Contents

Install Windows XP Deploying Windows XP

TCP/IP
Configuring the Hardware profiles. Configuring the Offline files System. Configuring the Remote desktop.

Configuring the Remote Assistance.

Backup. Restore Computer Management

Configure and manage file systems.

Setting Up Account and Managing User Accounts

Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Preinstallation Tasks

Before you start the installation, complete the following tasks: Ensure that your hardware meets the requirements for installing Windows XP Professional. Determine whether your hardware is on the Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). Decide how you will partition the hard disk on which you will install Windows XP Professional. Choose a file system for the installation partition. Determine whether your computer will join a domain or a workgroup. Complete a preinstallation checklist.

Hardware Requirements

You must determine whether your hardware meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for installing and operating Windows XP Professional.

Hardware Compatibility List

Although the Windows XP Professional Setup Wizard automatically checks your hardware and software for potential conflicts, before you install Windows XP Professional, you should verify that your hardware is on the Windows XP Professional HCL. Microsoft provides tested drivers for the listed devices only. Using hardware not listed on the HCL could cause problems during and after installation.

Disk Partitions

The Windows XP Professional Setup program examines the hard disk to determine its existing configuration. Setup then allows you to install Windows XP Professional on an existing partition or to create a new partition on which to install it. New Partition or Existing Partition Depending on the hard disk configuration, do one of the following during installation: If the hard disk is unpartitioned, create and size the Windows XP Professional partition. If the hard disk is partitioned and contains enough unpartitioned disk space, use the unpartitioned space to create the Windows XP Professional partition. If the existing partition is large enough, install Windows XP Professional on that partition. Installing on an existing partition overwrites any existing data. If the existing partition is not large enough, delete it to provide more unpartitioned disk space for creating the Windows XP Professional partition.

Remaining Free Hard Disk Space

Although you can use Setup to create other partitions, you should create and size only the partition on which you will install Windows XP Professional. After you install Windows XP Professional, use the Disk Management administrative tool to partition any remaining unpartitioned space on the hard disk.

Installation Partition Size

Microsoft recommends installing Windows XP Professional on a 1.5-GB or larger partition. Although Windows XP Professional requires less disk space for installation, using a larger installation partition provides the flexibility to install Windows XP Professional updates, operating system tools, or other necessary files in the future.

File Systems

After you create the installation partition, Setup prompts you to select the file system with which to format the partition. Like Microsoft Windows NT 4 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional, Windows XP Professional supports the NT file system (NTFS) and file allocation table (FAT). Both Windows 2000 Professional and Windows XP Professional support FAT32. Figure 2.1 summarizes some of the features of these file systems.

Use NTFS when the partition on which Windows XP Professional will reside requires any of the following features:

File- and folder-level security. NTFS allows you to control access to files and folders. For additional information. Disk compression. NTFS compresses files to store more data on the partition. For additional information. Disk quotas. NTFS allows you to control disk usage on a per-user basis. For additional information. Encryption. NTFS allows you to encrypt file data on the physical hard disk, using the Microsoft Encrypting File System (EFS). The version of NTFS in Windows XP Professional supports remote storage, dynamic volumes, and mounting volumes to folders. Windows XP Professional, Windows 2000, and Windows NT are the only operating systems that can access data on a local hard disk formatted with NTFS.

FAT and FAT32

FAT and FAT32 offer compatibility with other operating systems. You must format the system partition with either FAT or FAT32 if you will dual boot Windows XP Professional and another operating system that requires FAT or FAT32. FAT and FAT32 do not offer many of the features (for example, file-level security) that NTFS supports. Therefore, in most situations, you should format the hard disk with NTFS. The only reason to use FAT or FAT32 is for dual booting with another operating system that does not support NTFS. If you are setting up a computer for dual booting, you need to format only the system partition as FAT or FAT32. For example, if drive C is the system partition, you could format drive C as FAT or FAT32 and format drive D as NTFS.

The Windows XP Professional Setup Program

The installation process for Windows XP Professional combines the Setup program with wizards and informational screens. Installing Windows XP Professional from a CD-ROM to a clean hard disk consists of these four stages:

Running the Setup program. Setup prepares the hard disk for the later installation stages and copies the files necessary to run the Setup Wizard. Running the Setup Wizard. The Setup Wizard requests setup information about the computer, such as names, and passwords. Installing Windows XP Professional networking components. After gathering information about the computer, the Setup Wizard prompts you for networking information and then installs the networking components that allow the computer to communicate with other computers on the network. Completing the installation. Setup copies files to the hard disk and configures the computer. The system restarts after installation is complete. The following sections cover the four steps in more detail.

Step 1 : Prepare The Boot Sequence

Insert the windows XP cd in your cdrom and than go to the BIOS by hitting DEL or F12 when your system in powering on. Go to Boot order and make sure cdrom is on the first place. Save settings and restart your computer. Once you have successfully booted from the CD, you will see the Windows XP Welcome to Setup screen. Press ENTER to begin the setup process.

Step 2: Accept the license agreement

When you see the Windows XP license agreement press F8 to accept it and proceed.

Step 3: Searching for Previous Versions of Windows XP

Setup will search for existing Windows installations. You will see the next repair or install fresh copy screen appear only if a Windows installation currently exists on your machine. If youre installing on a brand-new hard drive, skip to Step 5.

Step 4:Continue Installing a Fresh Copy

Press ESC. You will be given a list of partitions available on your hard drive.

Step 5: Partitions

If there are multiple partitions on your hard drive, or you have multiple hard drives in the computer, use the UP or DOWN arrow keys to choose your install partition. Please note that your system partition needs to be a primary partition (usually the first partition that shows up in the list), not a logical partition.

The partition should be at least 10 GB in size. Make sure that all the data you need from this partition is copied elsewhere, because it will be deleted.
Once you have selected the right partition selected, press ENTER. You will see the next you already have a system installed screen only if you already have Windows installed on this partition. If you are installing on a brand-new hard drive, skip to Step 7.

Step 6: Continue Installing On The Selected Drive

Press C to continue. You will be given a list of install options

Step 7: Format The Selected Partition

Select the option to Format the partition using the NTFS file system (quick) and press ENTER.You will receive a warning about formatting the drive unless the drive is brand-new.

Step 8: Continue With The Format

Press F to continue formatting selected partition. If you still havent backed up, this is the last change to backup your important data, after this step you will not to able to go back and restore your data.

Step 9: Copying Files

After the format setup will automatically copy files and restart your computer. Go to BIOS and remove cdrom from first boot device. Start your computer

Step 10: Automatic Installation After Restart

Setup will continue to install after the restart. it will ask you for the product key and user name etc. Fill the forms yourself.

Deploying an Unattended Installation

To use Setup Manager to create the files required for performing unattended installations, you first need to install Setup Manager from the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM. It is found in the Support\Tools folder. You need to extract only the Deploy.cab file from this folder to the desired folder on your computer. Step by Step 2.1 shows you how.

Step by Step: 2.1 Installing Setup Manager

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Create a folder in the root of the system drive. Use an appropriate name such as Deploy.

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Insert the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM. When the Welcome screen appears, select Perform additional tasks
On the What Do You Want to Do screen, select Browse this CD. Navigate to the \Support\Tools folder, and double-click the Deploy.cab file. Use Ctrl+A to select all the files that appear, right-click, and then choose Extract. The Select a Destination dialog box opens. Navigate to the folder you created in step 1 and click Extract.

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When the file copying is complete, close the Deploy.cab folder and the Welcome to Microsoft Windows XP window.
After you have extracted these files, follow Step by Step 2.2 to run the Setup Manager Wizard and create the installation files.

Step by Step: 2.2 Using Setup Manager to Create Unattended Installation Files

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In My Computer, navigate to the folder you created in Step by Step 2.1 and double-click the Setupmgr file. This starts the Windows Setup Manager Wizard with a welcome screen. Click Next. On the New or Existing Answer File page (see Figure 2.1), select Create a New Answer File, and then click Next.

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Figure 2.1. Setup Manager enables you to either create a new answer file or modify an existing file.

3. The Product to Install page provides three choices for the type of installation you are performing (see Figure 2.2). To perform a simple installation, choose Windows Unattended Installation, and then click Next. Other options are described later in this chapter

Figure 2.2. Setup Manager provides you with three choices of the product to install.

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The Platform page provides you with three choices of operating system: Windows XP Home Edition, Windows XP Professional, and various flavors of Windows Server (identified as Windows 200X Server, Advanced Server, or Data Center). Select Windows XP Professional, and then click Next. The User Interaction Level page (see Figure 2.3) provides the following five levels of user interaction that are possible during installation. To provide a completely automated installation, choose Fully Automated, and then click Next:

Provide Defaults The answers in the answer file are defaults. The user can change any answers that are different from the defaults displayed. Fully Automated Setup is fully automated. The answer file must contain all information necessary to complete installation, or an error message will appear. Hide Pages The user is not shown any answers, nor given the option to change them. Read Only The user can view the pages during installation, but cannot make changes to the answers provided. GUI Attended The user must answer all questions asked during the GUI portion

Figure 2.3. Setup Manager provides you with five levels of user interaction during installation of Windows XP

The Distribution Folder page provides you with a choice of creating a shared distribution folder that contains all the required source files, or using the answer file to install from a CD-ROM. Make the appropriate choice, and then click Next.
If you select the choice to create a distribution folder, the wizard asks you to specify the source (CD or network) and destination (shared folder) names, and then copies the files. If you select installation from a CD-ROM, skip this step. The License Agreement page asks whether you accept the licensing terms. Select the check box provided, and then click Next.

The Customize the Software page enables you to specify a default name and organization. Type your name and organization, and then click Next.

Note

You can skip settings that are not required As shown in Figure 2.4, the remainder of the wizard provides you with a tree view on the left side. You can select only those settings that you have to configure by clicking them from this tree view. Figure 2.4. You can select only those settings you need to configure from the tree diagram that appears on the Customize the Software page

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The Display Settings page enables you to modify the settings for the destination computer. Make any required changes, and then click Next. Select your time zone on the Time Zone page, and then click Next. Type the product key supplied with your Windows XP CD, and then click Next. On the Computer Names page, type a name for each destination computer you want to install (see Figure 2.5). You can also click Import to import the names from a text file. Then click Next.

Figure 2.5. The Computer Names page enables you to type computer names for multiple computers to be installed from the files being created.

On the Administrator page, type a password in the Password and Confirm Password text boxes. Select the Encrypt Administrator Password in Answer File check box to hide the password from a user who browses the answer file. Then click Next. Caution Do not use the * character when specifying the administrator password A known issue (bug) in Setup Manager results in a blank password being created if you use the * character as part of the administrator password. To avoid this problem, do not use this character.
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The Networking Components page enables you to specify any custom settings required. If necessary, select the Customize Settings option and specify these settings. Otherwise, leave the default of Typical Settings selected, and then click Next. The Workgroup or Domain page (see Figure 2.6) enables you to specify the Active Directory domain to which the computer should be joined. To specify the domain, select the Windows Server domain option, and specify the domain name and the username and password of a domain user account with permission to add computers to the domain. Then click Next.

Figure 2.6. You can specify the domain to which the computer(s) will be joined, along with administrative credentials.

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The Telephony page enables you to specify dial-out properties for the computer being installed. Otherwise leave the defaults selected and then click Next. The Regional Settings page enables you to specify regional settings if necessary. Regional and language settings are discussed in . Otherwise leave the defaults selected and then click Next. The Languages page enables you to add support for additional languages if necessary. Otherwise leave the defaults selected and then click Next. The Browser and Shell Settings page enables you to customize Internet Explorer settings. Make any required settings and then click Next. The Installation Folder page enables you to specify a name for the Windows folder. If necessary, specify an alternate name and then click Next. The Install Printers page enables you to specify the automatic installation of network printers. Specify the UNC names of network printers one at a time in the Network Printer Name text box, clicking Add after specifying each name. Then click Next. If you need programs to be run once automatically after a user logs on for the first time, specify the commands in the Run Once page, clicking Add after specifying each command name. Then click Next. The Additional Commands page enables you to specify commands to be automatically run before a user logs on. Specify any commands required, clicking Add after specifying each command name. Then click Finish. Setup Manager displays a dialog box informing you that the answer file has been successfully created. Modify the path and filename provided, if necessary, and then click OK. The Setup Manager Complete page informs you that the files were completed successfully. Make a note of the files created, and then close Setup Manager.

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Using the Answer Files to Perform an Unattended Installation Having created the answer files as described in Step by Step 2.2, it is easy to run the automated installation of Windows XP Professional. Step by Step 2.3 shows you how

Step by Step: 2.3 Performing an Automated Installation of Windows XP Professional

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At the target computer, use the net use command to map to the share on the distribution computer containing the batch files, or insert the floppy disk. Type the name of the batch file at the command prompt. If the target computer has no operating system installed, start it from the Windows XP Professional CD-ROM and insert the floppy as soon as the boot sequence from the CD-ROM begins.

Configuring Offline Files in Windows XP Professional

Three steps are involved in setting up your or your users Windows XP Professional computer to use Offline Files:
1) 2) 3)

Enable the Offline Files feature. Make one or more files or folders available offline. Configure Offline Files settings to control caching options and disconnection response.

Enabling Offline Files

Before you can make any content available offline, you must enable the use of Offline Files on your computer.

Click on the Start button and open My Computer. Select the Tools menu at the top of the window and Click Folder Options. Select the Offline Files tab.

Important

Before you begin Offline Files configuration, ensure that Fast User Switching is disabled on the client. To do so, open the Control Panel and select User Accounts. From the list of tasks presented, choose Change The Way Users Log On Or Off and clear the Use Fast User Switching check box. Check the box to enable Offline Files. This page is also used to configure Offline Files settings,

Configuring Offline Files settings

On the Offline Files page, in addition to enabling Offline Files, you can also specify:

Whether the system should synchronize all offline files before logging on to the computer. Whether the system should synchronize all offline files before logging off when you log off, restart, or shut down the computer. This will ensure that you have the most up-to-date versions of the files you have designated to be available offline. Whether to enable reminders, which will cause a notification balloon to appear over the system tray when a computer goes offline. If you select this option, you can also specify, in minutes, how often the reminder balloon should be displayed after the computer goes offline. Whether a shortcut icon for the Offline Files folder should be created on the desktop.

Whether to encrypt offline files as an extra security precaution for the user who has sensitive data on his or her hard drive.
The amount of disk space allocated for storing offline files that are automatically cached because an administrator has specified that they be made available offline. This does not affect the files that the user has made available offline.

You can also use these buttons:

Delete Files: Use this button to remove selected offline files from the local computer. (This doesnt delete those files from the network location.) View Files: Use this to view the contents of the Offline Files folder, which shows all files that have been made available offline, along with their type, synchronization information, availability, access, location, size in KBs when last modified, and the status of the server. Advanced: With this, you can choose what will happen if youre working online (connected to the network) and the connection is lost. Your choices are to have the system notify you that youre offline and allow you to continue working with network resources offline or to never allow the computer to go offline

4 .On the Offline Files tab click on the Advanced button to reach the Advanced Settings page, where you can create an exception list and designate the behavior when a particular server gets disconnected. For example, in Figure above, the default behavior when a network connection is lost is to notify and begin working offline, but if a connection to the computer named Godot is lost, the setting specifies that this computer should not go offline.

Making files and folders available offline

To make a file or folder available offline, it must first be shared. Right-click the folder and select the Sharing option from the pop-up menu. Click on the Share This Folder radio button to create the share. Its important to note that you cannot share an individual fileyou must share a folder or drive. However, when you share a folder, the files inside that folder are shared, and you can then individually make any of those files available offline. After enabling Offline Files, all you have to do is navigate to the selected shared file or folder in My Computer or My Network Places, highlight the file or folder name, either select the File menu or right-click the file or folder, and choose Make Available Offline.

Setting caching options on shared folders

Offline Files works by creating a cache on the computers local hard disk and storing the shared network files that are designated as offline files in this cache. You configure the caching options for each shared folder made available offline. The caching options are set from the Shared Folders node in the Computer Management MMC (accessed by right-clicking My Computer and selecting Manage).

1) 2) 3)

Right-click the shared folder for which you want to set caching properties and select Properties. On the General tab, Click the Caching button. The Caching Settings properties box. Enable caching of the shared folder by selecting the check box. Three options are available to control how the files in the folder will be cached

Manual Caching For Documents: With this option, the only documents that will be cached are those that the user specifically designates to be available offline. Automatic Caching For Documents: With this option, when a user opens a file in this shared folder, it will be automatically downloaded and made available offline without the user specifying that it be an offline file. Older copies of a file will be deleted automatically to make room for files that have been accessed more recently. With this option, a file that the user has not opened while online will not be available offline. Automatic Caching For Programs: All files in the folder will be made available offline. This option is used when the data in the folder is read-only, as with shared network applications. It shouldnt be used if users will change the data in the folder.

Using Offline Files

After youve set up the computer to enable Offline Files and made the selected files or folders available offline, other users can connect to the offline files and work with them over the network and then continue working with them after the connection between your computer and theirs is broken.

Working offline

If Offline Files is configured to display a balloon notification, when the network connection is broken, the user will see an Offline Files icon appear in the status area to the right of the taskbar buttons on the Windows XP taskbar. When the network connection is restored (for example, when you plug your laptop back into the docking station or plug a live Ethernet cable into its PC Card NIC), the status-bar information will change, and modifications that you have made to offline files since the disconnection will be updated to the network files automatically.

Synchronizing Offline Files

You can synchronize offline files manually. You can also schedule them to be synchronized at a specified time with the Synchronization Manager. The two types of synchronization are: Full synchronization: A full sync takes more time, but it ensures that every file made available offline is the most upto-date version. Quick synchronization: A quick sync will provide you with a full version of each offline file, but it may not be the most upto-date version. It is, however, much faster to perform

To open the Synchronization Manager:

Select Start, Click All Programs, Click Accessories, and then Click Synchronize. The Synchronization settings that can be configured when you click the Setup button include: Items that should be synchronized when you log on or off. You can specify that this occur automatically or that the system prompt you before synchronizing. Items that should be synchronized when the computer is idle. Using the Advanced button on this tab, you can set an idle time (in minutes) when synchronization should occur and how often it should take place while the computer remains idle.

Tip: Check the last box on the Idle Settings dialog box to prevent synchronization from occurring while your portable computer is running on battery power, to avoid draining the batteries. Using the Scheduled Synchronization tab, you can set times for synchronization to occur automatically. Clicking the Add button on this tab will invoke the Scheduled Synchronization Wizard.

With the wizard, you can select a time and day when you want the synchronization to start and how often synchronization should occur. Youll then be asked to give the synchronization job a name, and it will be entered into the list of current synchronization tasks. Tip: You can manually synchronize an individual file or folder by selecting it in Windows Explorer or My Computer and selecting Tools | Synchronize.

Understanding and resolving file conflicts

If more than one person works with the same offline files, the possibility of file conflicts arises. There can be differing versions of the file to which different modifications have been made. When you synchronize files, those that you have modified since disconnecting from the network will be compared to the versions of those same files on the network server. Your changes will be copied to the network versions if no one else has modified the network files while you were working offline. If someone else did change the files during that time, a file conflict arises. Which version should be kept on the networkthe one copied to the network while you were offline or the one containing the modifications you made while offline? Youll be asked to choose one of the following:

Keep Your Version Of The File Keep The Version On The Network Keep Both Versions

If you elect to keep both versions, youll need to give your version a different name. Both versions will be saved to your local disk and the network server.

Connect to an XP machine using Remote Desktop

The Remote Desktop feature is one of the most compelling reasons to upgrade to Windows XP. With Remote Desktop, you can connect to your Windows XP machine from anywhere on your Local Area Network (LAN). You can even set it up so that you can connect to the machine over the Internet from anywhere in the world, as long you are connecting from a Windows OS. Prior to Windows XP, if you wanted this kind functionality, you had do some special configuring using Windows Terminal Services. Installing the Remote Desktop Web Connection To connect to your machine from a remote location, you must install the Remote Desktop Web Connection on the Windows XP system you want to access remotely. This feature is basically a component of XPs Internet Information Services (IIS).

To install the necessary files for the Remote Desktop Web

To Install IIS and the Remote Desktop Web Connection, follow these steps:

From the Control Panel, click the Add/Remove Programs applet. Click Add/Remove Windows Components. Select Internet Information Services and click Details. Select World Wide Web Services from the Subcomponents of Internet Information Services and click Details. Select the Remote Desktop Web Connection check box and click OK. Click OK, then click Next to install and configure IIS and the Remote Desktop Web Connection. Click Finish when complete.

By default, the Remote Web Connection files are installed to the \\%systemroot%\Web\Tsweb directory of your Web server. Lets verify that the files were installed correctly and make sure that anonymous access is selected:
Open Start | Programs | Administrative Tools | Internet Information Services. Expand Local Computer | Web Sites | Default Web Site and select Tsweb, as shown in Figure

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Right-click on Tsweb and click Properties. Click the Directory Security tab and choose Edit from Anonymous Access And Authentication Control. Check the Anonymous Access check box, as shown in Figure , and then click OK twice.

Once you've properly configured the Remote Desktop Web Connection, it's time to configure this computer to use Remote Desktop:

1.Go to Control Panel | System Properties and select the Remote tab to display the options shown in Figure C.

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Select Allow Users To Connect Remotely To This Computer. You will see a dialog box reminding you to set up permissions and open up the appropriate ports on your firewall. Click the Select Remote Users button to open the dialog box shown in Figure D. Here, you can give the appropriate user(s) access to Remote Desktop. Click Add | Advanced | Find Now to display all of your users. Select your users and click OK.

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Note All Administrators have access regardless of whether they are added to the list.

Connecting remotely You're now ready to connect to your computer from another Windows machine running Internet Explorer 4.0 or greater

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Open IE from any Windows machine on the same network. Go to http://computer_name /tsweb (or http://ip_address /tsweb), and you'll see the Remote Desktop Web Connection page, shown in Figure .

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Type the computer name, choose your screen size/resolution, and click Connect. When you click the Connect button for the first time, you'll be prompted to install the Microsoft Terminal Services Control. Click Yes and then enter your logon information, as we've done in Figure .

Click OK to log on to the remote computer. You should now see a screen similar to Figure .

Note Remember that to connect to your XP system by computer name from a remote location, you must be connected to your network via dial-up or VPN. If your Windows XP machine has a static IP address, you can connect to it over the Internet using the static IP as well. If you dont have a static IP address, you can connect with port forwarding from the router or firewall in front of the XP machine, although connecting via dial-up or VPN is much easier and more secure.

If you are connecting to the Windows XP system from another XP system, you can simply go to Start | Programs | Accessories | Communications | Remote Desktop Connection and enter the name or IP address of the machine you want to connect to, as shown in Figure .

Configure Windows XP Remote Assistance

The days of traveling to each client system to troubleshoot problems are over. A wide variety of third-party remote administration options from PC Anywhere to Log Me In to VNC and others are available. But often Microsoft's native Windows XP assistance tool is all that is required. Follow these steps to configure and enable Windows XP's Remote Assistance.

Sending a remote assistance request

Windows XP's Remote Assistance feature enables users to call for help. The application proves particularly helpful when clients in remote locations require support. the administrator. Clients should follow these steps to send a Remote Assistance request: Click Start. Click Help and Support. (Figure A)

Access Remote Assistance from within the Help And Support Center.

Select the Invite A Friend To Connect To Your Computer With Remote Assistance link (found beneath the Ask For Assistance heading). The Remote Assistance menu appears. Click the Invite Someone To Help You link. Two options appear; users seeking help can either send an invitation through Windows Messenger or Microsoft Outlook in Figure .

Users can request assistance using Windows Messenger or Microsoft Outlook. Remote clients can also create a Remote Assistance e-mail attachment (Save Invitation As A File (Advanced)) they forward a support technician using another e-mail client.

To use Microsoft Outlook, the user needs to enter the administrators e-mail address in the provided box; for convenience, an Address Book shortcut icon also appears (users can click the icon and select the appropriate e-mail recipient from the resulting menu). The Remote Assistance E-mail An Invitation menu appears. Users can enter their name in the resulting From box and provide a message describing the assistance they require; when done users should click the Continue button. The next screen will appear enabling users to specify security settings.

The remote user must can his or her name and a message for the support technician

Instruct users to set remote assistance invitations to expire in an hour (or less). Also require users to set a strong password. Users should check the Require The Recipient To Use A Password checkbox and enter a complex (mixed alphanumeric and special characters) password. Once a password is entered and confirmed, clients can click the Send Invitation button to forward the Remote Assistance request to an administrator or support representative.

Remote users should set reasonable expiration periods for their Remote Assistance requests and use strong passwords.

Upon sending the invitation, users will often subsequently receive a Microsoft Office Outlook message stating that a program is trying to access e-mail addresses stored in Outlook. Instruct users to check the Allow Access For box (enabling access for one minute) and click the Yes button. The dialog box will then state a program is trying to automatically send e-mail on the users behalf; instruct clients to click Yes (only when sending Remote Assistance requests). A confirmation message will appear stating that the request has been sent successfully. While awaiting a response, clients may click the View Invitation Status link (from within the Help And Support Center) and review the invitations status and details. Users can also expire, resend or delete an invitation.

Create Hardware Profile

A hardware profile is a collection of configuration information about the hardware that is installed on your computer. Within a profile, you can enable or disable each part of hardware or provide specific configuration information. Windows XP Professional automatically creates two hardware profiles for laptop computers: one for the docked state and one for the undocked state You can have many hardware profiles on a computer and switch between different profiles when booting into Windows XP.

When should someone use hardware profile?

Hardware profiles are useful when you have one or more hardware devices that you want to disable sometimes and enable other times. Rather than enabling and disabling the devices using Device Manager each time you start Windows, you can create hardware profiles in which the devices are enabled or disabled, and then just choose the correct hardware profile during startup. assume that you have a user with a portable computer. When he is at home, the computer is connected to an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer. When the user takes the computer away from home, none of these devices is connected. You could set his computer up with two hardware profiles: one in which those devices were enabled, and one in which they were disabled.

How to create hardware profile?

On Xp system from start menu select my computer and do right click and select properties

In the System Properties dialog box, on the Hardware tab, click the Hardware Profiles button.

By default, Windows creates one hardware profile named Profile 1 during installation.

To create an additional hardware profile

In the Hardware Profiles dialog box select Profile 1 (Current), and then click the Copy button.

You cannot create a new profile directly; you must copy an existing profile and then modify the copy.

In the Copy Profile dialog box, type a name test for the new profile, and then click OK.

Click OK to return to the System Properties dialog box, and then click OK again to return to Windows.

How to Configure Hardware Settings in a Profile

If there are two or more profiles in the Available Hardware Profiles list, Windows XP Professional prompts the user to make a selection during startup

Upon system restart xp will show option to choose for hardware profile choose test form the list

system boots open device manager and configure devices for this profile. For testing we have disabled two device in this profile

Now restart the system and this time select the default profile.

As we disabled Lan card in test profile, while leaving enable in default profile. So it should remain enable this time check in My network place properties