SolidWorks® Administration Bible

Chapter 4. Operating System Tools You Need to Know

IN THIS CHAPTER

• Running your computer

• Respecting the Windows Registry

• Controlling your booting options using Msconfig

• Accessing more memory with the 3 Gig Switch

• Completing system maintenance

• Using the Network Monitor for distributed computing

In some cases, as a SolidWorks Administrator, you have to act as your own IT department. This adds many extra duties, and often requires a lot of extra research to learn about topics you might not know much about. The tools listed in this chapter help you simplify many tasks that otherwise might become very tedious or time-consuming. The goal of this chapter is not to make you into an IT professional, but to make sure you have at least the baseline level of skills that you need to troubleshoot and manage a Windows computer to run SolidWorks.

All the screen shots in this chapter were taken in Windows Vista, service pack 1. Shortly after the time that this book is printed, Windows 7 will be available, and will likely quickly become the operating system of choice for many types of users, including SolidWorks users. Most of the Windows 7 settings will be similar to the Vista settings. Vista is being used in this case for two reasons: first because is the only officially supported operating system available at the time of this writing, and second because it represents a middle ground between Windows XP and Windows 7. I expect all three operating systems to be in use and overlapping while this book is available. ...