Introduction to Control Panel Utilities

Windows centralizes the settings for many

features that control the behavior and appearance
of the computer. These settings are categorized in
utilities, or small programs, found in the Control
Panel, as shown in Figure 1. Adding or removing
programs, changing network settings, and
changing the security settings are some of the
configuration options available in the Control
Panel.
The names of various categories in the Control
Panel differ slightly depending on the version of
Windows installed. By default, icons are grouped
into the following eight categories in Windows 7:
• System and Security - To configure
system and security settings
• Network and Internet - To configure
network connection types
• Hardware and Sound - To configure
devices connected to the computer and
settings for sound
• Programs - To remove, change, and
repair applications
• User Accounts and Family Safety -
To create and remove user accounts and set
up parental controls
• Appearance and Personalization -
To control the look and feel of the Windows
GUI

• Clock, Language, and Region - To
specify location and language
• Ease of Access - To configure
Windows for vision, hearing, and mobility
needs
In Windows you can change how the Control
Panel is displayed. The view that you select determines which utilities are
immediately accessible in the Control Panel. In Windows 7, the view options include:
• Category - Groups the
Control Panel utilities into easy-to- navigate groups.
• Large Icons - Displays the
utilities in alphabetical order using large icons.
• Small icons - Displays the
utilities in alphabetical order using small icons.
NOTE: This course uses the large icon view, as shown in Figure 2.
In Windows Vista, there are two view options:
• Control Panel Home – Groups the Control Panel utilities into easy-to-navigate groups.
• Classic View – Displays all of the Control Panel utilities individually. In Windows XP, there are
two view options:
• Category - Groups the Control Panel utilities into easy-to-navigate groups.
• Classic View – Displays all of the Control Panel utilities individually.
User Accounts
An administrative account is created when
the Windows OS is installed. To create a user
account, open the User Accounts utility, as
shown in Figure 1, by selecting Start >
Control Panel> select User Accounts.
The User Accounts utility provides options
to help you manage your password, change
your picture, change your account name and
type, manage another account, and change
User Account Control (UAC) settings.
NOTE: Some features of the User Accounts
utility require administrative privileges and
might not be accessible with a standard user
account.

User Account Control Settings

The UAC monitors programs on a computer
and warns users when an action might
present a threat to the system. In Windows 7,
you can adjust the level of monitoring that the
UAC performs, as shown in Figure 2. When
Windows 7 is installed, the UAC for the primary
account is set to Default - Notify me only when
programs try to make changes to my
computer.
To adjust the level of UAC monitoring, use the
following path:
Start > Control Panel > User Accounts >
Change User Account Control settings

Internet Options
To access the Internet Options, use the following
path:
Start > Control Panel > Internet Options
Internet Options has the following tabs:
• General - Configure basic Internet
settings, such as selecting the Internet Explorer (IE) home page, viewing and deleting browsing
history, adjusting search settings, and customizing browser appearance.
• Security - Adjust the security settings for the Internet, local intranet, trusted sites, and
restricted sites. Security levels for each zone can range from low (minimal security) to high (maximum
security).
• Privacy - Configure privacy settings for the Internet zone, manage location services, and enable
Pop-up Blocker.
• Content - Access Parental Controls, control content viewed on the computer, adjust
AutoComplete settings, and configure the feeds and web slices that can be viewed in IE.
• Connections - Set up an Internet connection and adjust network settings.
• Programs - Choose the default web browser, enable browser add-ons, select the HTML editor
for IE, and
select programs used for Internet services.
• Advanced - Adjust advanced settings, and reset Internet Explorer’s settings to the default state.
Display Settings
When using an LCD screen, set the resolution to native mode or native
resolution. Native mode has the same number of pixels that the
monitor has. If you do not use native mode, the monitor does not
produce the best picture.
You can change the display settings with the Display Settings utility.
You can change the appearance of the desktop by modifying the
resolution and color quality, as shown in the figure. If the screen
resolution is not set properly, you might get unexpected display
results from different video cards and monitors. You can also change
more advanced display settings, such as the wallpaper, screensaver,
power settings, and other options.
With Windows 7, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Display > Change display settings
With Windows Vista, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Personalization > Display Settings
With Windows XP, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Display > Settings
You can adjust the following features in Windows 7:
• Screen resolution - Specifies the number of
pixels. A higher number of pixels provides better
resolution and picture.
• Orientation - Determines whether the display
appears in Landscape, Portrait, flipped Landscape, or
flipped Portrait orientations.
• Refresh rate - Sets how often the image in the screen is redrawn. The refresh rate is in Hertz
(Hz). The higher the refresh rate, the more steady the screen image.
• Display colors - Specifies the number of colors visible on the screen at once. The more bits, the
greater the number of colors. The 8-bit color palette contains 256 colors. The 16-bit color (High Color)
palette contains 65,536 colors. The 24-bit color (True Color) palette contains 16 million colors. The
32-bit color palette contains 24-bit color and 8 bits for other data such as transparency.
NOTE: You can also access the display settings in Windows 7 and Windows Vista in the Display link of the
Personalization control panel utility.
Folder Options
Ensuring proper access to files requires managing the directory and folder settings. To configure settings for
folders in Windows, use the Folder Options utility.
To access the Folder Options utility in Windows 7, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Folder Options
Folder Options, as shown in the figure, has three tabs.
General Tab
Use the General tab to adjust basic display and access settings.
• Browse folders - Configures how a folder is displayed when it is opened.
• Click items as follows - Specifies the number of clicks required to open a file.
• Navigation pane - Determines whether all folders are displayed and whether a folder is
automatically expanded when it is selected in the navigation pane.
View Tab
Use the View tab to adjust view settings and attributes for folders, including the ability to see hidden folders.
• Folder views - Applies the view settings for a folder being viewed to all folders of the same
type.
• Advanced settings - Customizes the viewing experiences. Search Tab
Use the Search tab to customize folder search settings.
• What to search - Configures search settings based on indexed and non-indexed locations to
make files and folders easier to find.
• How to search - Determines which options to take in to account during a search.
• When searching non-indexed locations - Determines whether system directories and
compressed files are included when searching non-indexed locations.
Action Center
Ensuring proper access to files requires managing the directory and folder settings. To configure settings for
folders in Windows, use the Folder Options utility.
To access the Folder Options utility in Windows 7, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Folder Options
Folder Options, as shown in the figure, has three tabs.
General Tab
Use the General tab to adjust basic display and access settings.
• Browse folders - Configures how a folder is displayed when it is opened.
• Click items as follows -
Specifies the number of clicks required to open a file.
• Navigation pane - Determines
whether all
folders are displayed and whether a folder is automatically expanded when it is selected in the
navigation pane.
View Tab
Use the View tab to adjust view settings and attributes for folders, including the ability to see hidden folders.
• Folder views - Applies the view settings for a folder being viewed to all folders of the same
type.
• Advanced settings - Customizes the viewing experiences. Search Tab
Use the Search tab to customize folder search settings.

• What to search - Configures search settings based

on indexed and non-indexed locations to make files and
folders easier to find.
• How to search - Determines which options to take
in to account during a search.
• When searching non-indexed locations -
Determines whether system directories and compressed
files
are included when searching non-indexed locations.
Windows Firewall
In addition to the security settings available in the Action
Center, you can prevent malicious attacks on your system with the Windows Firewall utility, as shown in the
figure. A firewall implements a security policy by selectively permitting and denying data traffic to a
computer. A firewall gets its name from a brick and mortar firewall designed to prevent fire from spreading
from one part of a building to another.
You can configure firewall settings for home networks, work networks, and public networks. Further changes
can be made by using the following options:
• Allow a program or feature through Windows Firewall - Determine which programs can
communicate through the Windows Firewall.
• Change notification settings - Users with administrative privileges canmanage notifications
from the Windows Firewall.
• Turn Windows Firewall on or off - Users with administrative privileges can turn the Windows
Firewall on or off.
• Restore defaults -
Users with administrative privileges canrestore the Windows Firewall to the default settings.
• Advanced settings - Users with administrative privileges can adjust advanced security
settings. Access the Windows Firewall utility, in Windows 7, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall
Control Panel Utilities
The Power Options utility in Windows allows you to
reduce the power consumption of certain devices or
of the entire system, as shown in the figure. Use
Power Options to maximize performance or
conserve energy by configuring a system’s power
plan. Power plans are a collection of hardware and
system settings that manage the power usage of the
computer. In Windows XP, power plans are called
power schemes.
Windows 7 and Windows Vista have preset power
plans, while Windows XP has preset power schemes.
These are the default settings and were created when
the OS was installed. You can use the default settings
or the customized plans that are based on specific
work requirements.
NOTE: Power Options automatically detects some
devices that are connected to the computer.
Therefore, the Power Options windows will vary
based on the hardware that is detected.
To access the Power Options utility, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Power Options
You can choose from the following options:
• Require a password on wakeup
• Choose what the power buttons do
• Choose what closing the lid does (for laptops only)
• Create a power plan
• Choose when to turn off the display
• Change when the computer sleeps
Selecting Choose what the power buttons do or Choose what closing the lid does configures how a computer acts when power
or sleep
buttons are pressed or the lid is closed. If users do not want to completely shut down a computer, the following options are
available:
• Do nothing - The computer continues to run at full power.
• Sleep - Documents and applications are saved in RAM, allowing the computer to power on
quickly. In
Windows XP, this option is called Standby.
• Hibernate - Documents and applications are saved to a temporary file on the hard drive. With
this option, the computer takes a little longer than Sleep to power on.
Power Options
The Power Options utility in Windows allows you to reduce the power consumption of certain devices or of
the entire system, as shown in the figure. Use Power Options to maximize performance or conserve energy
by configuring a system’s power plan. Power plans are a collection of hardware and system settings that
manage the power usage of the computer. In Windows XP, power plans are called power schemes.
Windows 7 and Windows Vista have preset power plans, while Windows XP has preset power schemes.
These are the default settings and were created when the OS was installed. You can use the default settings
or the customized plans that are based on specific work requirements.
NOTE: Power Options automatically detects some devices that are connected to the computer. Therefore,
the Power Options windows will vary based on the hardware that is detected.
To access the Power Options utility, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Power Options
You can choose from the following options:
• Require a password on wakeup
• Choose what the power buttons do
• Choose what closing the lid does (for laptops only)
• Create a power plan
• Choose when to turn off the display
• Change when the computer sleeps
Selecting Choose what the power buttons do or Choose what closing the lid does configures how a
computer acts when power or sleep buttons are pressed or the lid is closed. If users do not want to completely
shut down a computer, the following options are available:
• Do nothing - The computer continues to run at full power.
• Sleep - Documents and applications are saved in RAM, allowing the computer to power on
quickly. In Windows XP, this option is called Standby.
• Hibernate - Documents and applications are saved to a temporary file on the hard drive. With
this option, the computer takes a little longer than Sleep to power on.

System Utility
The System utility in the Windows Control Panel allows all users to view basic system information, access
tools, and configure advanced system settings.
To access the System utility, as shown in Figure 1, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > System You access the various settings by clicking the links.
When a user clicks the link for the Device Manager, the Device Manager utility will open. When one of the
other links is clicked, the System Properties utility appears with the following tabs:
• Computer Name - View or modify the name and workgroup settings for a computer, as well as
change the domain or workgroup.
• Hardware - Access the Device Manager or adjust the device installation settings.
• Advanced - Configure settings for performance, user profiles, startup, and recovery.
• System Protection - Access System restore and configure protection settings.
Remote - Adjust settings for Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop.
Performance Settings
To enhance the performance of the OS, you can change some of the settings that your computer uses, such
as virtual memory configuration settings, as shown in Figure 2. The OS uses virtual memory when a
computer does not have enough RAM available to run a program. If enough RAM is not available, virtual
memory moves data from the RAM and places it in a paging file on the hard drive. A paging file is a place
where data is stored until enough RAM is available to process the data. This process is much slower than
accessing the RAM directly. If a computer has a small amount of RAM, consider purchasing additional RAM
to reduce paging. To view the virtual memory setting in Windows 7, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > System > Advanced system
settings > Performance > Settings button > Advanced
> Change
In Windows Vista, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > System > Advanced
system settings > Continue > Advanced tab >
Performance area > Settings button > Advanced
> Change
In Windows XP, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > System > Advanced >
Performance area > Settings button > Advanced
tab > Change Windows ReadyBoost If a user is
unable to install more RAM, they can use an
external flash device and Windows ReadyBoost in
order to enhance performance in Windows 7 and
Windows Vista. Windows ReadyBoost enables
the OS to treat an external flash device, such as a
USB thumb drive, as hard drive cache when there
is not enough RAM available. To activate
Windows ReadyBoost, a user must insert a flash
device and use the following path:
Start > Computer > Right-click the desired
external flash device > Select Properties > Click
the ReadyBoost tab Once ReadyBoost has been
activated for the desired device, a user must
determine how much space on the device will be
reserved as cache. A minimum of 256 MB must
be selected, with a maximum of 4GB for FAT32
file systems and 32GB on NTFS file systems.
Device Manager
Device Manager, as shown, displays the
hardware in a computer. Device Manager
allows you to diagnose and resolve device
conflicts. You can view details about the
installed hardware and drivers, as well as
perform the following functions:
• Update a driver - Change the
currently installed driver.
• Roll back a driver - Change the
currently installed driver to the
previously installed driver.
• Uninstall a driver - Remove a
driver.
• Disable a device - Disable a
device.
To access the Device Manager in Windows
7 and Windows Vista, use the following
path:
Start > Control Panel > System > Device Manager
In Windows XP, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device
Manager
You can view the properties of any device in the system
by double-clicking the device name.
The Device Manager utility uses icons to indicate a
problem with
a device, as shown.
Regional and Language Options
You can change the formats for numbers, currencies,
dates, and time by using the Regional and Language
Options settings. You can also change the primary
language or install an additional language.
To access the Regional and Language Options settings,
as shown in the figure, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Regional and Language Options
Administrative Tools Computer
Management
Windows contains many utilities to manage permissions and users or
configure computer components and services. The Computer
Management console, as shown in the figure, allows you to manage
many aspects of your computer and remote computers.

The Computer Management console provides access to a number of

utilities, including:
• Task Scheduler
• Event Viewer
• Shared Folders
• Local Users and Groups
• Performance
• Device Manager

Disk Management
To open the Computer Management console, use the
following path:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools >
Computer Management To view the Computer
Management console for a remote computer, follow these
steps:
Step 1. In the console tree, right-click Computer
Management (Local) and select Connect to another
computer.
Step 2. In the Another computer box, type the
name of the computer or browse to find the
computer you want to manage.
Event Viewer, Component Services, and Data Sources
The Event Viewer, as shown in the figure, logs the history of events regarding applications, security, and
the system. These log files are a valuable troubleshooting tool, because they provide information necessary
to identify a problem.
To access the Event Viewer, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer
Component Services is an administrative tool used by administrators and developers to deploy, configure,
and administer Component Object Model (COM) components. COM is a way to allow the use of components
in environments other than the environment in which they were created.
To access Component Services, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Component Services
Data Sources is an administrative tool used by administrators to manage, add, or remove data sources using
Open Database Connectivity (ODBC). ODBC is a technology that programs use to access a wide range of
databases or data sources. To access Data Sources (ODBC), use the following path:

Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Data Sources (ODBC)
Services
The Services console, as shown in the figure, allows you to manage all the services on your computer and
remote computers. A service is a type of application that runs in the background to achieve a specific goal
or wait for a request. To reduce security risks, only start necessary services. You can use the following
settings, or states, to control a service:
• Automatic - The service starts
when the
computer is
started. This prioritizes the
most important services to start
up immediately when an OS starts up.
• Automatic (delayed) - The service starts
after services that are set to Automatic have started.
The Automatic (delayed) setting is available only in
Windows 7 and Windows Vista.
• Manual - The service must be started
manually.
• Disabled - The service cannot be started until
it is enabled.
• Stopped - The service is not running.
To open the Services console, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services
To view the Services console for a remote computer, follow these steps:
Step 1. In the console tree, right-click Services (Local) and select Connect to another computer.
Step 2. In the Another computer box, type the name of the computer or browse to find the computer you
want to manage.

Performance and Windows Memory Diagnostic

The Performance Monitor console, as shown in the figure, has two distinct parts: the System Monitor and
Performance Logs and Alerts. You must have administrative privileges to access the Performance Monitor
console.
The System Monitor displays real-time information about the processors, disks, memory, and network usage.
Use the System Monitor to display detailed data about the resources that you are using when performing
specific tasks or multiple tasks. The data displayed can help you understand how the computer workload
affects system resources, such as the CPU, memory, and
network. You can easily summarize usage data with
histograms, graphs, and reports. The data can also help
determine when an upgrade might be necessary.
Performance Logs and Alerts allows you to record the
performance data and configure alerts. Alerts notify you
when a specified usage falls below or rises above a
threshold. You can set alerts to create entries in the
event log, send a network message, begin a performance
log, run a specific program, or any combination of these.
To open the Performance Monitor console in Windows
7, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools >
Performance Monitor
In Windows Vista, use the following path:
Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Reliability and Performance Monitor > Continue
In Windows XP, use the following path:

Start > Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Performance

Windows Memory Diagnostic is an administrative tool that checks the physical memory that is installed on
a computer for errors.
To access Windows Memory Diagnostic in Windows 7, use the following path:
Start> Control Panel > Administrative Tools> Windows Memory Diagnostic
To access Windows Memory Diagnostic in Windows Vista, use the following path:
Start> Control Panel > Administrative Tools> Memory Diagnostic Tool
The Windows Memory Diagnostic is not included in Windows XP.