Lesson 3:?Configuring Operating System Settings

You use certain Control Panel programs to configure operating system settings. The System program that you use to configure the operating system settings affects the operating system environment regardless of which user is logged on to the computer.

After this lesson, you will be able to

• Configure the system's performance options
• Create, modify, and manage user profiles
• Configure the system's startup and recovery settings
• Configure the system's environment variables
• Configure the system's error reporting
• Configure the system's tracking and reversal of harmful changes
• Configure the system's Automatic Update feature
• Configure remote computers' access to your computer
• Join a domain or workgroup

Estimated lesson time: 70 minutes

Configuring Performance Options

To configure operating system settings, in Control Panel, click Performance And Maintenance. To view operating system performance configuration options, in the Performance And Maintenance window, click System, and then click the Advanced tab. The Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box (see Figure 10.7) allows you to configure performance options, user profiles, startup and recovery settings, environment variables, and error reporting.

Figure 10.7??The Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box

In the Advanced tab, in the Performance box, click Settings to display the Performance Options dialog box. There are two tabs on the Performance Options dialog box: the Visual Effects tab and the Advanced tab.

Visual Effects

The Visual Effects tab of the Performance Options dialog box is shown in Figure 10.8. There are a number of options that you can select to manually control the visual effects on your computer. Windows XP Professional provides four options to help you control the visual effects: Let Windows Choose What's Best For My Computer, Adjust For Best Appearance, Adjust For Best Performance, and Custom. If you want to manually indicate which visual effects to apply, select Custom.

Figure 10.8??The Visual Effects tab of the Performance Options dialog box

Advanced Performance Options

The Advanced tab of the Performance Options dialog box is shown in Figure 10.9. The options in this dialog box allow you to adjust the application response, which is the priority of foreground programs versus background programs, and virtual memory.

Figure 10.9??The Advanced tab of the Performance Options dialog box

Processor Scheduling

Windows XP Professional uses the Processor Scheduling settings to distribute microprocessor resources between running programs. Selecting Programs assigns more resources to the foreground program (the active program that is responding to user input). Windows XP Professional assigns more resources to the foreground program by allocating short, variable time slices, or quanta, to running programs. A time slice, or quantum, is a brief period of time during which a particular task is given control of the microprocessor. When you select Background Services, Windows assigns an equal number of resources to all programs by assigning long, fixed quanta instead.

Memory Usage

Windows XP Professional uses the Memory Usage settings to distribute memory resources between running programs. Select Programs if your computer is being used primarily as a workstation. With the Programs option, your programs will work faster and your system cache will be the default size for Windows XP Professional. Select System Cache if you are using your computer as a server or if the programs you are running require a large system cache.

Virtual Memory

For virtual memory, Windows XP Professional uses a process called demand paging to exchange data between random access memory (RAM) and paging files. When you install Windows XP Professional, Setup creates a virtual-memory paging file, PAGEFILE.SYS, on the partition where you installed Windows XP Professional. The default or recommended paging file size for Windows XP Professional is equal to 1.5 times the total amount of RAM. For best results, never set the value of the paging file size to less than the recommended amount. Typically, you can leave the size of the paging file set to the default value. In some circumstances, such as when you run a large number of applications simultaneously, you might find it advantageous to use a larger paging file or multiple paging files.

To configure the paging file, in the Performance Options dialog box, click Change. The Virtual Memory dialog box (see Figure 10.10) identifies the drives on which the paging files reside and allows you to modify the paging file size for the selected drive.

Figure 10.10??The Virtual Memory dialog box

Paging files never decrease below the value found in the Initial Size text box that was set during installation. Unused space in the paging file remains available to the internal Windows XP Professional Virtual Memory Manager (VMM). As needed, a paging file grows from its initial size to the maximum configured size, which is listed in the Maximum Size text box. When the paging file reaches the maximum size, system performance might degrade if you place additional demands on the system by running more applications.

When you restart a computer running Windows XP Professional, the system resizes all paging files to the initial size.

Enhancing Performance

You can enhance system performance in several ways. First, if your computer has multiple hard disks, create a paging file for each disk. Distributing information across multiple paging files improves performance because the hard disk controller can read from and write to multiple hard disks simultaneously. When attempting to write to the paging file, VMM tries to write the page data to the paging file on the disk that is the least busy.

Second, you can enhance performance by moving the paging file off the drive that contains the Windows XP Professional %systemroot% folder (by default, the Windows folder). This avoids competition between the various reading and writing requests. If you place a paging file on the Windows XP Professional system partition to facilitate the recovery feature, which is discussed in the section entitled "Recovery" later in this chapter, you can still increase performance by creating multiple paging files. Because the VMM alternates write operations between paging files, the paging file on the boot partition is accessed less frequently.

Third, you can enhance system performance by setting the initial size of the paging file to the value displayed in the Virtual Memory dialog box's Maximum Size box. This eliminates the time required to enlarge the file from the initial size to the maximum size.

Configuring User Profiles

To view, create, delete, and change the type of user profiles, in Control Panel, click Performance And Maintenance, click System, and then click the Advanced tab (see Figure 10.7). In the User Profiles box, click Settings to display the User Profiles dialog box (see Figure 10.11).

Figure 10.11??The User Profiles dialog box

The User Profiles dialog box lists the profiles stored on the computer you are sitting at. You can perform the following tasks:

• Change Type.??Allows you to change the type of profile. There are two types of profiles:
  • Local profile.??Windows XP Professional creates a user profile the first time that a user logs on at a computer. After the user logs on for the first time, Windows XP Professional stores the local profile on that computer.
  • Roaming profile.??A roaming user profile is especially helpful in a domain environment because it follows the user around, setting up the same desktop environment for the user no matter which computer the user logs on to in the domain.
  A read-only roaming user profile is called a mandatory user profile. When the user logs off, Windows XP Professional does not save any changes made to the desktop environment during the session, so the next time the user logs on the profile is exactly the same as the last time the user logged on. See Chapter 3, "Setting Up and Managing User Accounts," for information about creating a mandatory user profile.
• Delete.??Allows you to delete user profiles.
• Copy To.??Allows you to create user profiles by copying an existing user profile and assigning it to another user.

The Copy Profile To text box allows you to specify a path for the location to which the user profile is to be copied. You can click Browse to locate the appropriate path. The Permitted To Use box allows you to specify the user or users who can use the user profile.

Configuring Startup and Recovery Settings

The System Properties dialog box also controls the startup and recovery settings for a computer. Click Settings to display the Startup And Recovery dialog box, as shown in Figure 10.12. The System Startup options control the behavior of the Please Select The Operating System To Start menu. The Recovery options control the actions that Windows XP Professional performs in the event of a stop error, which is a severe error that causes Windows XP Professional to stop all processes. Stop errors are also known as fatal system errors or blue screen errors.

Figure 10.12??The Startup And Recovery dialog box

System Startup

When you first turn on the computer, the system displays the Please Select The Operating System To Start screen, which lists the available operating systems. By default, the system chooses one of the operating systems and displays a countdown timer. If you do not choose another operating system, the system starts the preselected operating system when the countdown timer reaches zero or when you press Enter. Modify the options under System Startup to determine which operating system is preselected, how long the countdown timer runs, and whether to display the boot menu. You are also given the option of modifying the BOOT.INI file manually, but you should allow Windows XP Professional to modify the file rather than attempting to do so manually.

System Recovery

The four recovery options that Windows XP Professional provides to assist users in the event of a system failure are described in Table 10.5.

Table 10.5??Recovery Options

The following requirements must be met for the Write Debugging Information recovery option to work:

• A paging file must be on the system partition (the partition that contains the %systemroot% folder).
• The paging file must be at least 1 MB larger than the amount of physical RAM in your computer if you choose Complete Memory Dump.
• You must have enough disk space to write the file to the location you specify.

Configuring Environment Variables

Environment variables define the system and user environment information, and they contain information such as a drive, path, or filename. Environment variables provide information that Windows XP Professional uses to control various applications. For example, the TEMP environment variable specifies where an application places its temporary files.

In the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box, click Environment Variables to display the system and user environment variables that are currently in effect in the Environment Variables dialog box (see Figure 10.13).

Figure 10.13??The Environment Variables dialog box

System Environment Variables

System environment variables apply to the entire system. Consequently, these variables affect all system users. During installation, Setup configures the default system environment variables, including the path to the Windows XP Professional files. Only an administrator can add, modify, or remove a system environment variable.

User Environment Variables

The user environment variables differ for each user of a particular computer. The user environment variables include any user-defined settings (such as a desktop pattern) and any variables defined by applications (such as the path to the location of the application files). Users can add, modify, or remove their user environment variables in the System Properties dialog box.

How Windows XP Professional Sets Environment Variables

Windows XP Professional sets environment variables in the following order:

1. By default, Windows XP Professional searches the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, if it exists, and sets any environment variables.
2. Next the system environment variables are set. If any system environment variables conflict with environment variables set from the search of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the system environment variables override them.
3. Finally, the user environment variables are set. If any user environment variables conflict with environment variables set from the search of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or from the system environment variables, the user environment variables override them.

For example, if you add the line SET TMP=C:\ in AUTOEXEC.BAT, and a TMP=X:\TEMP user variable is set, the user environment variable setting (X:\TEMP) overrides the prior setting C:\.

Configuring Error Reporting

Error reporting assists Microsoft in improving future products and in resolving any difficulties you might encounter with Windows XP Professional. To configure error reporting, in the Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box, click Error Reporting. This displays the Error Reporting dialog box. Notice that Enable Error Reporting is selected. To turn off error reporting, click Disable Error Reporting.

If you do not want to turn off error checking, you can configure reporting to indicate which errors to report. Under Enable Error Reporting there are two check boxes selected by default. Clear the Windows Operating System check box if you do not want errors in the operating system to be reported. Clear the Programs check box if you do not want errors in any of the programs running on your system to be reported. If you want to specify the programs for which Windows XP Professional reports errors, click Select Programs.

Configuring System Restore

The Windows XP Professional System Restore feature allows you to track and reverse harmful changes made to your system. In the System Properties dialog box, click the System Restore tab (see Figure 10.14).

Figure 10.14??The System Restore tab of the System Properties dialog box

If you want to configure the status of System Restore on a drive, select the drive and then click Settings. The Settings dialog box for a drive allows you to turn off System Restore monitoring for the drive and to configure the amount of disk space reserved for System Restore. You cannot turn off System Restore on the drive on which Windows XP Professional is installed without turning off System Restore on all drives. System Restore monitors and restores only the partitions and drives that it is configured to monitor. It doesn't monitor partitions of drives that are redirected or excluded from System Restore monitoring. System Restore also doesn't monitor or restore the contents of redirected folders or any settings associated with roaming user profiles.

Configuring 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. You are notified before the installation takes place and given the opportunity to postpone the download operation. Updates are downloaded in the background so that you can continue to work during downloading. To configure AU, click the Automatic Updates tab of the System Properties dialog box (see Figure 10.15).

Figure 10.15??The Automatic Updates tab of the System Properties dialog box

Under Notification Settings, you can select one of the following three options:

• Download The Updates Automatically And Notify Me When They Are Ready To Be Installed.
• Notify Me Before Downloading Any Updates And Notify Me Again Before Installing Them On My Computer.
• Turn Off Automatic Updating. I Want To Update My Computer Manually.

AU uses the Windows Update control to scan the system and decide which updates apply to a particular computer. AU employs its innovative bandwidth-throttling technology, which uses only idle bandwidth for downloads so they do not interfere with or slow down other network activity, such as Internet browsing. Only one administrative user at a time can run the Automatic Updates feature.

If you choose not to install an update, Windows XP Professional deletes it from your computer. If you decide you want to install a previous update, in the Previous Updates box, click Restore Hidden Items. Any previous updates that are still applicable to your computer appear the next time Windows XP Professional notifies you that updates are available.

Configuring Remote Access to Your Computer

If you have a computer problem, the Remote Assistance feature allows you to 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. He or she can also transfer any files required to fix the problem. To configure the Remote Assistance feature, click the Remote tab in the System Properties dialog box (see Figure 10.16).

Figure 10.16??The Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box

Under Remote Assistance, you can configure your computer to allow or prevent remote assistance invitations to be sent from your computer. Click Advanced to display the Remote Assistance Settings dialog box. To allow the remote assistant full control of your computer, ensure that the default option, Allow This Computer To Be Controlled Remotely, is selected. To allow the assistant to view but not take control of your computer, clear the check box. You can also control the number of days, hours, or minutes before the invitation expires.

In the Remote tab of the System Properties dialog box, under Remote Desktop, you can configure your computer so that remote computers can make a connection to it. This allows you to leave an application running on your office computer, for example, and then connect to your computer from home. The Remote Desktop feature allows multiple users to have active sessions on a single computer.

You can also configure which users can have remote access to your computer. Click Select Remote Users to configure the users that can access your computer remotely in the Remote Desktop Users dialog box (see Figure 10.17). All users that are listed, as well as all users that are members of the Administrators group, have remote access. You can add other users to this list by clicking Add and supplying the complete user name when prompted.

Figure 10.17??The Remote Desktop Users dialog box

Joining a Domain or Workgroup

You might need to install a computer when it is not attached to the network, the network is down, or a domain controller is not available. In those instances you can install Windows XP Professional and have your computer join a workgroup. When you add your computer to the network, or the network or a domain controller is available, you can join your computer to the domain. To join a domain or a workgroup, you use the Computer Name tab of the System Properties dialog box (see Figure 10.18).

Figure 10.18??The Computer Name tab of the System Properties dialog box

The Computer Name tab shows you the full name of your computer and the domain or workgroup to which it currently belongs. You can add a description for your computer in the Computer Description text box, and you can click Change to change your computer's name or to join a domain or workgroup. To join a domain, there must be a computer account created for your computer in the domain or you must have the name and password of a user account that is a member of the Domain Admins group so that you can create the computer account as you join the domain.

Practice:?Using Control Panel to Change Operating System Settings

In this practice, you use the System program to change some of the system settings. First you change the default Remote Assistance setting so that a remote assistant can only view your computer rather than take full control of your computer. Then you change the paging file size. Finally, you add and test a new system environment variable.

Run the OSSettings file in the Demos folder on the CD-ROM accompanying this book for a demonstration of changing system settings.

Exercise 1: Changing the Remote Assistance Access Permission

In this exercise, you change the access of a remote assistant from full control to being able to only view your computer. You also set the expiration time for the Remote Assistance invitation to six hours.

To decrease the Remote Assistance access permission

1. Log on as Fred or a user account that is a member of the Administrators group.
2. In Control Panel, click Performance And Maintenance.

   Windows XP Professional displays the Performance And Maintenance window.

3. Click System.

   Windows XP Professional displays the System Properties dialog box.

4. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Remote tab.
5. In the Remote tab, in the Remote Assistance box, click Advanced.

   Windows XP Professional displays the Remote Assistance Settings dialog box.

6. Clear the Allow This Computer To Be Controlled Remotely check box.

   Clearing this check box allows the remote assistant to view but not take control of your computer.

7. In the Invitations box, change the Set The Maximum Amount Of Time Invitations Can Remain Open to six hours.
8. Click OK.

You are returned to the System Properties dialog box with the Remote tab active. Leave the System Properties dialog box open for the next exercise.

Exercise 2: Changing the Paging File Size

In this exercise, you use the System Properties dialog box to change the size of the Windows XP Professional paging file.

To change the paging file size

1. In the System Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab.
2. In the Performance box, click Settings.

   Windows XP Professional displays the Performance Options dialog box with the Visual Effects tab active.

3. Click the Advanced tab.

   By default, both Processor Scheduling and Memory Usage are optimized for applications.

4. In the Virtual Memory box, click Change.

   Windows XP Professional displays the Virtual Memory dialog box.

5. In the Drive list, click the drive that contains your paging file, if necessary.
6. In the Initial Size text box, increase the value by 10, and then click Set.

   You have just increased the initial size of the paging file.

7. Click OK to close the Virtual Memory dialog box.
8. Click OK to close the Performance Options dialog box.

Leave the System Properties dialog box open for the next exercise.

Exercise 3: Adding a System Environment Variable

In this exercise, you use the System Properties dialog box to add a new system environment variable. You then test the new variable by using it at the command prompt.

To add a system environment variable

1. In the System Properties dialog box, in the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables.

   Windows XP Professional displays the Environment Variables dialog box.

2. Under System Variables, click New.

   Windows XP Professional displays the New System Variable dialog box.

3. In the Variable Name text box, type WinXPdir.
4. In the Variable Value text box, type the path to the folder containing the Windows XP Professional system files, for example, C:\Windows.

   If you are not sure of the path to the Windows XP Professional system files, use Windows Explorer to locate the Windows directory.

5. Click OK.

   You are returned to the Environment Variables dialog box.

6. Scroll through the System Environment Variables and verify that WinXPdir is listed.
7. Click OK to close the Environment Variables dialog box, and then click OK to close the System Properties dialog box.
8. Close the Performance And Maintenance window.

To test the new variable

1. From the Start menu, click Run.
2. In the Open text box, type cmd and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type set | more and then press Enter.

   The list of current environment variables is displayed and WinXPdir is listed. (Note you might need to press Spacebar to scroll down to see WinXPdir listed.)

4. If necessary, type c: and then press Enter to switch to the drive on which you installed Windows XP Professional. (Adjust the drive letter if necessary.)
5. Type cd\ and then press Enter to switch to the root directory.
6. Type cd %WinXPdir% and then press Enter.

   You should now be in the Windows directory.

7. Type exit and press Enter to close the command prompt.

Lesson Review

The following questions will help you determine whether you have learned enough to move on to the next lesson. If you have difficulty answering these questions, review the material in this lesson before beginning the next lesson. The answers are in Appendix A, "Questions and Answers."

1. What performance options can you control with the tabs of the Performance Options dialog box?
2. Which of the following statements about the use of virtual memory in Windows XP Professional are correct? (Choose all answers that are correct.)
   1. When you install Windows XP Professional, Setup creates a virtual memory paging file, PAGEFILE.SYS, on the partition where you installed Windows XP Professional.
   2. In some environments, you might find it advantageous to use multiple paging files.
   3. If the entire paging file is not in use, it can decrease below the initial size that was set during installation.
   4. Unused space in the paging file remains unavailable to all programs, even the internal Windows XP Professional VMM.
3. When you first turn on the computer, the system displays a Please Select The Operating System To Start screen, which lists the available operating systems. What happens if a user does not select an operating system before the countdown timer reaches zero?
4. What requirements must be met for the Write Debugging Information recovery option to work?
5. What is the Windows XP Professional Remote Assistance feature?
6. To join a domain, you use the ____________________ tab of the _____________________ dialog box.

Lesson Summary

• The System program that you use to configure the operating system settings affects the operating system environment regardless of which user is logged on to the computer.
• The Advanced tab of the System Properties dialog box allows you to configure performance options, user profiles, startup and recovery settings, environment variables, and error reporting.
• Windows XP Professional creates a local user profile the first time that a user logs on at a computer and stores the local profile on that computer.
• A roaming user profile follows the user around, setting up the same desktop environment for the user no matter which computer the user logs on to in the domain.
• The System program also controls the startup and recovery settings for a computer.
• Windows XP Professional first searches the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, if it exists, and sets any environment variables. Next the system environment variables are set, and if there are any conflicts with the environment variables, the system environment variables override them. Finally the user environment variables are set; the user environment variables override all other environment variables.
• The Windows XP Professional System Restore feature allows you to track and reverse harmful changes made to your system.
• 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.
• The Remote Assistance feature allows you to invite another person, a remote assistant, to help you over the Internet.
• To join a domain or a workgroup, use the Computer Name tab of the System Properties dialog box.