Working with Windows

 

Microsoft Windows has been with us for around twelve years now and many improvements have been introduced over the years. However often the progress of technology increasingly makes issues more difficult to understand and troubleshooting requires more advanced knowledge. Some of the common Windows issues are explained below.

 

1)                  Which version of Windows should I buy with my computer ? – Traditionally there have been two different paths that Windows products have gone down. Firstly the business Windows versions from Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 Professional to XP Professional. This particular range of products offers a more stable Windows platform with greater networking features and security features. There is also a server version of each of these products to complete a business network, where ten or more computers are networked together. The home user Windows versions have progressed from Windows 9X ( 95 & 98 ) to Windows ME to XP Home. These offer greater compatibility with the wide range of hardware / software on the market and have a lower minimum computer specification than the corresponding business editions. However XP now largely offers the best of both worlds as the business version is simply the home version, with added office features.

 

2)                   Something has gone wrong and the computer freezes before loading Windows what can I do ? – Windows 9X & 2000 onwards have a safe mode built in which is accessed by pressing the F8 key during the boot process. If in doubt press the F8 key every second until a menu of options appears on the screen and then select the ‘safe mode ‘ option. Safe mode enables you to remove any recently installed device or program that may be causing the problem. Device Manager in Control Panel, System flags any hardware devices causing a problem with a yellow or red exclamation mark. These devices causing the problem can be temporarily removed or disabled. After exiting Windows and restarting Windows will attempt to load normally again.

 

3)                  Something has gone wrong and the computer freezes before loading Windows NT4 Workstation what can I do ?  Windows NT uses three floppy disks that can be used to restore the main system or boot files used for loading Windows NT. The first of these three can be used to start-up a miniature version of Windows NT in order to try and repair these files, or alternatively the NT4 CD can be used. Often this can be used to solve problems where Windows NT refuse to load beyond the opening blue screen. Windows NT also has a restore ‘last known good’ configuration so it is important when dealing with a problem not to log on to Windows NT before the computer has finished loading the operating system and no errors are apparent.

 

4)                  Creating a boot or start-up disk - Rescue disks an be created in most versions of Windows NT based systems use the WINNT / OX command to create the three floppy disks mentioned above. Windows 9X / ME use the Add / Remove Programs in Control Panel to create a disk that at least allows the computer to boot up, in the event of a serious hard disk / Windows problem, however try using safe mode first. Many operating systems recovery tools can now also be launched from the original Windows CD ( when inserted at system start-up ).

 

5)                  Optional components – Often when Windows is installed for the first time some of the optional components are not installed by default. To select all Windows components simply go to Control Panel, Add & Remove Programs, Windows Setup and ensure a tick is placed next to all the options available.

 

6)                  Windows user profiles – It is possible to setup several different users on one computer, so that each user has a customised desktop and settings. Adding users is an option from within Control Panel, Users ( Windows 9X, ME & XP ) or Programs, Administrative Tools and User Manager ( Windows NT / Pro ) / User Manager for Domains to configure across a network. The Windows 9X / ME user configurations tools tend to be scaled down versions of the NT / Pro / XP versions however they are quite simple to use. Windows NT / Pro / XP enforce a known user log-on, whereas Windows 9X allows the user to escape past this logon screen. It is even possible to avoid this logon screen completely with Windows 9X, by having only one user without a password.

 

7)                  Service pack / system updates – Windows NT / 2000 / XP provides updates in the form of free service packs, downloadable from Microsoft’s web-site. Some programs or peripherals refuse to work when too old a service pack is installed and so it is well worth updating and improving your operating system in this way. Some versions of Windows examine the computer over the Internet and allow users to choose from a range of operating system upgrades available. Common update options include a patch to stop Windows 98 freezing when shutting down.

 

Please email support@ITCroydon.co.uk for questions or support on Windows issues.