Chapter 14: Resolving Issues Related to Usability

The Resolving Issues Related to Usability objective domain focuses mainly on configuring Microsoft Office applications, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Outlook Express, and the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. You might be making configuration changes to implement connectivity or usability, or just to satisfy a user request. You will be expected to be able to resolve application errors, as well as operating system errors related to running applications.

Windows XP provides a more stable and secure environment for running applications than any previous version of Windows. Great strides have been taken in designing the Windows XP interface to make applications easier to configure and to use. Since no system is perfect, though, two of your primary responsibilities as a desktop support technician will be to set up Windows XP and other applications the way a user prefers, and to resolve errors when they occur.

Tested Skills and Suggested Practices

The skills that you need to successfully master the Resolving Issues Related to Usability objective domain on the Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System exam include:

• Resolving issues related to Office application support features.

  • Practice 1: Remove several of the default commands from one of the toolbars in an Office application. (The method is the same in all of them.) Add some new commands to that same toolbar. Finally restore the toolbar to its default settings.

  • Practice 2: Create a custom menu in an Office application (the method is the same in all of them), and add commands to that menu. Further customize the menu by renaming the commands you have added and grouping them by function.

  • Practice 3: In Microsoft Word, change the AutoFormat As You Type options so that Word does not automatically format numbered and bulleted lists. Change the spelling and grammar options so that Word does not check spelling and grammar in the background as you work.

• Resolving issues related to Internet Explorer support features.

  • Practice 1: Set a new home page in Internet Explorer. Also, change the size of the toolbar buttons to make them smaller, and try adding some buttons to the toolbar.

  • Practice 2: Use Internet Explorer’s History feature to visit a site that you visited two weeks ago. Configure the History feature so that it saves pages for three weeks.

  • Practice 3: From within Internet Explorer, delete your temporary Internet files. Also, run the Disk Cleanup tool.

• Resolving issues related to Outlook Express features.

  • Practice 1: Export your Outlook Express Address Book to a text file as a backup.

  • Practice 2: Create an Internet Accounts file in Outlook Express to back up information about mail folders and accounts for the current Outlook Express identity.

  • Practice 3: Configure Outlook Express so that attachments that might be viruses cannot be opened or saved.

• Resolving issues related to operating system features.

  • Practice 1: Configure the Windows XP notification area so that inactive icons are not hidden, and then change this setting back. Configure a particular icon so that it is always hidden.

  • Practice 2: Use the msconfig.exe tool to identify the programs that start with Windows. If you see any that you would rather did not start, disable them.

  • Practice 3: Turn on the Quick Launch toolbar, and add a shortcut to it. Create a custom toolbar for the Taskbar by using your My Documents folder.

  • Practice 4: Configure Windows XP to use the classic Start menu instead of the Windows XP Start menu.

  • Practice 5: Change the file association for files with the .txt extension so that they open with Microsoft Word.