computers, or Groups window will load. Type in the user name of the person you wish to have access to the folder in the Enter objects to select box. To check if you entered their names properly Left Click Check Names. The validated name will show the user’s actual name underlined.
Once you have added all the names that you wish to have access, Left Click OK.
Now you must assign the level of rights the person will need. Once you have Left Clicked the permissions they need, Left Click OK.

Print allows them to use the printer.
Manage Printers allows them to add, remove, or change permissions on the printer..
Manage Documents allows them to cancel print jobs that do not belong to them.
DO NOT PUT ANYTHING IN THE DENY SECTION.

The next step is to Left Click on the group Everyone then Left Click Remove. Leaving the group Everyone allows anyone logged into the Domain to print to the printer.
Lastly Left Click OK.

Searching

The two main search features you will end up using are searching your own hard drive for files, and searching the network for other computers.

Files

Left Click Start, Search, For Files or Folders.
Left Click All Files and Folders.
In the Search by any or all of the criteria below box put in the file name and or extension of the file you wish to find. Alternatively you could search for a piece of text in the body of the file.
Set the Look in window to the hard drive you want to search or select Browse and browse to a specific set of folders.
Left Click Search to initiate the search.

Computers

Left Click Start, Search, For Files or Folders.
Left Click Printers, Computers, or People.
Left Click A Computer on the Network.
Type in the name of the computer and Left Click Search.

Tips for Storing Files

Windows XP allows multiple people to share one system easily. It is important that you follow some simple rules when it comes to where you store your files. When ECTU examines a damaged system for recovery of files or backs up a system before wiping the hard drive, we expect a user’s files to be in their My Documents folder. We STRONGLY recommend that you keep all of your data file in you’re my Documents folder. The only reason you should have data files in other locations is if the program you are using requires them to be in its program directory.

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