Using the Help System

If you have used computer software for any length of time, you've probably had plenty of experience using an online (actually, on-screen) Help system. Office 2000 makes online Help easier to use by providing several convenient methods for getting online instruction. You'll find the following tools in each Office application:

• Microsoft Help (F1)—If the Office Assistant's display is turned off, or if the Assistant's Respond To F1 Key is deselected, the F1 key displays a window that lets you type and search for a topic, pick one from a list, or type a question to display a smaller list of topics that are relevant to what you want to do. Otherwise, the F1 key displays the Assistant's balloon in which you can enter a topic to search for.
• Office Assistant—A friendly and animated guide to each application in Office. The Office Assistant appears with its balloon, in which you can type a topic or question about what you're looking for, and then click a Search button to see a list of topics (see Figure 1-8). Behind the Office Assistant's kindly exterior is a powerful, natural-language database containing answers to thousands of the most vexing questions about Office applications. When you select one of the topics that the Office Assistant presents in answer to your question, the Microsoft Help window for the active application appears to show you the detailed information on the topic you selected.



Figure 1-8. The Office Assistant.

• What's This?—A context-sensitive Help pointer with which you can click an application feature to learn more about it.
• Office On The Web—A convenient connection to the Microsoft Office Web site, which provides several useful online resources for Office users.

NOTE

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Word contains useful online information for users familiar with WordPerfect, and Excel contains useful online information for users familiar with Lotus 1-2-3. Check the Word and Excel online Help menus for information if you're making the transition from one of these products.

TIP

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The About Command

The final command on the Help menu (About) contains copyright and version information for the program you're using. The About dialog box also includes a System Info button, which you can click to display information about your computer's hardware and software configuration, plus a Tech Support button, which you can use to contact Microsoft Product Support.