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 All
about the Windows XP Control panel
By
Mitz
Free
Computer Help
The Windows control panel is the main area where you can access most of the main
settings for your computer. To get to the control panel, go to the start menu
and it will be listed there. Click on the screenshot to see the Windows control
panel in classic view.
Here is a brief summary of the most used
control panel features.
Accessibility Options The
accessibility options are in the Windows Control panel to help people with
disabilities use the computer. There are some simple settings that you can
change to make your computer using experience more pleasant. See more about
Accessibility Options
Add Hardware The use for this has
actually lowered as Windows now automatically finds the hardware that you
install. The automatic add hardware wizard comes up and helps you install your
hardware. I would be worried if you had a chance to get to the control panel and
press on this, because this means Windows did not find your hardware
automatically.
Add or Remove Programs New computer
users commonly seem to think that to uninstall a program, you simply dump it in
the recycle bin. Well this only gets rid of the desktop shortcut, not the actual
program. Even if you go into Program files to the folder where the program
is and delete that, there will always be more files scattered in other places.
To Add or remove programs on your computer you must go to
Add or Remove programs.
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Administration Tools
The Administration tools are not to be played with. It contains some in depth
settings that are not for the average user. Changing settings in here can cause
your computer to stop working. You can turn on or off Windows services, Check
your system performance, Set names to hard drives in computer management, and
check on shared folders. As I said, it is not a place to experiment or try
things out.
Automatic Updates You can set
Automatic updates to download automatically, or ask you before they are
downloaded, or even turn them off completely. I think it is be to be notified
when they are ready to be downloaded and installed as sometimes they interfere
with what you are doing at the time. Also after they have been installed,
Windows will then basically nag you until you restart the computer. Here's how
to find
Automatic updates.
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Date and Time
If you click on this icon you can change your date and time, time zone settings,
and synchronise your computer time with the internet. You can also double click
on the time in the right corner to bring up the same date and time properties.
Display Here you can change
the display properties. You can change your desktop wallpaper, screensaver,
Windows theme, and your screen resolution. You can also get there by right
clicking on the desktop and choosing properties. Here's
how to change your screen resolution.
Folder Options Folder
options in Windows Control Panel has some very important folder and file
settings here. You can change so many settings here. One example is that
you can add or remove the menu options that come up when you open windows
explorer to view your folders. You can also go to the view tab to show or hide
hidden files. Here's
how to show hidden files.
Fonts This is where all the
font files are kept. Any font that is in here will show up in your writing
programs for you to use. You can install more fonts into this folder.
Internet Options Internet
options is very handy for changing settings that have to do with surfing the
internet and internet explorer. You can set security and privacy measures that
can make your computer safe when browsing the net. You can also change the
homepage, add websites to the trusted zone,
delete cookies, delete cache files, set automatic filters for bad content,
and even set auto complete forms here.
Network Connections
Opening the Network Connections control panel will show you icons for the
different network connections on your PC. You will find your internet connection,
Wireless connection, Bluetooth, and firewire here. If you right click on any of
these icons, you can choose properties from the menu. Here you can change
settings, however be careful as you may loose your internet connection if you do
not know what you are doing.
| Network Setup Wizard
When you have just setup your network you should run this network setup
wizard. This will easily put all your computers on the same wavelength. Phone and Modem You
will need this if you use a fax in conjunction with a computer. You will
also need to go here if you are on dialup internet. Your settings will be
here.
Power Options This may vary
from computer to computer, depending on whether you have a laptop or a desktop.
This allows you to set a time when a screensaver kicks in or when your computer
should hibernate, because it has been left on and not being used.
Printers and Faxes You can
go here and see what printers are installed. You can right click on it and
choose to pause printing or choose properties to see the printers details.
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Scanners and Cameras
When you connect your camera to your computer, it will show up in here when you
open it. Here is
how to find the scanner and camera wizard.
Scheduled Tasks You can set
tasks for the computer to perform at certain times. This is great for performing
system checks when no one is using the computer.
Security Center The Windows
Security center has The main security settings like the firewall, the automatic
updates, and virus protection. Here you can turn the firewall on or off, change
settings for automatic updates, and choose to enable windows virus alerts.
Sounds and Audio Devices
You will probably have a sound problem sooner or later and here is where you can
check the settings.
System
When you press on here you get the system properties box. Here are some other
ways to find the
system properties box. This is by far the most important part of the control
panel. You can see what speed your computer is, how much memory it has , and
under the hardware tab, see devices that are connected to the computer.
System Taskbar and Start Menu
You can customise your taskbar and start menu here. There are some great little
tricks to use that really do make life easier. One of my favourite ones is to
hide the taskbar, therefore letting you see more of your screen. Another great
one is to organise your start menu the way you would like it. More about how to
customise your taskbar and start menu.
User Accounts Here you can
delete, create a new user, change passwords, set administration rights, and
change your picture for your name. If you are not signed in as an administrator,
Windows will not let you change some settings.
The following are some common Control Panel Applets.
They are located in the
\windows\system32 directory. If you can't find the control panel go to the startmenu>run>then type
control panel. Every computer user will use these Windows utilities
often.
If you find yourself using any of these frequently, then you can simply make
shortcuts to them on your desktop. Just go to control panel and right click on
which one you want and choose shortcut.
You can also type these into the run window. (startmenu>run>then type
XXXX)
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Add/Remove Programs |
appwiz.cpl |
Click on this icon to add and remove programs safely. |
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Display Properties |
desk.cpl
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This is where you can change your desktop resolution and wallpaper. |
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Firewall Settings
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firewall.cpl
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This shows you whether the windows firewall is on or off.
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Internet Options |
inetcpl.cpl
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You can change internet settings here. |
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Sound and Audio
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mmsys.cpl
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Adjust volume and settings. |
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Network Connections
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ncpa.cpl
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You can view your network connections and change various settings. |
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User
Accounts
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nusrmgr.cpl |
Create, change, and delete user accounts. |
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Power Options
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powercfg.cpl
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System Properties
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sysdm.cpl
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Change settings like system restore, and view your computer specs. |
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Security Center
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wscui.cpl
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You should check here to make sure your computer is protected from
harmful viruses. |
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Automatic Updates Configuration |
wuaucpl.cpl |
Turn automatic updates on or off and schedule downloads. |
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About the Author
Mitz Pantic wrote this article and others for
tips4pc.com
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