TheFlash428

Very likely your pagefile and/or hibernation file. These are hidden system files that usually reside on the root of the C: drive. Unless you have "hide protected operating system files" unchecked in folder options, you won't see those. They can take up a few GBs of space, depending on your settings.

Could be the monitor or the video card...I suspect that what is happening is that when you log in the screen resolution is adjusting for the settings of that user, which causes a brief loss of video (even if the settings are actually unchanged from one user to the other). I have seen this behavior in some our our computers, mainly laptops plugged into docking stations. I do not believe it to be a problem, just a limitation of the particular hardware.

Start --> Run... --> "rsop.msc" This will bring the up the "resultant set of policy" and should tell you which group policy settings have been configured, as well as which policy is enforcing the setting (local, domain, etc...)

There seems to be something wrong here...Unless you're adding a lot of stuff, your XP installation source should fit onto a CD-ROM drive. Since you claim to be a novice, let's go over some the key items you're gonna need: A computer (you already have this) An Windows XP CD w/ valid license key The necessary hardware drivers for all your laptop components to run on XP (google can be your friend here, if the manufacturer website doesn't help) Time and patience. Oh, and make sure you back up your hard drive before you start this! If you're using NLite, you will still need an XP CD...you can't just "downgrade" Vista without the proper resources.

Also, make sure you have access to all the device drivers to install once XP has finished installing (Video, Audio, Network cards, etc)...

Hmm...this is different though. These settings affect users attempting to log into the computer, not users attempting to unlock an already established session. Not sure about this, I've never experienced it myself. Are the users using local accounts or domain accounts?

That HAS to be the understatement of the century. Several HUNDRED are labelled "security" or are actually security-related. I believe the statement was intended to have a hint of sarcasm...but yeah, MANY security patches in SP3 This would only be true for an UN-patched installation of SP2. Running SP2 with all recommended security patches is just as secure as running SP3. If you install a fresh XP with SP2, I would recommend applying all updates prior to any online activities. Frankly, I think SP3 is great for slipstreaming into new installation sources, but since SP3 is primarily nothing more than a cumulative patch roll-out (unlike SP2, which included many changes to the OS), I don't really see the need to apply it systems that are already running with SP2 and are fully up-to-date with patches and hotfixes. IMO, anyway.

I think that's what "bradybigd" may have been referring to. Are you trying to make a backup of your current system so it can be restored later, or just trying to make an XP installation disk? There are several products that will allow you to create an image of your hard drive so you can restore it later, such as Norton Ghost, Acronis True Image or Image for Windows...just to name a few.

What Iceman said..."Converting" the file isn't the problem, the problem is that FAT32 won't recognize files larger than 4GB. (I think 2GB was the size limit for a partition in Windows NT, but I think the actually file size limit in a FAT32 formatted disk is 4GB...I could be wrong).

It will still ask for the "old" password... Have you tried ? Yeah...If you're logged in to another account (with admin rights) you can change the password as described above without providing the old password. The only problem with this method is that any files that were encrypted using the account in question will no longer be accessible, but I'm guessing that is not a problem in your situation.

In the Registry: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer NoDriveTypeAutoRun = 0x000000FF (See this page for explanation of the above setting) -OR- Using Group Policy editor (XP Pro only): Start --> Run... --> gpedit.msc Computer Config --> Admin Templates --> System "Turn off Autoplay" = enabled Hope this helps.

This is a very common problem, and can be frustrating because a number of factors can influence it. First, a few questions: 1. Is the OS XP Professional, or XP home ed.? 2. Do the computers use simple file sharing (using guest account), or do users authenticate as themselves? 3. With the firewall disabled, can you ping each workstation from the other one? (from CMD prompt, type "ping [computer name | IP address]") Try to ping using both the NETBIOS computer name and the IP. 4. Do you know if any other type of security policies have been applied to either computer? 5. Can computer B access the Internet shared from computer A, or is it just file sharing that doens't work?

For better security in this realm... Rename the builtin administrator account to something else. Set a password Create a new user, named "administrator" Set a password (or don't) Remove this user from the USERS group and put it only in the GUESTS group I also suggest renaming the builtin guest account and disabling that as well, unless you're using simple file sharing (I don't recommend that either). You can set a "password required flag" for users by using the following command: NET USER [username] /passwordreq:yes

Just a tip (or request) to anyone... If you post a problem, and then resolve it yourself before anyone else can suggest a solution, why not post the solution anyway? It's always possible that someone will have the same problem in the future and be able to use the post to help them, instead of having a bump an old post to request information or start a new one.

Probably need more info... What resolution is the display usually set to? what resolution were you able to achieve using the montior in your office? When hooked up to one of the non-working monitors, are you able to see BIOS startup information, or nothing at all? Safe mode? This could determine if this is a failed driver issue/hardware issue...

Are you sure it's not a monitor setting? Maximizing your windows shouldn't "chop" any of your borders, just extend all of them to the edge of the screen...unless I'm not fully understading your problem.

Um, yeah, if you haven't installed any service packs, do that first!

SP3 contains most of them.

Just hit the "Print Screen" button, open up Paint and then paste the image from the clip board. I usually save as a JPG or PNG format. It should be under 200k...and it definately should be <5MB!

You may want to switch this back, however, once you're back on your permanent (wired) network--otherwise you may experience similar issues if your folks start connecting to "rogue" wireless networks.

0.0.0.0 usually means no connection at all. Exactly.

Are you using a router? Because if so your ISP shouldn't really have anything to do with your private network settings?

The number of programs you select under "customize" refers to the history list of recently used programs (the ones that are listed underneath the programs that are "pinned"). Items you "Pin to the Start Menu" are not affected by this setting--THEY WILL ALWAYS BE SHOWN. If you want less items there, don't pin as many. If you only want the ones you pin, then select "0" as the number of programs under the "customize" settings. Keep in mind that the right-hand side of the start menu will affect the overall size as well. The more items you have shown on the start menu's right side, the larger it will be (i.e. "Adminstrative Tools" or "Control Panel"). I usually "pin" the programs I want, set all my other options for what I want to appear on the right-hand side, then, based on how much room is left, set the number of programs for the amount of room remaining to display that amount.

Yeah, and I'd guess you won't be able to either. You *may* be able to contact either Lenovo/ibm or toshiba customer support to get a replacement CD to install XP (preferably), or perhaps a restore CD.

Where are you getting the OEM key? The reason I ask is because if you have (for instance), a Dell laptop with an OEM XP sticker, that number printed on it won't work to install XP (even an OEM version). The number printed on the sticker is nothing more than a "proof of purchase", since Dell's OEM CD's come with the product key already pre-written and they use a hardware based validation method. I believe other manufacturers like HP also use similar methods. If this is the case, you'll probably need to contact the equipment manufacturer. This may not be your problem, but regardless, we will probably need more information to determine what (if any) steps you can take to LEGALLY do what you're trying to do.