How to reinstall TCP/IP in Windows XP

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Sometimes, no matter how many times you uninstall TCP/IP or Network drivers, your computer refuses to connect properly to the network. Signs usually entail erratic network connectivity, webpages won’t load when first accessed, no ip address is bound to the adapter, etc. The instructions below provide a way to essentially REINSTALL TCP/IP and fix corrupted Winsock registry values. If these steps do not work, the best thing to try is to run a repair using your Windows 2000 CD.
1. Remove TCP/IP
Note Before you remove TCP/IP, make a note of the IP and the DNS settings.
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
3. In the Components checked are used by this connection list, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
4. Click Uninstall, and then in the Uninstall Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) dialog box, click Yes.
5. When you are prompted to restart your computer, click Yes.
2. Delete the Bind registry value, the Tcpip subkey, the Winsock subkey, and the WinSock2 subkey
1. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In the left pane, expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, and then expand SYSTEM.
3. Expand CurrentControlSet, and then expand Services.
4. Expand lanmanserver, and then click Linkage.
5. In the right pane, right-click Bind, and then click Delete.
6. In the Confirm Value Delete dialog box, click Yes.
7. Expand lanmanworkstation, and then click Linkage.
8. In the right pane, right-click Bind, and then click Delete.
9. In the Confirm Value Delete dialog box, click Yes.
10. Right-click Tcpip, click Delete, and then in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box, click Yes.
11. Right-click Winsock, click Delete, and then in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box, click Yes.
12. Right-click WinSock2, click Delete, and then in the Confirm Key Delete dialog box, click Yes.
13. Restart your computer.
3. Reinstall TCP/IP
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Network and Dial-up Connections.
2. Right-click Local Area Connection, and then click Properties.
3. Click Install, click Protocol in the Click the type of network component you want to install list, and then click Add.
4. In the Network Protocol list, click Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and then click OK.
5. Replace the IP and the DNS settings with the values that you made note of at the beginning of the “Remove TCP/IP section.”

Installing Windows XP using an external USB CD-ROM, DVD-ROM drive.

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Due to high demands for portability and technological advances, laptops are getting smaller and faster. They are now as small as a notebook and just as productive as a workstation. Unfortunately, the smaller laptops are smaller because essential devices, such as CDROMs and floppy disk drives, are externally connected. To add to the problem, companies often use proprioteiry connections to these devices. What happens when it breaks and the replacement is twice as much as other external USB drives? What if you have to boot off of a CD to re-install an operating system because you just upgraded your new hard drive? What if your operating system is corrupted and you would like to start over new? All of these situations have one thing in common. It poses the question: How do I get the Windows Boot CD to boot off of my external CDROM if my bios doesn’t support booting from USB? The steps below will save you a lot of time and frustration.

1. Download the USB DOS driver and Save the file to your hard drive.
2. Use Winzip to extract the file. If you do not have the Winzip program you may get a shareware version here.
3. Extract the file, then open the folder named USBboot and execute the rawrite2.exe.
4. When prompted for the image name, enter dosboot.img
5. Enter the floppy drive as your destination drive, which in general is the A:
6. When it is done, reboot with this disk to use the USB devices.
7. If everything went well, you should have a drive R: for the CDROM drive. You are now ready to copy the I386 folder from the Windows 2000 or XP installation CD to the hard drive.
8. Hard Drives will most likely be C: (the next letter available).
9. At the prompt, go to the CDROM drive (R:) and run “Xcopy *.* /s C:”
10. Now go to the I386 folder (C:I386) then type Winnt.
11. Installation should now start. Follow instruction from your Operating System manual on how to install the OS. (Installation will take some time, Please be patient)

How Open Source software can help your company while leaving costs behind…

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In it’s most simplistic definition, open source software is a free program that is created or maintained by groups of people, such as volunteer programmers. Those that work on it can freely read, redistribute, and modify the source code. Open source software is high quality, low cost (usually free), flexible and independent software for all businesses. Below are the many criterias associated with open source software that supports rapid evolution.

  • Redistribution of the software is free – This restrain people from developing the software for their own short-term capital gains. It also encourages long-term initiatives, which focuses on the quality and functionality of the software.
  • Source code is freely available – Making the source code easily and freely available would allow quick modifications and enhancements to the program.
  • License must allow modifications and derived works – This allows people to redistribute their work in order to advance its evolution.
  • Integrity of the Author’s source code – Modifications must be provided on a patch model so changes are readily distinguished from the base source.
  • No discrimination against persons, groups, or fields of endeavor – This stimulates a diverse community to participate as well as business entities and others.
  • No additional License needed and license must not be specific to product. – Prevents closing up software by preventing such conditions as a non-disclosure agreement.
  • License must not restrict other software or technologies – Allow distributors to use and package the code in conjunction with other existing or perferred application / environment / technology.

Benefits of Open Source Software for Small to Medium-sized businesses
For today’s businesses, the most important factors in determining what software program to use are: functionality, compatibility, cost, and customizability. Fortunately, open source software addresses all these criterias. The value derived from software that is lean (no unecessary functionalities), standardized, cost effective, and customizable is tremendous. Aside from the obvious direct cost savings, open source software also improves efficiency. Also, the frequent updates and improvements to the software offers quick solutions to problems that may arise and features that will be needed in the future. Lastly, the ability to rewrite the code specifically for your business enpowers your business work flow.

Virtualization for applications…

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In brief, Microsoft SoftGrid helps IT shops lower costs and enhance service by reducing the complexity and labor involved in deploying applications to desktops, portable computers, and terminal servers, as well as the complexity of keeping applications up-to-date. The fact that SoftGrid runs applications locally is a key difference from past attempts at virtualization, based on technologies such as Microsoft Windows Server® Terminal Server or Citrix. Because that approach required applications to be centrally hosted and centrally run, it led to mushrooming growth in servers, along with an increase in both hardware purchase costs and hardware maintenance costs. Furthermore, to prevent application conflicts in multi-tenancy situations, IT shops had to create separate instances of servers to host the various applications—a practice that further encouraged the growth of server silos and that resulted in increased management complexity and higher administrative costs.

In contrast, SoftGrid technology offers the ability to deliver and manage applications centrally while allowing client computers to run the applications locally. This approach reduces both hardware proliferation issues and multi-tenancy application conflicts. It also provides all the benefits of SaaS—such as ease of access, ease of
distribution, and ease of management—to earlier client-server applications.