About the Book
Take charge of Windows XP—faster,
smarter, better!
Now you can do everyday things—from e-mailing
photos to creating your own digital media library—faster, smarter, and
better. Dive in! This friendly, high-energy guide makes it easy to teach
yourself exactly what you need. Use the quick lists, numbered steps, and
helpful examples to accelerate your productivity—and move on to doing the
cool things you want to do!
• Set up your e-mail and connect to the
Internet
• Burn CDs, master your digital camera,
and share photos on line
• Tweak memory and system settings—get
more speed
• Help foil viruses, hackers, and spam
• Traverse the Web—but keep cookies in
check
• Build and troubleshoot your own network
• Avoid PC trouble with five healthy habits
Related Books
Faster Smarter Microsoft® Windows®
XP with Microsoft® Plus! Digital Media Edition
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
ix
Introduction xi
CHAPTER 1: You've Got Microsoft
Windows XP ... Now What? 1
What's
New in Windows XP 2
Home
Edition or Professional: What's the Difference? 7
Before
You Upgrade... 9
Moving
Your Files and Settings to a New Computer 11
Get the
Latest Windows Updates 18
Everything
You Need to Know About Windows Product Activation 21
CHAPTER 2: How Windows Works
(and How to Work with Windows) 23
Getting
Started 24
Disks,
Drives, Files, and Folders 30
Change
Settings with Control Panel 44
Make
Windows Run Faster 47
How Do
I...? 52
Shutting
Down 55
CHAPTER 3: Installing, Uninstalling,
and Running Programs 59
Installing
a New Program 59
Create
Shortcuts to Your Favorite Programs 63
Your
Old Program Won't Run Right? Try This Fix 67
What
to Do When a Program Freezes 68
Choose
the Program That Works with a File Type 70
Change
Programs That Run Automatically at Startup 72
Remove
Programs the Right Way 74
CHAPTER 4: Microsoft Windows
and Hardware 77
Hardware
Made Easy 78
Inspecting
Your Hardware with Device Manager 85
Updating
a Device Driver 88
Troubleshooting
Hardware Problems 90
Working
with Removable Devices (USB and Others) 91
CHAPTER 5: Fixing Computer Problems
93
Be Prepared!
Five Habits to Fend Off Trouble 93
Troubleshooting
101: Figuring Out What's Wrong 102
Using
Remote Assistance for Hands-On Help 108
Decoding
Error Messages 112
Rolling
Back to a Previous Configuration 116
How to
Recover After Your Computer Crashes 118
CHAPTER 6: Connecting to the
Internet and Browsing the Web 123
Using
a Modem to Get on the Internet 124
Setting
Up a Broadband (Cable or DSL) Connection 130
Sharing
Your Internet Connection 131
Search
Secrets 135
Keeping
Track of Your Favorite Web Sites 139
What
to Do When a Web Page Won't Work 142
Filling
In Forms and Remembering Passwords 143
Saving
a Copy of a Web Page for Later Use 145
CHAPTER 7: E-Mail Made Easy
151
Setting
Up Your E-Mail Accounts 152
Checking
Your E-Mail 159
Composing
a New Message 162
Managing
Your Address Book 165
What
to Do with File Attachments 168
Organizing
Your E-Mail 170
Using
Windows Messenger 177
CHAPTER 8: Protecting Your Privacy
and Your Computer's Security 179
What
You (and Your Family) Need to Know 180
Protect
Yourself from Viruses 182
Block
Spam and Junk E-Mail 187
Keep
Hackers Out with a Firewall 190
The Truth
About Cookies 195
CHAPTER 9: Making Windows Work
Your Way 201
Choose
Your Interface: Windows XP or Windows Classic 202
Make
the Taskbar Easier to Work With 204
Streamline
Your Start Menu 210
Redecorate
Your Desktop 212
Set Up
a Screen Saver 218
Add New
Fonts 220
Customize
Windows Sounds 221
CHAPTER 10: Organizing Your Files
225
Where
Should You Keep Your Stuff? 225
Working
with Windows Explorer 230
Working
with Hidden Files 235
Organizing
Files 236
Compressing
Files to Save Space 242
CHAPTER 11: Managing Music (and
More) with Windows Media Player 247
Windows
Media Player at a Glance 248
Playing
Music CDs on Your Computer 251
Managing
a Digital Music Collection 254
Playing
DVDs 263
Creating
Your Own CDs 264
CHAPTER 12: Picture-Perfect Digital
Photography 267
Out of
the Camera, Onto the Computer 267
Organizing
Your Images 271
Putting
Your Pictures on Paper 271
E-Mailing
Photos to Friends and Family 274
Posting
Your Pictures on the Web 276
Slide
Shows and Screen Savers 277
CHAPTER 13: Managing User Accounts
281
How User
Accounts Control Access to Your Computer 282
Creating
a New Account 283
Using
the Guest Account 285
Changing
an Existing Account 286
Deleting
an Account 292
Making
Your Files Private 293
CHAPTER 14: Setting Up and Running
a Small Network 297
Do You
Need a Network? 298
What
Hardware Does Your Network Need? 298
Making
Network Connections 300
Setting
Up a Wireless Network 306
Troubleshooting
Network Problems 308
How File
Sharing Works 311
Using
the Shared Documents Folder 314
Sharing
a Folder with Other Network Users 315
Sharing
a Printer 317
Accessing
Shared Folders and Printers on Your Network 319
INDEX 323 |
