Appendix C. If You’re New to Windows XP
Windows XP is a fully rebuilt version of Windows that makes use of the success of Windows 2000 and adds many unseen enhancements in stability, performance, and security. Windows XP comes in two versions, Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional. Your tablet runs Windows XP Tablet PC Edition, which is actually a version of Windows XP Professional with additional functionalities added.
New Features in Windows XP
Some of the differences you will see in Windows XP are:
New login screen and user accounts
Unlike Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me, you must have a login account with a username and a password to use Windows XP. If security is not an issue for you, the tablet can log in to your account automatically at startup, but it’s important to understand that the account is still there. Your desktop preferences (see Chapter 1), speech input profile (see Chapter 2), and My Documents and Favorites folders are all linked to a specific account. The login screen can be a dialog box requiring a typed name and password familiar to Windows NT and Windows 2000 users or a new Welcome screen where users choose their name from a list and then enter a password. The tablet automatically displays an on-screen keyboard to assist with login. Control of how users log in is set in the User Accounts control panel. The new Welcome screen is available only for computers that are not part of a domain.
Note
If you need maximum security, use the classic Windows login rather than the Welcome screen. There is actually a small security risk because of the on-screen keyboard that could allow a skilled user to bypass the login screen. Requiring users to press the tablet security button eliminates this risk.
New visuals
Windows XP introduces many new colors and special visual effects to enhance your desktop environment. Chapter 1 discusses some of these features and how they might impact performance on your tablet.
New Start menu
The Start menu is organized into two columns with commonly used programs and locations updated dynamically. Ways to customize this menu are discussed in Chapter 1.
New folder windows
Windows XP has several new options for viewing content. When you open a folder in Windows XP, by default there is a left pane that contains context-sensitive options, links to other folders and services, and details about the currently selected item. Each subpane is expandable or collapsible for easier viewing.
New Help and Support center
As mentioned in Appendix A, Windows XP has a new Help and Support system that offers step-by-step troubleshooting and is linked to Microsoft’s online Knowledge Base.
System restore
Windows XP automatically maintains a database of earlier installations of your operating system and allows you to return the system to an earlier state if it is damaged or corrupted by installation of new software or hardware. See Appendix A for details.
New versions of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player
Internet Explorer 6 includes new privacy settings. Windows Media Player 8 includes improvements at managing your music and video collection.
There are a lot of books on Windows XP Professional available for further information. Any good text on Windows XP Professional will apply to the Tablet PC Edition. One good book to check out is Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out (Microsoft Press, 2001).
Importing Data from Another PC
If you want to import your files and settings from your current computer running Windows to your new tablet, the File And Settings Transfer Wizard of Windows XP will guide you through the steps of bringing the information from one computer to the other. The wizard works with versions of Windows all the way back to Windows 95. All you need to get going is some way to move the data between the computers and your Windows XP installation CD. If at all possible, create a network connection between the two computers. If this isn’t possible, use a removable drive such as a USB or FireWire drive discussed in Chapter 7 or a writable CD drive. It is possible to make a direct connection between the old and new computers using a serial cable, but avoid this direct connection option, unless you want to spend all day transferring files.
More Information
For more detailed information about the File Settings And Transfer Wizard see Chapter 2 of Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out.
To use the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard, follow these steps:
Start the transfer process on the tablet by opening the File And Settings Transfer Wizard. On the Start menu, tap All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then Files And Settings Transfer Wizard. On the Welcome page, tap Next. On the subsequent page, set the tablet as the New Computer and tap Next.
On the next page, choose I Will Use The Wizard From The Windows XP CD option and tap Next.
The next page tells you to run the wizard on your old computer. If your old computer is running Windows XP, you can run the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard on that computer and select the option for Old Computer. If it is running an earlier version of Windows, insert the Windows XP CD and select Perform Additional Tasks from the Welcome menu. Click Transfer Files And Settings to start the Files And Settings Transfer Wizard.
On the page asking for a transfer method, click Home Or Small Office Network if you’re using the network or Other for removable drives and click Next. If the wizard is unable to find the new Windows XP computer, this option will be unavailable. This could be because the wizard isn’t running on the new computer or the computers aren’t on the same subnet, as described in the Knowledge Base article “‘Home or Small Network’ Option is Unavailable in the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard.” See the article for more information.
The next page lets you determine exactly what you want transferred: settings, files, or both. Your settings not only include your desktop layout and settings but also include personal settings for virtually every program on your old computer, as well as items you might think of as files, such as e-mail messages in Outlook Express. Your files are exactly what you think, the files you work with on your computer. Unfortunately, the wizard transfers practically all of them, which can add up to gigabytes of data, unless you tell it otherwise. (See step 6.) The settings and files option transfers both.
If your tablet has at least as big a hard drive as your old computer and the two are networked, you can leave the option for selecting a custom list of files and settings unchecked. When you click Next on the old computer, the process will begin and could take more than 30 minutes. If you want to limit the files included, check the box for selecting a custom list, click Next, and complete these three steps:
Select any setting you do not want transferred by selecting them in the list and tapping Remove. For example, the tablet uses very different display settings than a standard monitor, so these are best left behind. If you’re not sure about whether or not to copy a setting, remove it from the list. You can always set it up fresh on your tablet.
Select the folders you want transferred. Commonly used folders, such as My Documents, appear in the list by default. You may remove and add as many folders as you wish, even folders on different drives, but every file and subfolder in the folder will be transferred.
Select the file types you do not want transferred and remove them. This is a confusing option, because it does not affect the folders you have selected for transfer in the previous step. In other words, you could remove every file type from this list and all the files in your selected folders and all your selected settings would still transfer. In fact, if you are certain all the data you want is contained in the folders you select, go ahead and remove every file type from this list. It will speed up the transfer process. If you are concerned there may be stray files, such as Word documents, that will be left behind, remove everything except those file types from the list. The wizard will search every local drive and folder on your old computer for these files and copy them.
Begin the transfer from the old computer, and then go get a fresh cup of coffee. If the computers are networked, the tablet will automatically start receiving the files, and each computer will tell you when it is done. The tablet will be busy for quite a while after the old computer is finished. Be patient. If you are using a removable drive, when the old computer is finished you can remove the drive, connect it to the tablet, and tap Next on the tablet’s wizard page. Locate the files from the old computer on the removable drive, and tap Next. The second cup of coffee while waiting for the files to install onto your tablet is strictly optional.
Once you have your new system up and running, be sure to:
Write down your password, and save it in a safe place. Also, register any smart cards or encryption keys if you plan to use them.
Set a system restore point using the System Restore utility.
Create a backup of your data and a schedule for regular backups in the future. This might be a good use for your old computer.