Windows XP for Dummies

_______________Introduction

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Part III: Using Windows XP Applications (And Surfing the Web)

Windows XP comes with bunches of exciting free programs. Finding and starting the programs, however, is quite a chore. This part dissects the Windows XP backbone: Its annoying “Welcome" screen and User Name buttons, the mammoth Start button menu that hides all the important stuff, and your computer’s desktop—the background your running pro- grams rest upon. This part of the book explains how to store your files so you can find them again. It shows how to send e-mail and play with that World Wide Web thing everyone talks about. Turn here for information on playing music CDs and MP3s and movies. As a bonus, you discover why your computer screen looks like a blinking billboard for Microsoft products. (And how to turn those ads off.)

Part IV: Help!

Although glass doesn’t shatter when Windows XP crashes, it still hurts. In this part, you find some soothing salves for the most painful irrita- tions. Plus, you find ways to unleash the Windows XP program’s wise new team of powerful Troubleshooting Wizards. Imagine: A computer that can finally wave a wand and fix itself!

Part V: The Part of Tens

Everybody loves lists (except during tax time). This part contains lists of Windows-related trivia—ten aggravating things about Windows XP (and how to fix them), ten confusing Windows XP icons and what they mean, ten ways to make Windows XP start working again, and other shoulder-rubbing solutions for tense problems.

Icons Used in This Book

Already seen Windows. Then you’ve probably noticed its icons, which are little pictures for starting various programs. The icons in this book fit right in. They’re even a little easier to figure out: