Microsoft has done a major revamp of the desktop. Although conceptually all the old familiar elements are there – the Start button, Start menu, Taskbar, Quick Launch bar, System Tray (now called the Notification Area), and Desktop icons – nothing is really the same. From the luminous look of the icons to the behaviour of the Taskbar, it's all new. And it's all configurable, too: If you don't like something, you'll be able to change it.

Below is a visual roadmap to the XP Desktop. You may wish to click the image to load a full-screen version in a separate window. You can then flip back and forth between the image window and this description by pressing Alt-Tab.

A visual guide to the XP Desktop. Click to see a full-sized image.

Click the image to see the full-size visual guide to the XP Desktop.

1. Bliss Desktop

If you do a new install of Windows XP, the sole icon on your Desktop will be the Recycle Bin, with the default wallpaper, known as 'bliss', as background.

2. The Start Menu

The Start menu has bulked up and been completely reorganised. The left side lists the programs you use most often (or, immediately after installation, the programs Microsoft wants to encourage you to use). The right side provides access to the main folders, Control Panel, Help, Search and more. Hover over All Programs and a menu containing all your installed programs pops out – rather obnoxiously obscuring half the Start menu in the process. Items in the Start menu will move around, going to the 'head of the queue' if you use them frequently; being shunted aside when you don't.

3. The Taskbar

The Taskbar is locked into place by default. The Start button is still on the left with the Quick Launch bar, from which you can launch programs with a single click, to its immediate right; then comes the program button area, displaying an icon for every open window; and, on the far right, the Notification Area and clock. In the Notification Area you'll see icons for utilities which run in the background.

4. Taskbar program groups

One of the Taskbar's new tricks is the way it handles multiple programs. If you open a whole pile of programs, XP keeps Taskbar clutter under control by grouping similar programs. For instance, open three Word documents and, if space is a little tight, the Taskbar will display a single button for all three. Click the button to select from a pop-up list of open documents.

5. The Notification Area

Another area of the Taskbar which is notorious for becoming cluttered is the former System Tray, now the Notification Area. XP handles this by hiding icons you haven't used recently. When it does so, it pops up a little message to let you know what it's done. Look out for other messages – XP pops up message balloons in the Notification Area for all sorts of events. You can reveal any hidden Notification icons by clicking the little button on the Taskbar. Once you're done, they'll slide back out of view.

© 2002  Rose Vines

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