New Features and Improvements in WinXP

New Features and Improvements in WinXP

Welcome Screen

Welcome Screen provides the ability to set up multiple user accounts on one computer. You create these accounts during Setup or from the Control Panel. The separate accounts establish profiles that separate each user's data. By default, the accounts are not password protected, but users can set passwords on their specific accounts if they want. You can go to login/password dialogue box (like win9x/win2000) by pressing ctrl+alt+del.

Fast User Switching

Fast User Switching feature allows multiple users to simultaneously share a computer without closing all of their applications first. For example, if you are creating a Microsoft Word document and leave your computer for a short time, Fast User Switching permits another person to use your computer to access another computer account-perhaps to find a customer's account balance-while leaving your Word session open. All of this is done without either of you logging off the computer.

Start Menu

Start Menu has been redesigned for easier access to important and frequently used tasks. In addition to prominent Internet and e-mail links, the new Start menu lists the programs that you use most frequently. WinXP continually updates this list based on your usage of programs. It adds programs that you are using and removes programs from the list that you have not been using. WinXP does not remove the programs from your computer, just from this list. The Start menu also lists important user folders such as My Documents, My Pictures, and My Music.

Compressed Folders

Compressed Folders feature provides the ability to create ZIP folders and view their contents. Compressed folders allow you to compress large files so that you can store more files on a floppy disk or hard drive. To create a compressed folder follow these steps:
Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Explore.
On the File menu, click New, and then click Compressed Folder.

NOTE : If you drag and drop files and folders into a compressed folder, they will be compressed. You cannot save a file to a compressed folder.

Copying Files and Folders to a CD

WinXP enables users to save information such as photos and software to a compact disc (CD) without using third-party software. Because CD-recordable (CD-R) and CD-rewritable (CD-RW) drives are now inexpensive, this feature enhances the standard conveniences that Windows offers to users. Users can select a folder of images from a digital camera, drag it to the CD-R icon, and then create a CD.

To copy files or folders to a CD follow these steps:
Insert a blank, writable CD into the CD recorder. (You must have a blank, writable CD and a CD-ROM drive that has the capability of writing CDs to use this feature.)
Click Start, right-click My Computer & select files/ folders you want to write to the CD.
Under File And Folder Tasks, click Copy This File, Copy This Folder, or Copy The Selected Items.
In the Copy Items dialog box, click the CD recording drive and then click Copy.
In My Computer, click the CD recording drive and then under CD Writing Tasks, click Write These Files To The CD.

NOTE: Standard CDs hold 650 MB of information. High-density CDs hold at least 700 MB of information. You must have enough space on your hard drive to temporarily hold the files you want to copy to the CD or the operation will fail.

ClearType Support

ClearType Support is a new text display technology. ClearType triples the horizontal resolution available for rendering text through software, which provides a clearer text display on a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen with digital interface.
To specify ClearType follow these steps:
Click Start and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance And Themes, and then click Display.
In the Appearance And Themes dialog box, click Appearance.
In the Appearance tab, click Effects.
Select the Use The Following Method To Smooth Edges Of Screen Fonts check box, and then select ClearType from the drop-down list (see Figure 1.1).
Click OK to close the Effects dialog box.
Click OK to close the Display Properties dialog box.

Desktop Cleanup

Desktop Cleanup Wizard helps keep your desktop uncluttered by periodically checking for unused shortcuts and removing them without harming the installed program. By default, the Desktop Cleanup Wizard checks for unused shortcuts every 60 days and offers to move them to a folder on the desktop called Unused Desktop Shortcuts.
To run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard follow these steps:
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click Appearance And Themes, and then click Display.
Click Desktop and then click Customize Desktop.
Under Desktop Cleanup, click Clean Desktop Now to run the Desktop Cleanup Wizard.

Fax Support WinXP

Fax Support WinXP provides fax support that enables you to send faxes over a network from a computer with an attached fax modem or fax board or with a local area network (LAN) connection. You can print to fax from any application, send cover fax pages, and track and monitor faxes. New wizards enable simpler configuration of this feature and fax sending.
To send or manage faxes follow these steps:
Click Start, point to All Programs, and point to Accessories.
Point to Communications and point to Fax.

Locale Support Additions and Regional Options Enhancements

Locale Support Additions and Regional Options Enhancements. A locale is a set of cultural and regional preferences that correspond to a user's language and sublanguage (for example, Canadian French and U.K. English). Compared with Windows 2000 Professional, this feature adds support for the following locales: Galician, Gujarati, Kannada, Kyrgyz, Mongolian (Cyrillic), Punjabi, Divehi, Syriac, and Telugu. The feature also includes enhancements to the Regional and Language Options control panel.

Auto-Configuration for Multiple Network Connectivity

The Auto-Configuration for Multiple Network Connectivity feature provides easy access to network devices and the Internet. It also allows a mobile computer user to seamlessly operate both office and home networks without manually reconfiguring Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) settings.
You can use this feature to specify an alternate configuration for TCP/IP if a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server is not found. The alternate configuration is useful when a computer is used on multiple networks, one of which does not have a DHCP server and does not use an automatic private Internet Protocol (IP) addressing configuration.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 provides visual refresh and enhanced support for Document Object Model (DOM) Level 1 and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Level 1. Internet Explorer 6.0 also provides the following features:
Media acquisition enhancements, which include a shortcut menu to make saving images more discoverable and support for My Videos and My Music folders as defaults for those media types.
Native support for Macromedia Flash and Macromedia Shockwave Player files.
Automatic Image Resize, which allows you to automatically resize an image to fit entirely within the current browser frame. This feature works only when you have directly navigated to an image; it does not resize images embedded within Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages.
Networking has also been enhanced to include changes to cookie handling for improved privacy, and changes to Passport and other authentication dialogs to allow a more integrated password and credential management.

Instant Messaging

Instant Messaging allows users to quickly communicate with one another over the Internet. Internet Explorer 6.0 includes the ability to show MSN Messenger, Outlook Express, and Outlook contacts in a side panel. The Windows Messenger in WinXPoffers multimedia audio, video, and data real-time communication over the Internet. All you need is a .NET passport, which you can create using your Microsoft Hotmail account or using MSN Messenger, and a dial-in connection to the Internet. If you want real-time audio and video, you will need a microphone and a Web cam.

Internet Connection Firewall (ICF)

Internet Connection Firewall (ICF). Microsoft designed the ICF for use in the home and by small businesses. It provides protection on computers directly connected to the Internet. It is available for LAN or dial-up networking, virtual private networking (VPN), and Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) connections. It also prevents scanning of ports and resources (file and printer shares) from external resources.

Terminal Services

Terminal Services: Remote Desktop and Remote Desktop Connection.
Remote Desktop enables Remote Console access, allowing the primary screen output to be redirected to a Terminal Server client.
The Remote Desktop Connection feature is the end-user tool for establishing connections to computers running Terminal Services. Corporate employees who work at home, using a line-of-business application that is hosted on a Terminal Server, can use the Remote Access Service (RAS) to dial in and the Remote Desktop Connection to use the application.

WebDAV Redirector

WebDAV Redirector The Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) redirector is a new mini-redirector that supports the WebDAV protocol for remote document sharing over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).
For example, the WebDAV redirector allows users at different locations to share and collaborate on a file. A user can also use WebDAV redirectors to publish Web data, or make use of Internet repositories for storing data or sharing information with family and friends.

Web Publishing

Web Publishing feature enables users to publish files to a Web-hosting service. This feature uses the .NET Passport Wizard to sign up for passports so a user does not need to enter a password at the Web site.
NOTE: To publish files, click Start, click My Documents, and select the files you want to publish. Under File And Folder Tasks, click Publish This File To The Web. In the Web Publishing Wizard page, click Next. In the Destination Web Site page, select a destination location for your files, and then follow the wizard prompts to complete publishing the files.

Automatic Updates

Automatic Updates (AU) is a proactive service that allows users with administrative privileges to automatically download and install critical operating system updates, such as security fixes and patches. Because the installation might require you to restart your computer, you are notified before the installation takes place and given the opportunity to postpone the download operation.

Troubleshooting Using Help and Support Center

Troubleshooting Using Help and Support Center. Fllowing Help feature are available:
The Remote Assistance feature allows you to remotely view and control a computer for any support task. It also enables chat and file transfers. If you have a computer problem, you can invite another person (a remote assistant) to help you over the Internet. The remote assistant can accept your invitation, chat with you about the problem, and view your desktop. The remote assistant can also transfer any files required to fix the problem. With your permission, the remote assistant can also get full control of your computer to perform any complex steps needed to fix the problem.
Windows Newsgroups You can use the connectionless message boards and the real-time chat rooms to get answers quickly in a free, online setting.
Compatible Hardware and Software feature provides up-to-date, comprehensive, user-friendly hardware and software compatibility information to aid users in upgrading equipment, making purchasing decisions, and troubleshooting problems.
Device Driver Referral Site with Knowledge Base articles related to the device in question (To access Knowledge Base, connect to http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/support/search.asp )
Help system uses HTML to format and display information with Full Text Search
Tools to view your computer information & diagnose problems
Assisted Support services-Microsoft Incident Submission & Management allows you to submit electronic support incidents to Microsoft, collaborate with support engineers, and manage submitted incidents.
My Computer Information provides you with an easy-to-comprehend, accessible view of personalized software and hardware information specific to your computer or to remote computers on your network.

Multiple instances You can open two sessions of the Help and Support Center application at the same time. Running concurrent sessions enables you to submit incident reports while looking at Help or System Information. You can also Print, as well as, Copy-Paste the help articles.