An Introduction to Windows XP

Windows XP was introduced in 2001 and has had 3 Service Packs since that release date.  Windows XP combines the personal and corporate desktop Operating System (OS) lines from Microsoft together into one.

This clip shows off the new look that XP has over previous versions of Windows.  You will also see how XP is more task based and allows you to work much more efficiently.

Customizing the Start Menu

This lesson will help you to work with your Start menu items.  For example, you will see how to manually remove items in your Start Menus programs for quick access.

You can also go into the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by right-clicking the Start button and choosing Properties.  From here you can customize your Start Menu.

Taskbar Toolbars: The Address Bar

The taskbar is the bar running along the bottom of your screen.  It can display icons to show you which applications are open to you.  However, you can also utilize a variety of toolbars, one of which is the Address bar.

This lesson will show you how to add the Address toolbar and how to work with it for quick access to web sites as well as locations within your own computer.

Taskbar Toolbars: The Quick Launch Toolbar

To add the Quick Launch to your Taskbar you right-click a blank space on your tool bar and hover over Toolbars and choose Quick Launch.

Taskbar Toolbars: The Windows Media Player Toolbar

If you like to listen to music while you work, you may find that the Media Player Toolbar can help you listen a bit easier.  This lesson will show you how to drop your Media Player down to your taskbar.

You will also learn how to navigate the various tools of the Media Player toolbar.  (Note: If you have Itunes there is a separate toolbar for that application to work.)

Taskbar Toolbars: The Desktop Toolbar and New Toolbar

Sometimes your desktop can become quite crowded.  Sometimes you need to get to your desktop quickly by minimizing your applications to the taskbar.  You can use a shortcut key, or you can use the Desktop Toolbar to locate items on your desktop.

The New Toolbar option allows you to create a toolbar that connects to folders you are working with often.

The Help and Support Center

Getting help in Windows XP is relatively easy.  You click the Start button and then the Help and Support button.  From here you can perform one of the following:

• Pick a Help topic
• Ask for assistance (for example with Remote Assistance)
• Pick a task

Changing Your Background

The quick way to change your desktop background is to right-click in the middle of your screen and choose Properties.  Select the Desktop tab and choose a background.

Changing Your Screen Saver

Using Windows Themes

Windows XP allows your computer to match your mood by changing your 'theme'.  You can access the settings for this through the Control Panel or by right-clicking the middle of your desktop and choosing Properties.

The Display Properties dialog allows you to make many changes to your system, however the Theme tab allows you to choose a set of configuration settings for your display that you can save and apply any time you like.

Modifying Your Time and Clock Settings

By default the current system time is displayed in the system tray, to the right of your taskbar.  You can turn that display off if you like.

By right-clicking the time you can select Adjust Date/Time and you will be in the Date and Time Properties dialog.  From this applet you can change the Date and Time, the Time Zone and choose an Internet time server.

Changing Your Screen Resolution

You can alter the Display properties from within the Control Panel, or you can right-click your desktop and choose Properties and then go to the Settings tab.  From here you can adjust your Display (perhaps to work with multiple monitors), your Screen Resolution and/or your Color Quality.  There are additional options like Identify, Troubleshoot and Advanced, as well.

Optimizing Your Mouse

You can alter the following options:

• Button configuration
• Double-click speed
• ClickLock
• Pointer Scheme
• Motion speed
• Snap To
• Visibility
• Hardware

Adding Fonts

Click File menu and choose 'Install New Font' for the 'Add Fonts' dialog window to appear.  Locate and add your new font.

Using ClearType to Smooth Your Fonts

From the various options you will see that you have the ability to alter the way Windows XP shows you menus and tooltips.  One of the options is 'Use the following method to smooth edges of screen fonts' and you want to select the down arrow and choose ClearType to get a better look.  Keep in mind that these settings may affect your system performance because the more work it has to do for 'effects' the less system resources are available for other things.

Changing Your Window View

• Thumbnails
• Tiles
• Icons
• List
• Details

You can also select 'Choose Details' to add or remove columns you want to see.  You can arrange the order of columns as well.  Then you can use those columns to sort.

Changing Your Windows

You can adjust the style, the color scheme and the font size.  There are also two buttons: Effects and Advanced.

Power Settings

In our "green" conscious, energy saving world there are many ways you can ensure your computer is not using up too much power.  One of the ways to do this is to have the system go into Hibernation or Stand-by when you aren't using it.

To customize the power options you go to the Control Panel and under Performance and Maintenance there are Power Options.  From here you can select a 'power scheme' that will maximize your power efficiency (or performance)

Working with Folders and Files

Once you have a folder hierarchy you may want to use the folder list view so you can expand out branches of your folder structure with simple plus/minus signs.

You will also learn how to work with the File and Folder Tasks pane.

Deleting and Restoring Files

Viewing File Details and Properties

This clip will show you how to view details about any file by selecting it and using the Details pane.  You will also see mini thumbnails when selecting items like a PowerPoint document or a picture.

If you right-click a file you can select Properties and see a great deal more about a file.  You can make adjustments as well using the tabs provided.

Folder Options

Customizing your Folder Options can be an important part of working with your Operating System.  To access your Folder Options quickly you can select the Start button, choose My Documents, and then from the Tools menu select Folder Options.

There are four tabs available that are available:

• General
• View
• File Types
• Offline Files

Cut, Copy and Paste

Moving files and folders around within your Operating System becomes much easier by simply right-clicking documents and choosing to Cut, Copy or Paste.  This lesson will show you how all of this is done.

Searching for Documents

You click Start and then Search.  In the left side panel you find the search wizard to help you locate your document.  You need to first indicate what kind of document you are looking for.  Then you might provide additional search parameters.

Creating Shortcuts

This lesson will show you how to quickly create a shortcut in Windows XP.  One quick way is to right-click the middle of the screen and choose New and then Shortcut.  You will be asked the location of the folder, application or file that you want to point the shortcut off towards.

Another way to make a shortcut is from the folder, application or file itself.  Simply right-click the item and choose Create Shortcut.

Using Compressed Folders

This clip will show you two different ways to compress files within a folder.

Adding a Printer

Note:  If you are using a USB printer you will not need to use this wizard.

Canceling a Print Job

If you select the print job you can select the Document menu and choose to Pause or Cancel the print job.

Sending a Fax

To access this wizard go to Start, All Programs, Accessories, Communications and then Fax and finally 'Send a Fax'.   This clips will show you how to navigate through the wizard and get your fax sent.

Windows Media Player 9: Getting Started

Listening to your MP3s or watching your videos can all be done in Windows Media Player.  In XP, the default version is 9.  This lesson shows you how to configure your media player when you attempt to run it for the first time.

Then you will learn how to work with the Media Player.  For example, how to play music and use the control panel to navigate through your music and videos.

Windows Media Player 9: Copying Music

When you place a CD in your computer, if it is a music CD, you can easily play it through the WMP.  However, if you want to copy the contents of that CD you can choose the option: Copy from CD.

If you want to change some of the copy options you can go to the Tools menu, then choose Options and go to the Copy Music tab.

Windows Media Player 9: Create a Music CD

If you have music on your computer that you want to make a CD out of you can locate the music files and begin by playing them and arranging their order in WMP.  Then you want to choose Copy to CD or Device.

Once again you can make changes to your copy options by going to Tools, Options and then go to the Copy Music tab.

Writing to a CD

You can write or burn a CD by first selecting your data.  Sometimes you might have the menu option 'Copy all items to CD' when you are working in certain folders.  But this isn't always the case.  At times you may have to manually select the folder or file you want to burn, right-click and choose Send To and then CD Drive.

You will work with the CD Writing Wizard to complete this task.

Adjusting Your Volume

If you right-click the sound icon you can choose Open Volume Control to work with the Volume Control panel.

Advanced Audio Settings

• Volume
• Sounds
• Audio
• Voice
• Hardware

Add/Remove Programs

Logically, adding and removing programs is an important aspect to working with any OS.  You can use the Add/Remove Programs applet from the Control Panel.  This lesson will show you how to work with this applet.

Working with Applications

This clip will also show you how to navigate through your opened applications and how to use minimize/maximize buttons and/or resize your application window.

Setting Program Defaults and File Associations

This clip will show you how to configure your program configurations, as well as how to set default applications to open depending on the file type you are opening.

Working with the Task Manager

If you want to learn a little more about your computer to see the applications, processes, performance history, networking and users.

Select Ctrl+Alt+Delete to bring up the Windows Task Manager.

Viewing the Processes tab you can see what processes are taking your CPU and Memory time.  If you notice a process is taking too much system resources you can right-click and end the process.

Task Manager: Closing Hung Applications

When an application is giving you trouble you may need to troubleshoot and Task Manager is a great tool for doing this.  This clip will show you how to look for the problem and how to end a stalled application.

Using the Backup Utility

Protecting your data is easy with the included backup utility found by selecting the Start button, All Programs, Accessories, System Tool and then Backup.

This will bring up the Backup or Restore Wizard.  Follow the prompts to make sure your data is safe.  Or... if you are comfortable with backup procedures... select the Advanced Mode link for more advanced settings.

Using the Recycle Bin

It's easy to know how to delete files... but knowing how to use the Recycle Bin involves learning how to retrieve files we've deleted.  This lesson will show you how to send files to the Recycle Bin and recover files from the Recycle Bin.

The Device Manager

To work with hardware you have installed and want to work with updating drivers or troubleshooting the hardware you can use Device Manager.

To locate Device Manager you select the Start button, choose Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance (if you are using the XP version of Control Panel and not the Classic View), select System, the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager button.

From here you can see all the hardware on the machine.  If you are having any difficulty you will see a Red X or a Yellow Question Mark.  Right-click any device to see your options (like Properties, or Update Driver).

Using Disk Cleanup

If you're running out of disk space you can run the Disk Cleanup tool.  You can find this by selecting the Start button, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Cleanup.

Disk Cleanup will calculate what you can free up.  Items like the Recycle Bin, Temporary Bin and so forth will help free up some space.

Using Disk Defragmenter

As programs and files are added to your hard disk and then are deleted or moved around, your disk becomes fragmented.  Parts of files or programs are spread about on the disk, making it more time consuming for the disk drive to retrieve information.  The best way to correct this is with a defragmentation program.  XP includes one.

To run the Disk Defragmenter you click the Start button, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools and then Disk Defragmenter.

Using Remote Desktop

You can connect to friends and family who are having difficulty as well.  This will allow you to troubleshoot someone else's system without ever leaving your home.

To access these settings you want to go to the System properties, found under Control Panel.  On the Remote tab you can enable Remote Assistance or Remote Desktop.

This clip will show you how to enable and connect with Remote Desktop.

Using Remote Desktop over the Internet

Using Scheduled Tasks

To access these tools you click the Start button, then Control Panel and under Performance and Maintenance you will find Scheduled Tasks (or you can look for the Scheduled Tasks applet in a classic view of Control Panel).  When you add a new task you will see the Scheduled Task Wizard.  This clip will walk you through the process of creating a scheduled task.

Automatic Updates

Using the Security Center

With Windows XP SP2 there is a feature called the Security Center.  This can be located by selecting the Start button, Control Panel and then Security Center.

From here you have easy access to items like your Firewall, Automatic Updates, Virus Protection and so forth.