XP's colourful new look is so startling it may take you a while to see through the glare to all the practical new improvements which lurk within the interface. This visual guide introduces you to six of the best improvements.

Note: You can click any of the illustrations in this article to see a full-sized screenshot in a separate window. Close the illustration window to return to the article.

The Start Menu

The Start menu has taken on increased importance in XP. Microsoft is trying to encourage us to keep our Desktops clean and use the Start menu as the launchpad for programs and documents (there's even a little automated clean-up wizard that tidies away Desktop items you leave lying around).

You access the Start menu by clicking the Start button (it also opens automatically the first time you log on to Windows XP). At the top of the Start menu you'll see the name of the current user on multi-user systems.

The left side of the menu features programs you use frequently, and this list will change with use. You can also pin items to the top of this section, above the line, ensuring they are always displayed.
The right side of the Start menu provides quick access to important folders, the Control Panel, help, search, and Internet connections.
The All Programs option gives you access to all the programs and utilities installed on your system. Unfortunately, when opened the Programs menu obscures the right half of the Start menu. You can click anywhere on the Start menu outside the Programs menu to see the full Start menu again.

Two views of Windows Start Menu

The Taskbar


The Taskbar is one of the most useful features of the Windows Desktop. So much so, that it has a nasty habit of getting cluttered and almost unmanageable. With XP, Microsoft finally addresses these problems, making the Taskbar much smarter.

The Taskbar has been improved in many ways.

From left to right, the Taskbar displays the Start button, Quick Launch bar, program buttons, Notification Area and clock. They're all locked in place, although you can unlock them via the Taskbar's Properties (right-click a vacant spot in the Taskbar and choose Properties from the pop-up menu). By the way, if you can't see the Quick Launch bar you can display it by:

  1. Right-clicking an empty area on the Taskbar and choosing Properties from the pop-up menu.

  2. On the Taskbar tab, tick the Show Quick Launch check box and click OK.

The Quick Launch bar provides one-click launching of programs and documents. You can drag any program or document to this bar, when unlocked, to customise it.

The program buttons area displays a separate button for each open window. To reduce clutter, the Taskbar now gathers together like items – all Word documents, all open browser windows, all images being edited – and gives them a single button with a little up arrow. Click the up arrow to view the list of items, click an item in the list to open it.

The Notification Area also works hard to reduce clutter. It hides items from view when they're not in use; you can redisplay them with a single click. You can customise which items are hidden and which are permanently displayed through the Customize Notifications option.

Keep your eye on the Notification Area. XP displays system messages in Notification Balloons regularly in this area: You'll see everything from a reminder to activate your copy of XP to messages letting you know you have files ready to copy to CD. You can often activate an action by clicking a Notification Balloon.

The Control Panel

The Control Panel is your headquarters for customising Windows, adjusting settings, and monitoring system functions. In its default state, it has an elegant, welcoming new look that should make it more approachable to beginners.

The default Control Panel view.

The default Control Panel displays nine categories: Appearance and Themes; Network and Internet Connections; Add or Remove Programs; Sound, Speech and Audio Devices; Performance and Maintenance; Printers and Other Hardware; User Accounts, Date, Time, Language and Regional Options; and Accessibility Options. Clicking any of the categories activates that category. Many of the categories, such as Performance and Maintenance, contain sub-categories. When you click such a category, you'll see a screen letting you choose a category task, such as Back Up Your Data or Free Up Space On Your Hard Disk. From the same screen you can also choose a specific Control Panel tool, such as Administrative Tools or Power Options or initiate an interactive troubleshooter.

By clicking the Switch To Classic View link in the Task Pane, you can display all the Control Panel tools, numbering over two dozen.

My Documents

With each recent version of Windows, the My Documents folder has gained increasing prominence. With Windows XP, My Documents becomes the central focus for all file management, with the old Windows Explorer being relegated to a distant sub-menu on the Start menu. Really, My Documents and Windows Explorer are two views of the same thing: Open My Documents and click the Folders button on the toolbar and what you see is Windows Explorer. The only difference is that the My Documents view features the new Task Pane on the left; Windows Explorer replaces the Task Pane with a hierarchical folder tree.

My Documents is the centre of all file activity in XP.

Experienced Windows users will probably want to switch to Windows Explorer view for some file management tasks, but don't be fooled by My Documents cute looks: It is, in fact, a very smart file manager. The Task Pane, which changes depending on the type of object you select, makes everything from folder creation to copying multiple files to navigating to other parts of your computer a breeze.
When you have no item selected, the Task Pane in My Documents displays options to create a new folder, publish the folder to the Web, or share the folder. It also has links to the Desktop, Shared Documents (on systems with multiple users), My Computer and My Network Places.

My Documents also provides quick access to the three special multimedia folders, My Pictures, My Music and My Videos.

Task Panes

Task Panes are the hottest new feature of XP's interface. Each folder sports its own Task Pane, which morphs to reflect the folder's contents or the currently selected file.

Every folder's Task Pane contains at least three sections: File and Folder Tasks, providing file management options; Other Places, providing links to other important folders and functions; and Details, where information about the current folder or file is displayed, including preview images for graphics, photos and video files. There are also special folders – My Pictures, My Videos, My Music – which have an additional section in the Task Pane dedicated to content-specific tasks.

Task panes alter according to the currently selected document.

This task orientation makes file management on XP considerably easier than in its predecessors. For instance, to move a group of files, select them and either drag them to one of the Other Places links, or click the Move The Selected Items task, and select a destination from the dialog which appears. Other common file tasks include copy, rename, delete, print, e-mail, and post to the Web.

Fast user switching

If you share your computer with others, your initial entrance to Windows XP will be via the Welcome screen. Here, every user is listed and you can gain access to your own customised Windows Desktop by clicking the appropriate user icon and entering a password, if you have one set.

The Welcome screen is also the hub of one of XP's snazziest features, Fast User Switching. Fast User Switching lets you change users while XP remembers the state of your Desktop and open applications. All you do is select Log Off from the Start menu to display the Welcome screen (or, if your keyboard features a Windows key, press Windows-L) and let the other user log on. Once the second user has finished, they can log off and you can take control again just where you left off.

Fast user switching makes it a breeze to share your computer with others.

Fast User Switching is so convenient, you may even want to set up multiple users even if you're the only one who regularly uses your computer. That way, you can create a guest, account with limited access privileges, for those occasions when you want to let a visitor use your system.

© 2002  Rose Vines

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