Chapter twenty two. Getting Help


IN THIS CHAPTER

Introducing Windows XP's New Help and Support Center 416

Finding More Help Online 424

Getting Remote Assistance 427

The Bottom Line 430

The Help system in Windows has never been great. In fact, Windows Help has typically been about the weakest part of the entire operating system. Not only was it hard to find answers to any particular question, but when the Help system finally displayed a useful page, it was written in something just this side of techie geek-speak made me wonder if the guys and gals out in Seattle ever took a high school or college English class.

I'd like to say that the Help system in Windows XP is light years ahead of all those older Help systems.

I'd like to say that, but I can't.

What I can say is that the Help system (now called the Help and Support Center) is much improved, and actually useful in places. The underlying Help text, however, is still somewhat cryptic, and it's still not terribly easy to find the exact information you're looking for.

But I'll give Microsoft credit for trying. The new Help and Support Center interface is much friendlier than the old Help system. Microsoft also has done a good job incorporating various troubleshooting tools alongside the standard Help contents. They've even made it relatively easy to go online for more help, which is great for all those times when the built-in Help system doesn't help.

Best of all, Microsoft added a feature called Remote Assistance, which lets you turn over control of your computer to another user. This way you can have a friend or a tech support person take a look at your system and see if he or she can figure out what's wrong. This feature alone might be worth the price of admission especially if you have a hard-to-track-down problem.



Microsoft Windows XP for Home Users Service Pack
Windows XP for Home Users, Service Pack 2 Edition
ISBN: 0321369890
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 270

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