When thinking of a title for this post, the Beatles song entitled, "Help" came to mind. In fact, now the song is stuck in my head. The link in the previous sentence seemed to "Help" with the condition.
There is one command that is very useful when you encounter the command prompt. Since I am not very good at foreshadowing when writing, the command that I am trying to tell you about is the HELP command.
The HELP command can be used to provide you any information about some of the commands that can be used in the command line prompt. If you type the word HELP at the prompt, you will get a long list of commands. Unless you can read as fast as Johnny 5, then you need a way to read the list. If you are using the command prompt within a window, then all you need to do is scroll up in the window. Another way of looking at the list is using the MORE command with the character known as the vertical bar. The
vertical bar key is located on the backslash key. To type it, hold the SHIFT + \, and it looks like this, "|". When you type at the command prompt, it looks like a broken vertical bar.
Type the following:
HELP | MORE
This will display the output of the HELP command, one screen at a time, and all you have to do is hit the SPACE BAR to go to the next screen.
In order to get further information about a command, just type the HELP along with the command that you need help with.
For example, HELP DIR, will give you a detailed description of the command in question, along with the switches (options) that can be used with the command.
If you get nothing from this posting, just know that at some point everyone needs some "Help".
I will be honest from the beginning of this blog. I didn't know how I wanted to start this blog. Considering that sometimes the first paragraph will set the tone of the rest of the article. When thinking about how to start this web blog, I thought about how I would start an essay for school. Most people begin an essay by defining the subject, such as; "Webster's Dictionary defines computer as...(blah, blah)". I will take inspiration from that as I begin my first technical blog.
Windows® XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft® for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows®, based on installed user base.
On April 10, 2012, Microsoft® reaffirmed that extended support for Windows® XP and Office 2003 would end on April 8, 2014 and suggested that administrators begin preparing to migrate to a newer OS.
That wasn't so bad. Anyway, for those of you that insist on holding onto your installation of Windows® XP, this blog is for you. I know what you must be thinking. "Bill Gates himself will have to take it from my cold, dead hands!"
I will try to make the blog interesting without too much effort, as I am sure that will be apparent at times. No doubt, there will be a lot of boring stuff, but it will all be useful Windows® XP tips to help you maintain your precious Windows® XP installation.
Update - Some have noticed that I use the ® symbol a lot when referring to Microsoft® products. This is because it follows the guidelines that Microsoft® is asking people to follow when mentioning their products and/or company.
