How do I log in to a Wellesley College computer (in a public lab or in an office)?

The Log On to Windows window will appear each time you start up your computer or log out of the Wellesley domain. To log in, you will need your domain user name and password. To find out more about domain accounts, please read the documentation on Using Your Domain Account.

1. In the User name field, type the user name of your user account. You may log in using your domain account (for faculty/staff computers) or your local account (for student computers). Note: Do not press ENTER after typing your user name. Press TAB or use the mouse to move the cursor to the Password field.
2. In the Password field, type your account password.
3. If you are logging in using your domain account, make sure WELLESLEY is selected in the Log on to field. Otherwise, if you are logging in with a local account, make sure the name of the computer is selected. Make sure Log on using dial-up connection is not checked.
4. Click OK.

If you are unable to log in with your domain account, or if programs behave oddly, you may not have sufficient privileges to do what you need to do. If that is the case, you need to speak with someone who has "administrator" rights on the computer to give your domain account the rights you need. See http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/WinXP/domain.html#add for details.

What's new in the Start menu?

The Start menu in Windows XP has a whole new design. The Start button is now green and the menu has been rearranged into several new sections. The top of the Start menu displays the user name that you have logged in with. The left side of the Start menu is divided into three sections. The top section holds permanent shortcuts to specific programs for easy access. The middle section lists shortcuts to programs that have been most recently and frequently used, consequently the contents of this list will change over time. The All Programs section to the bottom left of the Start menu replaces the Programs section in the Start menu of older versions of Windows. Upon hovering the mouse over All Programs, a sub-menu will appear listing all the program applications that are installed on your computer like Microsoft Word and Excel. Any newly installed programs in the All Programs list that have not been used yet will be highlighted. On the right side of the Start menu, My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, Control Panel, and other options are all easily accessible with one click of the mouse.

How do I modify the Start menu?

You may place new programs icons into the top left section of the Start menu by using the Pin command.

1. Click on the Start button to open the Start menu.
2. Find the program icon you wish to pin to the Start menu and right-click on it. You may add a program that is listed in the All Programs menu or a program that is listed in the most recently and frequently used section of the Start menu.
3. Select Pin to Start menu. The chosen program icon should appear in the top-left section of the Start menu.

To unpin these icons or to remove any program icons from the Start menu:

1. Click on the Start button to open the Start menu.
• To unpin a program icon, right-click on any icon in the top-left section of the Start menu (above the divider) that you wish to remove. Then select Unpin from Start menu.
• To remove a program icon from the Start menu, right-click on the unwanted icon and select Remove from This List.

How do I change the Start menu to look like the one in Windows 98 or 2000?

1. Right-click on a blank section of the Task Bar (this is the blue or gray bar at the bottom of your screen).
2. Select Properties.
3. Click on the Start Menu tab.
4. Select Classic Start Menu.
5. Click Apply and then OK.

To undo the above change:

1. Right-click on the blue area of the Task Bar (blue bar at the bottom of your screen).
2. Select Properties.
3. Click on the Start Menu tab.
4. Select Start Menu.
5. Click Apply and then OK.

What's new with the Task Bar?

The Task Bar in Windows XP is comprised of the Start button, the Quick Launch section, the Notification Area and the section for displaying Task Bar buttons.

The Quick Launch section holds shortcuts to programs. More shortcuts may be added to the Quick Launch by clicking and dragging the desired shortcut onto the Quick Launch section of the Task Bar If there are more shortcut icons than can fit into the shown Quick Launch section, then the extra shortcuts will be placed in a sub-menu which can be accessed by clicking on the >> button on the right side of the Quick Launch. The Notification Area holds icons for programs that are running in the background, some of which may notify you with its status from time to time.

If there are too many Task Bar buttons to fit in the Task Bar, then the tabs will be grouped by program. As shown in the picture above, there are 4 Microsoft Word windows grouped onto one Task Bar button. You can choose which Word document to view by using your mouse to click once over the grouped Task Bar button and then selecting the window you wish to view from the sub-menu that appears.

How do I stop the Task Bar buttons from grouping?

Note: The size of each Task Bar button will shrink so that all buttons can fit the length of the Task Bar

1. Go to to the Start menu and select the Control Panel.
2. If you see a link called Switch to Classic View near the top left of the Control Panel window, click on the link.
3. Double-click on Task Bar and Start Menu.
4. Under the Task Bar tab, uncheck the box for Group similar Task Bar buttons.
5. Click Apply and then OK.

What's new with the Control Panel?

The shortcut to the Control Panel is now located in the main section of the Start menu. Go to Start > Control Panel to open the Control Panel. There are two ways to view the Control Panel. The default view in Windows XP is the Category View as shown in the picture below. This view groups together common control options under a categorical heading and hides the other options.

The second view is the Classic View which allows you to see all the options in the Control Panel. This view of the Control Panel is the similar to the one in Windows 98 or 2000. To change from the Category View to the Classic View, click on the Switch to Classic View link near the top-left side of the Control Panel window.

How do I add or remove icons from my desktop?

To add the My Computer, My Documents, My Network Places, or Internet Explorer icons onto your desktop:

1. Right-click on empty space on the desktop and select Properties from the menu that appears.
2. Click on the Desktop tab.
3. Click on the Customize Desktop button.
4. In the General tab, check the box(es) for the icons you wish to appear on your desktop and then click OK.
5. Click OK again to close the Display Properties window. The chosen icons should appear on the desktop.

To add a program icon (a shortcut to a program) onto the desktop:

1. Go to the Start > All Programs menu and find the program you wish to add to your desktop.
2. Right-click on the name of the program and select Send To: > Desktop (create shortcut). The icon for the program that you have chosen will appear on your desktop.

To remove any icon from your desktop:

1. Click and drag the icon into the Recycle Bin.
2. Right-click on the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin.
3. Click Yes to confirm.

What happens to my files when someone else logs into my computer?

Each person who logs into the computer has his or her own personal desktop. Any files on the desktop or in the My Documents folder as well as any program settings or preferences, desktop backgrounds, etc. are stored separately for each person. These files are not accessible to anyone other than the person who owns them, except for an Administrator (usually the person who owns the computer). To find out where these files are stored on the hard drive, go to Where are my files located on the hard drive?

Where are my files located on the hard drive?

Each person who has logged into the computer will have his or her files and settings stored in a folder named with his or her user name. Only the person who is logged in (or an Administrator) can access his or her personal folder. To find these user folders:

1. Double-click on the My Computer icon on the desktop or go to Start > My Computer.
2. Double-click on Local Disk (C:) > Documents and Settings.
3. Double-click on the folder with your user name or on the folder that you have access to.

The My Documents folder is located within this user folder (Note: The My Documents icon on your desktop is a shortcut to this folder). Files that were saved to the desktop are located in the Desktop folder. Internet Explorer bookmarks are stored in the Favorites folder.

What's new with the Search function?

To search for any files or folders, click on the Start button and select Search.

Once you have selected the Search function, a Search Results window will appear. The Search Companion Explorer Bar will be present on the left side of the window (usually with an animated dog). This side bar replaces the Search or Find window in older versions of Windows. There are several categories of items to search for: Pictures, music, or video; Documents (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.); All files and folders; and Computers or people. Clicking on one of these links will send you to the next step in the Search where you can type in the search phrase and choose other advanced search options. The results of the Search will be displayed in the right side of the window. You may open the Search Companion side bar in any folder or Internet Explorer window by going to the View menu and selecting Explorer Bar > Search.

How do I add a networked printer?

Go to Network Printing in Windows XP for detailed instructions.

What's this icon in the Notification Area for?

This icon is the Automatic Updates icon which appears in the Notification Area (the lower right corner of the screen) whenever there are new critical security or software updates that you need to install on your computer. These updates are also known as Windows Updates.

When your computer detects that a new update is available to download and install, the following speech bubble will appear in the lower right corner of your screen stating: New Updates are ready to install

and the Automatic Updates icon will appear in the Notification Area. Note: The Automatic Updates icon will not appear in the Notification Area unless new critical Windows Updates are available. You may need to restart your computer after installing the updates, so remember to save your work. If you choose to install the updates at a later time, you may close the speech bubble and double-click on the icon at any time to have it prompt you about the updates.

When you are ready to install the updates, double-click on the Automatic Updates icon in the Notification Area.

In the Automatic Updates Ready to Install window, read about the updates by clicking on the Details button and then click Install. After installation is complete, if you are asked to restart your computer, click Yes.

How do I get into NTM?

Note: The instructions below are for faculty/staff or public lab computers. For student computers, follow the directions at http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/Domain/winxp.html#server.

1. Go to Start > My Network Places or double-click the My Network Places icon on the desktop.
2. In the Other Places section on the left side of the My Network Places window, click on Entire Network.
3. Double-click on Microsoft Windows Network > Wellesley > NTM.
   Note: On a student computer, you will be asked to log in to NTM. In the User name field, type in Wellesley\domain user name, for example: Wellesley\wwendy. In the Password field, type in your domain password. Click OK.

Where is QVT Terminal (QVT/Term)?

QVT Terminal, otherwise known as QVT/Term, has been replaced with a new program called PuTTY. To access Fitz or other file servers that you normally use QVT/Term for:

1. Go the Start menu and select All Programs > Putty > PUTTY.
2. Within the PuTTY Configuration window, if the server you wish to use is listed under Saved Sessions, double-click on its name to connect to it.
3. If the server is not listed under Saved Sessions, in the Host Name (or IP Address) field, type in the name of the file server you wish to access, for example: fitz.wellesley.edu. If you will be using this server frequently and would like to add it to the saved list of servers, type a name for it in the Saved Sessions field, then click Save.
4. Click Open to connect to the server.

How do I set up file sharing?

Go to the documentation on How to set up File Sharing in Windows.

How do I extract or create zipped files with Windows XP?

Once you double-click on a zip file to access its contents, a folder window that appears listing the contents of the zip file. Even though it appears as though you have extracted the files, in fact they are still zipped and may not be truly accessible until you extract all of the files.

If you receive the above Compressed (zipped) Folders Warning message when double-clicking on a file within the zipped folder, then click on the Extract All button and follow the directions starting at step 2 of To extract files from a zipped file.

To extract files from a zipped file:.

1. Right-click on the zip file and select Extract all.
2. The Extraction Wizard will appear. Click Next.
3. Click the Browse button and select the destination for the extracted files. You may create a new folder to store the files by clicking the Make New Folder button and then naming it. When you are finished selecting the location, click OK.
4. If there is a password set on the zip file, click on the Password button and enter the password in the field that appears.
5. Click Next.
6. The Show extracted files checkbox will be selected. Click Finish to close the Extraction Wizard. The folder that stores the extracted files will be automatically displayed.

To create a zipped file:

Beside zip file extraction, you may also create zipped files in Windows XP. This is useful if you wish to compress a number of files or folders into one file.

1. Select the files or folders you wish to compress into a zip file (to select multiple files or folders, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the item you wish to select).
2. Right-click on any of the selected items and choose Send To: > Compressed (zipped) Folder. A new zipped file should appear with the name of the file you had right-clicked.

How do I use the integrated CD burning feature in Windows XP?

If you have a CD-RW drive on your computer, Windows XP has an integrated CD burning feature that allows you to burn data files onto recordable CDs. For Wellesley College-owned computers, there is a better CD-burning program called Roxio Easy CD-Creator that you may use.

There are 2 types of recordable CDs: CD-R or CD-RW. CD-RWs are CDs that are re-writable, meaning that you may erase the CD at any time and re-use the CD to burn more files onto it. In contrast, CD-Rs are not erasable so you will have a permanent copy of your files on the CD once you have burnt files onto it. Most recordable CDs can hold up to 650 MB or 700 MB of data, while some high capacity recordable CDs may hold up to 850 MB. Check your recordable CD to see how much data it can hold before burning any files to it. Note: Some CD-ROM drives (regular CD drives) may not be able to read data written on CD-RWs but any CD-RW drive should be able to read CD-RWs.

1. Insert a blank, CD-R or CD-RW into the CD-RW drive.
2. Open the folder that holds the files you wish to burn onto a CD. Select the files or folders you want (you can select multiple items by pressing and holding down the CTRL key while you click on the files).
3. Next, go to the Edit menu and select Copy.
4. Double-click on My Computer and then double-click on the CD-RW Drive.
5. Go to the Edit menu and select Paste. Windows displays temporary place-holders in the CD-RW Drive folder for files before they are copied to the CD-ROM. These appear as pale file icons with a black down arrow in the lower left corner of the icon, for example:. You may continue adding or deleting files into the CD folder by clicking and dragging files into the folder or using the DELETE button on the keyboard.
6. When you are ready to burn the CD, under the CD Writing Tasks section on the left side of the window, click Write these files to CD.
7. The CD Writing Wizard will appear. Type in a name for the CD and check the box for Close the wizard after the files have been written. Click Next.
8. The files will now be burnt onto the CD. When the CD is completed, the CD tray will usually eject the CD.
9. Put the CD back into the CD-RW drive and verify the contents of the CD. If there is enough space left on the CD and you wish to burn more files onto it, you may add them later using this process.

How do I make Windows XP run faster?

The new smooth blue or green wrapping on the Start menu, Task Bar, and on all of the windows are part of the new visual design for Windows XP. This feature can be turned off to speed up your computer, however this will revert all windows and menus back to the gray rectangular design of Windows 98 or 2000.

1. If the My Computer icon is on your desktop, right-click on it. Otherwise, go to the Start menu and right-click on My Computer.
2. Choose Properties.
3. Click on the Advanced tab.
4. In the Performance section near the top of the window, click on the Settings button.

   

5. Select Adjust for best performance. Click Apply. It may take your computer a few minutes to apply this change. In the meantime, your screen may fade from color to black and white, and a color message labeled Please Wait may appear.
6. Once the change has been applied, click OK.
7. Click OK once more to close out of the System Properties window.

To turn the Windows XP visual design on:

1. If the My Computer icon is on your desktop, right-click on it. Otherwise, go to the Start menu and right-click on My Computer.
2. Choose Properties.
3. Click on the Advanced tab.
4. In the Performance section near the top of the window, click on the Settings button.
5. Select Let Windows choose what's best for my computer. Click Apply. It may take your computer a few minutes to apply this change. In the meantime, your screen may fade from color to black and white, and a color message labeled Please Wait may appear.
6. Once the change has been applied, click OK.
7. Click OK once more to close out of the System Properties window.

• Doug Chudzik
• Information Services
• Date Created: April 15, 2003
• Last Modified: September 29, 2005
• Page Expires: May 31, 2006