Installing Bitware in Win2003 Server

I have been using Cheyenne Bitware 3.3 for ... 8 years. Today when I was trying to install it into my Win2003 Server, the printer driver is failed to install.

Solution: Run gpedit.msc to open Group Policy object Editor, disable this setting:

Local Computer Policy\Administrative Templates\Printers\Disallow installation of printers using kernel-mode drivers

and reinstall Bitware.


BTW: The successor of Bitware is Simply Messenger PRO.

Clear Type

After I installed Windows 2003 Server, I noticed that the font is ugly. I know that is because I haven't deployed Clear Type yet.

Clear Type is never officially introduced. After you install a Windows system, you don't get any message suggesting you to install it. Each time you upgrade your system, it is automatically turned off, if it was on. But the fact is, it is very important for LCD monitor users. You can check the right image to find out the difference, both in Chinese characters and English characters. (Click the image will open the original one with bigger size.)

Google "Microsoft Clear Type" will direct you to Microsoft's ClearType Tuner page. You can read the scientific principle of using Clear Type, and adjust your Clear Type setting by downloading an add-on. Wait, the add-on only works with Windows XP. For my Windows 2003 Server, I downloaded the ClearType Tuner PowerToy to perform the task. It works pretty good now.

One hint: Clear Type shows great improvement in italic font. That's why in the ClearType Tuner page, the sample is in italic.
One more: Clear Type only works for LCD monitor, not CRT monitor.

Let's talk about Reinstallation

Installing a system is quite strait forward. The modern operating systems including Linux and Windows are very easy to be installed. You simply put in the CD and run the installation program, answer several questions. Two hours later, you have a fresh operating system to play with.

But reinstallation is another story. Most computers which are required to reinstall a new system are abused. A lot of programs are installed and a lot of files are saved in those computers. Some files might contain virus. So it is important to save those programs, files, and settings of programs before installing a new operating system.

Reinstall a new system in the same folder as the old one without formatting the drive is not a good practice. The old system is broken because of some reason. Maybe the computer gets virus? Maybe the system files corrupt? At least, there are too many useless files in the system folder. If you install the new system in the same folder to replace old one, the useless files are kept to slow down the new system. So the best option is to format the drive to clean up everything before reinstallation. That’s why we need to save data before formatting.