XP Help and Support

You've purchased this book, no doubt, to reduce the number of times you consult Windows XP's Help system. By the time you've reached this chapter (if you're reading in order), many trips to the help files have been averted, to be sure, but there are just too many lines of code we're dealing with here, and there simply isn't enough room to discuss every possible situation.

To use Windows effectively, you're going to have to consult the help files from time to time. This chapter is designed to help you get the most out of help.

All Windows versions have always shipped with a set of help files. Now, XP has improved on previous help versions with something called the Help and Support Center. In previous chaptersChapters 9 and 13 come to mindwe have already paid this section a visit.

One of the Help and Support Center features you'll notice right away is that it is totally integrated with the Internet. This is to let the Help and Support Center take advantage of content that exists outside your computer. We'll look at ways to prevent this constant "chatting" with the Internet, but for the most part I think you'll find it beneficial.

This Internet-aware behavior is apparent from the moment you first open the Help and Support Center.