Windows XP Pro The Missing Manual [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

2.2 The Elements of the XP Desktop

Once you're past the heart-pounding excitement of the new startup logo and the Setup Wizard, you reach the digital vista shown in Chapter 3. (The Start menu, now in a new, improved two-column format, lists every significant command and software component on your PC.) Some people enjoy the newly streamlined Windows XP desktop. Others deliberately place additional icons on the desktopthings like favorite programs and documentsfor quicker access. Let your personality be your guide.

On a fresh installation of Windows XP, you may be surprised to discover that Microsoft has gone cleanliness-crazy. A new installation of Windows XP on a new computer presents an absolutely spotless desktop, utterly icon-free except for the Recycle Bin. Even the familiar My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places icons seem to be missing. (If you've upgraded from an older version of Windows, you'll still see your old icons on the desktop. Furthermore, the company who sold you your PC may have stocked the desktop with a few of its own iconsbut you get the point.)

Those former desktop icons are now in your Start menu, which appear when you click the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen (Figure 2-3). The following pages cover the Start menu in detail.