WINDOWS 1002000 PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE KIT [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Configuring Device Settings

For Plug and Play devices, there are no true default settings. Instead, Windows 2000 Professional identifies devices and their resource requests and arbitrates requests among them. If no device requests the same resources as another device, their settings do not change. If another device requests the same resources, the settings might change to accommodate the request. Consequently, you must never change resource settings for a Plug and Play device unless absolutely necessary. Doing so fixes its settings, making it impossible for Windows 2000 Professional to grant another device's request to use that resource. Changed resource settings can be brought back to the original values by checking the Use automatic settings box under the Resources tab of the Device Properties Page in Device Manager. See the procedure "To change a device's resource settings using Device Manager" later in this section.

NOTE

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Windows 2000 Professional might allocate a single resource to more than one device.

Legacy devices that have fixed resource settings are discovered either during Windows Setup or through the Add/Remove Hardware wizard.

Certain circumstances might require users to change resource settings after Windows 2000 Professional has configured a device. For example, Windows 2000 Professional might not be able to configure one device without creating conflicts with another device. In such a case, a message usually appears to explain what is happening and what you can do about the problem—turn off a device to make room for the new device, disable the new device, or reconfigure a legacy device to make room for the new device.

For more information about troubleshooting problems with devices, see "Troubleshooting Device Management" later in this chapter and "Troubleshooting Tools and Strategies" in this book.

Use Device Manager instead of a registry editor to manually change a device's configuration. Before making any changes to your device configuration, back up your registry so that you can restore your original settings in the event of any problems.

CAUTION

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Do not use a registry editor to edit the registry directly unless you have no alternative. The registry editors bypass the standard safeguards provided by administrative tools. These safeguards prevent you from entering conflicting settings or settings that are likely to degrade performance or damage your system. Editing the registry directly can have serious, unexpected consequences that can prevent the system from starting and require that you reinstall Windows 2000. To configure or customize Windows 2000, use the programs in Control Panel or Microsoft Management Console (MMC) whenever possible.

If you need or want to resolve device conflicts manually, you can use Device Manager and try the following strategies:

Identify a free resource, and assign the device to use that resource.

Disable a conflicting Plug and Play device to free its resources.

Disable a legacy device to free its resources, by removing the legacy device card and not loading the device drivers.

Rearrange resources used by another device or devices to free resources needed by the device with a conflict.

After turning off and unplugging your computer, change jumpers on your hardware to match the new settings.

CAUTION

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Changing default settings using either Device Manager or a registry editor can cause conflicts that make one or more devices unavailable on the system.

To use device manager

In Control Panel, double-click System, click the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.

Double-click the device type in the list to display the devices of that type on your computer.

Double-click the device that you want to configure, or select the device, and then click Properties to view or change its settings.

You can use Device Manager to print reports about system settings, including the following:

System summary

Selected class or device

All devices and system summary

To print a report about system settings

In Device Manager, click Print.

In the Print dialog box, click the type of report you want.

The following procedure explains how to change a device's resource settings using Device Manager. Change resource settings only if absolutely necessary. Changing resource settings can cause conflicts and can cause you to lose Plug and Play functionality. Also, before changing resource settings, make sure that your problem is a resource conflict and not a missing driver.

To change a device's resource settings using device manager

In Device Manager, expand the device class to show the available devices.

Click a device, and then click Properties. The Device Properties dialog box is displayed.

Click the Resources tab. Notice that the Conflicting device list shows any conflicting values for resources used by other devices.

In the Resource type list, select the setting you want to change. Make sure the Use automatic settings box is unchecked.

Click Change Setting. The dialog box for editing the particular setting is displayed.

If there is a conflict with another device, a message is displayed in the Conflict Information field.

NOTE

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When you click Change Setting, you might see an error message saying, "This resource setting cannot be modified." In this case, you need to choose a different basic configuration until you find one that allows you to change resource settings.

Choose a setting that does not conflict with any other devices, and then click OK.

Restart Windows 2000 Professional. Then verify that the settings are correct for the device.

NOTE

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Many legacy devices have jumpers or switches that set the IRQ, DMA, and I/O addresses. If you change these settings in Device Manager, you must also change the settings on the device to match them.

Changing Device Drivers

If your device is not working properly and you suspect that you have either an outdated device driver or the wrong device driver for your device, you can change your device driver from within Device Manager.

To change the device driver using device manager

In Device Manager, expand the device class. The tree expands to show the available devices.

Click the device whose driver you want to change, and then click Properties. The Device Properties dialog box is displayed.

Click the Driver tab.

Click Update Driver in the Device Properties dialog box. The Upgrade Device Driver wizard is displayed.

Click Next.

The wizard asks whether you want to search for a better driver. If you want Windows 2000 Professional to detect your driver automatically, click Search for a suitable driver for my device.

–Or–

If you want to choose a driver yourself, click Display a list of the known drivers for this device so that I can choose a specific driver.

Click Next and follow the instructions to upgrade the driver.

Windows 2000 Professional uses hardware profiles to determine which drivers to load when system hardware changes. Hardware profiles are an especially important feature for portable computers that can be docked. Windows 2000 Professional uses one hardware profile to load drivers when the portable is docked and another when it is undocked—for example, at a customer site that has a different monitor from the one at the office.

Configurations are created when Windows 2000 Professional queries the BIOS for a dock serial ID and then assigns a name for the docked and undocked configurations. Windows 2000 Professional then stores the hardware and software associated with these configurations. Applications access and store information for each of the different hardware configurations used by the mobile user. The registry support enables applications to adapt gracefully to different hardware configurations.

The only time Windows 2000 Professional prompts you for the name of a hardware profile is when two profiles are so similar that Windows 2000 Professional cannot differentiate between them. If this happens, Windows 2000 Professional displays a Hardware Profile menu from which you can choose the correct one.

To create a hardware profile

In Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the Hardware tab. Click Hardware Profiles button.

Click the name of the hardware profile on which you want to base the new hardware profile, and then click Copy.

Type a name for the hardware profile you are creating.

Change the hardware which is enabled or disabled in this profile by using Device Manager, as described in the following procedure.

To enable or disable hardware in a hardware profile

In Device Manager, expand the hardware type, and then double-click the hardware.

In the Device Usage box, clear or select Disable in this hardware profile.

Click Yes if you are prompted to restart your computer.

To delete or rename a hardware profile

In Control Panel, double-click System, and then click the Hardware tab. Click Hardware Profiles button.

Click the name of the hardware profile that you want to change.

If you want to remove this profile, click Delete.

–Or–

If you want to change the name of the profile, click Rename, and then type a new name.

In Windows 2000 Professional, you can use the Display option in Control Panel to do the following:

Change the display driver.

Change screen resolution and color depth (without restarting the computer when using display drivers that support this functionality).

Change color schemes and text styles in all screen elements, including fonts used in dialog boxes, menus, and title bars.

View changes in colors, text, and other elements of display appearance before the changes are applied.

Configure display settings for each hardware profile, for example, docked and undocked configurations.

Configure multiple monitors. For information, see "Configuring Multiple Monitors" later in this chapter.

Windows 2000 Professional also includes mechanisms to ensure that incompatible display drivers cannot prevent a user from accessing the system. If a display driver fails to load or initialize when Windows 2000 Professional is started, Windows 2000 Professional automatically uses the generic VGA display driver. This ensures that you can start Windows 2000 Professional to fix a display-related problem.

For displays, colors are described in bits per pixel (BPP). Table 19.2 lists the BPP-to-color conversions.

Table 19.2 BPP-to-Color Conversions

¹ This is another description of true color that includes an 8-bit alpha component in addition to the 24-bits used for 16.7 million colors. Alpha is a degree of transparency or translucency.

Resolutions are described in the horizontal number of pixels multiplied by the vertical number of pixels—for example, 640 x 480.

Changing the Display Driver

You can change or upgrade a display driver by using the Display option in Control Panel or by using Device Manager. For more information about adding or changing a device driver, see Windows 2000 Professional Help.

If you install a new Plug and Play monitor, the system detects the monitor and the Add/Remove Hardware wizard guides you through the installation process. After attaching the monitor, in Device Manager, in the Monitors node, right-click the previous monitor, and then select Uninstall to remove the old monitor. On the Action menu, click Scan for hardware changes to scan for the new hardware.

If the monitor is detected as Default Monitor, either the display adapter or the monitor is not Plug and Play. If the monitor is detected as Plug and Play Monitor, the monitor is not included in the monitor INF files. Contact your hardware manufacturer for an updated Windows 2000 INF file.

WARNING

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Some monitors can be physically damaged by incorrect display settings. Carefully check the manual for your monitor before choosing a new setting.

To change the monitor driver

In Device Manager, expand the Monitors node.

Right-click the entry for the monitor, select Properties, and then click the Drivers tab.

Click the Update Driver button, select Display a list of the known drivers for this device so that I can choose a specific driver, and then click Next.

Under Models, choose a driver from the list of compatible drivers.

If your model is not listed, select Show all hardware of this device class. In the Upgrade Device Driver wizard, choose the manufacturer and model for your device. If you do not see the correct make and model for your display device, you need to install the correct driver.

To install a monitor driver

NOTE

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If a driver was not included with your monitor (for example, on a floppy disk), check the manufacturer's Web site for the most recent driver.

In Device Manager, expand the Monitors node.

Right-click the entry for the monitor, select Properties, and then click the Drivers tab.

Click the Update Driver button, insert the floppy disk with the correct driver, and then click Next.

Select Display a list of known drivers for this device so that I can choose a specific driver.

Select Have Disk, and then click Next.

Windows 2000 scans the floppy disk and displays a list of supported drivers. Highlight the driver that you want to use, and then click Next.

When the needed files have been copied to your hard disk drive, click Finish.

Windows 2000 Professional uses hardware acceleration to improve display performance. In some cases, this might cause problems. If so, you can turn off part or all of your hardware acceleration.

NOTE

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If you are using multiple monitors, changing hardware acceleration settings affects all monitors.

To turn off hardware acceleration

In Control Panel, double-click Display.

In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab, and then click the Advanced button.

Click the Troubleshooting tab, and choose the level of hardware acceleration you need.

You can configure the display resolution and color choices for your display or customize the font size used by using Display in Control Panel.

New features in Windows 2000 Professional allow you to change resolution and color depth without restarting the computer, if the installed display adapter is using a video driver provided by Windows 2000 Professional. You must also restart the computer if you are not using a Plug and Play display adapter and driver.

Configuring Display Appearance

You can use Display in Control Panel to set the screen saver and the background pattern used on the desktop.

You can also use settings in Screen Saver properties to take advantage of power management support in Windows 2000 Professional if your hardware supports this feature. This is similar to the standby mode commonly used in portable computers to save power. Windows 2000 Professional can support screen saver power management if both of the following conditions are true for your computer:

In the Properties dialog box for your display adapter with the Monitor tab active, the option Monitor Is Energy Star Compliant is checked.

This option is checked automatically if, during Setup, hardware detection determined that the monitor supports the VESA Display Power Management System (DPMS) specification. You can also check this option manually.

The device driver for this display uses either the Advanced Power Management (APM) version 1.1 or later BIOS interface with support for device "01FF" (which is not supported by every APM 1.1 or later BIOS), or the VESA BIOS Extensions for Power Management. For information about whether your display adapter supports these BIOS interfaces, see the documentation for your device driver.

The display monitor is typically one of the most "power-hungry" components of a computer. Manufacturers of newer display monitors have incorporated energy-saving features into their monitors based on the DPMS specification. Through signals from the display adapter, a software control can place the monitor in standby mode or even turn it off completely, thus reducing the power the monitor uses when inactive.

Enabling Mode Pruning

Mode Pruning is a Windows 2000 feature that can be used to remove display modes that the monitor cannot support. In Mode Pruning, the graphics modes of the monitor and of the display adapter are compared, and only the modes that are common to both are made available to the user.

Mode Pruning is only available if a Plug and Play monitor is detected or if a specific monitor driver is specified in Device Manager; it is not available if the monitor driver is loaded as "Default Monitor." On Plug and Play monitors, Mode Pruning is enabled by default.

To enable mode pruning

In Control Panel, double-click Display.

Click the Settings tab, click Advanced, and then click the Monitor tab.

Select Hide modes that this monitor cannot display, and then click Apply.

Windows 2000 Professional supports using digital flat panel (DFP) monitors with display adapters that have the appropriate output connectors for this feature. (Most display adapters also have standard CRT connectors for use with more common monitors.)

To install a DFP

Turn off the computer.

Disconnecting the existing monitor, and then connect the new monitor to the DFP connector on the display adapter.

Restart the computer.

Multiple Monitors allows you to configure up to nine monitors so that the Windows 2000 Professional desktop can be spread out over their display areas. For each display, you can adjust the position, resolution, and color depth.

The monitor that is designated as the Primary Display in the Display Properties dialog box is the primary display. This is the default display that is used for prompts and pop-up windows and has full hardware Microsoft® Direct 3D® acceleration. It is also the only display that can run Microsoft® DirectX® applications in full-screen mode.

NOTE

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Some third-party display adapters have drivers that support multiple monitor configurations on computers running Windows NT 4.0. However, you must only use drivers and secondary monitors that are supported for Windows 2000 when configuring your computer with multiple monitors.

POST vs. Primary Display Device

In Windows 2000 Professional, any supported VGA monitor can be used as the power-on self test (POST) device. The adapter that displays the system BIOS and system memory count when the computer is turned on is the POST device. This device is the only one that can be used for MS-DOS® mode operations in full-screen. The POST device does not have to be the same as the Primary Display.

If an unsupported secondary monitor is used, it must be used as the VGA display. In most computers, PCI bus slots are numbered, with the priority given to slot 1. It might be necessary to place the secondary display in this slot.

When using an AGP architecture monitor, you need to determine whether the POST routine runs on the AGP or the PCI display adapters first. For more information about BIOS settings that can be set to determine which device starts first, refer to the documentation included with your hardware.

Newer system BIOSs usually have a setting called Primary Display that can be used to choose AGP or PCI. If this option is available, set the Primary Display to be the display adapter that does not support secondary monitors. If this option is not available, and you want to use an AGP secondary monitor, choose a secondary monitor with a hardware option to disable VGA. When VGA is disabled with hardware, it does not run the POST routine, regardless of the bus slot in which it is installed.

Configuring Multiple Monitors

To use a monitor as a secondary monitor, it must meet certain criteria. It must be a PCI or AGP device, and it must be able to run in graphical user interface (GUI) mode or without using VGA resources. It also must have a Windows 2000 Professional driver that enables it to be a secondary display. For more information about monitors that can be used for multiple monitors, see the Hardware Compatibility List link on the Web Resources page at http://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources.

NOTE

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You need to have a working monitor capable of VGA graphics connected to all installed display adapters.

If you have an onboard display device, it must be used as the VGA device. Some computers cannot activate the onboard display when a VGA-capable PCI display device is also present. In this case, disable the hardware VGA for the secondary devices so that the onboard device runs a POST routine.

If your onboard display device can function as a secondary device, contact the hardware manufacturer to make sure that you have the most updated system BIOS to avoid potential problems. You can also disable the hardware VGA for the secondary displays.

To add a second monitor to your computer

Verify that your primary display adapter works properly. In Control Panel, double-click Display. In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab and verify that your display adapter is not listed as VGA.

Install the second video adapter. Windows 2000 Professional detects the new adapter.

NOTE

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To test which card will be primary, watch to see which card performs a power-on self test (POST). The one that performs a POST is the primary, and the one that seems inactive is the secondary. To change the order, reverse the order of the cards in the PCI slots.

Restart the computer when prompted and check that the display is initialized properly. When Windows 2000 Professional detects the new display adapter, the Add/Remove Hardware wizard appears and prompts you to confirm that the correct adapter has been detected.

Click Search when you are prompted for a driver, and then click Next.

Insert the Windows 2000 product CD when prompted, and then click OK. Click Finish twice.

In Control Panel, double-click Display.

In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab. Both monitors are displayed.

Click the icon for the new monitor. You can use the Colors drop-down list box to adjust the color depth and the Screen area slider to adjust the resolution. Make sure that the on-screen arrangement of the monitors matches the physical configuration of your monitors.

Select Extend my Windows desktop to this monitor, and then click Restart to restart the computer. After you log on to Windows 2000 Professional, both monitors are functional.

Only the primary monitor in a multiple monitor configuration can accelerate Direct 3D functions using the full capabilities of the monitor. Additionally, only the primary monitor can run DirectX applications in full-screen mode. For this reason, you need to make sure that the monitor with the best Direct 3D performance and features is the primary monitor.

To set the primary monitor in a multiple monitor configuration

In Control Panel, double-click Display.

Click the Settings tab, and select Use this monitor as the primary display.

Click OK.

NOTE

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With each monitor that you add, system performance is compromised, due to increased use of system resources. For applications that require a lot of system resources, such as those that use DirectX, you might want to set up a hardware profile that uses only one monitor.

Using Multiple Monitors with Portable Computers

You can use docked portable computers in a multiple monitor configuration if the docking station allows the use of PCI display devices. The onboard display on the portable computer must be used as the VGA device.

Windows 2000 does not support hot undocking portable computers with an active multiple monitor configuration. To hot undock a portable computer, set up a non-multiple monitor hardware profile and log on again using that profile. You can also use Display in Control Panel to detach the secondary display before undocking.

Configuring the Mouse

Windows 2000 Professional makes mouse configuration and customization easier by providing a single Control Panel option for mouse settings.

Windows 2000 Professional Setup detects installed mouse devices, and installs the appropriate drivers.

Mouse and Pointing Device Driver Overview

Windows 2000 Professional provides the following improvements in mouse and pointing device support:

Supports Plug and Play for easy installation of pointing devices. For example, the VMOUSE driver interface supports Plug and Play.

Supports USB mouse devices.

Supports multiple simultaneous devices, for example, when using PS/2 and serial devices at the same time.

In addition to better mouse services, Windows 2000 Professional allows the use of serial ports COM1 through COM4 for connecting a mouse or another pointing device.

For more information about devices designed to enhance accessibility, see "Accessibility for People with Disabilities" in this book.

Changing Mouse Drivers

You can use the Mouse option in Control Panel to update the driver for your mouse.

To update your mouse driver

In Control Panel, double-click Mouse.

On the Hardware tab, click Properties.

On the Driver tab, click Update Driver, and then follow the prompts in the Update Driver wizard.

For more information, see Windows 2000 Professional Help.

For pointing device drivers that do not appear in the Select Device dialog box (those that are not provided with Windows 2000 Professional), check the Windows Update Web site. For information about Windows Update, see the Windows Update link on the Web Resources page at http://windows.microsoft.com/windows2000/reskit/webresources.

Configuring Mouse Behavior

You can use the Mouse option in Control Panel to configure buttons, customize mouse cursor appearance, set mouse speed, and make other changes. Different functions might be available, depending on the pointing device used with your computer.

To specify mouse behavior

In Control Panel, double-click Mouse.

Click the tab for the behavior that you want to set.

After changing the settings to the ones you want, click OK.

For more information about the configuration options, see Windows 2000 Professional Help.

A communications resource is a physical or logical device that provides a single, asynchronous data stream. Communications ports, printer ports, and modems are examples of communications resources.

Two types of ports appear in Device Manager:

Communications ports, also known as COM ports, serial ports, or RS-232 COM ports, are used to connect RS-232-compatible serial devices, such as modems and pointing devices, to the computer.

Printer ports, also known as LPT ports or parallel ports, are used to connect parallel devices, such as printers, to the computer. For more information about configuring printer ports, see "Printing" in this book.

Several types of communications ports might be listed in Device Manager:

Serial ports, also known as RS-232 com ports. Serial ports are ports to which external serial devices can be attached. these usually require a 9-pin or 25-pin plug. Serial ports designed for Windows 2000 Professional use the 16550A buffered UART, which has a 16-byte FIFO that gives the CPU more time to serve other processes and that can serve multiple characters in a single interrupt routine.

Internal modem adapters. Internal modems are modems that are constructed on an expansion card to be installed in an expansion slot inside a computer.

NOTE

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Windows 2000 cannot detect some internal modems. In this case, the internal modem needs to be installed and configured using the Modems option in Control Panel.

When you install a communications device, Windows 2000 Professional automatically assigns COM names to communication ports, internal modem adapters, and PC Card modem cards according to their base I/O port addresses as shown in the following list:

COM1 at 3F8 (input/output range)

COM2 at 2F8

COM3 at 3E8

COM4 at 2E8

If a device has a nonstandard base address, or if all four standard ports have been assigned to devices, Windows 2000 Professional automatically assigns the modem to COM5 or higher. Some 16-bit Microsoft® Windows® 3.1–based applications might not be able to access ports higher than COM4. Consequently, in the System option in Control Panel, you must adjust the base address in Device Manager or delete other devices to free up a lower COM port.

In addition, if some of the devices installed on a computer are not Plug and Play, you might have to change resource settings for their communications ports. You can change communications port settings by using Device Manager, as described in "Device Installation" earlier in this chapter.

TIP

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For future reference, you might want to record the settings that appear on the Resources sheet for each communications port.