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
    • A Quick Taskbar and Start Button Review
    • Moving the Taskbar
    • The Taskbar Menu
    • Managing Multiple Windows with the Taskbar
    • Sizing the Taskbar
    • Starting Programs with the Start Menu
    • Using the Run Command
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Workshop
  • 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
  • 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

The Taskbar Menu

A right mouse button click often displays a pop-up menu (sometimes called a context-sensitive menu) of options available to you. Windows XP looks at what you are doing when you right-click. Depending on the context, Windows displays commands appropriate to that task. The taskbar is one such location where the right mouse button brings up a helpful menu. You can use it to change the appearance and performance of the taskbar and the windows controlled by the taskbar. After finding a blank spot on your taskbar, right-clicking brings up the taskbar's pop-up menu shown in Figure 3.2.

Figure 3.2 A right-click on a blank space of the taskbar displays a pop-up menu.

The taskbar menu is not necessarily a menu you want to display often. Most users play around with different taskbar and window settings for a while until they find preferences that suit them best. Thereafter, those users might rarely use the taskbar properties menu.

The taskbar actually displays several menus, depending on where you right-click and how you've configured the taskbar. For example, if you right-click over the notification area, the area at the far right (assuming your taskbar's on the bottom of the screen), several more options appear that don't otherwise show.

The Taskbar Properties Menu

When you select Properties from the taskbar menu, the Taskbar and Properties dialog box appears as shown in Figure 3.3.

Figure 3.3 Adjust your taskbar and Start menu settings from this properties dialog box.

The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box accepts information that controls the way the taskbar appears on the screen. You can allow (or disallow) windows to overlap the taskbar if those windows are large enough to do so, you can eliminate the clock from the taskbar, and you can even minimize the taskbar so that it does not appear until you need it.

The following To Do item lets you practice changing some of the taskbar's properties.

To Do: Working with Taskbar Properties

1. Display the Taskbar and Start Menu properties dialog box by right-clicking over the Start button and selecting Properties.
2. Click the first option, Lock the taskbar. This option enables you to lock the taskbar so you cannot move it to another edge of the screen.
3. Check the option labeled Auto-hide the taskbar. When you click the Apply button, the taskbar disappears. The taskbar hasn't gone far—point the mouse cursor to the bottom of the screen and the taskbar will reappear. You can now have your taskbar and hide it, too! (When you click a dialog box's Apply command button, Windows XP implements your selected options immediately without closing the dialog box. You then can make further changes or click OK to close the dialog box.)

Remaining Taskbar Properties

The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box ensures that the Taskbar always stays on top of whatever might appear on your window below it. When you uncheck this option, a window could overlap the taskbar and hide some or all of it.

The fourth option is labeled Group similar taskbar buttons. Microsoft Word users will appreciate this option which is checked by default. Windows XP watches how you open windows and, if checked and if the taskbar is already full of buttons, Windows ensures that only one taskbar button appears for all files you open with the same application. In other words, you can open three documents in Microsoft Word and all three buttons will appear next to each other on the taskbar even if you opened another program before you opened all three documents. In addition, if the taskbar cannot comfortably show all three buttons, Windows XP combines the buttons into one button, thus saving room on your taskbar.

The notification area contains the time of day if you've checked the option labeled Show the clock. The other icons that you find on the notification area represent special notices such as the new mail icon that alerts you that you have unread mail. To save taskbar space, only those notification icons that you've clicked recently appear if you check the last option labeled Hide inactive icons.

Toolbars on Your Taskbar

Right-click over the toolbar and select Toolbars to see an array of choices. Table 3.1 explains each kind of element you can place on the taskbar from this menu.

Table 3.1. You Can Add These Toolbar Elements to Your Windows XP Taskbar

The Quick Launch toolbar is extremely helpful, especially due to its Show Desktop button. The following To Do item explains how to display and use the Quick Launch toolbar.

To Do: Working with the Quick Launch Toolbar

1. Right-click over a blank area on your taskbar to display the pop-up menu.
2. Select Toolbars to display the list of available toolbars.
3. Select Quick Launch to place the Quick Launch toolbar on your taskbar. Although the Quick Launch toolbar consumes some taskbar space, it contains one-button access to popular programs such as your Internet Web browser and e-mail. If you don't yet have an e-mail program installed, the e-mail program's icon will appear in the Quick Launch area when you install the e-mail program. You can also drag any program icon from your my Computer window to the Quick Launch area. Figure 3.4 shows the Quick Launch toolbar with icons available for you to click.
   

   Figure 3.4 The Quick Launch toolbar puts your favorite programs right on your taskbar.

4. Open your My Computer window and the Control Panel.
5. Click the Quick Launch toolbar's Show Desktop button. Immediately, your desktop appears. Windows XP did not close the windows but only minimized them. The Show Desktop button is handy when you need to return to your desktop without closing any programs you have open.

When you want to return to all the windows that you had open before clicking Show Desktop, right-click your taskbar to display the taskbar's pop-up menu and select Undo Minimize All.

Adjusting Your System Clock and Date

You can change your computer's date and time by double-clicking your notification area's clock. The Date/Time Properties dialog box shown in Figure 3.5 will appear.

Figure 3.5 You can change your PC's date and time.

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