Page #208 (Fresh Visual Design)

Most of the basic building blocks of the Windows XP user interface are familiar from previous Windows versions-you'll find the desktop, Start button, and taskbar, for example, right where you expect them to be. But dig deeper into menus and dialog boxes and you'll discover hundreds of changes that grew out of testing in Microsoft's usability laboratory. Many of these changes are intended to make Windows computing easier for novice users, but in some cases the hand-holding and extra explanation can unnecessarily slow down power users.

For instance, the default Control Panel view organizes icons into a task-based Category view that requires drilling down an extra level to get to advanced options. As an experienced Windows user, you'll probably prefer the Classic view of Control Panel, where every icon appears in a single folder window. Throughout this book, we'll point out similar places where you can adjust default settings to give yourself faster access to the features you use most.

You can configure Windows XP to use the Classic Start menu style, which is practically indistinguishable from the Windows 2000 interface. But if you're a power user, we recommend that you try out the new Windows XP interface for at least a week. You may discover that some of the interface changes cure long-standing Windows annoyances. Among the productivity-boosting improvements in Windows XP are the following:

  • Friendly Welcome screen. As the administrator of a Windows XP machine, you define a user account for each person allowed to use that computer. The Welcome screen lists each authorized user; each user clicks his or her name and enters a password (if required) to jump to a personalized desktop and unlock access to private files. On a shared PC, you can switch between users without having to close down running programs or stop a download. You can drop in and check your e-mail or send a quick instant message, for instance, while another user takes a brief break.
  • Fast User Switching. On a shared home computer, the capability to switch quickly between accounts without having to log off is an absolute killer feature and the single best reason to prefer either edition of Windows XP over previous Windows versions. When you step away from the computer, you can leave documents open and keep your e-mail program running in the background, checking for new messages at regular intervals. The default Windows XP screen saver switches to the Welcome screen after 10 minutes with no keyboard or mouse activity.
  • Start menu improvements. The redesigned Windows XP Start menu, shown in Figure 1-3, uses more on-screen real estate than the Start menu you know so well. By using two columns instead of one, itorganizes shortcuts to the programs you use most often, to locations where your personal files are stored, and to system folders and tools.
  • A cleaner desktop. In a clean installation, the Windows XP desktop is downright Spartan, with only the Recycle Bin installed there by default. A wizard periodically sweeps across the desktop, offering to move icons that haven't been used recently into an Unused Desktop Shortcuts folder. In a similar vein, Windows XP groups taskbar buttons to avoid the common problem of buttons being so small as to be unusable. If you have five browser windows open, for instance, all those windows will be grouped under a single Internet Explorer button, with a number on the button to tell you how many separate windows are grouped there; click that button to choose from a menu that lists the titles of each individual window.
  • figure 1-3. the new two-column start menu offers quicker access to common locations and maintains a dynamic list of shortcuts to the programs you use most often.

    Figure 1-3. The new two-column Start menu offers quicker access to common locations and maintains a dynamic list of shortcuts to the programs you use most often.

  • Easier file management. Windows Explorer gets a thorough overhaul in Windows XP. When a folder window is open, clicking the Folders button toggles the left pane between the familiar Folders tree and the new task pane, containing a set of links that offer quick access to common tasks, shortcuts to related locations, and details about the current selection. The new Tiles view offers an alternate organization of common locations; this view is particularly effective in the My Computer window, as Figure 1-4 shows. Windows Explorer in Windows XP is also much smarter about file associations than earlier versions.

Toggle the Folders tree Regardless of which view you use for a given folder, you can click the Folders button to toggle between Windows Explorer's Folders bar and the task pane. Use the double arrows at the right of each menu to collapse or expand the choices shown in that box; in the Details box, the double arrow toggles the display of information about the currently selected file or folder (including previews of image files).

    figure 1-4. collapsible menus (left) let you see details about the current selection and choose common actions without having to right-click.

    Figure 1-4. Collapsible menus (left) let you see details about the current selection and choose common actions without having to right-click.

  • Extensive Help and support resources. As you would expect, the online Help files are filled with tutorials, troubleshooters, and step-by-step instructions, but those static resources are just a start. The HTML-basedHelp And Support Center shown in Figure 1-5 takes advantage of your Internet connection to update Help files with headlines from Microsoft's support site. From the Help And Support Center window, you can also search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, access Windows XP newsgroups, connect to Microsoft support, and even run your own help desk using the Remote Assistance feature.

Provide personal support

It never fails: When friends, coworkers, or family members discover that you're a Windows expert, you get pressed into service as an unpaid support technician. If the party asking for help is running any edition of Windows XP and has an active Internet connection, your job is much easier. Have the other person send you a Remote Assistance request; when you accept the request, you connect directly to their computer and can edit registry settings, fix file associations, set System options, and perform just about any other troubleshooting or repair task, just as if you were sitting at the other person's desk.

For more details on how to configure the Help And Support Center and use Remote Assistance, see Chapter 4, "Help and Support Options."

figure 1-5. the help and support center provides direct access to system utilities and information, including articles from microsoft's knowledge base.

Figure 1-5. The Help And Support Center provides direct access to system utilities and information, including articles from Microsoft's Knowledge Base.



Microsoft Project 2002 Inside Out
Microsoft Project Version 2002 Inside Out (Inside Out (Microsoft))
ISBN: 0735611246
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 67

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