Open an MMC by clicking Start ➪ Run and typing MMC in the Open text box. Click OK. Click File ➪ AddRemove Snap-in. The AddRemove Snap-in dialog box appears, as

Chapter 24 ✦ Working with the Registry for Windows 3. You see at least two subkeys, named 0000 and 0001, as shown in Figure 24-13. Select 0000 if the computer has only one network card. Figure 24-13: Locate the network adapter settings in the Registry.

4. In the IPAddress value, which contains the current IP address, insert a comma and the

second IP address. Include no spaces and make sure that all numbers are inside of the quotation marks, such as “176.16.1.13,192.111.101.120”. For more information about IP addresses you can use in your network, see Appendix B.

5. In the IPMask, which contains the subnet mask for the network, add the second mask,

separated by a comma, with no spaces and within the quotation marks. For more infor- mation about assigning subnet masks, see Appendix B. You can add multiple IP addresses in this manner. Each IP address must have a correspond- ing subnet mask. Summary In this chapter, you’ve learned about the Windows Registry and how it stores configuration information about your computer and its users. You’ve learned about the following information: ✦ Understanding the Registry ✦ Backing up the Registry files ✦ Modifying the Registry ✦ Using the Registry to modify network settings In the next chapter, you learn about multimedia centers. ✦ ✦ ✦ Adding to Your Home Network P art VII shows you the possibilities for adding to a home network. It explains the current technologies that are available for net- working your appliances, lighting, security systems, and so on, as well as what the future holds. In this part, you also find information about multimedia devices to add to your computer and network to increase efficiency. ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ In This Part

Chapter 25 Understanding

Multimedia

Chapter 26 Considering

SmartHomes ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ VII VII Understanding Multimedia M ultimedia is a term you hear quite often in relation to computer and software sales. The Internet, television sets, and even home automation designs spout forth acclamations of the great multi- media technologies you can own. Understanding what multimedia encompasses makes it easier to purchase the equipment you need. Understanding Multimedia Multimedia is extremely popular with more advanced sound, video, and DVD technologies on the market. In the not-too-distant past, all you needed to make a “multimedia” computer was a sound card and a CD-ROM drive. Today, the marketplace is overflowing with multi- media hardware and software. The term multimedia includes any applications with sound and video enhancements. Some applications that take advantage of multimedia features include movies, music programs, educational software, and games. In order to use and enjoy DVDs, video animations, movies, and other multimedia, you need special cards and adapters in your computer. A multimedia network is one that shares text, print, graphics, audio, digital, and full-motion data over a high-speed connection. In the home, you can create a multimedia network and share family photos, create your own music CDs, make videos of family and friends, make DVDs — and share them on the network. And your kids can play mul- timedia network games, both on the network and online. Multimedia applications use video and audio features. Because of these elements, time relationships can be a problem when the audio or video gets out of synchronization. Multimedia data must adhere strictly to the boundaries on delay and delay variation. The elements of the video sequence must be delivered across the network in strict order to avoid jerkiness and flicker, and delivery must be constant. Video streams require large bandwidth that can be sustained for a length of time. It’s important to remember that whether you’re using multimedia on a standalone computer or over a network, you need computers with enough power to supply the needs of multimedia applications. Multimedia often requires that computers use special hardware as well. In addition, multimedia causes your network traffic to increase 25 25 C H A P T E R ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ In This Chapter Understanding multimedia Looking at multimedia hardware Considering digital cameras and scanners Looking at multimedia applications Using online and multiplayer games Managing multimedia in Windows Using your TV with the Web ✦ ✦ ✦ ✦