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Jan 2002, an article of interest to some ->>
10 Of Our Favorite Windows XP Tips
The change from Windows 95/98 (Win9x) to Windows XP is similar to the changes users faced five years ago when moving from Win dows 3.1 to Windows 95. WinXP is based on the Windows NT/2000 kernel, which should prove much more stable than the old Win9x kernels. In addition, WinXP will use the same file system used by WinNT/2000, making WinXP the first true multiuser OS (operating system) for the home PC. From interface changes to making a multiuser environment work for you, we’ll examine some ways to get the most from Microsoft’s latest.
Tip 1: Use NTFS (NT file system) To Enhance Security
Windows’ file system lays the foundation for storing and accessing data on a drive. WinXP supports NTFS in addition to the FAT (file allocation table) file systems supported in earlier versions of Win9x. NTFS includes file and directory access controls that can help make your system more secure. Using NTFS, you can limit access to your system to certain users.
To find out if you’re using NTFS or FAT, click Start and select My Computer. Right-click your WinXP hard drive and select Properties. If you’re running FAT (either the older FAT16 or the newer, 32-bit FAT32) and want to upgrade to NTFS, you can do so without losing any data. You’ll have to convert from FAT to NTFS using a command line. To access the command line, click Start, All Programs, Accessories, and Command Prompt. Type convert x: /fs:ntfs (where x is the proper drive letter). Note that once you convert to NTFS, you cannot return to FAT without reformatting your hard drive and losing your data.
Tip 2: Create A Limited Account
There are two types of user accounts in WinXP, administrator accounts and limited accounts. After installing WinXP, you should immediately configure a limited account for daily use if you’re using NTFS (see above).
To create a limited account, log on to your administrator account (the default account WinXP creates when you install it), click Start, select Control Panel, and then click User Accounts. Click Create A New Account. Type a name for the new account and click Next. Select Limited and then click Create Account to create the new user account. If you have already created other accounts and want to change them to limited accounts, click Change An Account in the User Accounts window. Click the account you would like to change and click Change Account Type. Select Limited and click the Change Account Type button.
Tip 3: Use Passwords
Passwords are an important way to protect your information and your system. You should protect every account with a password, but if nothing else, we recommend that you protect your administrator accounts.
To add a password, open User Accounts from the Control Panel and click Change An Account. Click the account you want to password protect and click Create A Password. Enter the same password twice (passwords are case sensitive). You can enter a password hint, but doing so makes your password less secure, as other users may use it to guess your password. Click the Create Password button. Windows may ask if you want to make your files and folders private. This prevents users with limited accounts from viewing your documents and files. Click the appropriate button.
Tip 4: Run Programs With Administrator Permissions
WinXP provides a couple of ways to quickly gain administrator permissions without closing applications and logging out of your current user account. The Fast User Switching feature lets you log on as a different user without logging out of limited accounts, and the Run As option lets you run a program using the permissions for a different user.
To enable Fast User Switching, open User Accounts from the Control Panel and click Change The Way Users Log On Or Off. Be sure to select Use The Welcome Screen along with Use Fast User Switching.
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