Windows.XP.in.a.Nutshell.1002005.2Ed [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Organization of the Book

This book is divided into four parts.

Part I

This part of the book is designed to give you the lay of the land and
to introduce the concepts used throughout the rest of the book. It
consists of two chapters:

Chapter 1, gives a brief review of Windows XP,
what's new in this release, and where it fits into
the grand scheme of things.

Chapter 2, covers the basics of using Windows,
such as starting applications, manipulating files, and getting around
the interface. If you're familiar with any modern
version of Windows, much of this is probably old hat.

Part II

This part of the book contains alphabetically organized references
for each major element of Windows XP. Once you're at
a given point in the system, what can you do there?

Chapter 3, is a thorough examination of the
elements that make up the Windows XP graphical user interface. In
addition to the basics of windows, menus, buttons, listboxes, and
scrollbars, you'll learn about the new visual styles
in Windows XP, how to make the most of the Taskbar, and how to use
any component of Windows with only the keyboard.

Chapter 4, is the comprehensive reference that
covers all the programs that come with Windows XP, those listed in
the Start menu and Control Panel, and as those available only if you
know where to look. For GUI-based applications, we
don't document every menu, button, and dialog
boxthe GUI is often self-evident. Instead, we focus on
nonobvious features and provide helpful hints about power-user
features and things that will make your life easier. For command-line
based programs, we cover every option, since these programs are not
as obviously self-documenting (though many do support the
conventional /? command-line option for help).

Chapter 5, is the place to find that elusive
setting or feature without having to know ahead of time where
Microsoft has decided to hide it away. Every option in every dialog
box, as well as many common tasks, are presented in a single,
straightforward reference. Options that affect how Windows plays
sounds, for example, are scattered in a half-dozen different dialogs;
here, they're all under
"S."

Chapter 6, provides complete documentation on this
often overlooked and underestimated part of the operating system. In
addition to learning the ins and outs of the Command Prompt
application, you can look up any command and find exactly what
options it supports. Batch files, a quick and easy way to automate
repetitive tasks, are also covered.

Part III

This part, encompassing the final three chapters, covers the more
advanced topics in Windows XP:

Chapter 7, is your one-stop shop for setting up
home networking, connecting to the Internet, and everything in
between, with a special emphasis on the wireless (both WiFi and
Bluetooth) talents that Service Pack 2 adds to XP. Security, a
genuine concern for home users and businesses alike, is covered
throughout the chapter as well, including SP2's new
Security Center and retooled firewall.

Chapter 8, describes the organization of the
Windows XP Registry, the central configuration database upon which
Windows and all of your applications rely to function and remember
your settings. The Registry Editor, the primary interface to the
Registry, is covered here, along with some of the more interesting
entries scattered throughout this massive database.

Chapter 9, describes the Windows Script Host
(WSH), the built-in scripting subsystem that is surprisingly flexible
and powerful. Use the scripting language of your choice to automate
common tasks and access features not available elsewhere.

Part IV

This section includes various quick reference lists.

Appendix A, covers everyone's
least-favorite activity. In addition to documenting the various
installers and options, the chapter includes a number of pitfalls and
solutions that will apply to nearly every installation.

Appendix B, presents some of the factors you should
take into consideration before you upgrade to Windows XP, as well as
some of the adjustments you'll need to make after
you take the plunge. Among other things, you'll
learn how to make Windows XP look and feel more like previous
versions of Windows by turning off some of the more annoying bells
and whistles.

Appendix C, gives a list of keyboard accelerators
(also known as hotkeys) used in all parts of the Windows interface.

Appendix D, covers the add-on suite of tools
Microsoft has provided for "power
users" of Windows XP. TweakUI is easily the most
important tool in the bunch. It provides many features and settings
that should have been included in the operating system in the first
place.

Appendix E, explains how to type the symbols and
international characters normally only accessible with Character Map
(discussed in Chapter 4).

Appendix F, lists many file types and their
descriptions. This appendix is useful when you're
trying to figure out how to open a specific file and all you know is
the filename extension.

Appendix G, lists the background services that come
with Windows XP and their respective filenames. If you need to find a
service, or simply need to determine the purpose of a particular
program shown to be running in the Windows Task Manager (see Chapter 4), this appendix will provide the answer.

Appendix H, introduces the infrequent but vital
bug-fix collections that Microsoft makes available. At the time of
writing, two have been releasedknown simply as Service Pack 1
and 2.