| Another useful feature for handling problems or just getting information is Windows online help. You can select from a list of help topics by browsing through a table of contents of help. You can also use the index to look up a topic or search for a topic. The online help includes troubleshooters that help you pinpoint problems and offer suggested fixes. These troubleshooters are most often used to pinpoint problems with hardware components or "devices." See Chapter 19, "Upgrading Your Computer," for information on these hardware-related troubleshooters. tip  | Your computer manufacturer may also provide help features and access to its online help on your help page. For instance, in Figure 4.4, the computer displays help from Dell (the maker of this particular computer). Figure 4.4. You can get extensive help from the Windows XP help guide as well as online sources. 
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Browsing Help Topics Follow these steps to get help: 1. | Click the Start button.
| 2. | Click Help and Support. You'll see the Help and Support Center window (see Figure 4.4).
| 3. | Click the topic on which you want help. For instance, select Windows basics. You'll see the related topics.
| 4. | Click the subtopic you want. The right pane lists relevant help topics. Figure 4.5, for instance, shows the topics for protecting your computer.
Figure 4.5. Use Windows help to get detailed information about features. 
| 5. | Click the topic you want in the pane on the right. Windows displays the relevant help information (see Figure 4.6).
Figure 4.6. You can display step-by-step information on using Windows XP features. 
| 6. | When you are finished reviewing the help information, click the help window's Close button.
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Searching for Help Rather than browsing for help, you can go directly to a related help topic by searching for it. To do so, follow these steps: 1. | Click the Start button.
| 2. | Click Help and Support. You'll see the Help and Support Center window (refer to Figure 4.4).
| 3. | In the Search text box, type your question or topic and click the search button (the green arrow). Windows XP then displays related help topics.
| 4. | Select the task you want from the list of suggested topics. Windows XP displays the related information in the help pane on the right (see Figure 4.7).
Figure 4.7. You can go quickly to a certain topic by searching for it. 
| 5. | When you are finished reviewing the help information, click the help window's Close button.
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Using the Help Window Toolbar In addition to browsing and searching, you can use the toolbar buttons to get help in other ways: If you have looked up several pages during your browsing or searching, you can return to previous pages or go forward by using the Back and Forward buttons. To return to the opening help page, click the Home button. To display an index of topics, click the Index button. Then type the keyword in the pane on the left. Windows XP then displays matching topics. Click the topic about which you want to display help information in the pane on the right. If you frequently refer to the same help pages, you can set up a list of favorite pages. Use the Favorites button to go to favorite pages. If you recently used help and want to return to a topic you know you looked up, use the History list to display a list of recently viewed help pages. You can then select the relevant page from this list. To access online support, click the Support button. Your options are displayed in the left pane and include sending an email to a friend for help, getting help from Microsoft, or visiting a Windows Web site forum. For more information about online browsing (including help options), see Chapter 8, "Browsing the Internet." To customize the help options, use the Options button. You can change such options as the font size and what appears in the navigation bar (also known as the toolbar).
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