BIOS Setup Program



This model tune-up procedure is provided by the National Technology Committee as a starting point for each Technology Specialist in each state/split-state to tailor to the specific processes and procedures for computer tune-ups and TaxWise deployment that are used in their state. A TCS may produce a state level AARP Tax-Aide Resource CD to accompany their tailored version of this document that contains some of the files used in this procedure so that every district TC does not have to find and download them themselves.

NOTE: Before you start this tune-up procedure be aware that there is another option this year that is highly recommended by the National Technology Committee. Image files will be available that bring each model of these HP computers completely up to date with a single install. They are much quicker and easier than the individual steps in this tune-up procedure. The image file will be available for download from a special website that will be announced in a TCS Bulletin or you can request a DVD be mailed to you by sending an email request to taxaidetech@ – specify the model of your computer and provide your name, mailing address, and phone number.

In preparation for the Tax Year 2010 filing season in 2011, this procedure verifies software settings and applies maintenance and upgrades to Windows XP and other software on the HP laptop computers that were purchased by the AARP Foundation in 2005-2009 for use by AARP Tax-Aide volunteers. The models included in this tune-up are:

• 2005 HP Compaq nx6110

• 2006 HP Compaq nx6310

• 2007 HP Compaq 6715b

• 2008 HP Compaq 6735s

• 2008 HP Compaq nc6000 (refurbished)

• 2009 HP Compaq nc6120 (refurbished)

Some of these steps verify settings that may have already been established. There is an Appendix of optional settings, if you care to use them. In tailoring this procedure for your state, you may omit some or all of the optional material. All steps outside of the Appendix should be performed as part of this tune-up.

Several of the steps below assume that the target computer is connected to the Internet via a broadband connection. If such a connection is not continuously available to you, or if you have several computers to tune up, you may prefer to download some of the large updates once onto a flash drive or CD and then run them many times from there, rather than downloading them onto each computer that needs to be updated. Where this option is available, it will be described as an alternative to the online update step. Some of these downloads may be included in your state-level AARP Tax-Aide Resource CD.

The procedure uses the Control Panel Category View, not Classic View. The view you are using can be determined by going to Start -> Control Panel and observing the text in the upper left-hand corner Control Panel box – if it indicates “Change to Classic View,” you are in the Category View. If it indicates, “Change to Category View,” you should click on that text.

If you did not see the options to change to Category View or Classic View, go to Start -> Folder Options. On the General Tab select “Show common tasks in folders.” Click OK and run the procedures in the previous paragraph.

The following table illustrates the various PC configurations and the procedures to be used for each configuration.

|PC Usage |Procedure |

| | | | |Appendix - Optional Procedures |

| |Procedures for all |Procedures for TaxWise |Appendix - Optional Procedures |for TaxWise Desktop, only |

| |laptops |Desktop, only |for all computers | |

|TWO |X | |As desired | |

|Server |X |X |As desired |As desired |

|Client-server |X | |As desired |As desired |

|Workstation | | | | |

|Standalone |X |X |As desired |As desired |

|Transmitting computer |X |X |As desired |As desired |

PROCEDURES FOR ALL LAPTOPS

1. Disconnect the computer from the Internet by disconnecting all network cables and turning off the Wireless Radio (press the button with the wireless icon near the top of the keyboard until the blue light extinguishes).

2. The Numeric Lock shift should not be turned on. The light above the keyboard that looks like a lock with a 1 beside it should not be lit. If it is, turn it off by pressing fn + num lk. There is no light on the model 6735s to indicate that the numeric lock is activated. The num lk key is in the first or second row near the right end.

3. Log in to Windows using an administrator account – usually, Volunteer

4. This is important to your EROs.

a. Double-click the time in the System Tray (right-hand side of the task bar). Under Time Zone, select the appropriate time zone, click Apply.

b. Then set the clock to the correct date and time.

c. Click OK.

5. If any AVG software is installed on the computer, remove it. A replacement anti-virus will be installed, later.

a. Cancel any AVG scan that may be running.

b. Use Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs to remove any AVG software from the computer.

c. Accept the option to activate the Windows Firewall.

d. You do not need to restart Windows yet.

6. In Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance ->Administrative Tools > Computer Management > System Tools > Local Users and Groups > Users:

a. Select the “Volunteer” user. [If there is no “Volunteer” user, then click “Create” and create the user, “Volunteer,” with Administrator privileges. DO NOT change any accounts from their present name to “Volunteer.” You must create a new user].

b. Change the password of the volunteer user account to the password of the user account used on the TY 2010 IRS depot computers.

c. NOTE: If your state/local authority has a different convention for username and password, get that information from them and modify this step, accordingly.

7. In Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System

a. Verify/change the Computer Name to the AARP Asset Tag bar-code number preceded by a “T,” e.g., T0000211568.

b. Verify/change the workgroup to VOLGROUP. NOTE: If your state/local authority uses a different workgroup name, use that name.

c. On the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables. Look both in the User variables and the System variables for the variable name “workstation”. If you find it in either place, delete that variable. NOTE: If your state/local authority recommends not changing the value, leave it as it is.

d. Press OK then OK

e. You do not need to restart the computer yet.

8. If you are not logged on as Volunteer, log off and log back on as Volunteer, so that the following changes will apply to the Volunteer user.

9. In Control Panel -> Appearance and Themes

a. Click on Folder Options..

b. On the View tab, verify that the following boxes in Advanced settings are UNCHECKED:

i. UNCHECK Automatically search for network folders and printers

ii. UNCHECK Hide extensions for known file types

iii. UNCHECK Use simple file sharing (UNCHECK even though recommended)

10. In Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance -> Power Options

a. Disable “Hibernate” under the Hibernate tab.

b. On the Advanced tab:

i. Check the box for Prompt for password when computer resumes from standby.

ii. Under “When I close the lid on my portable computer” select “Standby”

iii. Under “When I press the power button on my computer” select “Shut down”

iv. Under “When I press the sleep button on my computer” select “Shut down”

v. Click OK

11. In Control Panel > Network Connections, Disable the Bluetooth Network, if it exists.

12. Change the following settings if they have not already been changed:

a. In Control Panel > Appearance and Themes -> Display

i. On the Desktop tab, click “Customize Desktop”

1. In Desktop Items, uncheck ‘Run Desktop Cleanup Wizard every 60 days”

2. Select My Documents, My Computer, and My Network Places

3. Click OK

ii. On the Screen Saver tab,

1. Select the Windows XP screen saver

2. Change the Wait interval to 30 minutes

3. Check the box “On Resume, password protect”

b. In Control Panel > Performance and Maintenance -> Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Security Settings > Local Policies > Security Options

i. Double click on “Interactive Login: Do not require CTL+ALT+DEL”

ii. In the box that opens, select “Disabled”

iii. Double click on “Interactive Login: Do not display last name”

iv. In the box that opens, select “Disabled”

v. Click OK

vi. Close all open windows

13. Connect the computer to the Internet using a network cable or by turning on the wireless radio – blue light at top of keyboard will be lit. Restart the computer.

14. When the computer restarts, go to Start -> Control Panel -> Performance and Maintenance -> System. Under the General Tab, check to see that Windows Service Pack 3 is installed. If it is not yet installed, you must install it.

SP-3 is a huge update. With a broadband connection to the Internet, it is feasible to install it online using Windows Update. Alternatively, if you do not have continuous access to a broadband Internet connection or if you are updating several computers, you may prefer to download the service pack installer once, put it on a flash drive or CD, and run it from there on your several machines, before running online Windows Update.

If so, you can download this file: WindowsXP-KB936929-SP3-x86-ENU.exe from this web page:



15. Turn on the WLAN radio

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Turn on the WLAN Radio and connect the computer to the Internet with a safe high-speed connection – wired or wireless. The WLAN Radio button is near the top of the keyboard with a WLAN icon on it – the blue LED will light when it is on. Launch Internet Explorer and then choose “Windows Update” from the Tools menu. If that page indicates that Automatic Updates are turned off, turn them on. In the “Windows Update” page, click on, “Microsoft Update.” Choose the Express option. Accept all High Priority updates. Install the selected updates.

After these updates are all downloaded and installed and Windows has restarted, launch Microsoft Update again. Choose the Express option again. A few High Priority updates may still be recommended. Install the selected updates.

15.

16.

17.

18.

16. Finish the AVG uninstall process by deleting the folder: C:\Program Files\AVG.

17. Install Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), the replacement for AVG AntiVirus.

The MSE installer may be included in your state’s AARP Tax-Aide Resource CD. If not, it can be downloaded or installed using this link: . Alternatively, do an Internet Search for “Microsoft Security Essentials” and choose the link that goes to Microsoft to find and download the file.

Detailed instructions for installing and configuring MSE and for configuring the Windows Firewall are contained in a separate document, “Antivirus Program for TaxWise Computers,” posted in the “AntiVirus and Firewall” topic of the “Software” section of the Technology page of the AARP Tax-Aide Extranet tavolunteers.

18. For model 6715b ONLY: There are three HP softpaqs (software update packages) that we need to install on machines of this model if they are not already installed. They are important, in that they can help prevent a serious system crash.

You can tell whether these softpaqs have been installed on a particular laptop by looking in the C:\SWSETUP\ folder. It contains a folder with the name of each HP softpaq that has been installed on the machine. The names are in bold in the steps below.

To download and install these softpaqs, follow these steps:

a. Close all open windows and programs.

b. Download all three softpaqs before installing any of them:

i. Open Internet Explorer and browse to

ii. Select “Support and Drivers”

iii. Select “Download Drivers and Software”

iv. Enter the product model number “6715b” (without the quotes)

v. Select “Operating System – Enhancements and QFE’s”

vi. Download “AMD Processor Update for Microsoft Windows XP” – this will be sp40535.exe

vii. Choose a download location – the desktop works OK

viii. When the download completes, dismiss the download dialog

ix. Scroll up in the browser window to the “Driver – Chipset” section

x. Download “Infineon Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Driver” – this will be sp40431.exe

xi. Save this file in the same folder where you saved the first one.

xii. Scroll down in the browser window to the “Driver – Graphics” section

xiii. Download “ATI Video Driver and Control Panel for Microsoft Windows XP” – this will be sp38780.exe

xiv. Save this file in the same folder as above.

c. Install sp40535.exe (it is important that it be installed first)

d. Accept default settings until asked about restart

e. When asked about restarting the computer, choose “restart later.”

f. Install sp40431.exe using default settings

g. Install sp38780.exe choosing the “Express” option.

This takes a long time to finish and looks like it is stuck for a while.

h. When asked about restarting the computer, choose “restart now.”

19. In My Computer, right click on Local Disk C: and select “Properties”. On the Hardware tab, select the first entry of type “Disk drives” and click on “Properties.” In the Properties window, click on the Policies tab and UNCHECK the box that says “Enable write caching on the disk.” [This box may be grayed out on some models.] Click OK, OK.

NOTE: If you unchecked the “Enable write caching on the disk” box for the models 6715b or nc6000, test the computer to see if it takes a very long time (several minutes) to shut down. If it does, follow the procedure described in Microsoft Knowledge Base article KB313222 to “Reset security settings back to the defaults.” This article is at

20. Remove the Broadcom Wireless Utility and use WZC (the built-in Windows wireless configuration manager) instead, by following these steps:

a. In Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs, select the “Broadcom Wireless Utility” and remove it. NOTE: DO NOT remove other Broadcom items, such as the Broadcom 802.11 Wireless LAN Adapter or the Broadcom NetXtreme Ethernet Controller.

b. Right click on the wireless network connection icon [pic] on the Task Bar, and select “View Available Wireless Networks.”

c. If you see the message, “Windows cannot configure this wireless connection”

i. Select Change Advanced Settings

ii. Select the Wireless Networks tab

iii. Check the box “Use Windows to configure my wireless network settings”

iv. Click OK

v. Go back to step c. above.

21. Open the Adobe Reader and click on Help/About. If you don’t have at least version 9.3.X, upgrade Adobe Reader – do not upgrade the reader by clicking Help/About Adobe Reader… - if you have a version less than version 9.0.0, it will just upgrade that prior version. You can use a CD with the upgrade on it or you can use this link to download it from the Adobe web site: . If the download has an option to download other software as well, e.g., Google Toolbar, uncheck that box.

22. Restart the computer.

PROCEDURES FOR TAXWISE DESKTOP, ONLY

[Not for TWO or workstations in a client-server configuration]

23. Installation or adjustments to TrueCrypt volume(s) for the coming season. The Version 7 TrueCrypt installer and the Tax-Aide TrueCrypt Utility – User Guide For Tax Year 2010 can be found in the “Encryption” topic of the “Software” section on the AARP Tax-Aide Extranet Technology web page.

a. If there is no TrueCrypt volume on the computer’s local hard drive, Install Version 7.

b. Highly recommended: If the version of the Tax-Aide TrueCrypt Installer last used on this computer is earlier than version 6.2 (for Tax Year 2009), install Version 7 to automatically convert the TrueCrypt for Tax-Aide installation on this computer.

c. Recommended: If the version of the Tax-Aide TrueCrypt Installer last used on this computer is version 6.2 or version 6.3 (for Tax Year 2009), install Version 7 to automatically convert the TrueCrypt for Tax-Aide installation on this computer... .

d. With your TrueCrypt volume(s) dismounted, change the TrueCrypt password on volumes P: (and S:, if used), using files TPDATA.TC (and TSDATA.TC, if used), to the new encryption password that you have chosen for your district for this season. We recommend that you use the “Tax-Aide TrueCrypt Volume Password Changer” tool available for download in the “Encryption” topic of the “Software” section on the AARP Tax-Aide Extranet Technology web page.

APPENDIX - OPTIONAL PROCEDURES THAT YOU MAY WANT

OPTIONAL PROCEDURES FOR ALL COMPUTERS

You may want to instaall the free viewers for Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, and Power Point, if they are not already installed. It is not necessary to install these viewers if you have installed OpenOffice. You can download these from the Microsoft Office downloads web site:

1. Word Viewer 2003 – wordview_en-us.exe from this page:



2. Excel Viewer 2003 - ExcelViewer.exe from this page:

a. PowerPoint Viewer 2003 - PowerPointViewer.exe from this page:



b. To use these three viewers for Office 2007 documents you also need to first run Microsoft Update, (and the Office Compatibility Pack) from this page:

c. After running Microsoft Update you need to install this Office Compatibility Pack from this web page:

3. Programs that you may want to install, depending on the use of this machine, from your state-level AARP Tax-Aide Resource CD or from the software vendors’ websites:

a. Copy your district’s current year “Printer Drivers” folder to the Desktop

b. Delete all printers other than CutePDF Writer from the computer

c. Install appropriate printer driver(s) for your district

d. CutePDF writer and its Converter

e. 3.1.0 – “free version of Office”

f. FastStone - screen shot capture

g. CDcheck - test the CDs you burn for others

h. Print Folders utility

OPTIONAL PROCEDURES FOR TAXWISE DESKTOP, ONLY

4. If you are using the TaxWise Mapping Tools (TWMapTools) to allow a computer to be used in multiple roles at different times during the tax season; and if you have installed TrueCrypt Version 6.2 or higher; then you will need to upgrade your TWMapTools installation to the July 2009 or later version that includes support for TrueCrypt for Tax-Aide Versions 6.2 and higher.  The installation package and instructions can be downloaded from the “Networking” section on the Technology page of the AARP Tax-Aide Extranet.

5. 7.0. The installation package and instructions will be available for download from the “Networking” section on the Technology page of the AARP Tax-Aide Extranet.

6. Mount your Local TrueCrypt volume using the “Start Tax-Aide Drive” icon and your new encryption password. TaxWise 2009 is probably installed on TrueCrypt volume P: from last season. It is recommended that you uninstall TW2009, clean the desktop of TW2009 icons, and delete the UTS09 folder from P: and reinstall TW2009 from your 2010 state-level AARP Tax-Aide Resource CD.

7. Things you may want to install for training user from your state’s TaxWise 2010 clone CD or state-level AARP Tax-Aide Resource CD:

a. TaxWise 2009 (version 24.10 with US Individual Module Version 11, the last version of your state program, and paper filing defaults), including any Site References documents for TY2009 that you may have made available from within TaxWise.

b. Later TaxWise 2010 version 25.00 (federal only) for one of your EFINs after you have added it to your state’s clone CD

8. Things you may want to install from your District TaxWise 2010 clone CD (after you create it):

a. TaxWise 2010 fully configured for your state and district -

Including any Site References documents for TY2010 that you may have made available from within TaxWise

b. Set the unique starting DCN for this machine from your district-level DCN control document that you placed on your District clone CD

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