To prepare a recovery CD, you'll need: (1) an original Windows XP CD, (2) a valid Windows product key, (3) a collection of your most essential hardware drivers, and (4) a copy of your backup software so you can access your archived data.
The first ingredient, the Windows XP CD, may prove the most troublesome, simply because many manufacturers omit it in lieu of some sort of customized "express install" recovery disc. If Windows came preinstalled on your PC but the manufacturer didn't provide a full Windows XP CD, contact the company and ask for one (you did pay for it, after all). In most cases, you'll get one for free, no questions asked.
But you're not out of the woods yet. Now that Service Pack 2 is out and has been force-fed to most of the Windows XP machines on the planet, your pre-SP2 Windows XP disc may not do what you need it to. (This next step isn't necessary if you already have an SP2 installation CD.)
Here's the problem: Once you upgrade to SP2, you won't ever be able to install the original version of Windows XP over it; you have thus rendered the ancient practice of reinstalling the operating system impossible.
The solution is to create a new hybrid installation CD from your original Windows XP CD and a special version of SP2, a process known as slipstreaming. (Etymology: a term from fluid mechanics, also used in Star Trek: Voyager.)
To create a slipstreamed Windows XP-SP2 CD, first create a new folder called "xp" in the root folder of your hard drive. (You'll need about a gigabyte of free space.) Insert your original Windows XP CD, start Windows Explorer, and then navigate to your CD drive (usually D:\). Highlight everything in the root folder of the CD and copy it all to the C:\xp folder you just created.
Next, go to Microsoft's Web site and search for the "Windows XP Service Pack 2 Network Installation Package for IT Professionals and Developers." Download the 272MB file, WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2 -ENU.exe, and save it to a new folder on your hard drive, C:\sp2.
Open a Command Prompt window (Start | All Programs | Accessories | Command Prompt), and then type this command at the prompt:
c:\sp2\WindowsXP-KB835935-SP2-ENU /integrate:c:\xp
If all goes well, the process should take a minute or two and then conclude with a simple completed message box. (If it doesn't work, then your copy of Windows XP can't be slipstreamed.)
Like it or not, you'll need a valid product key to reinstall Windows XP or install any Microsoft service pack down the road. Without it, your recovery disc will be naught but a coaster for the cup of coffee you're likely to need.
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You can find the 25-digit product key on the hologram-laden certificate of authenticity, on the Windows XP CD sleeve, or on the Microsoft sticker on your PC. If you can't locate your key, you can get one from your PC manufacturer or directly from Microsoft (provided that you can prove you own a valid Windows license).
Once you have the product key in hand, write it directly on the original Windows XP CD with a soft marker pen (and also on the CD-R you're creating here) so you won't have to scramble for it in a pinch.
If you want, you can set up what Microsoft calls an "answer file" to enter your product key automatically so you don't have to type it in later on. On your original Windows XP CD (Professional Edition only), navigate to the \Support\Tools folder, double-click on DEPLOY.CAB, and then double-click on Setupmgr.exe to open the Windows Setup Manager wizard. When prompted, choose Create a new answer file and then Windows Unattended Installation. For the User Interaction Level, choose Provide defaults; when asked about the Distribution Folder, answer No. Finally, you'll see a new window, into which you can specify defaults; select Providing the Product Key on the left, type your product key in the text fields on the right, and then save the unattend.txt file into your C:\xp folder. For more information, open the setupmgr.chm file, also found in DEPLOY.CAB.
The Windows XP SP2 setup files should now consume about 600MB , leaving about 100MB free when they are placed on a garden-variety CD-R. Use this space to include drivers for your most important hardware devices. You can download the appropriate drivers from the hardware manufacturers' Web sites.
In the C:\xp folder, create a new folder called DRIVERS, and then create a subfolder for each driver. For instance, create a VIDEO folder for your display adapter drivers, a NETWORK folder for your Ethernet or wireless-network adapter driver, and MODEM for your modem driver (if needed). Make sure to include all drivers and software you will need to get your PC connected to the Internet. Once your Internet connection is up and running, you'll be able to download the less-vital drivers, such as those for your printer and sound card.
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To be certain all these drivers will work when you need them, don't use anything you haven't personally tested. And don't forget to expand any ZIP files or self-extracting EXE files now, so that you'll be able to access the individual driver files during Windows setup if needed.
Finally, if there's room on your CD-R, make a folder for your backup softwar
e so that you'll be able to get your data off your backup media. Likewise, include any SCSI, tape drive, or FireWire drivers you might need to access your backup devices.
Next, you make your recovery CD bootable by using IsoBuster (www.smart-projects.net/isobuster) to extract the boot loader from your original Windows XP CD. In IsoBuster, select your CD drive from the list, highlight the Bootable CD folder on the left, and then drag the BootImage.img file from IsoBuster to your hard drive.
Now it's time to burn a new CD. You'll need CD-burning software capable of creating a bootable CD, such as Roxio Easy Media Creator 7, PC Magazine's current Editors' Choice ( www.roxio.com ), or Nero Burning ROM 6 or later ( www.nero.com ). (Sonic Solutions is acquiring Roxio's software division, but there are no plans to change the brand name.) Just drag the entire contents of the C:\xp folder to your CD project, and then use the BootImage.img file for the boot image data (refer to your CD-burning software manual for details). When you're ready, burn the CD.
In Outlook, archiving is a way to back up or delete old items, such as e-mail messages, appointments, contacts, tasks, journal entries, notes, posted items, and documents. AutoArchive backs up items for you automatically by using either the default settings or settings that you specify. However, sometimes you might not want to worry about all of those settings and just archive an individual folder manually.
Archive all folders to their AutoArchive settings Allows you to use your AutoArchive settings to archive the Home Networking folder.
Archive this folder and all the subfolders Allows you to archive the Home Networking folder using the options available in the Archive dialog box.
Note To see if items have the Do not AutoArchive this item check box selected, open the item. On the File menu, click Properties. On the General tab, verify that the Do not AutoArchive this item check box is selected.
Note The default location for Archive.pst is C:\Documents and Settings\user name\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook\. A Personal Folders file (.pst) is an Outlook data file that stores items such as e-mail messages, contacts, calendar data, tasks, and notes.
The items in the folder are moved out of the folder and into the .pst file that you specified. To view the folder items again, open the .pst file.
Microsoft Outlook’s built-in formatting options such that mail sent directly to me appears in my inbox in light blue. You can change to any color. Here’s how we do this…choose the Tools menu followed by the Organise menu item:
Next, click on Using Colours. I already have e-mail that is sent to me and me only appear in blue, hence the option to turn it off is available. Assuming that you don’t have this option enabled, click on the Automatic Formatting button at the top right:
By default, Microsoft Outlook provides a handful of automatic formatting rules, one of them is “Mail sent directly to me”:
Click on the condition button and in the From section type @elitebuyer.com
this will set the rule for all email comming from a certian email to be that color.
Outlook will do a pretty good job working out the conditions required to make this happen. For the sake of completeness though, click on the Condition… button to see for yourself:
As long as you have a tick beside the “Mail sent directly to me” rule, Outlook will colour-code your incoming e-mail:
This is yet another small and simple product feature that you may well have been aware of, however if it’s new to you, it could be of some use.
I found the following solution on the Internet. This describes an other error, but it gave me the ability to reenter a new Product Key.
Follow these steps:
The next time that you try to run an Office application, you will be prompted for a new product license key. Then, you can enter the product license key.
Hit the "Install Now" button and you Office app, will be updated with the new key. After updating you can activate you Office app, without reinstalling it.
for more information go to: Ebcnetworks.com
Craigslist has nearly single-handedly destroyed the paid newspaper classifieds world.
You can use these website to post your real estate listings, sell your garage-sale stuff, promote new job openings, find potential applicants, and even sell your e/audio/books!
But it’s not the only player in town. Mashable has reviewed a whole bunch, and I’ve added to the list with their comments. Just about all of them are free, localized, categorized, and regulate themselves through an honor system. Here they are in approximate order of popularity:
