Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows XP in 24 Hours

By Greg Perry

• Table of Contents
  • Copyright
  • About the Author
  • Acknowledgments
  • Tell Us What You Think!
  • Introduction
  • Part I: Wake Up with Windows XP
  • Hour 1. Taking a Bird's-Eye Look at Windows XP
  • Hour 2. Getting Started with Windows XP
  • Hour 3. Managing the Windows XP Interface
  • Part II: Morning Windows Desktop Exploration
  • Hour 4. Working with the My Computer Window
  • Hour 5. Navigating Files with Windows Explorer
  • Hour 6. Calling for Help
  • Hour 7. Improving Your Windows Desktop Experience
  • Part III: Early Afternoon Windows Exploration
  • Hour 8. Installing Programs with Windows XP
  • Hour 9. Finding Files, Folders, and Friends
  • Hour 10. Using the Desktop Accessories
  • Part IV: Late Afternoon Internet Integration
  • Hour 11. Surfing the Web with Internet Explorer
  • Hour 12. Tying Windows into the Web
  • Hour 13. Networking with Windows XP
  • Hour 14. Managing E-mail and Newsgroups with Outlook Express
  • Part V: An Evening with Advanced Windows
  • Hour 15. Exploring Your Hardware Interface
  • Hour 16. Understanding Printing and Fonts
  • Hour 17. Using Windows on the Road
  • Hour 18. Giving Windows XP a Tune-Up
  • Hour 19. Managing Your Hard Drives
  • Hour 20. Tinkering with the Advanced System Tools
  • Part VI: Having Fun at Nighttime
  • Hour 21. Using Media Player
    • Introducing the Windows Media Player
    • Using AutoPlay
    • Changing the Look of the Windows Media Player
    • The Media Guide
    • CD Audio Extras
    • The Media Library and Playlists
    • A Radio in Your PC
    • Downloading to a Portable Player
    • What About Video?
    • Playing DVD Movies
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Workshop
  • Hour 22. Picturing Windows XP Graphics
  • Hour 23. Making Movies with Windows XP
  • Hour 24. Advanced Windows XP Tips
  • Part VII: Appendixes
  • Appendix A. Differences Between the Windows Home and Professional Edition
  • Appendix B. Glossary
  • Appendix C. Answers to Quizzes

Introducing the Windows Media Player

With Windows XP, a Windows multimedia system takes charge of virtually every aspect of your computer's sound and video. Consider just some of the multimedia-based capabilities of the Windows Media Player:

• Plays audio CDs
• Copies audio CDs
• Organizes your entire library of audio and video files
• Generates playlists, lists of your favorite songs no matter their source
• Plays Internet-based video and sound, including the de facto standard format of digital audio, MP3
• Supports streaming video and streaming audio, the process of playing video and sound clips from the Internet as they download to your computer from the Internet instead of having to wait for the entire clip to download before playing
• Downloads music on your computer to a portable music player, such as an MP3 player
• Plays high-quality DVD movies on your DVD-ROM drive if your computer has one
• Automatically self-upgrades the Windows Media Player when an update is available on the Internet

Throughout the following sections, the Windows Media Player takes center stage. Instead of a comprehensive study of every aspect of the Windows Media Player, this hour focuses on the primary tasks that users generally want to perform with the Windows Media Player. The Windows Media Player is only a means to an end; the program is much less important than the content, the media, such as your music and videos.

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