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If you decide to use the Indexing Service, you’ll want to learn the ways to query it.

To locate a specific document on your hard drive, you use the Indexing Service’s query language. Using this language, you can search for documents based on specific words in the document, or even phrases. You can search by author name, document size, or even the document’s ActiveX properties, such as its summary. There are five types of queries:

■ Free-text You input single words or a group of words, such as

a sentence. The Indexing Service finds documents with the same

meaning, and not necessarily the exact sentence. Think of it as

searching using a web engine, without using quotation marks around

your search words.

2

■ Phrase You input a phrase you believe to be in a document. Putting

quotes around this tells the service to locate the exact phrase.

■ Pattern-matching You input wildcards, denoted by asterisks, to

tell the service you want to search for files that contain patterns.

For instance, you can search for *.xls to locate all of the Microsoft

Excel spreadsheet files on the computer.

■ Relational You input the words you want to search for, and then

add Boolean operators such as And, Or, Not, Near, and =. The results

are sorted in relation to how you input the operators.

■ Vector space You input specific words or phrases you want to find

in a document, and then decide how much “weight” you want each

of the words or phrases to be assigned. There is no easy way to input

this information, and queries look something like this:

book, {weight value=.3} cover, {weight value=.3} Hard Core,

{weight value=.4}

Once you’ve decided on what type of query you want, you need to input it. You can search using the query language from the Search option or from inside the Computer Management console. Since you’re likely already in the console, you can practice from there. You need to know some rules before you get started, many of which are also applied when searching with a web browser and looking for something on the Internet:

■ The search data you input is not case sensitive.

■ Some words are automatically omitted from searches, and they are

all common words: all, as, be, but, did, he, them, to, too, very, and

your.

■ If you must use a character in a query, such as &, #, or @ (and there

are others), enclose those in parentheses so the service does not think

they are operators or wildcards.

■ The best form in which to input dates and times is yyyy/mm/dd and

hh:mm:ss.

■ You can use tags to construct queries, which are indicated by braces,

{ }. Tags are used in long form queries; when tags are not used, it is

referred to as the short form.

■ The @ sign is used to introduce a phrase query. Examples are

@filename=*.xls (all file names created with Microsoft Excel or

with that file extension), @DocTitle“Hard Core XP” (any file with

the title Hard Core XP).

■ & means and, | means or, and ! means not. These symbols are used

in Boolean queries such as hard & core (contains both words), book |

cover (contains either word), and book ! picture (contains book but

not picture).

The Indexing Service Query Language is quite complex, and what I’ve introduced here is only the beginning. To see more details regarding this language, consult the Windows XP Help and Support pages.

The Indexing Service is another service that ships with Windows XP that is likely not needed. The Indexing Service indexes documents by their properties and stores the information in a catalog, a type of database. Once your documents are indexed, you can use the Indexing Service to search those documents using their specific attributes. Searching can be done from the Search option or through your web browser. While this service can be quite helpful and convenient for those who need it, it won’t offer much to the average home user, and will instead slow down the performance of the computer when it gets on its indexing jag. However, if you feel this service will benefit you or your business, by all means give it a shot.

Earlier, in “Stop Unwanted XP Services,” I suggested removing and then disabling the Indexing Service. However, I also suggested that you wait until after you’ve read this section, just in case it looks like something you’d be interested in. If you already uninstalled the service, it can be just as easily reinstalled using the Add Or Remove Programs applet in Control Panel.

Speech Recognition should be removed if it isn’t being used.

Speech Recognition is a text service that ships with Windows XP that allows you to use a input device, such as a microphone, to speak text rather than type it in. As with Handwriting Recognition, if you aren’t using any handwriting devices, you should remove this option, since it requires computer memory and other resources and may affect performance.

To remove Speech Recognition:

1. Click Start | Control Panel | Regional And Language Options.

(If you’re in Category view, you’ll need to select Date, Time,

Language, And Regional Options first.)

2. On the Languages tab, under Text Services And Input Languages,

click Details.

3. Under Installed Services, select Speech Recognition for each

language for which it is not needed (you may only have one

language configured), and click Remove.

Handwriting Recognition should be removed if it isn’t being used.

Handwriting Recognition is a text service that ships with Windows XP that allows you to use an input device, such as a digital pen and tablet, to enter text by writing it on the tablet rather than typing it in. Other devices include mouse pads you can write on or tablet PCs. If you aren’t using any handwriting devices, you should remove this option.

To remove Handwriting Recognition:

1. Click Start | Control Panel | Regional And Language Options.

(If you’re in Category view, you’ll need to select Date, Time,

Language, And Regional Options first.)

2. On the Languages tab, under Text Services And Input Languages,

click Details. Clicking Details opens the Text Services And Input

Languages dialog box.

3. Under Installed Services, select Handwriting Recognition for each

language for which it is not needed (you may only have one

language configured), and click Remove.(If you

don’t have any option to remove Handwriting Recognition, you

never installed it.)

If you are tired of reporting errors to Microsoft or being prompted to, turn that service off.

When an application error occurs with your computer, Windows XP tries to send an error report to Microsoft; it asks for your permission with an annoying little pop-up box that you’ve probably seen. You can disable or stop this service to prevent the box from appearing, and to stop the reporting of errors. If you’re into your privacy, or just want a little peace and quiet, disable or stop the Error Reporting Service:

1. From the Services console, double-click Error Reporting Service.

(Remember, in Windows XP Home, the Services console can be

opened by clicking Start | Search and searching for and opening

the Administrative Tools folder, in which you click Services. In

Windows XP Professional, you can open Administrative Tools from

the All Programs list.)

2. To stop the service, on the General tab, click Stop.

3. To disable the service, on the General tab, in the Startup Type

options, click Disable.

4. Click Apply, and then click OK.

Disable or stop Automatic Updates to increase resources for high-performance tasks.

Automatic Updates are Windows XP’s way of keeping your computer up-to-date, in the background, by automatically checking for, downloading, and even installing updates that Microsoft releases. It’s best to leave this setting on Automatic, but if you want to increase performance for a computer used for gaming or other high-performance needs, you can disable (or stop) Automatic Updates.

To disable Automatic Updates:

1. In the Services console, double-click Automatic Updates.

2. To stop the service temporarily, on the General tab, click Stop.

3. To disable the service, on the General tab, in the Startup Type

options, click Disable.

4. Click OK.

If you have multiple profiles created, for instance a gaming profile, you can disable services for that specific profile only. If you do use your computer for gaming, you’ll probably want to disable as many services as possible for the best performance possible. To disable a service for a specific hardware profile, click the Log On tab in Step 3, select the profile to apply the change to, and click Disable.

Now that you have all of the older programs you want to run working properly with Windows XP, it’s time to take a look at some things that run in the background, likely without your knowledge. These are called services, and they are programs too. Unwanted or unnecessary services can be stopped, started, paused, or resumed by the administrator of the computer (a person with administrator rights). Services can also be configured to run automatically or manually, or they can be completely disabled. If you have Windows XP Professional, you can view all services from the Services console, which you open by clicking Start | All Programs | Administrative Tools | Services. If you have Windows XP Home, you’ll have to click Start | Search, type in Administrative Tools, click Search, and open the folder from there. (In Windows XP Home, Administrative Tools are not listed on the All Programs list.) Not all of these services are necessary, and you can disable several of them, but you shouldn’t just go randomly mucking about disabling a service because you don’t like its name or don’t believe it’s really needed. Most services are needed. However, there are a few you can disable, and in doing so, you can decrease the load the computer must bear just to run.

Use the Program Compatibility Wizard when you need to run an
older program that was not created for Windows XP.
I haven’t found a more reliable way to open the Program Compatibility
Wizard than by browsing through the Help and Support Center. On some
computers, the Program Compatibility Wizard can be located by clicking Start |
All Programs | Accessories, although it isn’t located there on my computer.
It is on a friend’s computer, though, so to be safe, I suggest that you open the
Program Compatibility Wizard this way:
1. Click Start | Help And Support.
2. Select Fixing A Problem, near the bottom of the left column. From
the resulting Fixing A Problem list, select Application And Software
Problems.
3. From the results, click Getting Older Programs To Run On
Windows XP.
4. In the article that appears, locate and click Start The Program
Compatibility Wizard. Click Next to start the wizard.
You then have options for locating the program.
5. If the CD is in the CD-ROM drive, select I Want To Use The Program
In The CD-ROM Drive and click Next. If the CD is not available and
the program is stored on the hard drive or on a network, select I Want
To Locate The Program Manually, and then click Next.
6. If you chose to install from a CD, skip this step. If searching manually
for an application, click Browse. Locate and select the application’s
installation or setup file. Sometimes this is called setup.exe, or it is the
name of the program itself. Generally, there’s an icon for this file in the
Programs folder on the C: drive. If you have trouble manually locatingthe program folder on the hard drive, in the Look In window select
Local Disk (generally C:), expand Documents And Settings, expand
the folder that contains your username, expand Start Menu, and
expand Programs. The program’s folder will probably be in there.
To configure settings for a program that’s already installed, select I
Want To Choose From A List Of Programs, then click Next. A list of
programs appears. Once you select the program you’re looking for:
1. Continue with the wizard by selecting the original operating system
the program was created for. Click Next.
2. Select the display settings suggested by the
program manufacturer, generally noted on
the packaging. Click Next.
3. To test the new settings, click Next. If the
program runs as it should, close the program,
and select Yes, Set This Program To Always
Use These Compatibility Settings. If the result
was not satisfactory, select No, Try Different
Compatibility Settings.
You can also set compatibility settings by
right-clicking any installed program and selecting
Properties. Every program’s Properties dialog box
has a Compatibility tab, but not all programs offer
the ability to change these settings. For instance,
right-clicking Windows Media Player 10, a program
created by Microsoft specifically for Windows XP,
has all of the compatibility options grayed out and
unavailable. Conversely, many third-party programs’
Compatibility options are available.

You don’t have to keep an open and updated list of recent documents if you don’t want to.

As with other Start menu options, right-clicking the Start button and selecting Properties allows you to configure the My Recent Documents item that appears on the Start menu. You can choose to show all your recent

documents or show none at all, or to manually clear the list yourself. If you want the list to be cleared automatically when you log off, you have to open the Group Policy Editor, locate the appropriate setting, and enable the option to clear the My Recent Documents history on exit. Here’s how:

1. Click Start | Run and type gpedit.msc. Click OK.

2. Under Local Computer Policy, expand User Configuration |

Administrative Templates and select Start Menu And Taskbar.

3. Scroll down about halfway through the list and double-click Clear

History Of Recently Opened Documents On Exit.

4. Select Enabled, and click OK.

You can also turn off the My Recent Documents feature permanently, which may be a better solution. If you prefer not to use the Group Policy Editor, just right-click Start, choose Properties | Customized | Advanced, and uncheck List My Most Recently Opened Documents.

Change the keyboard layout to suit your needs and preferences, or just to play a trick on friends and family.

Perhaps this doesn’t belong here, or even in this book, but if you want to have a little fun with your friends and family, especially those that use your computer without your permission, consider changing the keyboard and

mouse setup to something only you understand and prefer. Here’s how.

If your keyboard comes with command keys, like Favorites, Cut, Copy, Paste, Media, or other options:

1. Open TweakUI.

2. Expand Explorer.

3. Select Command Keys.

You’ll see options here for personalizing those keys. Change the Favorites button to open Solitaire, change the Lower Microphone button to open Windows Media Player, or use Mute Volume to turn up the volume instead.

Chances are these little changes will help you catch that midnight snooper who has been using your computer without your authorization!