Outlook files remain on the hard disk after you remove Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007

By default, Outlook user data files remain on the hard disk after you remove Outlook. The Outlook user data files remain in case you reinstall Outlook. For example, when you remove Outlook, all Personal Folder files (.pst) remain on the hard disk. When you reinstall Outlook, you can use the .pst files that remain on the hard disk after you remove Outlook.

To locate the Outlook user data files that remain on your hard disk, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. Locate the Outlook user data files in the following folder:
   C:\Documents and Settings\%username%\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook

If you do not want the files to remain on the hard disk, you must remove the files manually. To remove the files manually, locate the files on your hard disk, and then delete the files. By default, the folder that contains the Outlook user data files is hidden. To view these files, follow these steps:

1. Double-click My Computer.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. Click to select the Show hidden files and folders check box.
5. Click OK.

How to set up a network for Small Office / Home Office Computers

This overview will help you set up a network for two or more computers in your Small Office / Home Office (SOHO).

Many people are unaware of how easy and inexpensive it is to interconnect existing computers to form a small Local Area Network (LAN). If you are using Windows 98/XP, no additional software is required to enjoy basic network functions such as shared use of directories, drives, or printers and the hardware costs are minimal. A network can substantially simplify internet access for two or more people. Of course another reason for setting up a network is to play multiplayer games such as Quake or use "groupware" applications such as shared calendars, contact lists, todo lists, etc.

Configuring and connecting networking hardware

The standard networking technology is Ethernet. Ethernet works by means of adapters known as Network Interface Cards (NICs) in each computer. The NICs are connected with cables which vary depending on the cabling option chosen.  Many recent computers have built-in (motherboard) network capability.

Ethernet comes in two flavors. Fast Ethernet operates at 100 Megabits per second (Mbps) and is overkill for a SOHO. Regular or original Ethernet operates at 10 Mbps which is fast enough for a small LAN. NICs can be purchased to fit into an EISA card slot or a PCI slot and can also be found to fit a laptop PCMCIA slot.

There are two different Ethernet cabling options one of which will be usually used in any given LAN. NICs can be purchased with any of these interface connectors or even with two connectors. If the NIC has more than one connector a jumper plug or software configuration is usually used to select which connector is in use. NICs cost as little as $20 each.

The coax interface, also known as 10-base-2, or "thin", or "BNC" Ethernet works with a coaxial bayonet "BNC" connector on the NIC. Computers are connected together in a "daisy chain" using BNC "T" adapters plugged into each NIC. A coaxial 50 ohm cable connects each "T" to the "T" on the next computer. The first and last computers will have a terminator resistor plugged into the unoccupied arm of the "T".  Coax is only available in 10 megabit speed.  Hubs and NICs that provide coax are harder to find.

The twisted pair interface, also known as "UTP" or 10-base-T or "RJ-45" has an RJ-45 jack on the NIC. The RJ-45 connectors look similar to the standard telephone RJ-11 jack (but are somewhat larger) and are used with cables that look similar to standard telephone twisted pair cables to connect the NICs to a "hub", high speed modem, or router. The hub has between 4 and 32 RJ-45 jacks. New office buildings are sometimes wired with RJ-45 jacks in the walls to facilitate setting up 10-base-T LANs. Hubs plug into a power line and cost $60 and up. Some hubs provide a BNC connector as well as the RJ-45 jacks. Motels are increasingly providing RJ-45 connections for laptops.

The coax 10-base-2 approach is simpler since no hub is required. Larger LANs almost universally use 10-base-T because in-wall wiring is neater and the network is not disrupted by someone connecting or disconnecting their computer. Routers and newer computers that come with Ethernet capability usually use 10-base-T.

Setting up network software

Ethernet transmits data by means of packets and automatically adjusts to addition of computers to a net. NICs all have a unique address built in at the factory to facilitate this. After you physically install your NIC you will need to install the driver for the NIC using Windows 98/XP installation procedures and diskette supplied by your NIC manufacturer. Usually, diagnostic software and software to set up the NIC regarding which connector to use (if it has more than one) is also supplied. Many NICs emulate the grandfather of all NICs the NE2000 in case you inherit some no-name NICs with no drivers.

Once you install the driver you will go to the Windows control panel and select Networks which is organized as clients, adapters, protocols, services, and file and print sharing. Make sure that client for Microsoft networks, your adapter, Microsoft IPX/SPX compatible protocol, and Microsoft file and printer sharing for Microsoft networks service are installed. Under file and print sharing check "give others access to my file" and "give others access to my printers".

When the network is completed you can specify specific drives or directories to be shared with other computers on your LAN under "sharing" which will appear under the pull-down "file" menu. You can share individual directories or entire drives for read-only access or access with a password. You can also specify printers to be shared. When directories, drives, or devices are shared you will see a hand symbol attached to the icon for that item.

Protocols are formats and procedures for transfer of data. The IPX protocol (originally developed by Novell) is used by many applications programs including games such as Duke Nukem 3D.

Groupware

Although you can share files so that any computer on the LAN can open the same file on the same drive there is a complication in that if more than one computer tries to open and change the same file simultaneously the changes from one person will be lost. Many applications such as Microsoft Word will not open a file that is already open on someone else’s computer. Applications specifically designed for collaboration ("groupware" or "work group applications") avoid this problem.

Email is the ultimate "poor man’s" groupware application since you can accomplish many group functions such as adding to or modifying other people’s text, setting up meetings, etc. using email, especially if you have a more sophisticated email client such as Eudora.

Peer and Server Networks

Networks of computers all of which are used as work stations are commonly known as "peer" networks. A server network requires an additional dedicated server machine, usually running expensive "server" software and therefore may be less attractive in a SOHO context. When investigating groupware applications make sure to understand if a server and specific server software is required or if the application can run on a peer network.

How to set up a TCP/IP network

You may want set up a local network for the Internet protocol TCP/IP (in addition to IPX) to allow use of applications which use TCP/IP and TCP/IP only games like Quake on your network. In addition you may want to set up TCP/IP to allow computers on your LAN to access the Internet as described below. To do this set up the TCP/IP protocol in Windows 98/XP networking and bind it to your Ethernet adapter. Each computer on the LAN needs to have its own address. The addresses in the ranges 10.10.10.0 to 10.10.10.255 and 192.168.0.0 to 192.168.0.255 have been reserved for local networks so no site on the Internet will have addresses in these ranges. Therefore you should give each computer on your LAN a different address within this range such as 10.10.10.1, 10.10.10.2, etc. Don’t use 10.10.10.0 or 10.10.10.255 as these have special uses. Set the network mask to 255.255.255.0 on each computer.  You may be able to use the network connection wizard to automatically set up your network.

Connecting your local network to the Internet

You can set up a modem on one of your computers under dial up networking to access an Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as IBM.net or sprynet.com even though you have a local TCP/IP network set up. The computer will automatically go to your local network for addresses in the 10.10.10.X range and to your dial up network for other addresses. But what if you want employees on any of your computers to have access to the Internet for email and other applications? This can be done as follows:

ISPs generally provide a single Internet Protocol (IP) address to their low-cost dial-up customers. This IP address is usually assigned dynamically at logon time so that it can be reassigned to someone else when you log off. ISPs also usually only allow one person to log on at a time under a single account so even if you have multiple phone lines and modems you would need multiple ISP accounts to allow two or more people simultaneous internet access. There are a number of software products such as Trumpet Firesock ( see "connectivity products" at www.tucows.com or www.cws.com ) which allow multiple computers on a LAN to use a single ISP account simultaneously. These programs use "IP spoofing" to make multiple users look like a single user to your ISP. The modem and connectivity product are installed on one of your computers. The TCP protocol in all the computers is set so that the address of the connectivity computer (eg 10.10.10.1) is set as the gateway. All the computers are set to use the Domain Name Server address (DNS) specified by the ISP. The connectivity product can be set to automatically dial and connect to the ISP whenever anyone tries to access any internet service outside your LAN and disconnect after a predetermined time elapses with no access. The "connectivity computer" would need to be left on whenever anyone might need access. Alternately a stand-alone "router" can be used to connect between your LAN and the internet via dial-up modem, high speed access, or ISDN line.

You can usually connect multiple computers to a network that also includes a cable modem or DSL modem to allow all the computers Internet access. However, cable and DSL accounts also typically charge more for multiple computer access to the Internet. If you have two NIC cards in a connectivity computer you can connect one to your cable modem and the other to your in-house network linking to other computers. Windows XP will nearly automatically set up both sides of this arrangement (no additional connectivity product needed) such that the cable or DSL modem thinks it is only talking to one user. You only pay the single user charge while your other computers can access the Internet via the connectivity computer.  You may also be able to use a single NIC to connect to your internal network and use a USB cable to connect to the cable or DSL modem, avoiding a second NIC.  Inexpensive router boxes can be used to connect a single modem to multiple computers.

Cable and DSL "always on" services normally semi-permanently assign an IP address and name to your account.  This can have privacy implications.

Voice Over IP Services

Inexpensive router boxes are now available to support voice over IP (VOIP) services provided by Vonage or other Internet based telephone service. These units connect to the Internet via RJ-45 cable connecting to your cable or DSL modem and typically provide two RJ-11 phone connectors and three RJ-45 ethernet connectors. The ethernet connectors can be connected directly to up to three computers. The phone connectors can be connected to ordinary phones to provide up to two lines of phone service. The phone lines can be routed to many phones via standard building phone lines. However, these small VOIP boxes may not be able to drive as many ringers as a typical telephone company line.  If you are using more than one phone on each line, check with the box vendor to see how many phones each line can handle.  A major advantage of Vonage or other non-locality based VOIP provider is that by taking the little box with you and plugging it in to local Internet, you can be reached on your local number wherever you go.  Callers have no way of knowing you are not in your office. Careful, if someone should happen to dial 911 while in the remote location, the fire trucks are going to go to the wrong address!

The quality of the VOIP service is mostly dependent on the quality of the underlying Internet service.  For example, if you are having problems with Vonage it is more likely that the actual problem is with your cable or DSL supplier. If you are using a separate router (e.g. wireless router) the VOIP box should be connected to the modem and the router connected to the VOIP box.  This way the VOIP box will have priority over the computer's access and voice quality will be better during times when your computers are accessing the Internet.

Be advised that fax machines typically do not work well with VOIP.  This is because any momentary delay, slowdown, or dropped packets, which do not cause any problem with the computer Internet connection, and only cause a click on the voice line, can interfere with the operation of the analog modem in the fax causing a dropped fax error.  If you are having problems faxing, try setting the fax's modem to operate at a slower speed (2400 baud) instead of the normal 14,400 baud.  If the fax's instruction manual does not say how to do this (they frequently do not), try searching on the Internet. Unfortunately, if it works today it still might not work tomorrow when if the Internet is busier.

Many people report they are totally unable to obtain reliable fax operation through VOIP.  It is futile to look to the VOIP service for a solution and your Internet provider is likely to blame the VOIP provider.  An obvious solution that eliminates the need to even have a fax machine is to have capability for receiving faxes as an email attachment and for sending faxes from a scanned or PDF document file uploaded to the VOIP provider.  This would allow you to send and receive faxes at your laptop in the field as well as at your SOHO and also allows you to store faxes on your hard drive as opposed to paper file.  For some unknown reason, Vonage does not provide this capability although they do provide the capability for receiving voice mail messages as email attached audio files. You may obtain fax capability from myfax.com, which allows faxes to be sent by sending an email with or without attachment to 13015552525@myfax.com, allows receipt of faxes by email, and provides incoming fax numbers matching your area code. They have a cheaper service in which you cannot specify area code for your incoming fax number.

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP)

All the participating devices (computers, routers, etc) in an Internet network need certain configuration data to operate including the Internet Protocol (IP) address to be used by the device, IP address of the upstream gateway, mask defining the size of the local network, and nameserver addresses. Modern software and hardware can use DHCP to get this information automatically from the upstream side at startup and avoid the need for manual entry. However, you need to initialize the boxes in a particular order for this to work. If you first turn on the cable or DSL modem, the modem will get its information from the company. Then you can turn on your router box, which will get its information from the modem. Then turn on computers so they can get their configuration data from the router box. If power fails frequently in your area you may want to use a small uninterruptible power supply (UPS). to power the modem and router boxes to avoid having to go through this sequence later.

Using ISDN with a local network

If you live in an area which provides Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) at reasonable rates such as the Southern part of Bell Atlantic’s service area you may want to consider using ISDN vs a modem and analog line to provide Internet connectivity to a LAN. See Using ISDN.  ISDN is being replaced with DSL or cable high speed Internet access.

Wireless

Inexpensive wireless routers are now available that connect to a cable or DSL modem and provide a local wireless Internet "hot spot" in addition to providing typically three RJ-45 connections for wired service. Modern laptops,, netbooks, and smart phones typically come with built-in wireless capability.  Small wireless adapters that plug into a USB port can be used to connect a desktop machine to the wireless network. Wireless typically has more "glitches" than wired and may be somewhat slower, so if a computer is semi-permanently in the same room as the router, use a wired connection. More on Wireless Networks.

Typical Small Office Network with Internet Capability

Here is a description of a typical Internet enabled small office network for a small company "SmallCo":

Five PC type computers running Windows or MacOS are connected via NICs to an Ethernet using 10-base-T RJ-45 wiring and an 8 port hub. PCs are configured to use TCP/IP protocol and to use file and printer sharing over the IPX/SPX protocol so all employees can use all the printers and can use a common file areas or drives on the PCs. A stand-alone router is used to connect to the Internet via DSL, cable, or analog modem using an Internet access provider and single user account. The company, has a web site at www.smallco.com hosted elsewhere by an ISP or web site developer. (Some DSL and cable providers object to users running web sites from their DSL or cable accounts.) Each employee has an email address such as tom@smallco.com, Fred@smallco.com, etc. The web site provider furnishes POP email mail boxes for each employee. Alternately, the web site provider can supply aliases to route mail from "tom@smallco.com" to an access provider mail box such as "tom3344@ibm.net". Email clients on the employee computers access the POP mail boxes to receive mail and send mail via an access provider SMTP server. See Mail Note for return address considerations.

Managing Modems and Routers

Cable modems, DSL modems, and routers usually have a built-in web server that displays administrative pages.  By entering the proper numerical IP address in your browser, you can contact this web server and configure the operation of the device.  Modems also usually display diagnostic information including incoming signal strength, etc.  This information is very useful when talking to your provider about any problem. Modems, routers, and your individual computers all can be configured to act as firewalls.  This can cause confusion if, for example, you are trying to alter the firewall to allow some new service.  Also see DHCP above.

Verizon Fiber Optic Services (FIOS)

In some areas Verizon is offering new high-speed fiber optic Internet services.  Fiber is an extremely high bandwidth technology and can carry cable TV services, voice phone service, and high speed Internet on a single fiber.  The fiber comes to your house and connects to a box usually located inside near where the (usually outside) telephone interface box is located.  If you sign up for fiber Internet you will also get your phone service via fiber.  This is a benefit to Verizon because fiber is easier to maintain than the Plain Old Telephone System (POTS) copper wires and they already have to maintain the fiber.  The interface box has a battery backup so phone service can be provided in event of a power failure.  The battery is reportedly only good for several hours so you may want to consider other arrangements if you tend to have long outages.

Unlike DSL and cable Internet, which can use wiring normally already installed in the house, the user needs to provide an ethernet cable from the fiber interface box to his computer location.

Raise the forest function level in a Windows Server 2003-based Active Directory

How can I raise the forest function level in a Windows Server 2003-based Active Directory?

Active Directory Management Software will be part of Spiceworks’s 5.0 release in Sept 2010. Spiceworks’ Active Directory will let you manage user accounts and passwords, link devices to specific users, and view all help tickets opened by a specific user. All for free!

Download Spiceworks 4.7 now, and you’ll be automatically alerted when Spiceworks 5.0 is available - and it will still be free!

Functional levels are an extension of the mixed/native mode concept introduced in Windows 2000 to activate new Active Directory features after all the domain controllers in the domain or forest are running the Windows Server 2003 operating system.
When a computer that is running Windows Server 2003 is installed and promoted to a domain controller, new Active Directory features are activated by the Windows Server 2003 operating system over its Windows 2000 counterparts. Additional Active Directory features are available when all domain controllers in a domain or forest are running Windows Server 2003 and the administrator activates the corresponding functional level in the domain or forest (read Understanding Function Levels in Windows Server 2003 Active Directory for more info).
To activate the new domain features, all domain controllers in the domain must be running Windows Server 2003. After this requirement is met, the administrator can raise the domain functional level to Windows Server 2003 (read Raise Domain Function Level in Windows Server 2003 Domains for more info).
To activate new forest-wide features, all domain controllers in the forest must be running Windows Server 2003, and the current forest functional level must be at Windows 2000 native or Windows Server 2003 domain level. After this requirement is met, the administrator can raise the domain functional level.
Note: Network clients can authenticate or access resources in the domain or forest without being affected by the Windows Server 2003 domain or forest functional levels. These levels only affect the way that domain controllers interact with each other.

Important

Do not raise the forest functional level if you have, or will have, any domain controllers running Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000. As soon as the forest functional level is raised to Windows Server 2003, it cannot be changed back to the Windows 2000 forest functional level.

To raise the forest functional level, you must be a member of the Enterprise Admins group.
In order to raise the Forest Functional Level:

1. Log on to the PDC of the forest root domain with a user account that is a member of the Enterprise Administrators group.
2. Open Active Directory Domains and Trusts, click Start, point to All Programs, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Domains and Trusts.
3. In the console tree, right-click Active Directory Domains and Trusts, and then click Raise Forest Functional Level
   

Under Select an available forest functional level, click Windows Server 2003.

and then click Raise to raise the forest functional level to Windows Server 2003.

1. Read the warning message, and if you wish to perform the action, click Ok.
2.  You will receive an acknowledgement message telling you that the operation was completed successfully. Click Ok.

1. You can check the function level by performing step 3 again and viewing the current function level.
2. Note: To raise the forest functional level, you must upgrade (or demote) all existing Windows 2000 domain controllers in your forest.
   If you cannot raise the forest functional level, you can click Save As in the Raise Forest Functional Level dialog box to save a log file that specifies which domain controllers in the forest still must be upgraded from Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000.
   If you receive a message that indicates you cannot raise the forest functional level, use the report generated by "Save As" to identify all domains and domain controllers that do not meet the requirements for the requested increase.
   The current forest functional level appears under Current forest functional level in the Raise Forest Functional Level dialog box. After the forest level is successfully increased and replicated to the PDCs in the domains, the PDCs for each domain automatically increase their domain level to the current forest level. The level increase is performed on the Schema FSMO and requires Enterprise Administrator credentials.
   

   Links

   How to raise domain and forest functional levels in Windows Server 2003 - 322692
    

Keyboard Shortcuts for VMware Workstation

VMware has a set of shortcut keys or hotkeys for quick control over your virtual machine. This is a list of them.

Ctrl+B	Power on the Virtual Machine
Ctrl+D	Edit the Virtual Machine Settings
Ctrl+E	Power off the Virtual Machine
Ctrl+G	Grab keyboard input focus
Ctrl+N	Create a new Virtual Machine
Ctrl+O	Open a Virtual Machine
Ctrl+P	Edit User Preferences
Ctrl+R	Reset Virtual Machine
Ctrl+Z	Suspend the Virtual Machine
Ctrl+F4	Close the Virtual Machine
Ctrl+Alt	Ungrab Input focus
Ctrl+Alt+Enter	Switch to Full Screen Mode
Ctrl+Tab	Switch between ungrabbed virtual machines
Ctrl+Alt+Tab	Switch between virtual machines

Improve VMware VM Performance by Defragmenting Virtual Disks

Have you noticed your VMware virtual machines sees like they’re sluggish and slow to respond?  Here’s how you can quickly defragment your virtual disks to make them fast as they were originally.
Just like a hard drive on a normal computer, the virtual hard drive on a virtual machine can become defragmented over time.  In fact, if your virtual disk is setup to dynamically expand over time, then fragmentation can become a serious problem, especially if your hard drive is low on free space.  You may notice your virtual machines running slower or being less responsive, and VMware itself may even notify you that your virtual disk is too fragmented.

Here’s what you’ll need to do.  First, while your virtual machine is running, run the default disk defragmenter as normal inside the virtual machine.  This may take some time if you haven’t done it in a while, and may also slow your whole computer down while it’s running.

Once the virtual machine’s OS has finished defragmenting, shut down the virtual machine.  Then, open your VMware virtual disk properties.  To do this in VMware Workstation, double-click on the Hard Disk info on the virtual machine’s main page.

Alternately, if you’re using VMware Player, right-click on the virtual machine’s name and select Virtual Machine Settings.

Then select the Hard Disk entry from the Hardware tab if it’s not already selected.  If your virtual machine has multiple virtual disks, you may wish to repeat these steps on each virtual disk.

Click the Utilities button

VMware will start defragmenting your virtual disk.  This may take a while depending on your virtual machine’s size and how often you defragment it.

Once it’s done, you’ll be notified that the defragment is completed.

To improve performance even more, you should also regularly defragment your host computer’s hard drive.  This is not much of a problem in Windows 7 and Vista since they automatically keep your hard drive defragmented, but if you’re using XP, you might want to setup automatic disk defragmenting.  Alternately, if you’d like more defragmenting control, you can always run the defrag command in an elevated command prompt for a wide range of analysis and defrag options.

Most of us don’t think much about defragmenting virtual machines, but it can seriously improve your virtual machines’ performance.  We’re big fans of the free VMware Player, and if you have more advanced needs, VMware Workstation is a great option as well.  The great thing is, no matter which one you’re using, you can still keep your virtual machines running at top speed with a quick defrag. 

Make Virtual Machines Always Hide To The System Tray in VMware Workstation

My favorite feature in the latest version of VMware Workstation is that you can run virtual machines entirely in the background. This is most useful for “appliance” machines that you won’t actually use from the prompt, but through a web browser or ssh client. The only problem is that when you click the close button on the VMware window, you get a prompt saying “Some virtual machines are still powered on. You can continue to run these virtual machines in the background, suspend them for later use, or power them off now.“
I always want my virtual machines to run in the background!

You can disable that window by just telling VMware to always run virtual machines in the background by going to Edit \ Preferences.

Click the checkbox that says “Run powered on virtual machines in background after close”. Now when you click the close button, it will always just minimize the virtual machines to the system tray. Very useful!

Access VirtualBox Virtual Machines from the Windows 7 Start Menu or Taskbar

If you open different virtual machines in VirtualBox often, you will like VBoxLaunch. It allows you to launch virtual machines directly from the Start menu using a jumplist without having to launch the VirtualBox Manager first.

VBoxLaunch does not change any settings in VirtualBox or the interface. It reads the list of virtual machines available in the VirtualBox Manager and creates direct links to those virtual machines in the jumplist for VBoxLaunch on the Start menu or the Taskbar.
Extract the .zip file you downloaded (see the download link at the end of the article) and copy the VBoxLaunch.exe file.

Paste the VBoxLaunch.exe file in the VirtualBox program directory (usually C:\Program Files\Oracle\VirtualBox). Right-click on the VBoxLaunch.exe file and select Create shortcut from the popup menu.

You may not have the correct permissions to create files in the VirtualBox program directory. If that is the case, Windows asks if you want to place the shortcut on the desktop instead. That is fine, so click Yes. It doesn’t matter where the shortcut is placed.

Right-click on the shortcut (wherever it was created) and select Pin to Start Menu.
NOTE: If you want to also access your virtual machines from the Taskbar, right-click the shortcut again and select Pin to Taskbar, as well.

To create the jumplist containing links to your VirtualBox virtual machines, you must start VBoxLaunch once to open the VirtualBox Manager and then exit. Start VBoxLaunch from the Start menu or Taskbar.

If the Open File – Security Warning dialog box displays, click Run to open the VirtualBox Manager.

Select Exit from the File menu to close the VirtualBox Manager.

Now, when you move your mouse over the VBoxLaunch Start menu item, a jumplist displays with all your available virtual machines listed. Simply select a virtual machine to open it without having to open the VirtualBox Manager first.

The jumplist is also available from the Taskbar if you pinned the VBoxLaunch shortcut there.

The Manage virtual machines item under Tasks on the jumplist opens the VirtualBox Manager. This allows you to remove any shortcuts to the VirtualBox Manager you had. All you need is the VBoxLaunch shortcut pinned to the Start menu or Taskbar.
Download VBoxLaunch from http://nicbedford.co.uk/software/vboxlaunch/.
VBoxLaunch requires the Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, which should already exist in Windows 7. If, for some reason, you do not have the Microsoft .NET Framework, you can download it from http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?id=22. We tested VBoxLaunch on Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit, but the developer says it should also work on 32-bit systems.

Share Files and Printers between Windows 7 and XP

If you have a home network and are running Windows 7 and have XP on other PC(s) you might want to share files between them.  Today we will look at the steps to share files and hardware devices like a printer.
Sharing Files In Windows 7 and XP
Sharing folders between two Windows 7 machines with the new HomeGroup feature is an easy process, but the HomeGroup feature is not compatible with Vista or XP.  For this tutorial we are using Windows 7 x64 RC1 and XP Professional SP3 connected through a basic Linksys home wireless router. 
First make sure both machines are members of the same Workgroup which by default is named Workgroup.
 
On the Windows 7 machine go into Control Panel \ All Control Panel Items \ Network and Sharing Center then click on Change advanced sharing settings.


You will want to verify the following settings under Advanced Sharing Settings for the Home or Work and Public profile.

If you want any user to have access the public shares turn off password protection.  This is located in Advanced Sharing Settings toward the bottom of the list. 
 
If you want to keep it enabled make sure there is a log in account for the other XP machines and they have a password.

Now if you go into Network in Windows 7 you should see your XP machine and the Windows 7 as well which in this case is Mysticgeek-PC.

To share the printer on the Windows 7 machine go into Devices and Printers from the Start menu and double click on the printer icon.

Next double click on “Customize your printer”.

In the Properties screen click on the Sharing Tab and check the box to share the printer and type in its share name.

If your XP machine is an x86 OS you can install Additional Drivers before setting up the XP machine.
 
To find the shared folders and devices double click on the Windows 7 machine icon under Network.  Here you can see the printer connected to my Windows 7 machine is shared and also the Users Folder.

Continue into the Users folder and Public to see the shared folders, here I also created a folder called XP Share just to keep everything in central location.

Over on your XP machine open up My Network Places to find the Windows 7 (mysticgeek-pc) shared folder.

Double click on the Share folder to find a list of shared folders in the Public folder on Windows 7.  If you have password protection enabled you will need to type in the username and password of the user account on the Windows 7 machine first. 

Setup XP With Shared Printer
To set up the shared printer in XP you will need to go into Printers and Faxes from the Start menu and kick off the Add Printer Wizard.

Now select “A network printer, or a printer attached to another computer” then hit Next.

Next select “Connect to this printer…” and type in the path for the printer connected to the Windows 7 machine and click next.  

Now click Yes to the confirmation message.

Then click Finish the printer to install and complete the Wizard.

In some cases you will need to install the x86 XP drivers for the shared printer because the Windows 7 drivers are not compatible with XP.  When everything is installed open up Printers and Faxes to find the shared printer.

This should help you get started with sharing your files and other devices with your Windows 7 machine.  When I first started I was able to see the printer on XP right away because I had a HomeGroup set up, but once I deleted it I needed to share the printer like you would for a workgroup.  You might also have to do a couple restarts of the XP machine for it to see the shared resources on Windows 7.  If you have had any experiences with sharing between Windows 7 and XP leave us a comment!

Using System Restore in XP

Windows is well-known for having driver and .dll conflicts, as well as all sorts of software that causes problems with your computer. Luckily there’s a System restore feature that can return your computer back to a known working configuration, as long as you’ve created a restore point.
Note that some software installations will create restore points automatically, but you should run it manually before installing any questionable applications. (Or better yet, don’t install questionable applications!)

Creating a Restore Point Manually
To create a Restore Point click on Start \ programs\ Accessories \ System Tools \ System Restore, and you’ll be given a wizard screen.

Click on “Create a restore point” and then click the Next button. You’ll be brought to a screen where you can type in a description for your restore point. Use something memorable if possible.

Once your restore point is created (which might take a while), you will get a confirmation screen.

All done creating the restore point!

Restoring from a Restore Point
To restore from a previously created restore point, open System Restore the same as above, but this time we’ll select “Restore my computer to an earlier time”. Note that System Restore is going to reboot your computer in order to restore.

Click the next button, and you’ll be shown a calendar with bolded dates wherever there is a restore point. Click on the date, and then click a restore point in the right hand side.

You’ll get a confirmation screen asking if you really want to do this. We’ll assume that there’s a problem requiring you to restore, so go ahead.

Your system will reboot and then restore your computer back to the previous configuration