by Greg Schwartz

Created on: December 24, 2009

For users who know where to look, Windows XP provides an abundance of system information and access to resources.  There are many jumping-off points in XP where you can access multiple applications from the same screen.  Some of these include the Control Panel, System Information, and Computer Management, but another one (that often goes under-utilized) is the System Properties screen.

There are two ways to get to the System Properties screen, and both are easy to remember.  You can either right-click My Computer and choose Properties, or you can open the Control Panel and double-click the System icon.  Both will take you to the same place.

The System Properties screen has seven tabs, each of which deals with separate aspects of the computer.  When the screen first appears, it defaults to the General tab.

The General tab is a basic rundown of the computer's specifications.  It will display the operating system version; any service packs that have been installed; the name of the registered user; the make, model, and speed of the processor; and the amount of RAM the system has.

The next tab over is the Computer Name tab, where you can see more information as well as make changes.  This tab displays the computer name, as well as the name of the workgroup or domain the computer is a member of.  Either of these fields can be changed.  (To change the workgroup or domain, you will probably have to restart your computer.)

Most likely, the only time you'd ever use the Hardware tab would be to access the Device Manager.  This tab also allows you to set options for installing drivers, as well as view current hardware profiles.

The Advanced tab is a good place to go if your system is running slow for no apparent reason.  Here you can optimize Windows for performance, as well as increase the size of the system's page file.  (Both are located under Performance settings.)  This tab also lets you view user profiles and startup and recovery settings (neither of which you will probably need to use, unless you are a system administrator.)

The System Restore tab is where you can turn System Restore on or off, and also change the disk space allocated to saving restore points.  If you turn off System Restore, all current restore points will be deleted.

Under the Automatic Updates tab, you can enable or disable automatic updates for Windows.  If you enable them, you can schedule specific times to check for updates.  You can also choose to have the updates downloaded but not installed.

The last tab in the System Properties screen is called Remote, and this tab is one you'll probably never use.  It allows you to configure remote access to your computer, either through Remote Assistance or Remote Desktop.

Of these features, the ones users tend to access most are the Device Manager, page file settings, System Restore, and workgroup or domain settings.  The System Properties screen offers an easy way to get to each of them.

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