Using the Windows Control Panel - Part 2

Managing folders
You can control how Windows displays files and folders using the Folder Options control panel, although there's an interesting security feature hidden here unknown by many users. The first pane of the Folder Options dialogue box lets you choose between the 'classic' view of folders and the Windows XP view, in which a list of common tasks appears down the left-hand side of the window.

Secondly, you can tell Windows to open new folders in new windows, or in the same window, and also choose whether you want to single-click or double-click to open files and folders.

In the second pane, labelled View, there's a list of options relating to viewing files and folders. Generally, these come down to individual preference, and you can play around with them to see which options suit you. However, one or two are more important.

You can choose whether or not to see system and hidden files, but it's worth leaving these hidden (select 'Do not show hidden files and folders') because this lessens the chance of accidentally changing them. Similarly, you should make sure that 'Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)' is ticked. Crucially, it is worth unticking the option marked 'Hide extensions for known file types' as this makes it easier to identify your documents and reduces the risk of accidentally opening a virus.

The third pane, File Types, is where you choose how Windows deals with different documents. If your files aren't opening in the correct application when you double-click on them, come here to select the file type from the list. Then click on Change and you will see a dialogue box allowing you to choose from a list of installed programs. If the program you want is not in the list, click on Browse and find it on your hard disk, click on Select and then OK to close the dialogue box.

Internet options
As you might expect, this controls how Internet Explorer works (if you use a different browser, such as Firefox or Opera, it will have its own settings). On the first page you can set your home page, delete cached files (which eat up hard disk space) and your history, and set colour, font and language choices.

Note that, if you delete cookies, saved passwords that automatically appear when you visit a website will have to be typed in again.

The Security pane allows you to change settings for internet security and network security. It's worth leaving these on the defaults (click on the Default Level button) but if you want to make a change, click on Custom Level for a list of options. Setting the wrong option here can leave your computer exposed to viruses and spyware, so take care.

You can add websites to the Trusted Zone and change the Custom Settings to allow certain types of files to open automatically. This could be handy for those into online gaming who want to automatically allow ActiveX settings to be changed while playing.

Take a look at some of the options under the Custom Level button but, unless you are an advanced user, be sure to click on the Default Level Button once you have finished.

Similarly, the Privacy pane allows you to choose settings about cookies, which can be used to save commonly used information on websites you visit, and are used by many online stores to hold information about you, such as the kind of goods you might be interested in and your site user name.

Move the slider up for more privacy and down for less, but beware that if you set it too high some websites may not work. It is worth playing around with this setting until you find the one that works best for you, starting with Medium level. This insists that you are asked for consent before storing personal information in a cookie.

This page also controls the pop-up blocker (for those with SP2), which stops many adverts from appearing at all. Click on the Settings button to configure it. The drop-down menu marked Filter Level is the useful one here, and you can choose the level of blocking that suits you.

In the Content pane, you can set automatic filters to sift out material that is unsuitable for children. It's a nice idea but quite pointless, because it works by asking websites what material they contain. If the website designer hasn't added this detail, the filter doesn't work. You can learn more at the Internet Content Rating Association website here. If you want a content filter, paid-for parental control software is the way to go.

The Content pane also controls AutoComplete, which fills in website boxes and online forms. This is useful if you are filling out your name and address regularly on forms, such as when shopping online. Click on the AutoComplete button to configure it.

Ticking 'Web addresses' will give you a drop-down box when you type an address into Internet Explorer. Ticking 'Forms' will give you a drop-down box of previous entries when you fill in some forms on the web. Finally, ticking 'User names and passwords on forms' will automatically fill in your details when you log in to certain sites.

To clear the list of saved entries, click on one of the two Clear buttons on this page. You could click on My Profile on the same tab to enter information about yourself to make filling forms in even quicker, but we wouldn't recommend adding phone numbers or email addresses here, as you may find yourself receiving rather more spam than usual.

In the Programs tab, you can choose which programs are used for specific tasks, such as sending email and accessing newsgroups. Select the appropriate one from the drop-down list. What it won't let you change here is the browser you prefer, which we think is a bit cheeky.

Whenever you download a new browser, it asks whether you want it to be the default program for web surfing. But the point of trying new programs is that you might or might not prefer them. So to access the default programs for web access, you have to go back to Add or Remove Programs and select Set Program Access and Defaults. It's nowhere near as straightforward as choosing your preferred program from the Programs tab and, frankly, we don't understand why.

In the final tab, Advanced, are the detailed options for Internet Explorer, covering accessibility, browsing, network settings, printing and security. You can safely experiment with the Browsing and Printing settings to see which you prefer, particularly 'Notify when downloads complete' and the 'Underline links' options, as well as the 'Print background colours and images' option under Printing.

Under Multimedia, you can enable or display pictures, animations, sounds and videos on web pages. You can always click on the Restore Defaults button to get things back the way they were if you change a setting and don't like the effect. The options in the Security section, however, should only be touched by advanced users.

Network connections
Opening the Network Connections control panel will show you icons for the different network connections on your PC. You will find your internet connection here plus any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth links. Each one will also say whether it's enabled, connected and protected by the XP Firewall. You can enable or disable a connection by right-clicking on it and selecting the appropriate option.

To use the XP Firewall, double-click on the entry in question and click on the Advanced tab, then on the Settings button in the Windows Firewall section. Then select On and press OK twice to close the Properties box.

You can set up a new connection by clicking on 'Create a new connection' in the left-hand panel, which will display a wizard to take you through the process. If you already have a firewall, it's not necessary but if you haven't, setting one up is a priority.

Windows XP Service Pack 2 controls
Service Pack 2 adds a couple of icons to the Control Panel. Firstly, after installing it, you will notice one marked Security Center. This will also pop up when you start Windows if your firewall, antivirus package or Windows Update settings are not as secure as they could be.

It shows the status of those three components: they will appear in red if they are turned off, not updated or not installed at all. You can change the settings to not alert you each time you load Windows by clicking on 'Change the way Security Center alerts me' in the left-hand panel.

There is also a Windows Firewall icon, which controls the firewall that is built in to Service Pack 2. This can help stop viruses and spyware by blocking other computers from sending unwanted (and possibly malicious) data to your PC. You should make sure it is turned on, unless you have a third-party firewall (such as ZoneAlarm or Norton Internet Security).

When you start a new program, Windows will ask whether it should be allowed access to the internet. You can also allow access from the Exceptions tab of this dialogue box, by clicking on Add Program and selecting the application from the list that appears.

Plug-ins
In addition to the icons that Windows installs in the Control Panel, some programs add their own icons to the Control Panel window. One of the most common is QuickTime, the Apple program used to display video.

A QuickTime icon will appear in your Control Panel once QuickTime is installed on your PC. Some programs, QuickTime in particular, have problems with sound cards. If your movies sound 'choppy' when played in QuickTime, open the Control Panel and select Sound Out from the drop-down box. Under 'Choose a device for playback', select your sound card from the list and close the dialogue box. Then restart QuickTime and it should be back to normal.

You may also see an icon called Java, a programming language that is used to run small programs on websites, such as chat tools and small online games. The Java control panel will let you control how often Java updates itself over the internet, the network settings it uses and where it stores its files.

Most of these settings will only be of use to advanced users and engineers, but you might find it useful in diagnosing a fault. You may also find that your graphics card or sound card manufacturer has installed its own icon in the Control Panel, which will give you access to specific settings for those cards.