windows xp

Thu
21
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

Security Risk: hidden Admin account in WinXP, Part 2

Yesterday , I wrote an article concerning a hidden Administrator account in Windows XP. As we discovered, this poses a significant security risk (especially for XP Home users) because it means that virtually anyone can gain unrestricted local access ... to the machine if the Administrator password is left blank. Side note: The term "remote access" means to control / gain access to a computer which is physically housed in another location (typically over a network, such as the Internet). In a similar respect, gaining "local access" to a computer means to utilize the machine at ... (view more)

Wed
20
Oct
Dennis Faas's picture

Security Risk: hidden Admin account in WinXP

Recall -- In Yesterday's Visitor Feedback, Infopackets Reader Marie B. asked how to enable the administrator user account in Windows XP. " I am the only user of my computer which has Windows XP installed. How do I sign into my computer as the ... 'administrator', rather than as my individual name? I understand that administration access is required to make certain changes to Windows. I don't need to adjust anything at this time, but would like to know how to do this in the future (just in case). " In my response to Marie, I suggested that the administrator user account name was disabled ... (view more)

Thu
30
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Extract CD key from the Registry?

Infopackets Reader 'Michael' writes: " Dear Dennis, I am running Windows XP professional on my system. I'd like to reinstall Windows on my PC, but cannot locate my CD case which has the Windows XP Product Key required to install Windows back onto my ... machine. Is there a way to extract the Product Key from within my computer? " My response: Yes. All CD Keys are stored in your System Registry, and there are a number of methods (and 3rd-party applications) that can extract this information for you. Magic Jelly Bean finder (the first link listed below) will extract Windows XP and Office ... (view more)

Wed
29
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Transfer files and settings from old PC to new PC?

Die-hard Infopackets Reader Dri-Anna D. writes: " Dear Dennis, Being that I consider you a trusted source (along with Fred Langa's LangaList), I am following your newsletter articles with great interest with respect to updating Windows XP to Service ... Pack 2. I have a question, however. I will be purchasing a new computer next month, and it will have a pre-installed copy of Windows XP Home Edition, complete with the install CD so I can install it again at a later date (if needed). I am very excited about using my new computer, yet, I am also dreading the job of transferring my gobs of ... (view more)

Tue
28
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

Share Files and Folders using Windows XP?

Infopackets Reader Steve 'notjourney' writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows XP Professional and Office 2003. There are 3 people who use the machine. All 3 need to be able to modify Excel and Access files. I have put these files in the shared folder ... and yet only I can modify them. The other 2 users can only read them. I have tried everything I can find including making them both administrators. Nothing has worked. What do you suggest? By the way, thanks for all the help you have given me in other areas. " My response: It sounds to me like your share privileges are not set properly. ... (view more)

Fri
17
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

WinXP SP2 questions, GoogleCash eBook discount

Normally I don't send out newsletters on Fridays, but seeing that my computer practically bit the dust a week ago, I'm a bit behind with a lot of things. RE: Windows XP Service Pack 2 Questions I mentioned yesterday that I would be compiling a ... failsafe guide to teach newbies how to upgrade their computers using Windows XP Service Pack 2. If you haven't heard the buzz already, Service Pack 2 is a major upgrade to Windows XP that fixes *many* security vulnerabilities, and makes using the Internet much safer place. Some of the features in SP2 include a built in PopUp Blocker (in Internet ... (view more)

Wed
08
Sep
Dennis Faas's picture

System Crash

It's been a rough couple of weeks: it seems like every time I try to take a step forward, I end up taking 3 steps backward. After I got home from visiting Frank in Toronto, my main computer (the one that I use to write the newsletters) kept crashing ... with repeated Blue Screens of Death (BSOD). The BSOD's gave me some clue as to why my system was crashing, as the .DLL file responsible for the crash appeared to be related to my video card driver. Strange, I thought. I didn't upgrade my video card driver recently, but opted to do so as I hadn't upgraded my driver in over a year. Video card ... (view more)

Thu
26
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Download directly to CD using Windows XP?

Infopackets Reader Kim S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I love your site! It is one of the best I have ever seen to date. My question for you is this: I have Windows XP Home Edition and I would like to be able to save my the programs I download directly to ... CD recordable. The problem is, I don't see an option in the 'Save as' window to save to disc. Can you help? " My response: First, let me say that this is a tricky subject and requires quite a bit of technical knowledge. I will do my best to give you the 'break down' with the least amount of techie-talk; however, I strongly believe that ... (view more)

Tue
10
Aug
Dennis Faas's picture

Windows XP Search function Missing?

Infopackets Reader Dilsia M. writes: " Dear Dennis, Something happened to my Search companion in Windows XP that allows me to search for files and folders in My Computer. When I try to use the Search function, Windows tells me that a file necessary ... to run the search function cannot be found and that I have to run setup to fix it. Rover the doggie doesn't appear, either. Do you know how I can resolve this issue? " My response: I get asked this question from time to time, so it's worth answering once more. RE: When I try to use the Search function, Windows tells me that a file ... (view more)

Wed
28
Jul
Dennis Faas's picture

Upgrade Windows ME to XP?

Infopackets Gazette Reader Dan L. writes: " Dear Dennis, My PC came pre-loaded with Windows ME and now I'm thinking of upgrading to Windows XP. Do I have to uninstall ME, or can I simple run an upgrade option to install Windows XP? I've downloaded a ... few of your eBooks and videos onto this machine, and I'd hate to lose them. On another note: I've see Windows XP advertised on the Internet for $50. Is this legitimate? If so, can you recommend a reputable source? " My response: Upgrading from ME to XP can be done by inserting the Windows XP disc into your machine (after Windows ME is loaded). If ... (view more)

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