Create a system image that contains both drives in the dual-boot configuration

as a safety precaution.

Make a data backup

Even though the system image is a backup, you’ll want a separate backup all

your data — at least one and maybe two, just in case. Maybe just make copies of

all your data files on CD/DVD or on an external hard disk. While it may sound like

overkill, having an extra backup will give you peace of mind.

Copying boot files

When you create a dual boot system and install Windows 7 on a second partition,

 7’s Setup installs all the Windows Boot Manager files on the first partition,

 which in this case is the Windows XP partition. As such, if the goal is to remove

the Windows XP partition and boot from the Windows 7 partition, the next step

 involves copying the Windows Boot Manager files from the Windows XP

partition to the Windows 7 partition.

Boot into Windows XP, launch Windows Explorer, pull down the Tools menu,

 select Folder Options, and on the View tab, make sure that the Show hidden

files and folders is selected and that Hide extensions for known file types and

Hide protected operating system files are cleared. Then, access the root of

 drive C and locate the Boot folder and the bootmgr file, as shown in Figure C.

 

Figure C

 

You’ll need to make sure that these settings are configured in the Folder Option

dialog box in order to be able to see the Windows Boot Manager folder and file.

Now, open a second instance of Windows Explorer, access the root of the

Windows 7 partition, which in the case of my example is drive E,

 and then copy the Boot folder and the bootmgr file from root of

drive C to root of drive E, as shown in Figure D.

 

 

You’ll need to copy Windows Boot Manager’s folder and file from the Windows XP

 partition to the Windows 7 partition.

Manipulating the partitions

With your system image backup in place and Windows Boot Manager now on the

Windows 7 partition, you’re ready to delete the Windows XP partition and configure

the Windows 7 partition as the main partition. To do so, you’ll boot your system

 from the Windows 7 DVD, access the System Recovery Options toolbox,

 use the DiskPart command to manipulate the partitions, and then use

the BootRec command to enable Windows Boot Manager on the Windows 7 partition.

To begin, insert your Windows 7 DVD, restart your system and when prompted,

select the option to Boot from the DVD. When the first Install Windows screen appears,

 select the appropriate language preferences and click Next. On the second Install

Windows screen, select the Repair your computer option.

When you see the System Recovery Options dialog box, the Windows 7 partition

should appear in the list and the Use recovery tools option should be selected.

To continue, click Next.

When the second System Recovery Options dialog box appears and prompts

you to choose a Recovery Tool, as shown in Figure E, select the Command Prompt

option. (As you can see, when booting off the CD, the Windows 7 partition

is assigned to drive letter D. However, since we labeled the drive,

we can tell for sure that it is the correct drive.)

 

 

You’ll select the Command Prompt option from the second System Recovery Options dialog box.

Once the Command Prompt window opens, you’ll enter the DiskPart environment and issue

a series of commands to select the Windows XP partition, delete it, select the

Windows 7 partition and then make it the active (primary) partition.

Type the command:

Diskpart

Once the Diskpart environment is ready, select first hard disk by typing the command:

Select disk 0

Once the first hard disk has the focus, select the first partition (Windows XP)

by typing the command:

Select partition 1

Just for peace of mind, you may want to double check that you have

the Windows XP partition selected by typing the command

Detail partition

Delete the Windows XP partition by typing the command:

Delete partition

Now select the Windows 7 partition by typing the command:

Select partition 2

Make the Windows 7 partition the active primary partition by typing the command:

Active

Exit the DiskPart environment by typing the command:

Exit

At this point, you are ready to enable the Windows Boot Manager on the

Windows 7 partition using the BootRec command.

Write the master boot record to the Windows 7 partition by using the command:

Bootrec /fixmbr

Write a new boot sector to the Windows 7 partition by using the command:

Bootrec /fixboot

Now, close the Command Prompt window and click the Restart button in the

System Recovery Options dialog box. Be sure to remove the Windows 7 DVD.

Booting Windows 7

When your system restarts, you’ll see the Windows Boot Manager menu and

 Windows 7 should be selected. Keep in mind that even though Windows XP is gone,

 the menu will still contain an item for it at this point. Allow the system to boot

 into Windows 7 and login as you normally would.

To remove the Windows XP item from the Windows Boot Manager menu,

 you’ll use the BCDEdit command. To do so, open a Command Prompt window

with Administrator privileges. (Right click and select Run as administrator.)

Then, type the command:

BCDEdit /delete {ntldr} /f

Now, restart the system and you should boot right into Windows 7.

Further cleanup

If you look at your hard disk with Disk Management, you’ll discover that the partition

 that used to hold Windows XP is still there at the beginning of the disk but that

 it is marked as unallocated, as shown in Figure F.

 

 

Unfortunately, Windows 7’s Disk Management tool is unable to extend drive C into

unallocated space at the beginning of the disk.

If you wish, you can configure the unallocated space as a simple volume and it will

become drive D. (Right-click on the unallocated block and select the New Simple Volume command.)

On the other hand you can just leave it be for now and in a upcoming article,

I’ll show you how to redistribute that unallocated space to drive C. Unfortunately,

 since the unallocated space is at the beginning of the disk, Windows 7’s Disk Management

 tool is unable to extend drive C into that space. In order for that to be possible,

 Disk Management requires that the unallocated space be at the end of the disk.

What’s your take?

Using this technique, you can essentially undo a dual-boot configuration and complete

 your migration from Windows XP to Windows 7.

 

 

Don’t let houseguests ruin your computer

  BY Noreen                   

 

The holidays are almost here. You may soon have friends and family

staying at your home.

In your preparations, don’t forget to set up your computer. Inevitably,

guests will want to check their e-mail or surf the Web.

Your guests are probably responsible computer users. But they may not be

as careful as you are. They might visit shady sites or download

malicious files. You could end up with spy ware or a virus.

Now, you could just hide your computer in a closet. Tell your guests

that it’s out for repairs. But that’s not something a good host does.

You can protect your computer while giving everyone access.

The first thing to do is activate the Guest account. Windows Vista, XP

and Mac OS X machines have Guest accounts.

These accounts give restricted access to your computer. They don’t

require a password to log in. Users have access to all of your programs.

But they can’t access your personal files.

 

*Set up Guest account*

 

In Windows Vista, click Start>>Control Panel. In Classic View,

double-click User Accounts. Select “Manage another account.” Click on

the Guest account, then click the Turn On button.

In Windows XP, click Start>>Control Panel. Double-click User Accounts.

Click the Guest account and select Turn On the Guest Account.

Users on Guest accounts in Windows can’t make changes to your system.

Nor can they download or install software.

Mac OS X does it a bit differently. Start by clicking the Apple logo at

the top of the screen. Select System Preferences. Click Accounts. Click

the lock at the bottom of the window. Enter your user name and password.

Click Guest Account. Check the box labeled “Allow guests to log into

this computer.”

Another box labeled “Allow guests to connect to shared folders” is

checked by default. It allows users to access files through file

sharing. These files could contain your private data. And your guests

won’t need file sharing to use the computer. Uncheck the box.

If children are visiting, apply parental controls to the Guest account.

Check the Enable Parental Controls box. Click Open Parental Controls to

set it all up.

A Guest account on a Mac saves files in a temporary home folder. When

any user logs out, that folder is erased. So, each new log-in gets a

fresh unused account. This allows users to download and install

software. It shouldn’t do any damage, because it’s erased when guests

are done.

 

*Lock it down*

 

You’ll probably want to get on the computer too. You don’t have to use

the restricted Guest account. Use your own account with full access. But

be careful.

If you leave your account logged in, it won’t be protected from guests.

Someone could just sit down and have access to all your files. Luckily,

locking down your computer is quick and easy.

In Windows, hold down the Windows logo key and press “L.” The log-on

screen will immediately pop up. To resume, you must enter your password.

So, no one else can jump on.

To quickly lock down a Mac, put it to sleep. Some setup is required.

Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock. Select the Security icon.

Check the “Require password to wake this computer from sleep or screen

saver” box. Then, press Option+Command+Eject.

If you forget to lock it, the screen saver can do it for you. You can

require a password to deactivate the screen saver. This feature is

turned off by default. So, you’ll have to turn it on. The above steps

already do this for a Mac.

In Windows XP, right-click an empty spot on your desktop. Select

Properties, and click the Screen Saver tab. Check the “On resume,

password protect” box. Click Apply. Then click OK.

In Windows Vista, right-click an empty spot on your desktop. Select

Personalize, and click on Screen Saver. Check the “On resume, display

log-on screen” box. Click Apply>>OK.

In both Windows systems, the screen saver starts after a delay. Mac

users can avoid that delay by using Hot Corners. You can rest the cursor

in a corner to start the screen saver.

To activate Hot Corners, click System Preferences in the Dock. Click the

Desktop and Screen Saver icon. Select the Screen Saver tab and click the

Hot Corners button. Select the pull-down menu in one of the corners. Set

it to Start Screen Saver. Click OK.

These really are simple steps. They’ll keep your well-meaning guest from

causing any damage. Your guest probably won’t even notice your security

prep. And you can focus on more important things.

 

 

Optimize and maintain your PCs with these simple tips

 

Everyone knows that the key to keeping equipment in peak condition —

whether it’s a chain saw, a motorcycle, or a desktop PC —

is to follow a preemptive maintenance routine.

The question is, what sort of maintenance tasks are required?

In a shop full of hundreds (or thousands) of PCs, a systematic

 approach is essential. This list offers basic measures to

 incorporate into your optimization and maintenance routine.

 

Regularly run Defrag and the Disk Cleanup Tool on client systems

Disk fragmentation, especially on intensively used systems,

will degrade performance over time. Just be careful about

running disk defragmentation when large files are open. For example,

 if a transactional database (SQL or MSDE) is running, defragmentation

tools can’t exclusively access all or parts of these types of files to

defrag the disk. If there is a service that you can stop to bring this

part of the system to a zero-transaction state, you will be able to

defrag the drive much more effectively. This is a good task to automate

by using a third-party tool like DisKeeper.

 

Running Disk Cleanup can optimize systems by emptying the Recycle Bin,

Temporary Setup Files, Downloaded Program Files, Temporary Internet Files,

Old Chkdsk Files, Temporary Files, Temporary Offline Files, Offline Files,

etc. To ensure regular execution, you can run the tool as a scheduled task.

 

Keep firmware and drivers up to date

Firmware updates can keep systems and subsystems current for the best

 performance. (Be sure to test the functionality before deploying firmware

updates and keep a revision of the firmware distributions you’re using

or have previously used; you may need that archived version again.)

Driver updates can also optimize performance. Keep a revision of the driver

 versions you use/have used. As with firmware, you may need an archived

version in the future. (See “10 things you should know about device

driver rollback in Windows XP” for some helpful pointers.)

Keep Windows and essential applications up to date

Use Windows Update to pull down the updates (cautiously) or use Windows

 Server Update Services to retrieve your approved list. Be aware of potential

conflicts with service packs and updates. If PCs have other critical

applications running (IIS, SQL, MSDE, etc.), apply the appropriate service

 packs as they become available. For Microsoft applications,

 check the Baseline Security Analyzer to determine service pack levels.

Keep antivirus and anti-spyware definitions up to date

Consider using automatic updates to pull down the latest definitions

 for your programs. Use tools like Ad-Aware by Lavasoft for extra

protection against Trojans, browser hijacking, and other malicious activities.

Inspect Services configuration and Device Manager

Open the Services applet of the Windows Control Panel to verify that

the Windows-based services that are running and set to Automatic at

startup are consistent with your configuration. (For more on

 enabling/disabling services, see “Windows XP services that can

 be disabled” and “Video: Disable and enable Windows XP services.”)

Open the Windows Device Manager to look for any devices that are

not operating correctly or that may have been removed. Subsystem

 components may report an error if they’re incorrectly configured or not working.

 

Check page file configuration

Open virtual memory configuration and make sure that the page file size

and location are correct for the amount of free space on the drive and

the amount of memory installed on the system.

Check power quality

If you have a UPS battery, ensure that it is satisfied with the power

supplied to it. If you aren’t using one, check that the power source

is a good circuit and is correctly grounded. Also make sure that

 surge suppression strips are in use.

 

Stay on top of cleaning tasks

Perform a periodic full system cleaning by taking the system apart,

removing all dust, and cleaning the external and internal surfaces

of the computer. (If you don’t have a cleaning solution, you can make

 one for external surfaces out of 1:1 rubbing alcohol and water.) Be

 sure to unplug the electronic components when introducing a solution

and allow it to dry fully. You should also:

Clean the keyboard and mouse. Use a dust vacuum and the alcohol/water

solution to clean these dust- and dirt-collecting components.

Run a CD-ROM cleaner. As with audio systems, CD-ROM drives can be cleaned

 with special kits for disc cleaning.

Clean display devices by using a cleaner to remove fingerprints, dust,

and other imperfections on the screen.

Hit floppy drives, if you have them, with a good blast of canned air to

remove dust accumulations. Use covers/panels if available to help keep

 dust out of the drives.

If your systems have tape drives, run a cleaning tape through to keep

 the tape heads clean.

Ensure proper operating area environment

Monitor the area for acceptable temperatures (somewhere between

60 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit) and good air quality. Watch out for tobacco smoke,

 manufacturing environments, and paper dust. If conditions are less than favorable,

you might consider an environmental enclosure.

Check inside and outside the computer for proper airflow. You don’t want

 a computer being used inside a box or pushed into a corner, and you don’t

 want to see a hard drive or other internal device incorrectly installed

and blocking airflow to other components. While you’re at it, check for all

necessary screws on the case and make sure that the case lid or panels

 are fixed down on all sides. With some systems, case panels are critical

 to the internal airflow for components.

Check internal and external connections

Open the system and verify that all connections feel solid and are placed

 correctly. Double-check any accessory cards for a snug setting

and good connections.

Make sure cable tensions are appropriate. Having too much strain on

 a cable or connection can damage the cable, device, jack/node,

or the computer. Be sure that there is plenty of slack in the cables

 on the device and computer ends. Excess strain may cause i

ntermittent performance issues.