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
    • Introducing the Windows Explorer
    • The Explorer Options
    • Managing Documents with a Right Mouse Click
    • Right-Click to Copy and Move Documents
    • Using the Explorer's Task Pane
    • Where Do the Deleted Files Go?
    • Making Windows XP Easier to Use
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Workshop
  • 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

Using the Explorer's Task Pane

A mastery of the previous section is critical to using your computer to its fullest. The file-related copy, cut, and move operations, using the right-click pop-up menus and your mouse for dragging are skills that all Windows users should understand. So many programs support these file operations that their mastery is critical.

Having said that, throughout the previous section, you may have noticed that the Task pane of the Explorer window changed as you selected files. As Figure 5.7 shows, when you select a text file, the Task pane offers to rename, move, copy, publish to the Web (assuming you have the rights to post to an Internet site), send the file as an e-mail, print the file on your printer, or send the file to the recycle bin. For these common file operations, clicking the task is often easier than right-clicking and selecting from the pop-up menu. (Remember, if your Task pane is not showing, click the toolbar's Folders button to display it.)

Figure 5.7 The Explorer Task pane simplifies common file operations.

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