In this chapter:
Planning to run Windows NT on a portable PC? You'll have to learn a few special techniques--things don't always work the way you expect...
Unlike desktop PCs, notebook computers are not all the same. Notebook PCs are more like snowflakes, because no two notebooks are exactly alike. Besides the obvious differences in size and shape, there are subtle differences in the way the keyboard is laid out, how the mouse works, and what happens when you start running on batteries instead of AC power.
Because notebook computers are so different, it's impossible to offer too much specific advice for making them work properly. But there are four areas where you'll need to configure Windows NT carefully for use on a notebook computer.
TIP: One of the four Windows setup options is designed especially for portable computers. If you have a notebook, make sure you and your system administrator choose this option when you set up Windows, so that all the right files are copied to your notebook. And if you didn't (because you didn't know then what you know now)? Find the Windows NT CD-ROM (and your system administrator) and run Setup again. Windows is smart enough to add just the pieces you need.
The engineers who design portable computers go to a lot of trouble to make them as small and light as possible. So it's no surprise that inside a notebook PC, actual physical space is a rare and precious commodity. On your desktop computer, you can add all sorts of useful devices by plugging them into add-in slots. Notebooks use add-in slots, too, but they're considerably smaller, and although they work differently, they allow you to add extra functions to your computer when you need them.
These slots go by two names--PCMCIA (the old name) and PC Card (the newer version). Your notebook computer probably has at least one and maybe two PC Card slots, usually located on one or both sides. The PC Cards themselves are about the size of a credit card, and come in varying thicknesses. In all cases, they're designed to be small enough to fit in a shirt pocket.
Plain English, please!PCMCIA (to pronounce it, just rattle off the letters, one after another) originally stood for the industry association that developed the PC Card standard, the Personal Computer Memory Card Interface Association. But anyone who had to remember this tongue-twister knows what it must really stand for: People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms... .
What kind of devices can be packed onto a PC Card? You name it. I've seen modems (the most popular choice by far), network interface cards, and hard drives of 500M and more. There are connectors for portable CD-ROM drives, sound cards that hook into external speakers, and even digital cameras that let your $3,000 computer do what a $300 camera can do. The reason PC Cards are so useful is that you can simply pop them in and out of your PC. If you decide you need a faster modem or a connector for your CD-ROM drive, you don't need to buy a whole new computer; just get a PC Card and plug it in.
Here's what you need to know about PC Cards.
Fig. 19.1
This notebook computer has two PC Card sockets. The one in use now has
a 3Com network card, and its drivers are properly configured.
Fig. 19.2
Oops! Windows expected to find a PC Card in the slot. If you see this message often, it's time to set up special hardware profiles to match the configurations you use.
When you're in the office, you plug in a PC Card to connect to the company network. When you're on the road, you can't find a wire long enough to reach back to headquarters. Fair enough. So how do you tell Windows when you want it to load the network, and when you want to be alone? Use a special system option called hardware profiles. You can create as many profiles as you want, but the most common use is to tell Windows how to handle your network connections.
By default, there's only one hardware profile. To add a new one, open Control Panel, double-click the System icon, and click the Hardware Profiles tab. You'll see a dialog box like the one in Figure 19.3. Click the Copy button to create a new profile; give it a descriptive name that will help you choose the right profile each time you start the computer.
After creating a new profile, you need to tell Windows a few facts about each one. Highlight the entry in the Available Hardware Profiles list and click the Properties button. Choose the Network tab (see Fig. 19.4) and check the only box there.
Fig. 19.3
Create a separate hardware profile for those times when you're not connected to the network. With these descriptive names, the purpose of each profile is hard to miss.
Fig. 19.4
Sometimes you need a network; sometimes you don't. Check this box to tell Windows that this is a no-network profile.
Now, each time you start up Windows, you'll first see a text-only menu that offers you a choice of hardware profiles. Choose the one that matches your current hardware setup.
Some notebooks come with an optional accessory called a docking station. It's a slick idea: When you're on the road, you use the hardware that's installed in your PC and its PC Card slots. But when you get back to the office, you slip the notebook into the docking station and it automatically hooks up to your company network, to a desktop CD-ROM drive, even to a separate full-sized monitor and keyboard.
Every time you switch between "notebook in the docking station" and "notebook on its own," Windows does a quick check of the environment to see what has changed. To make sure Windows has enough notice to handle these changes gracefully, always follow the notebook maker's instructions for docking and undocking. Typically, this means:
To set up a docking station with its own hardware profile, follow the steps outlined in the previous section to create a new hardware profile, and click its Properties button. This time, choose the General tab (see Fig. 19.5). Check the box labeled This is a p_ortable computer, then choose the proper setting for each profile.
Fig. 19.5
Windows can configure your notebook computer correctly when you're hooked up to a docking station, but first you have to create a hardware profile and check the right boxes.
Some people use a notebook PC as their one and only PC. If that's you, skip this section. But what if you have a notebook and a desktop PC? How do you make sure that the files you've worked with on the desktop PC are the same ones you take on the road? Well, you have two options.
The old-fashioned technique for moving files from one place to another is to do it in two steps: copy the files from the first machine onto a floppy disk, then stick that disk into the second machine and copy the same files to the other hard disk.
Besides being slow and cumbersome, this technique has plenty of room for error. You have to be extra careful that you never accidentally replace the new file you just edited with the older file on the other machine. Murphy's Law says you'll only do this when the file you're working with is valuable and irreplaceable (at least that's the way it works for me).
TIP: Do you know the definition of an oh-no! second? That's the interval between the moment you press the Enter key to irretrievably delete the files you worked on all week and the moment you realize (too late) what you just did. "Oh no!"
Both Windows 95 and Windows NT incorporate a special utility designed just for notebook users. It's called the Briefcase, and it works much like a smart version of the fancy leather briefcase you use to carry paperwork to and from the office. Here's how it works:
You tell Windows to create a special briefcase folder on your notebook PC (which may be running Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0), and then you drag data files from your desktop PC into the Briefcase. Every time you're ready to leave on a trip, you ask Windows to rummage through the Briefcase and compare its contents with the originals. If it finds different versions of the same file, it offers to replace the older version with the newer one. If it finds files you've created in either place since you last updated the Briefcase, it offers to create them in the other location as well. And if it notices that you've deleted files in one place, it asks if you want to delete them in the other location as well.
If you installed Windows using the Portable option, you should already have a Briefcase right on the Windows desktop, alongside the My Computer icon. To add a new Briefcase after the fact, just click the desktop and choose New, Briefcase. The first time you open this window, you'll see the Welcome message (shown in Fig. 19.6). Follow these instructions to get started.
I have two desktop PCs (one at the office and another at home) plus a notebook PC, and I can't imagine keeping my computer files organized without the Briefcase. Here are some useful Briefcase-management techniques I've learned that aren't in the manual or the Help screens:
Fig. 19.6
Can't remember how a Briefcase works? Don't worry--the first time you use a new Briefcase, you'll see this helpful message.
Once you've copied the files from your desktop to the notebook Briefcase, work with them by opening the Briefcase and double-clicking the files you want to edit. Windows knows where the original is located and whether the two files are up to date. If you want to quickly check on the status of your files, just open the Briefcase and choose View, Details. You'll see all the extra information in a window like the one shown in Figure 19.7.
To tell Windows you want your files updated, choose Briefcase, Update All. (If you just want to update a file or two, highlight those entries and use Update Selection, instead.) Windows will compare dates, times, and sizes of each file in the original location and in the Briefcase, then show you what it found in a window like the one shown in Figure 19.8. The name and status of the original files appear on the left; the information for the Briefcase copy is on the right.
Fig. 19.7
The Status column tells you all you need to know about the files in the Briefcase. Click the column heading to bring all the "needs updating" files together.
Fig. 19.8
When you're ready to compare the Briefcase files against the originals, choose Update All. You can override the suggested updates by right-clicking.
After it's finished its check, Windows offers to replace older files with newer versions, in either direction. If it sees that both files have changed, Windows offers to Skip the exchange. You can override either action by right-clicking on the action icon and choosing a different action. When you're ready to bring the Briefcase up to date, click the Update button.
CAUTION: Make sure that the system clock on each PC is set correctly. The Briefcase uses date and time stamps to decide which direction your files should move. If the date is incorrect, you might accidentally replace a newer file with an older one.
On your desktop PC, you rarely think about power, but it's a huge issue with notebook PCs. When you're flying from Los Angeles to New York, and you absolutely, positively have to have your work finished by the time the plane touches down, you'll want Windows' help to squeeze every last ounce of life from your notebook's internal batteries.
Every notebook maker gives you its own power-management utilities; they continually monitor the hard disk, the keyboard, and the mouse to see what you're up to, and when they sense that you're concentrating on the in-flight movie instead of your work, they shut down the power to those pieces of your PC until you send a wake-up call by tapping the keyboard or clicking the mouse again.
Unfortunately, Windows NT wasn't designed to work well with power-management utilities. In fact, if you try to use them together you could lose data. The companies that make notebook computers know this is a big problem for busy people who spend a lot of time in planes, trains, and automobiles, and they're working on solutions. So, if you own a notebook computer and you plan to use it with Windows NT, your best bet is to ask the company that made the computer when it will have a compatible power-management program.
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