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Microsoft Windows XP is the latest in the line of Windows operating systems for personal computers. Windows XP is the successor to Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me), and it is the first operating system expressly designed by Microsoft to fill the needs of both business and personal users.
This chapter provides an overview of Windows XP and takes you through the process of logging on to a computer that is running either Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition and ensuring that your operating system is up to date. Whether you are new to Windows or familiar with an earlier version, you will find useful information in this chapter. Note that many of the features introduced in Windows XP run behind the scenes and are not obvious to the casual observer, or they are used to set up and maintain (administer) a network. We don’t cover these features in this book because most people never have to deal with them.
See Also
For an explanation of the different editions of the Windows XP operating system and how they are addressed in this book, refer to "What’s New in Microsoft Windows XP" at the beginning of this book.
Unlike most of the exercises in this book, some of the exercises in this chapter are specific to Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional because of differences in the procedures for logging on and off and shutting down your computer. You can work through the exercises that are designated for the version of Windows XP you have installed, and skip the exercises designed for the other version. For all the exercises, we assume Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition is already installed on your computer, and that you know your user name and password (if you need them).
See Also
Do you need only a quick refresher on the topics in this chapter? See the Quick Reference entries in Chapter 1 Getting Started with Windows XP.
There are no practice files for this chapter.
Windows XP is a computer operating system. The operating system functions as your computer’s brain; it tells your computer what to do and how to do it. An operating system is required by every computer in order to enable it to perform basic functions such as receiving input from the keyboard and mouse, sending output to the monitor, accessing files and programs, and controlling data storage devices and peripheral devices.
A Windows-based operating system, such as Windows XP, also acts as the interface between you and your computer. You tell your computer what to do by means of a graphical user interface (UI) that helps you work in an intuitive, visual way, such as choosing commands by clicking graphic representations. The Windows XP operating system provides an easy way for you to work with your computer without knowing anything about its inner workings.
The operating system interacts with software programs installed on your computer and enables your computer to communicate with other computers and peripheral devices such as printers, scanners, and modems. Windows XP includes several basic programs such as Calculator, Notepad, Outlook Express, Paint, WordPad, and a variety of games. Programs such as these are not part of the operating system and are not essential to the operation of your computer; instead, they build on the basic operating system functionality so you can perform more complex operations. You can purchase or download from the Internet other programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft Office Excel, and Adobe Acrobat Reader to add further functionality to your computer.
Windows XP is designed to be very reliable and has been visually redesigned to give you a personalized, task-focused computing experience. If you are accustomed to one of the previous Windows user interfaces, such as Microsoft Windows 98 or Windows 2000, you might at first be somewhat surprised by the changes, but the increased capabilities of Windows XP will quickly win you over.
So what exactly can you expect from your new operating system? First and foremost, you can expect a smooth way of carrying out common computer tasks and communicating with your programs. For those of you who are already somewhat familiar with other versions of Windows, here are the Windows XP features that both Professional and Home Edition users are most likely to take advantage of:
The operating system’s updated look uses graphics to simplify moving around and completing common tasks.
Its task-focused design and dynamic menus display options specifically associated with the task or file you are working on.
The Fast User Switching feature makes it easy for multiple users to share a single stand-alone computer without interfering with each other’s programs.
The redesigned Start menu can be customized by each user so that frequently used files, folders, and programs are grouped together for easy access.
The Welcome screen can be personalized and secured with a password for each person who has an account on the computer.
The Search Companion feature identifies what kind of help you need and retrieves search information relevant to your current task.
The file management system makes it easy for you to arrange files according to your own needs, and includes optional thumbnail images for easy scanning of folder contents.
The My Music folder is a place where you can organize and view your music files, and create lists of songs (called playlists) to play.
The My Pictures folder is a specialized place where you can store and organize photos, view images as thumbnails or a slideshow, publish pictures to the Internet, compress photos so that they are easier to e-mail, order photo prints from the Internet, and optimize print settings to make the best use of high-quality photo paper.
The Scanner and Camera Wizard makes it easy to scan single or multiple images into one or more image files.
The Web Publishing Wizard takes you through the process of publishing pictures and other files to the Web so that you can share them with other people.
The Network Setup Wizard takes you through the key steps of setting up a network, including sharing files, printers, and devices; sharing an Internet connection; and configuring Windows Firewall, which protects your computer from intrusion when you are connected to the Internet.
Internet Connection Sharing makes it easy for multiple computers to share a single Internet connection.
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, the Web browser that comes with most configurations of Windows XP, includes new and enhanced features that simplify your daily Internet tasks while helping you to maintain the privacy of your personal information on the Web. (You can choose to install a different browser if you want.)
The Help and Support Center combines features such as Search, Index, and Favorites with up-to-the-minute online content, including help from other Windows XP users and online support professionals.
The Remote Assistance feature enables you to share control of your desktop with another Windows XP user who can see your screen and control the keyboard and mouse from his or her computer.
The Windows Update Web site is where you can find Windows XP improvements, including new device drivers and security updates. With your permission, updates can be automatically downloaded in the background while you are connected to the Internet.
Application compatibility improvements enable many programs that don’t run on Windows 2000 to run on Windows XP, and you can use the Program Compatibility Wizard to run an incompatible program as if it were in an earlier version of Windows.
The System Restore feature enables you to restore a Windows XP computer to a previous state without losing personal data or document files.
Windows Installer helps you install, configure, track, upgrade, and remove software programs correctly.
Multilingual support helps you easily create, read, and edit documents in many languages with the English version of Windows XP Professional.
The Windows XP environment adapts to the way you work, enabling you to easily find crucial information and programs.
Increased virus protection helps block the execution of e-mail attachments; your system administrator can remotely manage whether certain types of programs are allowed to run on your computer.
Troubleshooters available through the Help and Support Center help you or an administrator configure, optimize, and troubleshoot numerous Windows XP Professional functions.
ClearType triples the horizontal resolution available for text displayed on a computer screen, making it crisper and easier to read.
Up to 4 gigabytes (GB) of RAM and one or two processors can be installed in your computer.
Audio and video conferencing now include improved audio and video quality, reduced audio response time, and support for new cameras, synchronization of video and voice, and larger video sizes.
Hibernate mode saves the computer’s memory to the hard disk when power is shut down so that when you restore power, all your applications are reopened exactly as you left them.
Peer-to-peer networking support facilitates interaction with computers running earlier versions of Windows. Networked computers can share resources such as folders, printers, and peripherals.
Most of the situations in which you had to restart your computer in Windows NT 4.0, Windows Me, Windows 98, and Microsoft Windows 95 have been eliminated.
Many computers running Windows XP Professional are connected to a local area network (LAN) and are configured as part of a network domain. Others might be connected to a workgroup, or they might be stand-alone computers. This section applies to the first kind of computer.
Tip
The easiest way to check whether your Windows XP computer is connected to a network domain is to click the Start button: If your computer is not connected to a domain, a small picture appears to the left of the user name at the top of the Start menu.
The process of starting a computer session is called logging on. To log on to a network domain, you must have a valid user account, and you must know your user account name and password. You must also know the domain name. You can get all this information from your network administrator.
Tip
Each user account is associated with a user profile that describes the way the computer environment looks and operates for that particular user. This information includes such things as the color scheme, desktop background, fonts, shortcuts, and what you can do on the computer.
When Windows XP is installed on a computer, an account is created with the administrative privileges required to control that particular computer. Someone—usually a network administrator—can use that account to create other accounts on the computer. These accounts are generally for specific people, and they might have more restricted privileges that prevent the account owners from changing some of the settings on the computer.
In this exercise, you will log on to a computer that has Windows XP Professional installed and is part of a network domain.
Activating Windows XP
When you upgrade your computer’s operating system to Windows XP Professional or Windows XP Home Edition, or the first time you start a new computer on which Windows XP has been installed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), you are prompted to activate your copy of Windows XP.
Windows Product Activation is a security measure instituted by Microsoft to help prevent the distribution and use of unlicensed (or pirated) versions of Windows. Software piracy is a multi-billion dollar industry that is harmful to software creators and software users for these reasons:
Unlicensed software is ineligible for technical support or product upgrades.
Abuse of software licenses can result in financial penalties and legal costs, as well as a bad reputation for you or for your company. Individual company executives can be held criminally and civilly liable for copyright infringements within their organization.
Pirated software can contain harmful viruses with the potential to damage individual computers or entire networks.
The counterfeit software manufacturing industry stifles the potential growth of the high tech industry and contributes to loss of tax revenue.
For more information on software piracy, see www.microsoft.com/piracy/.
The goal of Windows Product Activation is to reduce a form of software piracy known as casual copying or softlifting, which is when people share software in a way that infringes on the software’s end user license agreement. Each copy of Windows XP must be activated within 30 days of the first use. You can activate Windows XP over the Internet or by telephone. You don’t have to give any personal information about yourself or your computer, although you are given the option of registering to receive information about product updates, new products, events, and special offers.
BE SURE TO know your user account name, your password, and your domain name before beginning this exercise.
Important
This exercise assumes that your computer is physically connected to a network and logging on to a domain, rather than dialing in or connecting over the Internet.
Follow these steps:
Start your computer.
After the computer starts, or boots, a Welcome to Windows screen appears.
Hold down both the CTRL and ALT keys, and press DELETE.
Windows XP displays a dialog box and waits for you to give it the information it needs to proceed. Dialog boxes are the main means of communication between the computer and the computer user in Windows and in Windows- based programs. Each dialog box presents all the possible options associated with an action, and you set the options to indicate how you want the action carried out.
In this case, the Log On to Windows dialog box appears.
Important
When you press CTRL+ALT+DELETE, Windows temporarily halts any other programs that are running on your computer. This precaution ensures that your password remains secure because it prevents programs called Trojan horses, which might have been planted on your system by hackers, from capturing your user account name and password. The requirement to press CTRL + ALT + DELETE is turned on by default. A user with administrative privileges can change this requirement, but making this change is definitely not recommended.
Enter your user account name in the User name box.
Enter your password in the Password box.
If the Log on to box is not shown, click Options to expand the dialog box. Then click the down arrow to the right of the Log on to box, and click the correct domain name in the drop-down list.
Click OK to log on to Windows XP Professional and your network domain.
The Windows XP Professional desktop appears. If you are logging on to Windows XP for the first time, the Start menu opens automatically.
Important
Don’t worry if your Windows XP desktop looks different from the ones shown in this and subsequent chapters. The desktop varies depending on whether Windows XP is installed on a brand new computer or as an upgrade on a computer that has been running a previous version of the Windows operating system. In the latter case, Windows XP will retain many aspects of the previous desktop. Windows XP might also carry over some of the settings made in a previous version, which can alter the look of the screen slightly. These differences affect the way Windows XP looks but do not affect your ability to successfully complete the exercises in this book. If you prefer to have the desktop icons that appeared in previous versions of Windows available, you can right-click the desktop, and click Properties on the shortcut menu. Then in the Display Properties dialog box, click the Desktop tab, click Customize Desktop, select the check boxes of the icons you want, and click OK.
Your computer might be used by only you, or it might be used by several people. If only you use your computer, it needs only one configuration, or user account. If other people use your computer, everyone can use the same account, or you can set up a separate user account for each person. Each account is associated with a user profile that describes the way the computer environment looks and operates for that particular user. This information includes such things as the color scheme, desktop background, fonts, and shortcuts, and it can vary from profile to profile. Individual user profiles link to individual My Documents folders to restrict other people from accessing your private files.
The process of starting a computer session is called logging on. When you start the computer, Windows XP prompts you to select your user profile and, if your account has been password-protected, to enter your password.
Tip
By default, Windows XP Home Edition creates a special account called Guest. Users who do not have their own accounts can log on to the computer using the Guest account. The Guest account can be disabled if you don’t want to allow people without accounts to log on to your computer.
Each user has a user account name and a user account picture. Each user can change his or her account name and account picture; users with administrative privileges can change any user’s account name and picture.
In this exercise, you will log on to a standalone computer that has Windows XP Home Edition installed and that has been configured to include multiple accounts (with or without passwords).
BE SURE TO know your user account name and password before beginning this exercise.
Follow these steps:
Start your computer.
After the computer boots, a logon screen appears.
The logon screen displayed by Windows XP Home Edition is called the Welcome screen. This screen displays graphic representations of all the user accounts on the computer. These accounts can be created during setup or later to keep each user’s data separate.
Move the mouse pointer over the available user names.
Notice that the selected user name is bright, whereas the other user names are dimmed.
Click your user account name or user account picture.
If your account is password-protected, enter your password in the Type your password box, and then click the arrow button to continue.
While Windows XP is loading your profile, your user account name and user account picture move to the center of the screen, and the other options disappear. When you are logged on to your account, the Windows XP Home Edition desktop appears. If you are logging on to Windows XP for the first time, the Start menu open automatically:
If your computer is running Windows XP Professional or Home Edition without Service Pack 2 (SP2), it is a good idea to install the service pack to ensure that you have the latest functionality and security updates. Depending on when and where you purchased your computer, Services Pack 1 or 2 might already be installed as part of the Windows XP operating system.
See Also
For information about Windows XP service packs, refer to "What’s New in Microsoft Windows XP" at the beginning of this book.
Although it is not mandatory to install service packs, it is a very good idea to do so. Each service pack includes all the security updates released to date, as well as fixes for any problems discovered since the software was released.
In this exercise, you will check to see whether your computer is running Windows XP SP2, and install the service pack and any other necessary updates.
Important
The graphics shown in the rest of this book assume that SP2 is installed on your computer. If you choose not to install the service pack, you might notice slight variations between the graphics shown in this book and what you see on your computer screen.
BE SURE TO log on to Windows and establish an active Internet connection before beginning this exercise.
Follow these steps:
If the Start menu is not displayed, click the Start button.
The Start menu opens. Your user information appears at the top of the menu. Depending on the programs installed on your computer, the Start menu looks something like this:
On the Start menu, click Control Panel.
Control Panel opens:
At the top of the window, on the Help menu, click About Windows.
The About Windows message box appears, looking something like this:
The Help menu and About Windows message box can be accessed from any Windows system window. Similar options are available from within all Windows-based applications such as Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications.
The second line of text in the lower section of the message box displays the version and build numbers of your Windows XP installation. If the build number contains the phrase Service Pack 2, you already have SP2 installed. If the build number contains the phrase Service Pack 1, you have SP1 installed. If the build number doesn’t include a service pack version, neither service pack is installed on your computer.
If the build number doesn’t include neither, service pack is installed on your computer.
Click OK to close the About Windows message box, and then click Windows Update on the See Also menu in Control Panel.
The Windows Update Web site opens in your default Internet browser. The Web site changes from time to time and might look slightly different from that shown here:
If the site looks as shown, click Scan for updates; otherwise, click Custom Install to check your computer for available updates that haven’t yet been installed and review the updates before installing them.
Depending on the version of Windows Update, updates are classified as Critical Updates and Service Packs, Windows XP, and Driver Updates; or as high-priority updates, optional software updates, and optional hardware updates. Service packs and security-related updates are automatically selected for installation. You can select updates from other categories if you want.
Important
You must be logged on to your computer as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group to install updates from the Windows Update Web site.
See Also
For more information about computer administrators, refer to Chapter 3.
Review the available updates, select any optional updates that you want to install, and then follow the procedure indicated on the Web site to install SP2 and any other important updates that are available.
When the installation completes, restart your computer if instructed to do so, or close any open dialog boxes and the Windows Update Web site.
See Also
For more information about Windows Update, refer to "Keeping Your Computer up to Date" in Chapter 10.
The process of ending a computer session is called logging off. Logging off ends the Windows session for your account but leaves the computer turned on. It is important to log off when you leave for the day, or even when you leave your computer for an extended period of time, to safeguard against other people accessing your personal information. For example, if your account has administrative privileges and you go out to lunch without logging off or otherwise protecting your computer against intrusion, someone could create a local user account with administrative privileges for themselves and later use that account to log on to your computer.
In this exercise, you will log off of your Windows XP user account. Both Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition users can complete this exercise.
BE SURE TO log on to Windows before beginning this exercise.
Follow these steps:
Rather than simply logging off of your computer, you might want to shut down and turn off the computer to conserve energy. Shutting down closes all your open applications and files, ends your computing session, and shuts down Windows so that you can safely turn off the computer’s power. This process ensures that your data is safely stored and any external connections are appropriately disconnected. The process of shutting down a Windows XP computer varies slightly depending on whether your computer is connected to a network domain or to a workgroup.
Important
Always shut down Windows XP before turning off your computer; otherwise, you could lose data.
In this exercise, you will shut down your Windows XP domain-connected computer.
BE SURE TO log on to Windows before beginning this exercise.
Follow these steps:
Click the Start button.
At the bottom of the Start menu, click Shut Down.
The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears:
The most recently selected shut-down option is displayed in the option box, and a description of that option appears below the box.
Click the down arrow to display the other options, and select each option in turn to display its description.
Select Shut down as the option, and click OK to end your Windows session.
Rather than simply logging off of your computer, you might want to shut down and turn off the computer to conserve energy. Shutting down closes all your open applications and files, ends your computing session, and quits Windows so you can safely turn off the computer’s power. This process ensures that your data is safely stored and all your external sessions are appropriately disconnected. The process of shutting down a Windows XP computer varies slightly depending on whether your computer is connected to a network domain or to a workgroup.
Important
Always shut down Windows XP before turning off your computer; otherwise, you could lose data.
In this exercise, you will turn off your Windows XP workgroup-connected computer.
BE SURE TO log on to Windows before beginning this exercise.
Follow these steps:
The Windows XP operating system offers a number of new features designed to simplify your computing experience.
There are some small differences between working with Windows XP Professional and working with Windows XP Home Edition.
It is important to keep your computer up to date with the most current service packs and updates. Windows Update makes it easy to do this.