| The following typographical conventions are used in this book: - Constant width
-
Used to indicate anything to be typed, as well as command-line computer output, code examples, Registry keys, and keyboard accelerators (discussed below). - Constant width italic
-
Used to indicate variables in examples and so-called " replaceable " text. For instance, to open a document in Notepad from the command line, you'd type notepad filename , where filename is the full path and name of the document you wish to open. - [Square brackets]
-
Square brackets around an option (usually a command-line parameter) mean that the parameter is optional. Parameters and keywords not shown in square brackets are typically mandatory. If you see two or more options separated by the character, it means that they are mutually exclusive; only one or the other can be specified, but not both. - Italic
-
Used to introduce new terms and to indicate URLs, variables in text, file and folder/directory names , and UNC pathnames. Rather than using procedural steps to tell you how to reach a given Windows XP user interface element or application, we use a shorthand path notation. For example: - Start
 Programs Accessories Calculator means "Open the Start menu (on the Desktop), then choose Programs, then choose Accessories, and then click Calculator." The path is always relative to a well-known location, such as the following: - Control Panel
-
Start Control Panel (in the Windows XP-style Start Menu) Start Settings Control Panel (in the Classic Start Menu) - My Computer, My Network Places, Recycle Bin
-
The familiar Desktop icons by these names, any of which may or may not be visible, depending on your settings - Start
-
The Start button on the Taskbar - Windows Explorer/Explorer
-
The two-pane folder view, commonly referred to as simply "Explorer": Start Programs Accessories System Tools Windows Explorer - xxxx menu
-
Menu xxxx in the application currently being discussed (e.g., File, Edit) Note that the elements of the Control Panel may or may not be divided into categories, depending on context and a setting on your computer. So, rather than a cumbersome explanation of this unfortunate design every time the Control Panel comes up, the following notation is used: - Control Panel [Performance and Maintenance] Scheduled Tasks
where the category (in this case, Performance and Maintenance) is shown in square brackets, implying that you may or may not encounter this step. TIP  There is often more than one way to reach a given application or location in the interface. You may see multiple paths to reach the same location in this book, mostly because the shortest path is not always the most convenient . | |
