Dec 19
2007Using Windows XP
Filed Under (Windows Xp) by Admin on 19-12-2007
Tagged Under : audio, installation, Microsoft, start menu, systray, taskbar, video, windows, Windows Xp
Now that you’ve installed XP, it’s time to have some fun playing around with it and getting used to it. This isn’t too difficult if you’re a Windows 98 user, but there are a few things that might confuse you at first. In addition, XP introduces several new features, and by the time you’re through with this post, you should have a hang of what XP has to offer.
Getting Around In Windows XP
In order to help users be at ease with the new look and interface, Windows XP offers a tour that tells you about the operating system in general. This tour starts by default upon completion of the installation. You can also run the tour at any time by clicking Start > All Programs > Accessories > Tour Windows XP. Here, we take you on a slightly different tour of the OS, with the idea being the same—getting you familiar with XP.
The Taskbar And Start Menu
The default XP desktop scheme is a bright blue with a landscape wallpaper. At the bottom of your screen is the Taskbar with the Start button (as in Windows 98). All the programs and installed applications are accessible from the Start button, while the Taskbar holds buttons corresponding to running applications. The right-hand corner of the Taskbar is known as the System Tray. It displays the clock (Date/Time settings) and volume/sound controls by default, and any application that has been enabled to start with Windows XP will appear in the System Tray. The System Tray also displays network connectivity if this is enabled in Network Connections. In short, the Taskbar and the Start Menu gives you quick access to various applications and system utilities.
Assume you have many Internet Explorer windows open at the same time. These sessions (or open browsers) are grouped within a single taskbar button. Clicking the button will list all the open windows. This happens because the option to ‘Group similar taskbar buttons’ is enabled by default. This behavior of the Taskbar can be controlled and altered by changing its properties. To modify the properties of the Taskbar, right-click on an empty space on it and choose ‘Properties’. The window that opens allows you to view and change the properties of both the Taskbar and the Start Menu.
Here’s a screenshot of the pop-up window called ‘Taskbar and Start Menu Properties’. There are two tabs under this menu—one for the Taskbar and one for the Start Menu. The Taskbar tab is divided into two sections—Appearance and Notification Area, with a few “enable/disable” options. You can lock, hide or keep the taskbar over other applications by checking their respective options. Choosing ‘Show Quick Launch’ will add a Quick Launch panel in the taskbar just next to the Start button. This is used to start the most frequently- used applications, such as Winamp, without having to go through the list of applications in the Start Menu. You can also choose to disable the clock.
XP displays icons for active and urgent notifications in the System Tray. For instance, there will be a Messenger icon in the System Tray as long as it is actively running. Now if many such applications are running, then the System Tray would occupy a fourth of the taskbar! To prevent this, XP has a “hide” button to hide all inactive icons. This way, you see only those applications that are currently active. You can customise the Start Menu settings if you think the current settings don’t suit you. The Start Menu tab gives you two options to work with—‘Start Menu’ and ‘Classic Start Menu’. The latter is a style that is common to earlier versions of Windows such as Windows 2000 and 98. Once you have chosen between these two, you can click on the ‘Customise’ button to make finer changes such as the size of the icons and the list of programs.
Another useful option in the Taskbar is to add Toolbars. A Toolbar is something similar to Quick Launch—it gives faster access to items. (The first option in the pop-up that comes on right clicking the taskbar is for adding Toolbars.) You can choose to add toolbars for Links, Desktop (to access icons on the desktop), and more. You can also create your own toolbar. Let’s say you want to create a toolbar for the ‘My Documents’ folder. Choose ‘New toolbar…’ and the select ‘My Documents’ from the list that comes up.