Windows XP’s Color Control Panel Applet (Part II)

In the previous installment of this article, I gave you and overview of Windows XP’s Color Control Panel Applet, including the system requirements to install it. Assuming you have met the system requirements, you are ready to install the Color Control Panel Applet. You can download the program from the following URL: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using…. Under Download, click WinColorSetup.exe.

Once you select the download, you will be taken to another Web page. Before you can begin the download, you must click Continue to validate your copy of Windows XP. Once the validation process is complete (and assuming your copy of Windows XP is genuine), you can click the Download button. From the File Download - Security Warning dialog box that appears, click Save and specify where you want to save the setup file. Click Close when the download is complete.

Before you launch the setup of the Color Control Panel Applet, Microsoft suggests that you adhere to the following guidelines to make the installation process go more smoothly.

• Make sure that all the latest updates for Windows XP are installed on your system. You can visit the Windows Update Web site to see if any required updates are missing.
• Exit any programs that you have open. The setup program may alter system files that are shared amongst multiple programs.
• Log onto Windows XP with a user account that has administrative privileges.

The installation process is very simple. When you are ready to begin, locate and double click the executable you saved earlier on your computer called WinColorSetup.exe. From the Security Warning dialog box, click Run. At this point, Setup will install any missing components such as the Microsoft.NET Framework version 1.1. If necessary, click Install and click OK to add this component. It can take several minutes and you will need to restart the system in order to complete the installation.

Once the system restarts, click Run from the Security Warning dialog box and click Next. The wizard will walk you through the rest of the installation process as described below:

1. Read over and accept the license agreement and click Next.
2. By default, the program is installed to the C:\Program Files\Pro Imaging Powertoys\Microsoft Color Control Panel Applet for Windows XP directory. Click Change to select a different location or click Next to accept the default.
3. Click Install to begin the installation.
4. Click Finish.

You can verify that the installation was a success by looking for the Color applet that should not appear in the Control Panel. In the next installment of this article, I’ll show you how to configure your color settings.

[tags]XP, Windows, Color Control Panel, applet, diana huggins[/tags]