This is a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to installing and configuring Windows XP, originally developed by PC Pete, now a part of NYISI. NYISI will continue to develop and support this guide.
-1. Foreword
Re-installing Windows XP can be a painful experience. Despite Microsoft’s claims regarding Vista, the “wow starts now” when you say, “wow, this wasn’t much of an upgrade at all”. These disaffected Vista users might want to switch back to Windows XP. But anyone with an older PC that already had Windows XP installed would almost be foolish to upgrade to Vista without any compelling reason. Gaming support for DirectX 10 is one of the most common reasons to upgrade to Vista, but unless this is the reason you need Vista, you might be surprised to see how fast, cost-free, and hassle-free Windows XP can be with a fresh install and some extra software. This how-to guide explains step-by-step how to install Windows XP, and some useful free software.
0. Back up everything
This is step 0 because if you’re doing this on a new PC, or simply don’t care, you can skip this step.
However, if you need the data or settings on your PC, you’ll want to have a way to bring everything back. So before doing anything here to your own PC, make a backup of everything on your system using a drive imaging tool. The tools for this task are commercially developed and cost money to use. However, both drive imaging tools featured here offer free trials for evaluation. This will give you either 14 or 30 days to restore anything you need, without having to pay. You can always keep the backup, and decide to buy the software later if you need the backup for more than the time limit on the software. Otherwise, 14 to 30 days is more than enough time for this task.
- Acronis TrueImage (14 day trial)
- Norton Ghost (30 daytrial)
1. Re-install the operating system
a) Re-install Windows XP
If you’ll be installing XP regularly, it’s worth checking out how to make your own unattended installation disc with nLite. You can also use nLite to roll-up Windows Updates and service packs, like Service Pack 3 (SP3).
b) Configure O/S settings & options
You’ll want to be able to see what you’re doing during the rest of these steps, so a good first step is to set some basic options in the O/S.
i. Display Properties
First set the display options. Right-click the desktop and select Properties.
- On
the “Desktop” tab, you can select a new Destop background image to use.
You can slightly improve performance by selecting “None”, and instead
choosing a solid color. - On the “Appearance” tab, you
can select the overall look and feel of Windows. You can significantly
improve performance by selecting the “Windows and buttons” option and
choosing the “Windows Classic style” setting. - Still on the “Appearance” tab, click “Effects…”.
- Un-check:
- Use the following transition effect for menus and tooltips
- Shows shadows under menus
- Show window contents while dragging
- Hide underlined letters for keyboard navigation until I press the Alt key
- Check:
- Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts
- Select “ClearType” from the drop-down menu
- Optional:
- Use large icons – check this if you have bad eyesight or if you will select a high display resolution in the next step.
- Un-check:
- Click “OK” to return to the “Display Properties” dialog
- On
the “Settings” tab, adjust the “Screen resolution” slider to the
resolution you desire. Higher is generally better, but sometimes you
may want a lower resolution, such as if you have bad eyesight or if you
have a monitor that doesn’t support high resolutions. - Click OK to close the display properties dialog.
ii. Add key icons to the desktop
It
is helpful to add frequently used icons to the desktop. For some
reason, Microsoft felt that users wanted a desktop with less clutter.
In practice, a lot of software installs shortcuts on the desktop
anyway, including some software by Microsoft.
- Click “Start”
- Right click “My Computer”
- Click “Show on desktop”
- Right click “My Documents”
- Click “Show on desktop”
iii. System Properties / Performance Options
The
“System Properties” dialog contains a number of key settings. Now is a
good time to set some of these options, especially the options on the
“Performance Options” dialog, which can dramatically help improve
performance by disabling some needless animations and other display
features. Using the desktop icon we just created (or the start menu
link):
- Right-click “My Computer”
- Click “Properties”
- Select the “Advanced” tab
- In the section “Performance” click “Settings”, which opens the “Performance Options” dialog to the “Visual Effects” tab.
- Select “Adjust for best performance”
- In the set of check boxes, check:
- “Smooth edges of screen fonts”
- “User drop shadows for icon labels on the desktop”
- In the set of check boxes, optionally check:
- “Use common tasks in folders” – puts links to common tasks in the left sidebar when opening folders in Windows Explorer.
- “Use
visual styles on windows and buttons” – check this if you plan to use a
theme other than the “Windows Classic style”, such as the default
“Green” theme.
- Click “OK” to return to the “Advanced” tab on the “System Properties” dialog
- Click the “Error Reporting” button
- Select “Disable error reporting”
- Check “But notify me when critical errors occur”
- Click “OK” to return to the “Advanced” tab on the “System Properties” dialog
- Switch to the “System Restore” tab
- Windows
allocates 12% of your hard drive to the System Restore service. This is
a bit much. Move slider slightly to the left to reduce the amount of
hard drive space to reserve for System Restore. 2000MB should be enough
for most people, but up to 5000GB may be used just to be safe, if
desired. 2000MB should be more than enough for most people. We’ll come
back to the System Restore tab once more later in this process.
- Windows
- Switch to the “Automatic Updates” tab
- Select
“Turn off Automatic Updates”. This is temporary until we install some
basic software. We’ll re-enable automatic updates later.
- Select
- Switch to the “Remote” tab
- Un-check “Allow Remote Assistance invitations to be sent from this computer”
- Un-check “Allow users to connect remotely to this computer”
- Check
this option if you want to use the built in Remote Desktop features in
Windows to connect to this computer remotely. You don’t need to check
this box to connect to other computers with Remote Desktop.
- Check
- Click “OK” to close the “System Properties” dialog
iv. Taskbar and Start Menu Properties
Adjusting one setting here improves visibility about what’s running on the system in the background.
- Right-click the start menu, and select “Properties”
- Un-check “Hide inactive icons”
- Click “OK”
c) Remove / disable un-needed components
Windows
comes with a lot of junk by default. Some of this we’ll replace with
other software later. Some of this comes down to personal preference,
but other steps you can take will dramatically improve performance with
little loss.
- Click “Start”
- Click “Control Panel”
- Click “Add or Remove Programs”
- Click “Add/Remove Windows Components”, which will open the “Windows Components Wizard”
- Un-check:
- “Fax Services”, unless you plan to wire this computer to a phone line to send and receive faxes
- “MSN Explorer”, even if you have MSN you can connect without MSN Explorer
- Optionally Un-check:
- “Indexing
Service”, the indexing service uses a lot of resources, and doesn’t
dramatically improve the already bad search included with Windows XP.
If you’ve ever felt underwhelmed by the Windows XP search, un-check
this to improve performance of your PC with a slight increase to search
times. - “Outlook Express”, but leave this checked
if you know you need this. Microsoft Outlook (part of the Microsoft
Office suite) and Mozilla Thunderbird (a free mail and newsgroup client
from the makers of Firefox) are both superior alternatives to Outlook
Express. Moreover, if you use a webmail service like Gmail, you may not
need a mail client at all. - “Windows Messenger”,
but leave this checked if you know you need this. Pidgin, a
multi-platform messaging client that supports MSN, will be installed
later.
- “Indexing
- Un-check:
- Click “Next”
- Click “Finish”
d) Disable un-needed services
A
Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific
functions and which is designed not to require user intervention.
Windows services can be configured to start when the operating system
is booted and run in the background as long as Windows is running, or
they can be started manually when required. Some services that are not
required can be disabled to improve performance.
- Right-click “My Computer”
- Select “Manage”
- In the left column, select “Services and Applications”, and open the “Services” option
- To disable a service, double-click the service name
- Select the “Startup Type” drop-down and choose “Disabled”
- Click “OK” to close the Properties dialog and return to the Services menu
- Disable the following services:
- Error
Reporting Service – since error reporting was disabled in an earlier
step, there’s no need to launch a service that will sit idle. - Help
and Support – this service is only launched when running “Help and
Support” from the start menu, so disabling this won’t prevent you from
accessing built-in help menus and files with other applications. - Remote Registry – the description says it all: “enables remote users to modify registry settings on this computer” – no thanks!
- WebClient
– this service is only required if you edit files on remote web systems
via the built-in URL handlers in Windows (e.g., directly editing some
file on an FTP server). Disabling this service will not prevent you
from using FTP or other Internet services.
- Error
- Optionally disable the following services:
- Themes
– disable this if you selected the Windows Classic theme, in which case
the themes service is not required. However, leave this enabled to use
any other visual style. - Wireless Zero Configuration – if you don’t have a wireless card, and don’t plan to, disable this service
- Themes
2. Re-install hardware drivers
Re-installing drivers
can be challenging if the manufacturer’s support is spotty, or if the
original driver disks that came with the PC hardware are no longer
available. This step relies on some prior knowledge of what hardware is
installed on the PC. If the PC has never been upgraded, the PC
manufacturer’s web site should have all the necessary drivers and
updates. Visit the PC manufacturer’s website, and look for links to
“Support”, “Downloads, or “Drivers”. Since this step is different
depending on the manufacturer, you may have to look around. Some common
manufacturer support sites are:
- Acer – Third largest computer manufacturer in the world.
- Gateway – Presently a brand name of Acer after being acquired in 2007. Largely known for the cow patterned boxes.
- eMachines – Presently a brand name of Gateway/Acer after being acquired in 2004.
- Packard Bell – Acer acquired 75% of its parent company, PB Holdings in 2008.
- Apple
– Third largest computer manufacturer in the United States. Desktop,
notebook, mobile devices. Even though they’re famous for their own
operating system that competes with Windows, with Boot Camp, Apple PCs
can run Windows too. This site explains more about loading drivers and
what not. - Asus – Largely known for main-boards and parts, also buildsnotebooks.
- CyberPower PC – Low-cost high-endgaming PCs.
- Dell – Second largest computer manufacturer in theworld.
- Alienware – High-end gaming PCs and laptops. Presently a brand name of Dell after being acquired in 2006.
- Fujitsu – Largely known for media devicesbut also builds notebooks and servers.
- Hewlett-Packard -Largest computer manufacturer in the world.
- Compaq – Budget brand of PCs and laptops. Presently a brand name of Hewlett-Packard after the merger in 2002.
- VoodooPC – High-end gaming PCs and laptops. Presently a brand name of Hewlett-Packard after being acquired in 2006.
- Hitachi – Manufactures desktop and laptop computer components
- Lenovo – Fourth largestcomputer manufacturer in the world. Acquired IBM’s Personal Computing Division in 2005.
- IBM – PC system manufacturers division was acquired by Lenovo.
- NEC – Computer division of a largetechnology company, products range from laptops to supercomputers.
- Panasonic – Primarily known for the Toughbook rugged laptop computer.
- Samsung Electronics – TheSens line of laptop computers. Is the largest manufacturer of LCD panels worldwide.
- Sharp – Manufactures a lineof laptop computers.
- Shuttle – Manufactures small form-factordesktop computers across a range of performance and price.
- Sony – Manufactures desktops and laptops under the VAIOsub-brand.
- Sun Microsystems – Primarilymanufactures servers and workstations.
- Toshiba – Fifth largest computer manufacturer inthe world.
Most
of the time, Windows XP will successfully detect the ethernet port on
the machine. Occasionally, the ethernet will require some drivers. If
this happens, download the drivers on a working PC, transfer them to a
USB stick, then run the driver installation off the USB stick.
When
installing drivers, avoid unnecessary add-ons like “control panels” to
improve performance. These interfaces are usually unnecessary, but if
you don’t feel comfortable customizing driver installations, it won’t
cause any harm. If you can handle it, pay attention when installing any
drivers and follow “custom” installation to make sure you remove any
unnecessary add-ons. Stick to just the drivers to avoid unneeded
startup programs.
To verify that you’ve installed all the hardware drivers you need:
- Right-click “My Computer”
- Select “Manage”
- In the left column, select “Device Manager”
- Devices that appear with a yellow question mark icon or a name of “Unknown device” are not recognized
- Devices highlighted with a yellow exclamation point are recognized, but require additional drivers to function properly
- Devices
highlighted with a red ‘x’ are disabled because there is a malfunction
with the device, the device has been removed, or the device is disabled
- If there are any driver issues, correct them before continuing.
3. Run Windows Update
Once all the manufactuer drivers
are loaded, you should have no problem using all your hardware, and you
should have full internet connectivity. We will run Windows Update
manually the first few times, and then re-enable the Automatic Updates
service to keep the system up-to-date.
- Click “Start”
- Select “Programs”
- Select “Windows Update”
- The first time the Windows Update page is loaded, it will prompt to update the Windows Update software
- Update the Windows Update software
- Restart the PC when instructed to do so
- Load the “Windows Update” page again
- Click “Custom” updates to select from optional and high-priority updates
- If
you installed Windows XP without any service packs or updates rolled
up, you will first be prompted to install Service Pack 2 (SP2)- Follow the on-screen directions to install SP2
- Restart the PC when instructed to do so
- Return to the Windows Update page
- If
you installed Windows XP without any service packs or updates, or you
installed Windows XP with service packs or updates released prior to
Service Pack 3 (SP3), you will be prompted to install SP3.- Follow the on-screen directions to install SP3
- Restart the PC when instructed to do so
- Return to the Windows Update page
- Again click “Custom” updates to select from optional and high-priority updates
- Once SP3 is installed, a list of outstanding updates is presented
- Leave all the updates selected
- Click “Software, Optional”, and check:
- “Root Certificates Update”, to provide support for the latest SSL Extended Validation (EV) certificates in Internet Explorer 7
- “Windows Media Player 11” to enjoy the latest features for the perennial favorite media player
- “Microsoft
.NET Framework 2.0: x86” this and the .NET Framework below provide full
features to programs that may be required for software installed later - “Microsoft .NET Framework version 1.1”
- Click “Hardware, Optional” if there are any number of updates available besides 0.
- Check
the available drivers. Occasionally, the Windows Update drivers revert
the driver to one that was not the most recent, or causes other issues.
If you’re not experiencing problems, or if you’re sure you have the
most recent drivers for this device, you can skip this step.
- Check
- Click “Review and install updates”
- Click “Install updates”
- Restart the PC when instructed to do so
- Again click “Custom” updates to select from optional and high-priority updates
- Return to the Windows Update page one last time to ensure there are no more updates
- If
there are any updates, click “Review and install updates”, then
“Install updates” and repeat the update process again until there are
no more updates to install.
If prompted, avoid the “Microsoft Download” agent, which also installs Silverlight. Neither of these programs are widely adopted and they are not
recommended.
4. Re-install user software
Now that the system has an
up-to-date operating system with all its drivers installed, it’s time
to load user software. This list includes some basic applications and
solutions. There is a free solution for just about any problem out
there, but occasionally, we recommend some commercial alternatives.
a) Internet
At
this step, Internet Explorer 7 should still be fresh. If you like
Internet Explorer, more power to you! But we recommend Mozilla Firefox
because of its open, non-commercial nature.
- Load Internet Explorer now.
- The first time it runs, it will prompt to customize your settings.
- Select “Let me select from a list of other search providers”
- Un-check the “Turn on automatic Phishing Filter”
- If desired, check “Activate ClearType”
- Un-check the “Customer Experience Improvement” box
- Click “Save your settings”
- Click on the desired search provider (Google is recommended), then click “Add Provider”
- Close and restart Internet Explorer
- You will be prompted again to enable the phishing filter; disable the phishing filter and click “OK”
Required:
-
Mozilla Firefox 3.0
Mozilla
Firefox is a free and open source web browser that includes tabbed
browsing, a spell checker, incremental find, live bookmarking, a
download manager, and an integrated search system that uses the user’s
desired search engine.- Run the setup file
- Click “Next” to start the setup process
- Check the box to accept the free license and click “Next”
- Select “Custom” and click “Next”
- Leave the default install location and click “Next”
- Leave all the boxes checked to create shortcuts to Firefox and click “Next”
- Leave the default Start Menu folder name and click “Next”
- Click “Install” to begin installing Firefox
- Click “Finish” to complete the setup process
The
first time Firefox is run, it will prompt you to import bookmarks.
Select “Don’t import anything” and continue. With Firefox started up,
it’s time to customize it.- Click “Tools”, and select “Add-ons”
- Search for “Adblock Plus”
- Click “Add to Firefox…”, then “Install Now”
- Repeat the previous step for any of the desired plugins, like some recommended plugins below
- Restart Firefox when the desired plugins are installed
- The Adblock Plus plugin will prompt to subscribe to a filter list. Select “EasyList (USA)”, and click “Subscribe”
- Close the “Add-ons” window
- Add search engine plugins from Mycroft.
The Mycroft project provides a collection of Sherlock & OpenSearch
Search Engine Plugins (15876 at the last count) for your web browser.
To add a search engine plugin, simply click the link below and click
“Add”.
Mozilla Firefox is recommended, and you’ll still have Microsoft Internet Explorer to fall back on, but since the choice of browser comes down to
personal preference, you also might consider these alternatives:
- Google Chrome is exciting, but not ready for primetime. It’s still a bit unstable, and doesn’t support Java yet. Give it time.
- Opera
is an “internet suite” that supports features that other browsers
don’t, such as including its own IRC and torrent client. However, it’s
not widely adopted or supported, but has a cult following.
-
Java Runtime Environment
Java is a programming language originally developed by Sun Microsystems. Java allows you to play online games, chat with people around the world,
calculate your mortgage interest, and view images in 3D, just to name a few. It’s also integral to the intranet applications and other e-business solutions
that are the foundation of corporate computing.
- Download the “offline” installation package from the download link
- Close any open web browser windows before continuing
- Run the setup file
- Click “Accept” to accept the free license
- Un-check “Openoffice.org Installer”, and click “Next”
- Click “Finish” to complete the setup
-
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash (previously called Shockwave Flash and Macromedia Flash) is a set of multimedia software created by Macromedia and currently developed
and distributed by Adobe Systems. Flash is commonly used to create animation, advertisements, and various web page components, to integrate video into web
pages, and more recently, to develop rich Internet applications.
- Install Flash in Firefox
- Using Firefox, download the setup file from the link above
- Run the setup file
- When the setup is complete, click “Close”
- Install Flash in Internet Explorer
- Using Internet Explorer, go to the download link, and click “Download”
- Un-check the “Free Google Toolbar” option
- Click “Agree and install now”
- Click
the area with the text “Click here to install the following ActiveX
control: ‘Adobe Flash Player Installer’ from ‘Adobe Systems
Incorporated'” - Click “Install ActiveX Control…” then click “Install” in the pop-up box
- When the setup is complete, the Flash demo movie will load, close Internet Explorer
- Install Flash in Firefox
-
µTorrent
µTorrent
(or uTorrent) is a free BitTorrent client by BitTorrent, Inc. for
Microsoft Windows. It is designed to use minimal computer resources
while offering functionality comparable to larger BitTorrent clients
such as Vuze or BitComet. The program has received consistently good
reviews for its feature set, performance, stability, and support for
older hardware and versions of Windows. It has been in active
development since its first release in 2005.- Run the setup file
- Un-check the boxes below, and click “Install”
- Create Start menu entry
- Create Quick Launch icon
- Create Desktop icon
- When installation is complete, µTorrent will start for the first time
- Click “Yes” to make µTorrent the default torrent application
- Accept the default connection settings by clicking “Use Selected Settings”
- Click “Options”, and select “Preferences”
- In the menu on the left side of the Preferences dialog, click “Queueing”
- Check the box “Limit the upload rate to” and set the value to 0
- In the menu on the left side of the Preferences dialog, click “UI Settings”
- Un-check the box “Close to tray”
- Click “OK” to close the Preferences dialog, then close µTorrent
Optional:
-
LogMeIn
LogMeIn
Free provides remote desktop access with optional remote sound, file
management, printer access, and online chat features through a web
browser. -
Logmein
LogMeIn
Hamachi is a VPN service that easily sets up in 10 minutes, and enables
secure remote access to your business network, anywhere there’s an
Internet connection. It works with your existing firewall, and requires
no additional configuration. Hamachi is the first networking
application to deliver an unprecedented level of direct peer-to-peer
connectivity. It is simple, secure, and cost-effective. Not everyone
will need a personal VPN, but if you’re a tinkerer, check out this
free, lightweight VPN solution.
b) Security
Required:
-
AVG Anti-Virus Free
AVG
includes most of the common functions available in modern antivirus
programs, including periodic scans, the ability to “heal” some
virus-infected files, and a “virus vault” in which infected files are
held. While it does not offer the best protection nor performance, it
does offer the best price, being free.- Run the setup file
- Click “Next” at the splash screen, then “Accept” the free licenses
- Select “Custom Installation” and click “Next”
- Click “Next” again when prompted for the license key (leave the free default key)
- Click “Next” when prompted for the destination folder, then click “Yes” to create the new directory
- Uncheck
“LinkScanner”, “Email Scanner”, and “Office plugin”, then click Next
(don’t worry, you’ll still be protected by the resident scanner - Review the settings, then click “Finish”
- When the installation is complete, click “Next” to launch with the First Run Wizard
- Click “Next” to start the wizard
- Un-check “enable dailying scanning”, and confirm by clicking “Yes”, then click “Next”
- Click “Next” to get the latest updates
- When the updates are finished, click “Next”
- Skip the registration screen by clicking “Next”
- Click “Finish” to complete installation
- Daily scanning: your choice, but probably not necessary. Definitely disable on laptops, since it’ll drain the battery.
- Let it auto update
- No need to register
Admitedly, AVG is not the “best” solution, but it is the “best priced” solution, and offers adequate protection. Alternatives to AVG are noted
below. Although they are commercial software, the developers offer free trials.
- Kaspersky
- NOD32
-
PeerGuardian 2
PeerGuardian
2 is a free and open source program capable of blocking incoming and
outgoing connections based on IP blocklists, preventing you from
connecting to advertising, spyware, and government hosts.- Run the setup file
- Click “Next” to begin the setup
- Accept the free license and click “Next”
- Click “Next” again four (4) times, accepting all the defaults
- Click “Install” to begin the installation
- Click “Finish” to complete the installation and launch the PeerGuardian Setup Wizard
- Click “Next” at the first screen of the wizard
- Check the boxes below, leave the rest unchecked, and click “Next”
- P2P
- Ads
- Spyware
- Government
- Click “Next” to accept the default update settings
- Click “Finish” to complete the setup wizard and launch PeerGuardian for the first time
- PeerGuardian will automatically update its filter lists, when it is done updating, click “Close”, which will launch PeerGuardian
- With PeerGuardian loaded to its home screen, first click “Allow HTTP”
- Switch to the “Settings” tab
- Un-check the box “Blink tray icon” and click “Next”
- Check the boxes “Start with Windows” and “Always start hidden”
- Close the PeerGuardian window to complete configuration
c) Media
Required:
-
XP Codec Pack
XP Codec Pack is one of the most completed codec packs which helps you to play all major audio and video formats. Includes Media Player Classic, a
simple integrated player that plays almost all audio and video files.
- Close any open web browser or media player windows
- Run the setup file
- Select a language (like English) and click “OK”
- Click “Next” to begin setup
- Click “Next” to accept the default configuration
- Click “Next” to accept the default install location
- Click “Install” to accept the default start menu folder and begin installing
- Click “Finish” to complete the installation
Optional
-
iTunes*
iTunes is a digital media player application used for playing and organizing digital music and video files. The program is also an interface to
manage the contents on Apple’s popular iPod digital media players as well as the iPhone. *Note: no email address or registration is required to download
iTunes.
- You can skip this if you have no iPod, but who doesn’t have an iPod?
- Includes Quicktime
- If not installing iTunes, install Quicktime Alternative
-
Real Alternative
Real Alternative is a codec pack created for playing RealMedia files without installing RealPlayer. The pack can be used with any
DirectShow-enabled media player, such as Media Player Classic.
-
QuickTime Alternative
QuickTime Alternative is a codec package created by Codec Guide for playing .MOV files, Apple’s proprietary QuickTime format. QuickTime
Alternative contains less features, but consumes less system resources. QuickTime Alternative can play .MOV files and stream QuickTime media. Also, unlike
Apple QuickTime, QuickTime Alternative does not run background processes, allowing it to require less system resources to operate.
- Do not install QuickTime Alternative if you have installed or will install iTunes
d) Office / Productivity
Required:
-
Notepad2
Notepad2
is an open-source text editor for Microsoft Windows, written based on
the principle of Microsoft Notepad: small, fast and usable. It features
syntax highlighting for a number of computer languages (e.g. ASP, C,
C++, C#, CGI, CSS, HTML, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Python, SQL, VB,
VBScript, XHTML and XML) and file formats (e.g. BAT, DIFF, INF, INI,
and REG). Notepad2 also has several other features like auto
indentation, bracket matching, and encoding conversion between ASCII,
UTF-8 and UTF-16 formats. In short, it’s what Notepad wishes it was.- Open the ZIP file containing the program
- Extract the files to C:\WINDOWS\, and “show extracted files” (or go to the C:\WINDOWS\ folder)
- Locate Notepad2, then right click the Notepad2 text file
- Select “Open With”, then select “Choose Program…”
- In the filename box, enter “C:\WINDOWS\Notepad2.exe” and click “Open”
- Check “Always use the selected program to open this kind of file” and click “OK”
-
Foxit PDF
Foxit Reader is a free, basic PDF reader. Foxit Reader is notable for its short load time and small filesize, which are often very favorable when
compared to Adobe Reader. It is supported by advertising, but it is extremely unintrusive (arguably less intrusive than offers presented in Adobe
Reader).
- Close any open web browser windows
- Run the setup file
- Click “Next” to begin setup
- Click “Next” after admiring the list of new features
- Click “I agree” to accept the free license
- Click “Custom” installation
- Click “Next” to accept the default install location
- Un-check the items below, then click “Next”
- Add a desktop shortcut
- Add an icon to the Start Menu
- Add an icon to the Windows Quick Launch Toolbar
- Click “Install” to begin the installation
- Click “Finish”, and close Foxit Reader
Optional:
-
Microsoft Office
Not recommended. While Microsoft Office has traditionally been popular, the free solutions noted below are compatible with the Microsoft Office file formats and offer similar user interfaces at no cost. We can’t link you to download it since it costs up to hundreds of bucks to install!
-
OpenOffice.org
OpenOffice.org is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It stores files in an international open standard format by default and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose.
-
Google Docs
Unlike most of the other software recommended here, Google Docs requires no software installed on your PC besides a web browser. Google Docs allows you to create basic documents, spreadsheets, and presentations online. Accepts most popular file formats, including DOC, XLS, ODT, ODS, RTF, CSV, PPT, etc., and uses a familiar interface to make editing easy. Google Docs is enhanced further by Google Gears, which enables more powerful web applications by adding new features to your web browser, such as offline interaction with web apps like Google Docs.
-
Mozilla Thunderbird
Mozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client, comparable to Outlook Express.
e) Messaging / Communication
Required:
-
Pidgin
Pidgin is a multi-platform instant messaging client that supports many commonly used instant messaging protocols, allowing the user to log into various different services from one application.
- Run the setup file
- Select a language (like the default, “English”), then click “OK”
- Click “Next” to start the setup
- Click “Next” to accept the free license
- Click “Next” to accept the default settings
- Click “Next” to install GTK+ in the default location
- Click “Install”, accepting the default install location
- When the installation is complete, click “Next”, then “Finish” to complete the setup
Optional:
-
Skype
Skype is a program that allows users to make telephone calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and to toll-free numbers are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee. Unlimited subscriptions are available. The features and prices make Skype competitively priced as a telephony solution. You can even run Skype on a PSP!
z) Advanced Utilities
Optional:
-
PuTTY: A Free Telnet/SSH Client
PuTTY is a free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Win32 and Unix platforms, along with an xterm terminal emulator. No installation is required! Just download the program and run the executable.
5. Configure user software
Windows Media Player
The first time you launch Windows Media Player, you’ll be prompted to configure some options, and you’ll want to manually configure some others.
- Launch Windows Media Player
- Click “Validate” to validate your copy of Windows and continue
- Click “I accept” to accept the license and continue
- Select “Custom Settings” and click “Next”
- Un-check *all* the options on the “Select Privacy Options” page, including those selected by default (below), then click “Next”
- Display media information from the internet
- Update music files by retrieving the media information from the Internet
- Download usage rights automatically when I play a file
- Save file and URL history in the Player
- Click “Next” to accept the default shortcut locations
- Select “Don’t set up a store now” and click “Next”
- Un-check *all* the file types on the “Select the Default Music and Video Player” screen, then click “Finish” to complete the wizard
- Right-click the text “Windows Media Player” in the upper-left corner of the program window, and select “Show Classic Menus”
- Click “Tools” and select “Options”
- On the “Rip Music” tab, click the “Format” drop-down, and select “MP3”
- Drag the “audio quality” slider to the right to at least “192 Kbps”
- On the “File Types” tab, un-check *all* the file types in the list, and click “OK”
Media Player Classic
Media Player Classic will play just about any video or audio file you can find, provided you have the codec (which you likely will, if you have XP Codec Pack installed). Make Media Player Classic the preferred media player with the steps below.
- Launch Media Player Classic (Start, Programs, XP Codec Pack)
- Click “View”, and select “Options”
- In the left menu, select “Formats”
- Click “All”, then click “OK”
Pidgin
Add your messaging accounts to Pidgin, and start chatting with buddies.
- Launch Pidgin
- The “Accounts” menu will appear, click “Add” to add an account
- Select a protocol, enter the username and password for your account, and click “Save”
- You can return to the Accounts menu and add more accounts if you wish (you also use the Accounts menu to sign on and sign off)
- Close the Accounts menu when done adding accounts
6. Test configuration
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end. From here, you’re pretty much on your own! You might want to make sure everything you need is working. Try some common tasks below.
I don’t answer questions about this script directly, but I do install and support this configuration for my customers!
- Watch a video on Youtube
- Connect and use a device like…
- USB memory stick
- Apple iPod or mp3 player
- Digital camera
- Mobile phone
- PocketPC / Palm device
- Connect a USB printer, and print a test page
