What Does This Book Cover?

This book explains how to use keyboard shortcuts in Windows XP and the Office 2003 applications: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access. Most of the keyboard shortcuts in Office 2003 apply to Office XP (aka Office 2002) and Office 2000 as well. This book points out the major differences that you ll need to know about if you use Office XP or Office 2000 instead of Office 2003.

Note

Unless otherwise noted, the screens shown are from Office 2003, on the basis that this is the latest and most capable version of Office and the one you re most likely to be using, either now or eventually.

The book s coverage is arranged by application and by topic. Within each topic, you ll learn the keyboard shortcuts you need in order to perform essential actions swiftly without reaching for your mouse.

Besides telling you how to use, customize, and create keyboard shortcuts, this book also tells you how to choose the best keyboard for your needs and your budget and how to configure it. To keep prices down, computer vendors typically provide only the most basic of keyboards with computers, so you could probably benefit from upgrading your keyboard if you haven t done so already. This book explains the range of keyboards available, from conventional keyboards to one-handed keyboards and keyless keyboards, and explains how to configure your keyboard for comfort and speed. The trinity of keyboard, mouse, and monitor largely govern how comfortable your computer use is ”and there s no sense in being less comfortable than you need to be, even if you re not yet suffering from RSI.