Intro to Windows XP

by Andy Rush

Windows XP is the latest version of the Windows operating system for PC's. Many have touted it as the best Windows ever. An excellent Windows Operating Systems Family History exists at Microsoft's web site. There are two versions of Windows XP available - Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional. The Professional version has additional networking and security capabilities making it the version to use in corporate and business environments. Microsoft can answer the question of Which Edition Is Right For You?

Let's continue with our introduction to Windows XP by showing you a typical desktop. The image to the left is likely what you would see when you start a computer that recently had Windows XP installed. Other wallpaper (the background image) might appear if you bought your computer from a manufacturer such as Dell or Gateway. The desktop is noticeably bare, but you can customize the look and feel of your screen. Again, depending on whether you installed Windows XP, or it came on your computer pre-installed, your screen might look different from our picture.

This screen shot shows the Recycle Bin in the lower right and the taskbar along the bottom of the screen. The all-important Start button is in the left corner along the taskbar. The Start button is intended to be the starting point for everything you do in Windows XP (it has been since Windows 95). The Start Menu has been much improved over previous versions, but if you like the old look of Windows (95, 98, 2000) you can change it to what is called Windows Classic.

The Start menu has been redesigned to give you quicker access to all areas of the computer. The left side of the menu gives you access to commonly used programs. Windows XP will remember what program you use most often and begin listing them in the left hand side of the Start Menu. The right side of the menu gives you access to the My Documents folder, a logical place to store all of you documents, photos, and other files that you create. My Recent Documents are files that you have accessed most recently. My Pictures and My Music are found within the My Documents folder, but are there to give you quicker access. My Computer shows all of the drives such as floppy disk, hard drive, and removable drives (Zip disk and CD-ROM or CD-RW) installed on the computer.

The Control Panel is the area where you tweak the components of your system. You can change display settings, add new hardware devices, change mouse and keyboard settings and much more. Printers and Faxes is just a quick way to get to the Printer Control Panel application.

A very nice and much improved Help and Support area in included in Windows XP. If a user has Internet access, the user can get copious amounts of information about the operating system. The Search feature has also been greatly improved and Internet search capabilities have been built in. The Run command is still available for quick command line access to programs and system information. Options to Log Off or Shut Down the computer are present as well.

When you first begin working with Windows XP you will be prompted to Take the Windows XP Tour. It will be very persistent in getting you to take this tour. However, if you do continue to ignore it, it will eventually go away. If at any time later you wish to take it, and I recommend that users who are lacking confidence do take it, you can get there by going to the Start Menu, selecting All Programs then Accessories, and looking for Tour Windows XP. Several categories are available and even more demonstrations are available at Microsoft's web site. Good luck and have fun getting to know Windows XP.