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
    • Activate Your Desktop
    • Synchronizing Your Web Page Desktop
    • Active Content
    • SOS—Save Our Screens!
    • Paint Windows XP
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Workshop
  • 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

Active Content

Instead of putting a Web page on your desktop and having Windows synchronize it every once in a while, you can have extremely active content, such as a moving stock ticker or weather and news ticker flying across your desktop. The following To Do item explains how.

To Do: Placing Active Content on Your Desktop

1. Display the Display Properties dialog box and click the Customize Desktop button to open the Desktop Items dialog box.
2. Click the Web tab.
3. Click the New button.
4. Click the Visit Gallery button. A Web page appears that shows the Microsoft Desktop Gallery Web page, such as the one shown in Figure 7.4. The Desktop Gallery contains a stock ticker, news service, weather service, and several other items that you can place on your desktop. As long as your Internet connection is active, the items update. Therefore, during market hours, you will be able to see the price of a stock, news, or other information updated regularly.
   

   Figure 7.4 Locate the content you want to place on your desktop.

5. Click the Add to Active Desktop button next to the feature that you want on your desktop. Depending on the kind of gallery item you select, Windows XP will ask you to customize the content, perhaps by providing the stock symbols you want to track or the area of the country in which you live so you can get the local weather. When you return to your desktop, the content will be active.

Share This