Section 2.1. The Desktop

2.1. The Desktop

Like most modern operating systems that use graphical user interfaces (such as the Mac, Unix, and earlier versions of Windows), Windows XP uses the metaphor of a Desktop with windows and file folders laid out on it. This Desktop metaphor is provided by a program called Windows Explorer ( explorer.exe ). Windows XP runs this program automatically every time you start Windows XP. ^[1]

^[1] Occasionally, you may see the icons on your Desktop disappear and then reappear. This is caused by Windows Explorer crashing, and Windows relaunching it immediately thereafter. See "Taskbar" in Chapter 3 for more information.

Figure 2-1 shows the main features of the Windows XP Desktop. The callouts in the figure highlight some of the special-purpose icons and buttons that may appear on the Desktop. Each of these is described further in Chapter 3.

Figure 2-1. Windows XP Desktop features