WINDOWS XP - TIPS [ 3 ]

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Running CHKDSK

Added 8/17/05
One way to run a chkdsk (this is like Scandisk that was with Win9X), is to

1. Double click on My Computer
2. Right click on the drive you want to check
3. Select Properties
4. Click on the Tools tab
5. Click on the Check Now button
6. Check to Automatically fix file system errors - This is the same as running chkdsk /f
7. If you want to Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors, check that box - This is the same as running chkdsk /R. It can also add a lot of time to the scan
8. Reboot if necessary

You can also run chkdsk from the command line with will give you more options.
The following switches are available:
/F - fix any errors
/R - identifies bad sectors
/V - with FAT32, displays a verbose output
With NTFS Volumes:
/I - Performs simpler check (stage 2)
/C - Skips the checking of cycles within folder structures
/X - Forces the volume to dismount if necessary.  Intended for server administrators and should be avoided for normal use

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Opening Shared Folders Snap-In

Added 8/17/05
To manage all your shared folders, you can run the snap-in directly
Start / Run / fsmgmt.msc
This will show you all your shared folders in a single window
You can also see what other computers are connected and what files they have open

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Additional Utilities

Added 8/17/05
On the XP CD in the \Support\Tools directory, there are a lot of additional support and troubleshooting utilities.
You can run SETUP from that directory to install them.
Just a few are:

diruse	Shows Disk Usage
dupfinder	Finds Duplicate files
getmac	Get's MAC address of the network card
hostname	Shows the host name of the computer
netdiag	Diagnoses a variety of network components
pviewer	Show a list of process and allows you to get a memory detail or kill any process
windiff	Compare files and directories

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Viewing Your IP Address Information

Added 8/17/05
There are several ways you can determine your IP address information:
IPCONFIG

1. Start / Run / cmd
2. IPCONFIG /ALL

This opens a command window. One advantage is that you can send the information to a text file (IPCONFIG /ALL > c:\ip.txt)
But sometimes the window shows show much information you need to scroll around to fine it.
VIEW STATUS

1. Control Panel / Network Connections / Double click the icons for your network (If the network has an icon in the system tray you can also just double click on that icon)
2. Click on the Support tab
3. Click on the Details button

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Make Pictures Smaller Unavailable

Added 8/17/05
When you try and send pictures through e-mail, you should normally be given the option to make them smaller.
If this option is not available, a DLL file may need to be registered.

1. Start
2. Run
3. regsvr32 shimgvw.dll

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 Creating a Suspend Shortcut

Submitted 3/2/05
If you would like to create an icon to suspend your computer,

1. Right click on the Desktop
2. New / Shortcut
3. Enter in rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll, SetSuspendState
4. Give it whatever name you want
5. Now when you click on that shortcut, your computer will shutdown and suspend