Day 13. Windows Tools
CompTIA A+ 220-902 Exam Topics
Objective 1.3: Given a scenario, apply appropriate Microsoft command-line tools.
Objective 1.4: Given a scenario, use appropriate Microsoft operating system features and tools.
Objective 1.5: Given a scenario, use Windows Control Panel utilities.
Key Topics
Today we will cover the objectives that enable administrators and technicians to support and optimize Windows. We will look at command-line tools, operating system features and tools, as well as Windows Control Panel utilities and focus on how to use them.
Microsoft Command-line Tools
Working at the command-line can be much quicker than clicking through a graphical user interface (GUI). Command-line tools are very powerful and can be automated and batched together for large jobs. Because it is a command prompt, there isn’t as much overhead to get the job done.
Accessing the Command-line Utility
The command-line is just like the GUI in that it interfaces between the user and computer. The command-line interpreter, also known as the shell, is the cmd.exe and it is the default shell in Windows. On Mac OS X and on most Linux machines, the default shell is called bash. Previously, Windows had only one shell. It now has two with the advent of the PowerShell. Macs and Linux have had multiple shells all along.
In Windows, enter cmd at the Start menu. In Windows 8 just start typing cmd at the Start screen. A command prompt window appears. In Mac OS X and Linux, use the Terminal program. Linux distributions (called distros) can vary on where they store the terminal emulator. Table 13-1 lists typical executable commands and their descriptions.
Activity 13-1: Match the Microsoft Command-line Tool to the Appropriate Description
Refer to the Digital Study Guide to complete this activity.
Getting Command-line Help
In the Mac OS X Terminal program, help is available by displaying the manual page (man page), typing whatis before the command, typing the command followed by –help, and typing apropos, which searches the whatis database.
In Linux, use the –h or –help switches after the command. The manual pages also are available by typing the command man. Some programs do not have man pages and store help in info documents. The apropos and whatis commands also are available in Linux as well as OS X.
As listed in Table 13-1, the Help command is used in Windows to access the information and help file for any command-line program. You can use the word help followed by the command you want help with, as shown here:
C:windowssystem32>help dir
You also can get help by using the /? parameter after the command, as shown here:
dir /?
Command Privileges
All operating systems enable users to run programs in multiple modes. For both the Mac OS X and Linux, the advanced privileges are called super user or root privilege. Type sudo at the prompt before typing the command. The system will prompt for the root password and then run the command. This allows a user to execute a single command as another user, such as the administrator. The command su also works. It switches you to the root user account, which requires authentication. To determine whether the command ran in privileged mode, see if the prompt has changed from a $ to a #.
In Windows, right-clicking a file before executing it opens a submenu where Run as Administrator is an option. Some programs cannot be run with administrative privileges. In Windows 8, find the shortcut to the command and right-click it to open the menu—it must be a desktop application. Another way to run in privileged mode is to select an application in File Explorer and then go to the Ribbon and select Application Tools. To always run in privileged mode, right-click or press and hold in to view the submenu, and then select Properties. Under Properties, go to the Compatibility tab and select the check box that says Run This Program as an Administrator.
Use the administrative mode for times when something requires an administrator user rather than a standard user—for example, adding users. Rather than logging out and then logging back in as the administrator, you can just select Run as Administrator. This enables administrators to set up computers with restricted access, which is a much safer environment in which to work.
Administrative Tools
Available under the Control Panel, Administrative Tools are used by administrators to configure advanced configuration options on the computer. Tools vary based on the version of Windows being used. Many of these tools also can be used as snap-ins for the Microsoft Management Console.
Most Commonly Used Tools
Computer Management—This tool manages local or remote computers with the following system tools: Task Scheduler, Event Viewer, Shared Folders, Local Users and Groups, Performance, Device Manager, Disk Management, Services, and WMI Control. Figure 13-1 displays the Computer Management main menu.
Device Manager—Provides access to all devices connected to the computer organized by categories. Selecting a device provides a way to update drivers, enable or disable the device, or uninstall it from the system. It also can be used for troubleshooting by providing an exclamation mark (!) within a yellow triangle for malfunctioning devices to alert the user. If a device is disabled, it is displayed as a red x in a box or a down arrow. If the device was selected manually, a blue i will be shown inside a round, teal circle. If a device driver is not available and a compatible driver used, a large green question mark will display. Figure 13-2 displays the device manager with the options available from right-clicking on the currently loaded network adapter.
Local Users and Groups—Used to create and manage users and groups that are stored locally on a computer. It is located under the Computer Management utility. For local users, it lists all usernames and provides the options to add or change passwords, change password settings, add or remove the user from a local group, and provide a profile with a home folder.
The general user accounts in Windows are Administrator, Standard, and Guest. The Administrator user has complete control over the computer, whereas the Standard user can use only the software already installed and change settings that do not affect other users. The Guest account is a special type of account with limited permissions that has no password. It should be disabled for safety reasons.
The groups included in the Users and Groups tool include some but not all of the following:
Administrators—Unrestricted access to the computer and the domain
Backup Operators—Overrides security restrictions for the sole purpose of backing up the computer
Cryptographic Operator—Security group added to Windows Vista SP1 to configure Windows Firewall for IPsec
Distributed COM Users—Allowed to start, activate, and use DCOM objects
Event Log Readers—Virtual accounts used to run services
Guests—Temporary profile created at logon and deleted when logged off
IIS_ISRS—Built-in group used by Internet Information Services
Network Configuration—Permission to make changes to TCP/IP settings
Performance Log Users—Manage performance counters, logs, and alerts on a computer
Performance Monitor Users—Monitor performance counters only
Power Users—Backward compatibility, equal to Standard user
Remote Desktop Users—Enables user to log on remotely
Replicator—File replication privileges in a domain
Users—Restricted access
Local Security Policy—A tool that provides access to security settings for users and the OS. It can be used to control who accesses the computer, which resources users can use, and whether a user’s or group’s actions are recorded. The following are policies that can be set using this tool:
Account Policies—Password and account lockout policies.
Local Policy—Audit, user rights assignment, and security options.
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security—Setting up inbound and outbound rules and connection security rules.
Network List Manager Policy—For networks, unidentified, identified, and all networks the user connects to.
Public Key Policies—Encryption, BitLocker, and certificates.
Software Restriction Policies—A set of rules that determine which programs are permitted to run, with all other software being restricted.
Application Control Policies—AppLocker provides access control for applications by specifying which programs are allowed to run on the computer.
IP Security Policies on Local Computer—Used to configure IPsec security services by providing a level of protection for most traffic types.
Advanced Audit Policy Configuration—Audit compliance with business and security-related rules by tracking activities, such as when and who has modified or accessed a file or folder.
Performance Monitor—Provides information on how programs affect the computer’s performance in real time or from a log. It also provides information about hardware resources such as the CPU, disk, network, and memory. Use it to stop processes, start and stop services, as well as to analyze and diagnose system problems.
Services—Provides another manner to access the system services. It lists the name of the service; provides a description; and shows the status, the startup type, and how it is logged on.
System Configuration—Same as MSCONFIG discussed in next section.
Task Scheduler—Used to create and manage common tasks the computer will carry out automatically at a specified time. Many system tasks are automated by default during the install such as System Restore, which creates system restore points.
Component Services—Used to configure and administer Component Object Model (COM) components, COM+ applications, and the Distributed Transaction Coordinator (DTC); it also provides access to the Event Viewer and Services.
Data Sources—Also called the ODBC Data Source Administrator, it provides information on how to connect to a specific database data provider.
Print Management—Used to view and manage print servers, print drivers, and deployed printers.
Windows Memory Diagnostics—Provides a method to check for problems with memory; requires a restart.
Windows Firewall with Advanced Security—Set inbound and outbound rules for network security and a way to monitor activity; it’s also used to create connection security rules.
MSCONFIG
The Microsoft System Configuration Utility (MSCONFIG) is a built-in program that provides a method to help identify problems that might prevent Windows from starting correctly. Services and startup programs can be turned off to determine whether they are causing problems.
General tab—This tab contains choices for starting the computer up a normal state, a diagnostic state, and a selective startup state where specific drivers and programs can be selected.
Boot tab—This tab shows configuration options and advanced debugging settings with the following options:
Safe boot: Minimal—Windows GUI is opened in Safe Mode with only critical services, no networking.
Safe boot: Alternate shell—Boots to the command prompt in Safe Mode with only critical services, no networking or GUI.
Safe boot: Active Directory repair—GUI is opened in Safe Mode with only critical services and Active Directory.
Safe boot: Network—GUI is opened in Safe Mode with only critical services and networking enabled.
No GUI boot—No Windows Welcome screen.
Boot log—Stores all information from the startup process in %SystemRoot%Ntbtlog.txt.
Base video—GUI is opened using VGA mode.
OS boot information—Shows driver names as they are loaded during startup.
Make all boot settings permanent—Does not track changes made in MSCONFIG; they can be changed manually later. No roll back through Normal startup.
Services tab—Lists all services that start during bootup along with their current status
Startup tab—Lists applications along with their manufacturer, path to the executable files, and the location of the registry key that run when the computer is booted
Tools tab—Lists available diagnostic tools and advanced tools such as Windows version information and changing User Account Control settings
Activity 13-2: Match the MSCONFIG Boot Option to the Appropriate Description
Refer to the Digital Study Guide to complete this activity.
Task Manager
Task Manager is started from the Ctrl+Alt+Delete keystrokes. It can be used to start or stop programs, processes, and services and to view computer performance.
Applications—Displays the status of the programs currently running on the computer. To exit a program, select End Task; to switch to another program, select it.
Processes tab—This tab displays information about the processes currently running on the computer. A process can be an application or a subsystem for an application. It can also be a service. To end a single process, click it and then select End Process. To end a process and all processes related to it, right-click it and select End Process Tree.
Performance tab—View the performance of CPU and/or memory usage on the computer. Graphs can determine the number of handles, threads, and processes that are running or the number of kilobytes used for physical, kernel, and commit memory. There is also a link to Resource Monitor.
Networking tab—View the following statistics relating to each network adapter installed on the computer: adapter name, percentage of utilization, link speed, state of the adapter, and a chart of recent activity.
Users tab—Shows all users currently running a session on the computer.
Figure 13-3 shows a Windows 7 version of the Task Manager program.
The Task Manager was completely updated in Windows 8. It has an easier-to-use interface and more features. The default window shows active applications with a small menu option at the bottom that provides more details with resource-usage statistics color-coded. See Figure 13-4 for an example of the additional details.
The list of processes is now divided into three sections. It includes apps, background processes, and Windows system processes. The Performance tab shows more information than the old Task Manager.
Several new tabs are available, including the App history tab, which shows the total resources that have been used by an app over time. Startup is a new tab that shows any applications that start when the computer is booted up. Another new tab is the Users tab. It is designed for multiple users being logged on at the same time. It then breaks down the system’s resource usage by how much each user is controlling. The Details tab is a better version of the old Processes tab. It contains several new options, such as changing the priority or CPU affinity of a process.
Disk Management
Disk Management is a system utility that is an extension of the Computer Management utility, which is used to manage hard disks and the volumes or partitions on them. Some features of Disk Management include converting, extending, and shrinking volumes and partitions.
The Disk Management console is divided into two main areas. The Console Tree is in the area to the left, while the Main console on the right is broken into two areas, both of which have user-defined views. The top displays the Volume List, and the bottom area displays the Graphical View of each disk.
In the Volume list, each volume is listed with the layout, the type, the file system loaded on it, the status of the drive, the capacity, the free space, the percent of free space, whether or not fault tolerance has been enabled, and the percentage of overhead. In the graphical view of the drives, a graphic shows much of the same information shown in the Volume list.
The following areas in Disk Management can be used to view settings or make changes:
Drive Status—One of the following status descriptions will always appear in the graphical view of the disk:
Foreign—Occurs when you move an older version of a dynamic disk from another computer to the local computer.
Initializing—Temporary status that occurs during the time it takes to convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk.
Missing—Displays when a dynamic disk is corrupted, turned off, or disconnected; it must be reactivated to use.
No Media—Displays when a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or Blu-ray drive is empty. The status changes to online or Audio CD when appropriate media is inserted into the drive; removable disk types can also display this status.
Not Initialized—Occurs when a disk does not contain a valid signature; must start a new initialization to change.
Online—Occurs when a basic or dynamic disk is accessible and has no known problems; this is the normal disk status.
Online (Errors)—Occurs when I/O errors are detected on a region of a dynamic disk; if temporary, the drive returns to an online status.
Offline—Occurs when a dynamic disk is not accessible from corruption or it might be intermittently unavailable.
Unreadable—Occurs when a basic or dynamic disk is not accessible; it also can occur if the system’s disk configuration database has been corrupted.
Mounting—A partition that’s mapped to an empty folder on another partition that has been formatted with the New Technology File System (NTFS). It is assigned a drive name instead of a drive letter; note that a file or folder deleted from a mounted drive will not go to the Recycle Bin.
Initializing—A new disk must be initialized before using; it is a method of clearing a drive by zeroing the database that keeps track of where all data is located on the drive. This status is temporary.
Extending Partitions—Created by adding more space to existing primary partitions and logical drives by extending them into unallocated space; the new partition space must be adjacent to the original, it also must be raw or formatted with the NTFS file system. A partition can be split by right-clicking it and giving it a new smaller size. You must then right-click on the new empty space and create and format a new partition. When prompted, give it a new drive letter. For an existing partition, right-click on it and select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Using the command-line utility Diskpart.exe will obtain the same results.
Adding Drives—Plug in an external hard drive using a USB, FireWire, or a Thunderbolt port; or insert internal drives and connect them to the motherboard. In Disk Management, access the new drive and partition and format it.
Adding an Array of Drives—Built-in functionality in Windows can be used to implement a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID); select spanned, striped, or mirrored instead of the traditional RAID 1 or RAID 0; and assign a drive letter and format.
Storage Spaces—Introduced in Windows 8, storage spaces provides a way to take multiple disks of different sizes and interfaces and group them together so the OS sees them as one large disk. A group of physical disks is called a pool; each of these will appear in the File Explorer as normal logical disks. To access it, enter Storage Spaces in the search box and then click Create a New Pool and Storage Space.
Dynamic Versus Basic Disks
Basic disks are the storage types most used in a Windows OS. It refers to a drive that has partitions on it. The following operations can be performed only on basic disks:
Create and delete primary and extended partitions
Create and delete logical drives within an extended partition
Format a partition and mark it active
A dynamic disk provides additional features that a basic disk does not have. It has the capability to create volumes that span multiple drives, as well as the capability to create fault-tolerant volumes such as RAID volumes. The volumes on a dynamic disk are known as dynamic volumes. They use a database to track information, which stores replicas of itself on each dynamic disk for reliability.
To convert a basic disk to dynamic in the Disk Management utility, right-click the basic disk and select Convert to Dynamic Disk. You also can use the Diskpart.exe command. Once converted, a dynamic disk will not contain basic volumes. Any existing partitions or logical drives on the disk become simple volumes.
System Utilities
Windows contains a variety of system utilities that help manage, troubleshoot, and diagnose the Windows systems and applications. The Microsoft Management Console (MMC) displays and manages access to many of these tools as snap-ins. An MMC when first opened is empty. As programs are loaded, an MMC can be saved with a name that identifies its purpose. An example would be loading troubleshooting tools and naming the console Trouble Console.
These are some of the more commonly used system utilities provided by Windows:
Regedit—A tool intended to view and change settings in the system registry.
Command (CMD)—Used to initiate a command-line interface.
Services.msc—The Services snap-in provides a method to disable or enable Windows services (system-level programs that start when Windows boots up).
MMC—Microsoft Management Console is an interface used to load other system utilities called snap-ins; because they are files, they can be saved, copied, or e-mailed to others.
MSTSC—The Remote Desktop Connection has completely replaced the Terminal Server connection, so running this at the command prompt will open the Remote Desktop utility. Figure 13-5 shows the result of running the MSTSC utility.
Notepad—Included with every version of Windows, it is a small text editor used to create documents.
Explorer—Called Windows Explorer (Vista/7) or File Explorer in Windows 8, it displays the file structure of local and network drives and attached storage available on the computer. It is used to open documents, programs, system tasks, and functions. Copy, delete, and rename functions are also available; Windows 7 and 8 incorporate Libraries, which are user-defined collections of folders.
DxDiag—Diagnostic tools used to display details for all DirectX-related video or sound components.
Defrag—The process of locating and moving noncontiguous fragments of data into fewer fragments or whole files to allow faster access. It has been replaced with the Optimize Drives utility.
MSINFO—Also referred to as msinfo32, it is designed to provide a comprehensive view of hardware, system components, and software environments.
System Restore—Helps restore a computer’s system files to an earlier point in time; restore points are created automatically corresponding with a name of an event (for example, a Windows Update being installed). It is not meant to be used as a backup system for data files.
Windows Update—A service offered by Microsoft to automatically provide updates for the OS, it can be set to install automatically or just notify availability. It also can be turned off with users encouraged to manually update Windows.
Windows Control Panel Utilities
The Control Panel holds links to utilities that enable users to view and manage basic system settings and controls through system applications. Two views are available: classic view, which is an alphabetical listing of programs, and category view, where programs are organized by their relation to each other. The following programs are available in the Control Panel.
Internet Options
Internet Options provide security, privacy, and program functionality while online. These settings affect only Microsoft’s Internet Explorer program. Multiple tabs provide specific settings as shown here:
General—Provides a list of home page tabs; startup options; tab options; options to delete or view browsing history settings; and the ability to change the appearance for colors, languages, fonts, and accessibility.
Security—Provides a method to view Internet security settings, local intranet settings, trusted sites, and restricted sites. It also provides a way to set the security level.
Privacy—Settings for the Internet zone that block third- or first-party cookies, including which sites are allowed or disallowed to save cookies; location restriction; turning on or off the pop-up blocker; and disabling toolbars and extensions when InPrivate browsing starts.
Content—Family safety option, certificate management, AutoComplete settings, and Feeds and Web Slices settings.
Connections—Selecting dial-up, virtual private network (VPN) settings, and LAN settings.
Programs—Default web browser, managing add-ons, HTML editing, and selecting the programs for other Internet services such as e-mail.
Advanced—Provides access to more specific settings and a way to reset Internet Explorer settings back to default.
Display/Display Settings
The Display utility enables users to change the size of text and other items displayed on the screen. Users can adjust the resolution, calibrate color, change the display settings, adjust ClearType text, and set the custom text size. Using the Change display settings link, a user can configure multiple monitors and how they are displayed. Advanced settings include making changes to the adapter and monitor, troubleshooting, and managing color for the hardware itself.
Note that Windows will automatically detect and use the best display settings, including screen resolution, refresh rate, and color based on the monitor.
User Accounts
Use the User Account applet to create and manage user accounts utilized as system login tools when Windows starts. Changes to user accounts include changing or removing passwords and changing the logon screen picture, account name, or type. For Administrative users, managing another account or changing User Account Control settings is also possible.
Some additional options can be configured for users as well as the ones listed previously:
Credential manager—Used to store usernames and passwords in vaults to provide an easy way to log on to computers or websites.
Create a password reset disk—Saves logon information to a USB device.
Link Online IDs—Makes it easier to share files and connect to other computers not on your immediate network. The Online ID provider must be installed and configured to make this work.
Manage File Encryption Certificates—Used to encrypt files for security; there must be an encryption certificate and its associated decryption key previously installed on the computer or on a smart card. You can use this utility to select or create a file encryption certificate and key.
Configure Advanced User Profile Properties—Used to create a different profile on each computer for a single user or to create a roaming profile that is the same on all computers for a single user.
Change Environment Variables—Changes variables such as the location of the temp files for just the selected user.
Folder Options
The folder options applet allows changes to how a user can browse folders, whether a single or a double-click will open an item, and whether the navigation pane should show all folders or automatically expand to the current folder.
To view advanced settings, select the View tab. Advanced settings provide options such as how to display the files and folder, whether to hide or show hidden files and folders, and using check boxes to select items. It also is used to apply the current view used to view all folders of the same type.
The Search tab is used to select what to search, how to search, and whether to include system directories and compressed files when searching.
System
This utility provides information about the computer’s hardware and OS. Access can be through right-clicking the Computer icon and selecting Properties, as well as opening the Control Panel and selecting the System window. The Windows version and service pack number are listed as well as the system’s rating number and activation key. The hardware listed is the processor, memory, whether a pen or touchpad is available, and the type of OS system (64-bit versus 32-bit).
The side bar in System provides access to the Device Manager, Remote settings, System protection, and Advanced system settings (which provides settings for performance, user profiles, and startup and recovery as well as the environment variables).
The Advanced system settings properties option provides access to the System properties, which has these five tabs:
Computer Name—Used to add a computer description or to change the computer name. It also is used to change whether the computer is a member of a domain or a workgroup.
Hardware—Provides a link to the Device Manager and device installation settings.
Advanced—Provides settings for performance settings, user profiles that contain all the settings for a particular user, and startup and recovery options. This tab also has an option to change environment variables.
System Protection—Provides access to system restore, protection settings, configuring restore settings, managing disk space, and deleting restore points, as well as creating a restore point.
Remote—Provides access to the remote assistance option to adjust settings for Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop.
Virtual Memory Settings—Changing settings like the virtual memory configuration as shown in Figure 13-6 will enhance the performance of the OS. Virtual memory is used when a computer does not have enough RAM available to run a program. The paging file stores data until enough RAM is available. Although virtual memory is slower than RAM, it still provides performance boosting capabilities.
To access or view the virtual memory settings (Figure 13-6), open the Control Panel > System > Advanced system settings and then the Advanced tab. In the Performance area, select Settings and then the Advanced tab.
Windows Firewall
Windows Firewall helps to prevent hackers or malicious software from gaining access to the computer through the Internet or a network. Use the utility to allow a program or feature to get through the Windows firewall, change notification settings, turn the firewall on or off, restore default settings, and troubleshoot the network.
Advanced settings include security settings that are used to create inbound, outbound, and connection security rules, as well as options for importing or exporting policies. Properties for the domain, private, public, and IPsec profile settings provide ways to customize settings. Figure 13-7 shows the Windows Firewall on Windows 8.x.
Power Options
This option is more useful on a mobile device, but it also appears on desktop computers for controlling the computer’s performance or conserving energy. Several power plans exist for a computer, including Balanced and Power Saver. Balanced provides full performance when needed and saves power when the computer is not active. The Power Saver option reduces system performance and screen brightness. If no battery is involved, there is no real reason to select this option. Additionally, there is a high performance option that might use more energy.
Other options available include the following:
Require a password on wakeup
Choose what the power buttons do
Choose what closing the lid does (for laptops only)
Choose when to turn off the display
Change when the computer sleeps
Selecting either Choose What the Power Buttons Do or Choose What Closing the Lid Does configures how the computer will act when the power or sleep buttons are pressed or the lid is closed. When these are chosen, the following options are available to select:
Do nothing—The computer remains at full power.
Sleep/Suspend—The state of the OS is saved in RAM. This uses very little power and the PC starts up faster than the Hibernate option (also known as Standby).
Hibernate—The state of the OS is saved to a temporary file on the hard drive; this takes more time to power on than the Sleep state. It is designed for laptops and not available for all PCs.
Shut Down—Shuts down the computer.
Programs and Features
This is where installed programs and Windows features can be uninstalled, changed, or repaired. All installed programs are listed by name, publisher, date installed, size, and version number. An option to view installed updates is available.
Action Center
The Action Center is a centralized location to view alerts, review recent messages, and resolve problems. It has two sections, one for security and one for maintenance. Any item that has been highlighted in red has an important message that should be dealt with immediately. Yellow items indicate that something might require action, such as completing a backup. See Figure 13-8 for an example of a network firewall that has been turned off or set up incorrectly (red) and a backup that has not been activated (yellow).
The Action Center has other utilities such as the following:
Change Action Center Settings—Turn messaging on or off
Change User Account Control Settings—Change the UAC to a more restrictive or less restrictive level
View archived messages—View stored older messages about past problems
View performance information—View and rate the performance of the system components such as the CPU, ram and disk drives
Note that Windows Vista does not have an Action Center. It does, however, have a Security Center.
HomeGroup
The HomeGroup utility is designed to connect a computer to a small home network to share files, libraries, and printers. It is designed to be used only on home networks. This utility can be used to create or join a homegroup. It also provides information about HomeGroups and how to change advanced sharing settings. You can select a troubleshooting utility as well.
Devices and Printers
This option provides access to printers and externally connected devices, including wireless devices. Networking devices displayed are only those that are able to connect directly to the computer. It does not display devices installed inside the computer such as hard drives, memory, processors, or speakers. Options include installing, removing, viewing, managing, troubleshooting, and performing tasks with the device.
Sound
The sound utility provides access to the integrated sound controls. You can configure speakers, input and output ports, and devices through the interface. Tabs include the following:
Playback—Includes options for configuration and properties for hardware. For speakers, configuration options include setting up the audio channels into stereo or surround sound. Properties include using or disabling the device under the General tab, setting input and output levels, choosing the sound effects that apply to the current listening configuration, and advanced settings for sample rate and bit depth.
Recording—Includes settings for the microphone and the line in port.
Sounds—Change sounds for program events or select a sound theme; there is also an option to play or not play a Windows startup sound.
Communications—Windows can automatically adjust the volume of different sounds when using the computer to place or receive phone calls.
Troubleshooting
The troubleshooting utility provides a method of letting Windows automatically troubleshoot and fix common computer problems. An update link provides a link to the latest online troubleshooting steps from Microsoft and will also provide notifications for solutions to known problems. There are multiple categories available on the main screen.
Programs—Options for running programs made for previous versions of Windows
Hardware and Sound devices—Troubleshoot audio recordings and playback, configure a device, and use a printer
Network and the Internet—Troubleshoot problems connecting to the Internet and accessing shared files and folders on other computers on a network
Appearance and Personalization—Troubleshoot display and Aero desktop effects
System and Security—Fix problems with Windows Update, run maintenance tasks such as cleaning up unused files and shortcuts, improve power usage, and check for performance issues to increase speed and performance
On the left side of the screen are some links to a few options available for the troubleshooting utility. An option is available to view the history of any troubleshooting activity performed on the machine, to change the troubleshooting settings, to allow Windows to check for routing maintenance issues, and to remind users when the System Maintenance troubleshooter can help fix problems, as well as a couple of other settings.
Selecting Get Help from a Friend enables remote assistance. Under the remote assistance is an option to record a problem with the Problem Steps Recorder that takes snapshots of a screen as you reproduce the problem.
Network and Sharing Center
The Network and Sharing Center provides access to the network and Internet connectivity options for the computer. It can be used to access the network interface adapter and to change advanced sharing settings as well as provide access to configuration of protocols, services, and clients.
The window displaying the network connections is split in two. On the left side of the windows is a panel providing access to the following utilities: HomeGroup, Internet Options, and the Windows Firewall program. On the right side of the screen, the upper portion shows basic information about the current network connection. The bottom half provides a view of active networks and a section where you can change network settings.
Any problem with the connection from the computer to the network, and to the Internet will be shown in a small map. Use the View Your Active Networks area to access the Local Area Connection and the configuration settings for the network. Under it is the section where you can make changes to the network connections such as setting up a new connection or network, connecting a network, choosing a HomeGroup and sharing options, and troubleshooting problems.
Activity 13-3: Match the Windows Control Panel Tool Used to Fix the Appropriate Problem
Refer to the Digital Study Guide to complete this activity.
