0 Chapter 7. Performance and adaptability

When Windows XP is running well in the computer and all the user programs are installed, then everything seems to be all right. But there are several options in Windows XP worth looking at.

When Windows XP starts up, it is done with lots of standard settings, which might not be the best choice for you. Among other things Windows XP has as standard a very colourful and resource-demanding graphic user interface, which might seem rather intrusive. I prefer the classical Windows 2000 user interface, which is easy to activate. But you can also find several other setting options suitable for the more demanding users.

Figure 42. The taskbar works well now!

The taskbar

As standard the taskbar is locked when Windows XP has just been installed, and the small practical buttons in the area Quick launch are not shown. This is why I always begin by right clicking on the Start button and choosing Properties. My settings on the tab Taskbar are the same as those in Figure 42.

Classical user interface

One of the big changes in Windows XP was the colourful user interface with lots of animations and other smart graphic effects. People have different tastes but there is no doubt that from the point of view of efficiency then the classical Windows look is to be preferred. The traditional user interface is much faster to use and the computer employs a minimum of power to register the individual program windows.

Windows classical is chosen from the tab Themes in the dialog box Properties for screen (which can be found by, for example, right clicking on the desktop):

Figure 43. The classical Windows look just works.

When you click on OK, it takes a couple of second while Windows XP changes the graphic user interface to the classical look. You can also minimize the effects via the dialog box Properties for system, which is opened most easily with the Windows key+Pause. Then click on the tab Advanced and then on the topmost button Settings for performance:

Select Adjust for best performance as shown below. You can see a list of all the graphic effects, which are deactivated:

I recommend the user interface I use myself. It is well though out and works without too much frills and fuss. In this booklet, however, clips will usually be shown from the normal and more colourful Windows XP user interface.

I also usually remove the bi-colours in the program title bar. This is done via the tab Appearance in the dialog box Properties for screen. Click on the button Advanced. Then click on the bar Active window and select the same colour twice:

Figure 44. It can be irritating with two colours in menu bars. They have been removed here.

Windows Explorer

The program Windows Explorer is a central feature when working with files and folders. Here are some settings for Windows Explorer, which will ensure maximum control over the files and their location:

View details. View details is, I think, the best option for a super user:

When the display is selected, it should apply to all folders. Select the menu Tools Folder options:

Click on the tab View, and click on the button Apply to all folders:

View all files and complete file names. As standard Windows conceals the last part of the files' titles in Windows Explorer. This can often be very irritating; there might be, for example, several file titles with the same beginning in a folder, and if you can't see the rest of the title, it can be very difficult to see the difference. This is easy to change. On the same tab, View (in Folder options), you can see several options, which ensure maximum information about files and folders:

Figure 45. As standard Windows conceals a number of file and folder details. But this is easy to change.

Superfluous elements in the Start menu

Finally there is the Start menu, which it can also be a good idea to adjust.

Figure 46. If you are tired of the Start menu's appearance, then it can also be changed.

The line of thinking behind the Start menu is, in fact, rather good; the idea is that the menu should itself keep an eye on, which programs you use. So shortcuts are automatically created for, for example, the last five programs, you have worked with. But sometimes it seems as if the menu has been covered with a little too many shortcuts. Then it is a good thing to tidy up.

By right clicking on the Start button you can choose Properties and the tab Menu Start. A click on the button Customize gives you options for simplifying the Start menu in different ways.

Detail: Chapter 7. Performance and adaptability

0 Chapter 6. After the installation

When the installation has run to its end, the computer restarts and everything hopefully works. But the job isn't nearly finished yet. The operating system is installed and in working order but the computer has to be processed with security software, drivers and user programs, and it has to be optimized.

Check the hardware

To get your computer fully operational Windows XP is installed with a number of standard drivers, which control the different hardware devices. These standard drivers work very well but they don't always take advantage of the full potential in the computer's hardware. This is why the real drivers have to be installed; the ones that come with the CD or those you have downloaded from the Internet. These are typically the important drivers for the motherboard's controllers (incl. the earlier mentioned RAID controller), for graphic and net cards, for scanners, printers and so on.

When the drivers are put in a folder on the D-drive as shown in Figure 29 on page 22, then it is very easy to install them. You take them one after the other and the computer doesn't have to be restarted after each installation.

Figure 37. In most cases the installation of the drivers is finished with a request to restart the computer. You can wait until several drivers have been installed.

When all the drivers are installed, then you have to restart the computer. After this you install a service pack or other updates from Windows Update. Then the installation of Windows is finished; the computer is functional now with relation to all the hardware devices and other accessories such as printers and scanners.

Disorder in the drive letters

Windows automatically gives letters to all of the drives. This can give some unexpected results, particularly if you have a hard disk, a CD and a DVD drive plus card readers. It is a good idea to control the order they are in before using the computer a lot.

As minimum you ought to have two hard disks in a computer and they should, of course, be called C and D, as in Figure 38.

Figure 38. A drive sequence, which Windows XP has created during the installation.

Many card readers have drives for four or several types of RAM cards and each one of them becomes a new drive. In this way the card reader below is installed as the drives E, F, G and H. Finally, Windows like to place optic drives (CD and DVD) at the end of the sequence. In my example as I and J drives.

Figure 39. This card reader becomes four drives in Windows. Unfortunately it is very slow ...

If there, for some reason or another, is disorder in the drive sequence then it should be corrected. Open the Control panel and find the category Administration:

Then click on the shortcut Computer administration. This will open a little administrations program, where you have to click on Disk management in the bottommost left window:

Now you can see all the drives with their own bars in the right window and you have several options like partitioning the hard disk, etc. (see page 84).

If you right click on one of the bars, you can change the drive letter by selecting the menu Change drive letter and path:

If one of the CD drives has wedged itself in between two hard disk drives, then you have to first remove the drive letter for this. Here is an example where a CD drive is called D, which is to be altered. First the drive letter is removed:

Then you can give the hard disk number 2 the letter D. Finally you can, for example, give the letter H to the CD drive:

Figure 40. It is easy to alter drive letters.

It is usually a good idea to restart your computer, after you have changed the drive sequence.

Installing programs

When the computer is ready and all the hardware is correctly installed in Windows, it is time to install the user programs. The most important are the firewall and the antivirus program. These are absolutely the first two I would install. Read about them later on in the booklet.

As said earlier, the easiest way of doing this is to make a copy of the installation file on the D drive. Big program packs like Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite are installed in just a few minutes, when it is done from hard disk to hard disk.

But this applies to all user programs, big and small; when the installation files are placed on the hard disk it doesn't take much time to reinstall them. You can also have the programs serial numbers in small text files, so that they can be copied directly into the installation program.

Figure 41. When both installation files and licence numbers are in the same folder on the hard disk then the programs can be reinstalled very quickly.

This also applies to the small help programs (utilities), which I have in my folder Tools, as shown in Figure 30 on page 23. They all have to be reinstalled if you have reinstalled Windows XP.

If you use the method described in these chapters, then Windows XP with all its drivers, firewall and antivirus, utilities as well as user programs can be installed in under two hours. That's all it takes!

Detail: Chapter 6. After the installation

0 Chapter 5. The actual installation

When all your data is stored and the drivers and installation files are ready on the D-drive, then it is time to start installing Windows XP.

It is usually very simple (although time-consuming) to install Windows XP. The easiest way of doing it is to put the Windows CD-ROM in the computer's drive and then ask the machine to boot from CD. All modern computers can do this. In some cases you will have to do it via the computer's Setup program, where you can state that the CD-ROM drive should be the first boot device. Then you can start the computer directly from the Windows CD.

In many cases you will just have to click on buttons such as Next and OK lots of times while the installation almost runs by itself. Here are, however, a couple of comments on the process.

Figure 31. The installation is under way.

Options during installation

The very first step in the installation is the copying of lots of files from the CD-ROM to the hard disk. If the hard disk is connected to the motherboard via a RAID controller, then this can disturb the installations program.

The hard disk is normally connected to the motherboard's standard controller. There are no problems here. But some motherboards have an extra RAID controller, which is used to connect still more hard disks.

If the installation's hard disk is connected to a RAID channel, then Windows needs a driver to the RAID controller. The motherboard's driver diskette has to be ready very early in the installation process. The program will ask if there are RAID or SCSI controllers in the machine (type in 6, if this is the case).

Figure 32. If Windows is to be installed on a hard disk, which is installed on the motherboard's RAID controller, then you will need a diskette drive.

A RAID driver is the only driver it is necessary to load already during the installation of Windows XP. But you can easily wait to install the driver later it just isn't active while Windows is installed. Drivers for the installation of Windows are found on a CD-ROM together with the other motherboard drivers, which will also have to be installed when the computer is processed.

An upgrade or a new installation

If you have a full version of Windows XP, then you can choose whether the current Windows on the hard disk should be updated or whether you should perform a new installation.

If you have a well-functioning Windows 2000 on your C drive, then you can choose a new installation. Windows XP can then be placed on the D drive, after which both operating systems can operate 'side by side. This produces a little start menu when you start your computer up, where you can select, which operating system should be activated.

Figure 33. New installation means that you can, for example, keep Windows 2000 together with Windows XP.

Advanced settings

The advanced settings you can select in this screen image also give you options for controlling the installation:

You can select the folder in which the program should be stored:

Figure 34. The advanced settings make it possible for you to control the Windows installation yourself.

You can also choose to convert the drive's file system to NTFS, if it is formatted with the old FAT system:

There is no doubt that NTFS is a better system than FAT especially for the modern big hard disks. If you sometimes need to use Windows 98 or a DOS boot diskette, then you can store FAT on the disk concerned, because only Windows 2000 or XP can read NTFS formatted disks.

NTFS is definitely recommended for all drives over 32 GB. With hard disks with 80 GB or more you will experience an obviously improved output. The files are much less fragmented with NTFS.

Language settings

There is a small detail, which is worth mentioning. During the installation you get the chance to select the language settings:

Click on the Details button. Then you can remove the irritating English keyboard layout, which is installed in Windows as standard.

Figure 35. Remove the English keyboard layout already during the installation. It only gives problems.

Network with drive partitions

If you have several computers in a network, then it is really smart if you divide the drive between them. In this way you can, for example, easily make security copies from the one computer to the other.

Windows install as standard only the network protocol TCP / IP, which is used for the Internet. If you want to have a partitioned drive on the net, then installing yet another protocol will be an advantage. Select the user defined network settings:

Then add the NetBIOS protocol like this:

Figure 36. You can easily divide disk drives and other resources across a local net with this protocol.

Detail: Chapter 5. The actual installation

0 Chapter 4. Preparation for Windows XP

s already stated, it is difficult to avoid a reinstallation of Windows XP. The operating system can be so full of errors that it is hopelessly slow to work with the computer.

Many users will consider a new installation of Windows XP a very unpleasant task. There is no reason for this; it takes a couple of hours or more but it can be a good occasion for the yearly clear-up of programs and data. And afterwards you will be happy with a computer, which is almost as good as new.

There are three phases, which are part of a reinstallation of Windows XP:

The preparation, where all the necessary programs and user data is collected together. You also need to know, which kind of installation you want (choice of hard disk, etc.).

The installation itself takes typically about 45 minutes.

Preparation of different user programs, utilities, data files, e-mail accounts, etc.

The last part of the process, where all user programs are prepared is often the most time consuming. It can take a couple of days before everything is in place again. But if you understand how to structure your data and prepare well, then the process is absolutely manageable.

Preparing the hard disk

If you have to reinstall Windows XP, you will probably replace the old version of the program. But there are several options in connection with the installation.

Methods for deleting the hard disk

Ask Windows XP to format the hard disk during installation. This takes a long time.

Connect the hard disk to another computer (for example with a USB-hard disk box), and format it there. The advantage is a fast formatting.

Boot with a DOS or a Windows 98 start diskette and do a formatting with the command format c: Do a partitioning with the command fdisk first, if necessary. Or delete the selected files and folders with a DOS tool like Volkov Commander. Both methods are relatively slow but give a high degree of security and control of the process.

Boot with a MaxBlast diskette, and make the hard disk operational with it. This is a fast method, which requires a hard disk from Maxtor in the computer.

Figure 25. If it can be done it is a very good idea to delete the hard disk before Windows XP is installed. There are several ways of doing this, each with its advantages. In any case, you have to know what you are doing before you delete the hard disk.

If a computer is in need of a really good clear up (after a virus attack, for example), then it can be a good idea to clear the whole of the hard disk before the installation. Formatting the current disk can do this. You can also partition the hard disk (divide it into a new logical disk drive); this can give an even more thorough clear up.

Another way of doing it is to manually delete the folders C:\Windows, C:\Programmer etc. In both cases it is necessary to boot the computer either from another hard disk or maybe from a floppy disk, because it is not possible for Windows to delete itself.

You can also decide to install on a different partition than the C drive. Windows XP can easily be installed on a D drive, if you, for example, have Windows 2000 on the C drive. Windows XP, however, is usually installed in the folder C:\Windows. If there are already files in this folder, then they will be replaced.

Data on its own separate disk

One of the most important things for modern computer users is data discipline. The fundamental principle here is that data and programs are placed in their own separate drives.

In practice this means that Windows and all the user programs are installed on the C-drive while all user data is on the D drive. This means that you can format the C drive without losing data.

A hard disk can be divided into several partitions, each of which becomes a logical drive. In this way you can have both a C and a D drive in a computer even though you only have one hard disk. It is, however, much better with two hard disks in a computer; this gives better security if one of the hard disks is out of work or defect in some other way.

Figure 26. Principle for partitioning of programs and data on separate disks.

Drivers close at hand

Drivers are a part of all hardware small programs, which make the hardware work together with Windows XP.

Fortunately, Windows has built-in standard drivers, which work with almost all hardware. This is why you seldom need drivers during the installation itself; on the other hand they are very important just after the installation, when Windows XP is prepared for operation.

Figure 27. The folder Disks on the D-drive contains nearly all the installation files and drivers you need in connection with the installation of Windows XP.

You should always have control over the drivers, which belong to your computer. The best thing is to save all the drivers in the folder system. I use a main folder called Disks. It is on the same D-drive as my documents (i.e. the drive I regularly make security copies of).

The Disks folder

The Disks folder contains the original installation files for important programs such as Photoshop, Microsoft Office and lots more. All these programs are much easier to install if the files are on a hard disk rather than installing them from a CD-ROM. Likewise there are copies of the drivers, which belong to the computer. Among these drivers are:

The motherboard's chip set

The screen card

Digitizers/mouse

Printers, scanner

Drive programs for these units are usually found on a CD-ROM (or maybe a diskette, which is still used by some people), which accompanies the computer, motherboard or whatever.

Figure 28. It's a good idea to download the newest drivers for the hardware units from the manufacturers websites before you install a new Windows XP. The drivers are stored on the hard disk.

It is often a good idea to download the newest versions of drivers from the manufacturers' websites. And whatever the case it will make the installation much easier if you make sure there is a well-arranged folder structure on the D-drive for these drivers.

You can see below a folder with examples of drivers. The advantage of having the drivers collected in a folder is that it is much faster to get hold of them in connection with the computer's preparation. On top of this you won't forget some of the drivers when you can see them all collected together.

Figure 29. There is easy access from the folder to all the relevant drivers.

Installation files for the programs

If you are going to clear the hard disk, then it is not just Windows XP, which will have to be reinstalled all the user programs, big and small will also have to be. You can also make things easier for yourself here by having all the installation files ready on the D-drive.

Even though programs like Microsoft Office or Adobe Photoshop are supplied on a CD-ROM, they can easily be installed from the hard disk. You just have to copy all of the contents of the CD-ROM in a folder where it can be run from. These installation files take up a lot of room but the system has a lot of advantages, as it is much quicker to install from a hard disk rather than a CD-ROM. In the same way it is very practical if you have all the small help programs on the hard disk. I call my folder Tools.

Figure 30. Two folders containing all the software to be installed in the computer.

User data

Before reinstalling Windows XP, all user data must be safely stored. If, for example, the C-drive is to be formatted in connection with the reinstallation, then it isn't smart if the data is stored in this drive.

The most important user data (text documents and photographs, etc.) should be stored on the D-drive, as shown in Figure 26 on page 21. But there is usually some user data, which as standard is stored on the C-drive. It should either be transferred to the D-drive (as described later on in the booklet) or be backed-up before the installation. This could be:

Bookmarks such as Favourites (Internet Explorer)

Address books and mail files (Outlook and Outlook Express)

The rest of the user data stored in the Windows folder Documents and its sub-folders

You risk losing all of this data if it isn't backed-up before the installation.

Detail: Chapter 4. Preparation for Windows XP

0 Chapter 2. The program's decline

Chapter 2. The program's decline

The problem with Windows is that the system is in decline. As time goes by it deteriorates nearly all the time. The programs run more and more slowly and strange errors start popping up like, for example, the mouse hangs on the screen and cannot be moved. This is a typical sign of a sick Windows.

Windows 98 experiences this after a few months of intensive use and Windows XP will also wear down in the same way. In this chapter I will expand on the various conditions, which contribute to the decline of Windows. Then we can hopefully find some precautions, which can help to delay the decline.

What is it that wears Windows down?

Imagine a computer with Windows XP, which has a handful of programs (for example, Microsoft Office) installed. If it is used daily as it is, Windows ought to theoretically keep healthy for ever. But the reality is different.

There are a number of quite ordinary activities, which you ought to be able to undertake on your computer but which turn out to have a wearing down effect on Windows. These are:

Replacement of hardware devices or the installation of new hardware.

Installation and uninstallation of user programs.

Updating with service packs and patches.

Daily use of programs already installed.

The first three points are all concerned with alterations in the configuration of Windows and program registration. Each time something is changed in Windows, it is as if Windows collapses a little. The last point, the daily use, ought not to in theory wear Windows down but it looks as if it does anyway.

Each time we install or remove both hardware and programs, Windows is worn down. In the end, the program will inevitably have to be reinstalled.

Since the beginning lots of errors have been built into Windows, which is an extremely complicated program. It consists today of millions of code lines, which are weaved into each other, and no single person has a complete picture of it. This enormous amount of program material is constantly increased with all of Microsoft's updates. Many think that Windows, in fact, gets poorer and poorer with every new update. The best solution would, therefore, be a completely new version of Windows, which has been rewritten from the ground up. But until then we will have to live with an endless stream of temporary solutions.

Many devices to keep an eye on

Windows has to control all the hardware units: hard disk, memory, screen, printer, mouse, keyboard, sound card, etc.

Literally thousands of different hardware units are to be found all functioning differently and Windows has to know every single one of them. It is, in fact, quite unbelievable that a computer works, when you think about it. But it does usually.

During the installation of Windows, the program analyses the computer's hardware and ensures that the drivers necessary in connection with the different devices are installed. If any of them aren't working, you can see it in the device manager:

Figure 6. The three hardware devices at the top haven't been activated by Windows, because the right drivers weren't present during the installation.

It is usually unimportant for the performance of Windows, if there is hardware in a computer, which hasn't been activated. The hardware concerned won't work but the rest of the computer will probably work fine.

At this moment of writing I have two multimedia cards in my computer, which are marked with yellow question marks. In the Device Manager, as seen in Figure 6. This means that Windows hasn't read in the drivers to these devices, which is why they cannot be used for anything at all. So when in this case nothing comes out of the loud speakers, then there is a good reason for it the sound card isn't properly installed in Windows. It's easy to live with these kinds of things, as long as you are aware of the circumstances.

Sensitive with regards to hardware

Windows is sensitive with regards to irregularities in the computer's hardware. It can, for example, be important how the RAM modules are installed on the motherboard. If there is enough room, for example, for four RAM modules, then it can cause problems if they are installed in socket 3+4 instead of socket 1+2. In the same way RAMs from different manufacturers can cause problems for Windows.

Hardware problems can be very unfortunate in Windows. It is often very difficult to identify the problem's source. If there is, for example, something wrong with the RAM blocks, then you might experience many mysterious things in Windows. This might be a mouse, which appears to be paralyzed or one or another program, which won't start-up. Purely logically, you would think that there is something wrong with the mouse or the program concerned. This isn't necessary the case the cause of the problem can be concealed in a completely different place, in unstable hardware, for example.

Watch the heat

Strange Windows errors can also occur when the processor gets too hot. This is rather a common problem because the processor's cooling unit collects dust in time and the CPU is very sensitive to rises in temperature.

Dust can impair the cooling process so that the processor becomes too hot. Modern motherboards have built-in mechanisms, which give reports on the temperature of the CPU, and this is worth keeping your eyes on. Watch the text on the screen during the start-up; you can often see the CPU temperature here. Or you can open the Set-up program where there is a section called PC Health Status or something like that. You can see the current temperature in the power room here. Temperatures higher than 50 degrees celsius should be avoided. Clean the cooler with a vacuum cleaner or (better still) replace it.

Figure 7. One of the biggest sources of error is an overheated CPU. Check the processors cooler at least once a year. You can see a nearly noiseless copper cooler from the company Zalman in the figure above.

The answer is precautionary measures

Windows XP is going to give problems at one time or another; it is probably not to be avoided. The best solution to these problems is a reinstallation of Windows XP. You might just as well accept this right from the start.

You can postpone these problems for a while. But because a computer is designed for daily wear and tear, it doesn't really make sense trying to postpone the wearing-down. You can, however, try to make sure that the Windows system is healthy as follows:

Precautions

Several hard disks in the computer and lots of unoccupied room at least 25 %, preferably 40 % on them.

Regular defragmenting of the hard disks.

Optimize the Windows settings, e.g. the page files.

Recognise and remember all the installed programs and drivers for all the hardware.

Uninstallation of all unnecessary programs.

Cleaning up after the uninstallation of unnecessary programs

Control of programs, which start automatically during the start-up.

Updating via Windows Update.

Control of all folders with temporary files.

System regeneration.

Have a security hard disk with Windows XP installed ready.

Figure 8. These precautions can keep Windows healthy for a long time but not for ever.

Restoring the system

Windows system restoration makes it possible to restore Windows from earlier snapshots of the system's configuration.

This function, which really works well, is found both in the start menu's Help and support and in the program folder System tools.

Windows monitors the system and at intervals stores information about the different conditions in Windows at a particular time. This is called a restore point.

At a later date you can decide to let Windows restore itself from the relevant data. It is all controlled by a calendar, where you can see the different restore points:

Figure 9. The calendar shows the restore points Windows can use. The 4^th July software for a new mouse has been installed (Logitech). The computer's Windows can be brought back to the status before the installation if you activate one of the earlier restore points.

You can either let Windows store the restore points itself or you can control it yourself. If you have a computer with a well-functioning Windows, then you can choose to create a restore point before, for example, you install a program you are not quite sure of.

Uninstallation of programs doesn't always work perfectly. But if you activate the last restore point before the installation, then it corresponds with a 100 % uninstallation.

Figure 10. By storing a restore point before a program installation, you get a guarantee for the option of making a total uninstallation of the program later.

If you find an error in your computer for example after the installation of a bad program or after experimenting with the registry editor, then you can restore.

You select a restore point and then Windows XP is restored. After the start-up the computer's system software has been brought back to the status it had at the restore point.

Figure 11. The computer is restored from a restore point.

Preparation for reinstallation

It is as said before almost unavoidable that Windows XP at some time or another will have to be reinstalled, at any rate if you use your computer a lot.

Preparation

Clean hard disk ready for installation

CD-ROM with Windows XP ready

All the necessary drivers at hand

List with the programs and utilities to be installed and access to them

Backup of the most important settings and system data

Figure 12. If you have control of all these situations, then it is an easy task to reinstall Windows XP.

Even though you use Windows' reinstallation to remove unfortunate program installations or no matter how well you have looked after Windows XP, the system will probably be worn right down in time. This is why it is important to prepare the reinstallation. The preparation is quite extensive as seen in Figure 12, and requires lots of discipline.

Detail: Chapter 2. The program's decline

0 Chapter 1. Lots of Windows.

Chapter 1. Lots of Windows.

The foundation of computers is and will be (whether you like it or not) the operating system Microsoft Windows, which made its entry into all the world's computers during the 1990s. And there are several different versions of Windows, which can be used. Later on in the booklet I will show you how you can have several versions of Windows installed in the same computer.

Let's start by looking at the current versions. Which advantages and disadvantages do they have?

Figure 1. Windows isn't just Windows.

The operating system

The task of the operating system is to connect all of the computer's hardware devices together so that they constitute a stable whole. All the user programs lie on top of this hopefully well-functioning hardware platform. Programs like Word, Excel, Internet Explorer and Photoshop have to be able to use the existing hardware, disks, scanners, printers, etc. Windows' task is to keep all this co-ordination working without problems.

The only thing is, computer hardware is being developed and renewed at a rapid pace. One of the big challenges for the company Microsoft is, therefore, keeping up with all the new technologies. Windows has to be up-to-date all of the time so that every user can install new smart disks and different kinds of expansion cards and all sorts of other things in a computer in the firm conviction that it will work alright.

Microsoft develops its operating system further in two ways:

With new drivers, service packs and other program stumps, which 'renew' a current version of Windows.

With completely new versions of Windows.

A Windows version can, in fact, live for many years in this way but it will die eventually. The operating system will be outdated compared to all the new technologies, which have come onto the market since the version of Windows and Microsoft will decide to drop the version, which can no longer be sold or supported.

This is what happened with Windows 98 in 2003. Microsoft announced that it was finished with it. At this moment of writing, both Windows 2000 from 1999 and Windows XP from 2001 are alive. Both operating systems are sold and supported by Microsoft with service packs and other updates. Windows 2000 will probably, however, soon be removed.

The next version of Windows is known at the moment under the name Vista. It is expected on the market in 2006. This future version of Windows is built up of individual components, which can be either activated or deactivated one at a time. This should mean that that it will be safer, more effective and more stable than Windows XP, but there is, unfortunately, no guarantee that this will be the case.

Figure 2. Clip from an early test version of Windows Longhorn.

Windows 98

Even though Windows 98 is no longer a part of Microsoft's range of products, the program still functions in thousands of computers. As you can see in Figure 4 on page 9, three variants of Windows 98 were issued. The original Windows 98 was in the first place updated with a Second Edition and after that with an unsuccessful Millenium edition. Windows has always been plagued with instability but with Windows Me this reached its culmination. There were tons of errors in the encoding and many of the functions didn't work properly.

Even if Microsoft has shut down all support for Windows 98, the different hardware manufacturers still develop Windows 98 drivers for their new products. This means that if you, for example, buy a new sound card or a new scanner, then it will be accompanied with Windows drivers for Windows 98, 2000 and XP.

Windows 98 is today outdated. But you can easily have Windows 98SE installed as an extra start-up option on your computer. It can then be activated (for example, with a start-up disk), when you need to. This could be if Windows 2000 or XP have crashed.

Figure 3. The most important operating systems for computers during the last 20 years.

Windows 2000

Windows 2000 should really have been called NT 5.0; this is the internal Windows version number, as you can see in Figure 21 on page 18. Windows 2000 is a brilliant operating system according to many people the best, Microsoft has ever produced. Unlike Windows 98, Windows 2000 is founded on the original DOS system from the 1980s with the unstable 16-bit program code. Windows 2000 is fundamentally a server system (built for professional use), which has been equipped with the same easily operable interface known from Windows 98.

With 2000 you can experience a well-functioning 32 bits operative system, with optimum control of RAM and, all things taken into consideration, effective use of the resources. You can have a computer switched on for months with Windows 2000 and it will still work. And if you don't do anything stupid, a program only has to be installed once and it will go on running year after year. You can install and uninstall one program after the other and work and work. Windows 2000 just keeps on going. The disadvantage is that when there are errors in Windows 2000, they are often serious. Installation is also slow and sometimes difficult. But on the other hand: Once it has been installed, it just goes on for ever and ever!

Windows XP replaces 98 and 2000

Windows XP is a further development of Windows 2000 and is meant to replace both Windows 98 and 2000. The idea was that XP should combine the best of the two previous versions of Windows. It was meant to:

give a well-functioning processing of multimedia programs such as games, etc. (like Windows 98).

give a fast start-up (like Windows 98 or even better).

present a modernised and easily operable interface.

be a professional 32-bits operating system (like Windows 2000).

There is no doubt that the two first items have proved completely successful. All games as well as sound and video equipment perform well in Windows XP. The processing is helped here by DirectX programs, which give a better control of the sound cards, etc. Something, which didn't work very well in Windows 2000.

The computer start-up is lightening-fast with Windows XP, which is a significant progress. The interface in XP is completely newly designed and very colourful compared with Windows 2000. Preference is a matter of taste. There is much too much theory of education (not to mention kindergarten) in the interface for most super users in Windows XP, but luckily it can be converted so that it looks exactly like the well-known Windows 98/2000 interface.

A step backwards with Windows XP

Purely technically Windows 2000 is a more effective program than XP. Program processing is clearly slower compared with Windows 2000. There is talk of a 20 % poorer performance. The question is how important this is because modern computers are already extremely fast.

Another disadvantage with Windows XP is that it is not as stable as Windows 2000. If you wear the computer down by continuously installing and uninstalling new programs then Windows XP won't last very long. It might be necessary to reinstall the operating system, for example, every six months or maybe before if the program starts behaving peculiarly. It's a lot like Windows 98. If you reinstall new programs regularly as I do, there will constantly be problems with Windows XP.

But as XP is the most widespread version of Windows, we are going to first and foremost look at this operating system in the rest of the booklet.

Security problems

Since the introduction of Windows XP the question of security has become a more important item on the agenda than before. Many users are constantly connected to the Internet via ADSL and other fast connections and this gives hackers and other criminal programmers unprecedented options for wreaking havoc.

Virus, spam and other dirty things prevail on an unprecedented scale, and in the middle of these activities, we have Microsoft's products: Windows XP, Internet Explorer and Outlook. It is a fact that these products are basically designed with facilities, which allow hostile software to get past security systems. They can in this way be installed, run and spread in a computer without the user being aware of it.

Microsoft tries as best as it can to stem the problems with a stream of program corrections (patches), which you can fetch free of charge on the Internet. Sometimes these changes are collected in large packs called Service Packs.

Unfortunately, all these program alterations often contribute to other problems. The computer might be safer but it might also be slower and more unstable. A super user has to consider all these things and have a hard and fast policy.

Figure 4. While Windows 98 came in several versions, Windows 2000 and XP are further developed with service packs, which can be fetched free of charge from the Internet.

Detail: Chapter 1. Lots of Windows.