Microsoft Windows XP

Microsoft®

Windows® XP:

Simply Visual™

Faithe Wempen

SYBEX®

Faithe Wempen

San Francisco { London

Microsoft®

Windows®

XP™

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Associate Publisher: Joel Fugazzotto

Acquisitions Editor: Elizabeth Peterson

Developmental Editor: Elizabeth Peterson

Production Editor: Rachel Gunn

Copyeditor: Anamary Ehlen

Compositor: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Proofreader: Nancy Riddiough

Indexer: Nancy Guenther

Book Designer: Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama

Cover Designer: Caryl Gorska, Gorska Design

Cover Photograph: Randy Albritton, Photodisc

Copyright © 2005 SYBEX Inc., 1151 Marina Village Parkway, Alameda, CA 94501. World rights reserved. No part of this

publication may be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or reproduced in any way, including but not limited to photo￾copy, photograph, magnetic, or other record, without the prior agreement and written permission of the publisher.

An earlier version of this book was published under the title Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Simply Visual © 2001

SYBEX Inc.

Library of Congress Card Number: 2004113396

ISBN: 0-7821-4394-6

SYBEX and the SYBEX logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SYBEX Inc. in the United States and/or other

countries.

Simply Visual is a trademark of SYBEX Inc.

Screen reproductions produced with FullShot 99. FullShot 99 © 1991-1999 Inbit Incorporated. All rights reserved.

FullShot is a trademark of Inbit Incorporated.

Internet screen shot(s) using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 reprinted by permission from Microsoft Corporation.

TRADEMARKS: SYBEX has attempted throughout this book to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms

by following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer.

The author and publisher have made their best efforts to prepare this book, and the content is based upon final release soft￾ware whenever possible. Portions of the manuscript may be based upon pre-release versions supplied by software manufac￾turer(s). The author and the publisher make no representation or warranties of any kind with regard to the completeness or

accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to performance, merchantability,

fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly

from this book.

Manufactured in the United States of America

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To Margaret, for the usual reasons.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to the great folks at Sybex for their editorial and production work on this book,

including Elizabeth Peterson, Rachel Gunn, and Anamary Ehlen. Thanks also to proof￾reader Nancy Riddiough and indexer Nancy Guenther. Great job, everyone!

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Contents

Introduction xiii

Part 1 Navigating and Managing Files and Folders in Windows XP 1

Chapter 1 Getting Started with Windows XP Home Edition 3

Starting Windows 4

Learning the Parts of the Screen 4

Start Button and Start Menu 5

Icons 7

Taskbar 7

Using Help and Support 8

Browsing Help Topics 9

Using the Help Index 11

Searching for a Help Topic 12

Working with Help Topics 13

Browsing Support Options 15

Closing the Help System 16

Using What’s This? 16

Shutting Down Windows 17

Turning Off or Restarting the PC 17

Using Standby or Hibernate 18

Chapter 2 Navigating in a Window 21

Parts of a Window 22

Opening and Closing a Window 23

Minimizing and Maximizing 24

Minimizing a Window 24

Maximizing a Window 25

Moving and Resizing a Window 25

Moving a Window 25

Resizing a Window 25

Scrolling a Window’s Content 26

Switching among Open Windows 26

Working with Menus 28

Drop-Down Menus 28

Start Menu 29

Shortcut Menus 30

Working with Dialog Boxes 31

Working with Toolbars 33

Toolbars in Windows 33

Toolbars in the Taskbar 33

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Chapter 3 Managing Files, Folders, and Disks 35

File Management Overview 36

Opening a File Management Window 37

Opening the My Computer Window 39

Opening the Windows Explorer Window 39

Opening Other File Management Windows 40

Navigating between Folders 41

Selecting from the Folder List 41

Moving Up and Down in the Folder System 42

Using Back and Forward Buttons 43

Manipulating Files and Folders 44

Selecting Files and Folders 44

Moving and Copying Files and Folders 46

Deleting Files and Folders 49

Renaming Files and Folders 49

Creating New Folders 50

Searching for Files and Folders 51

Working with the Recycle Bin 54

Restoring a Deleted File 54

Emptying the Recycle Bin 55

Formatting Disks 56

Copying a Floppy Disk 58

Copying Files to a Writeable CD 59

Chapter 4 Setting File Management Options 63

Choosing How Files Are Displayed 64

Selecting a View 64

Changing the Displayed Details 66

Changing File Sort Order 67

Displaying or Hiding Window Controls 69

Displaying or Hiding the Status Bar 69

Controlling the Explorer Bar 69

Setting Folder Options 71

Setting Folder Viewing Options 73

Part 2 Running Programs with Windows XP 75

Chapter 5 Program Basics and Exploring Accessories 77

Starting a Program 78

Playing with Calculator 80

Exploring a Program’s Help Feature 82

Working with Notepad 83

Typing in Notepad 85

Turning on Word Wrap in Notepad 85

Contents

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Working with Data Files 86

Saving a File 86

Opening a File 90

Printing a File 91

Exiting a Program 92

Working with WordPad 92

Formatting Text 94

Formatting Paragraphs and Pages 96

Working with Paint 97

Choosing a Color 98

Drawing a Line or Shape 99

Undoing and Erasing 100

Sharing Data between Programs 102

Chapter 6 Installing New Programs 105

Adding and Removing Windows Components 106

Installing a New Program 109

Removing an Installed Program 112

Updating Windows XP 114

Getting Automatic Updates 114

Installing an Automatic Update 115

Getting Updates Manually 117

Chapter 7 Organizing Your Programs 121

Changing the Start Menu’s Appearance 122

Changing to the Classic Start Menu 122

Changing Start Menu Properties 123

Changing the Start Menu’s Content 127

Changing the Top-Level Start Menu 127

Changing the All Programs Menu 129

Working with Desktop Shortcuts 132

Arranging Shortcuts 132

Deleting a Desktop Shortcut 134

Creating a New Desktop Shortcut 135

Customizing Toolbars 136

Adjusting Toolbar Length 137

Changing Toolbar Buttons 137

Managing Programs in the System Tray 138

Opening a System Tray Program’s Window 138

Closing a System Tray Program 139

Controlling Which Programs Load at Startup 139

Contents

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Part 3 Working with Multimedia Content 141

Chapter 8 Working with Photographs and Still Images 143

Setting Up a New Scanner or Digital Camera 144

Does Windows Recognize Your Scanner or Camera? 144

Running the Scanner and Camera Installation Wizard 145

Scanning from an XP-Compatible Scanner 147

Transferring Pictures from a Digital Camera 151

Viewing Images 154

Printing a Photo 154

Ordering Photo Prints Online 157

Chapter 9 Playing Music and Videos 159

Introducing Windows Media Player 160

Getting the Latest Version 161

Using the Windows Media.com Guide 163

Playing Internet Radio Stations 164

Playing a Featured Station 164

Browsing the Available Stations 166

Bookmarking Your Favorite Stations 167

Playing an Audio CD 168

Customizing the Now Playing Tab 169

Using the Player Controls 171

Selecting Which Tracks to Play 171

Ripping CD Tracks 172

Working with the Library 174

Playing a Clip 174

Removing a Clip from the Library 175

Adding Clips to the Library 175

Automatically Adding Many Clips at Once 176

Copying Music to a Portable Digital Audio Player 178

Creating an Audio CD 179

Playing a DVD Movie 181

Chapter 10 Creating Your Own Sounds and Videos 183

Using Sound Recorder 184

Recording a New Sound Clip 184

Playing Back a Recorded Clip 185

Saving a Clip as a File 186

Introducing Windows Movie Maker 186

Starting Windows Movie Maker 188

Creating Collections 189

Recording New Content 190

Recording from a Video Camera 190

Contents

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Importing Existing Content 195

Creating a Movie Project 197

Starting a New Project 197

Understanding Project Views 197

Adding Clips to the Project 198

Changing the Duration of a Still Image 199

Applying Video Effects 200

Adding Sound and Narration 200

Adding a Musical Soundtrack 201

Recording Narration 201

Previewing the Movie 202

Saving the Movie 203

Part 4 Customizing Windows XP 205

Chapter 11 Adjusting Screen Appearance 207

Changing the Display Mode 208

Changing the Resolution and Color Depth 208

Changing the Refresh Rate 210

Changing the Desktop Appearance 212

Working with Desktop Themes 212

Changing the Desktop Background 213

Changing Screen Colors and Window/Button Style 215

Changing Desktop Icon Appearance 217

Choosing a Screensaver 218

Changing How the Taskbar Looks and Operates 220

Setting Taskbar Properties 220

Resizing the Taskbar 222

Chapter 12 Customizing System Settings 223

Setting the Date and Time 224

Changing Keyboard Properties 225

Adjusting Mouse Operation 227

Setting Sound and Audio Properties 230

Assigning Sounds to Events 234

Chapter 13 Managing Fonts and Printers 237

Setting Up a New Printer 238

Starting the Add Printer Wizard 238

Setting Up a Local Printer 240

Setting Up a Network Printer 243

Setting Printer Properties 245

Sharing a Printer 247

Controlling a Print Queue 248

Contents

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Managing Fonts 250

Viewing Installed Fonts 250

Previewing a Font 252

Deleting a Font 253

Adding a Font 253

Chapter 14 Sharing a PC with Multiple Users 255

Introducing User Accounts 256

Logging Off 257

Switching between Users 258

Managing User Accounts 259

Opening the User Accounts Window 260

Adding an Account 261

Deleting an Account 262

Renaming an Account 263

Changing an Account’s Privileges 263

Changing an Account’s Picture 264

Managing Account Passwords 266

Setting a Password 266

Removing a Password 267

Changing a Password 268

Changing the Login Screen 269

Turning the Guest Account On 270

Part 5 Online and Network Connectivity 271

Chapter 15 Setting Up a Home Network 273

Understanding Networks 274

Setting Up Windows for Networking 275

Checking for Existing Network Connectivity 275

Running the Network Setup Wizard 277

Sharing Folders 281

Accessing Your Shared Documents Folder 282

Accessing Shared Files on Another PC 283

Creating a New Network Place 284

Sharing Other Folders on Your PC 286

Sharing Other Resources 288

Making a Folder Private 288

Chapter 16 Connecting to the Internet 291

Understanding Internet Service Providers 292

Signing Up for a New Internet Account 292

Setting Up a Connection Manually 296

Dialing a Connection 300

Configuring Dialing Rules 301

Troubleshooting Dial-up Problems 305

Contents

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Chapter 17 Exploring the Web 307

Viewing Web Pages 308

Using the Internet Explorer Toolbar 309

Viewing a Specific Page 310

Locating Information on the Web 310

Using a Web Search Site 310

Searching with the Explorer Bar 312

Finding People 313

Working with Favorites 314

Adding a Web Page to the Favorites Menu 314

Modifying the Favorites Menu 315

Printing a Web Page 317

Using the Pop-Up Blocker 318

Chapter 18 Communicating Online 321

Understanding E-Mail 322

Getting Started with Outlook Express 323

Setting Up a Mail Account 324

Setting Up Additional E-Mail Accounts 327

Managing E-Mail with Outlook Express 328

Receiving E-Mail 329

Composing a New E-Mail Message 336

Working with the Contacts List (Address Book) 339

Discussing Topics Publicly in Newsgroups 341

Setting Up a News Account in Outlook Express 341

Subscribing to Newsgroups 344

Reading Newsgroup Messages 346

Replying to a Newsgroup Message 348

Posting a New Message 349

Chatting with Windows Messenger 349

Setting Up Windows Messenger 350

Adding Contacts to the Contacts List 352

Controlling Your Online Status 354

Chatting with a Contact 356

Chapter 19 Customizing Your Online Experience 357

Customizing Internet Explorer 358

Changing the IE Window 358

Changing Internet Options 360

Enabling or Disabling the Windows Firewall 367

Enabling Content Ratings 369

Setting Mail Controls and Options 372

Organizing Incoming Mail in Folders 373

Creating Message-Handling Rules 374

Blocking Certain Senders 378

Changing the Delivery Schedule 380

Contents

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Part 6 System Maintenance 383

Chapter 20 Optimizing System Performance 385

Checking a Disk for Errors 386

Defragmenting Your Hard Disk 388

Cleaning Out Unwanted Files 392

Deleting Files with Disk Cleanup 393

Tidying Up with the Desktop Cleanup Wizard 395

Chapter 21 Safeguarding and Troubleshooting 399

Protecting Your PC from Viruses 400

Saving Your Windows Configuration 401

Restoring a Previous Windows Configuration 403

Loading the Last Known Good Configuration 406

Starting in Safe Mode 407

Requesting Remote Assistance 410

Sending a Remote Assistance Request 411

Responding to a Remote Assistance Request 414

Chatting with Remote Assistance 416

Taking Control of a Remote PC 417

Configuring Security Settings 418

Chapter 22 Installing New Hardware 423

Tips for Physically Installing New Hardware 424

Device Detection with Plug and Play 424

Troubleshooting a Newly Installed Device 425

Does Windows Recognize the Device? 425

If Windows Doesn’t See the Device… 428

Still No Luck? 429

Index 431

Contents

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Introduction

Welcome to Windows XP Simply Visual, the most effective tool for visual learn￾ers who want to become proficient in Windows XP.

This book is designed for visual learners—people who learn best by seeing

something, rather than by reading a description of it. Traditionally, most com￾puter books have been heavy on words and light on pictures, which is just the

opposite of what works best for many people. More and more research studies

these days are showing that many people learn most effectively when they can

see pictures of each step of a process in addition to reading about it.

Don’t let the many pictures in this book lead you to believe that it’s light on cov￾erage, however. You’ll learn all the essential skills for managing files, running

programs, using the Internet, and keeping your PC running smoothly, in this

easy-to-follow book.

What Is Windows XP?

Windows XP is the latest version of Microsoft Windows, the most popular per￾sonal computer (PC) operating system in the world. Windows provides a graph￾ical interface, through which you can run programs, manage files, connect to

the Internet, and perform many other tasks as well. Windows serves as the

mediator and translator between the human user (that’s you!) and the com￾puter’s hardware components. Here is a basic Windows XP screen, for example:

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Home Edition versus Professional

This book covers Windows XP Home Edition. The Home Edition of Windows

XP is just what it sounds like: a version designed for use on PCs in homes,

home offices, and small businesses. It has fewer features than the Professional

version, and it costs less, making it more affordable for the average person

who doesn’t have a large company paying the bills.

The Home Edition is the right choice for the vast majority of individual PC

owners. Consider Windows XP Professional instead if any of these situations

apply to you:

· The computer will be a part of a large corporate network. In that case,

you could benefit from the increased networking capabilities and

flexibility.

· A complex security system is required. The Home Edition provides

only basic password and user account security, with few fine-tuning

options. If you want very specific permissions at the file or folder level,

you’ll want Windows XP Professional.

· You need support for multiple monitors. The Home Edition doesn’t

support more than one monitor at a time; Professional supports many.

· You need to connect remotely to a PC at another location. The Remote

Desktop feature is available only in Professional.

· You need to use Microsoft Backup, a utility for backing up and restor￾ing data. This program is available only in Professional. It’s not the

only way to back up data, however; a variety of backup programs are

available from other companies.

· You want to take advantage of file system features such as disk quotas

and file encryption. These are typically handled by a network adminis￾trator, and individual users will seldom have a use for them.

If you are using the computer at home, or as part of a small office containing

only a few computers to be networked together, there is little reason to spend

the extra money for Windows XP Professional. The Home Edition is ideal for

your needs.

Introduction

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