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

SOS—Save Our Screens!

Almost everyone has heard of screensavers. Computer software stores contain shelf after shelf of screensaver programs that display pictures of your favorite television characters, cartoons, and geometric and 3D designs. Microsoft designed Windows XP to include several screensavers, so you don't have to buy one.

Want to know an insider's computer industry secret? Here it is: Screensavers really don't save many screens these days. In the past, computer monitors, especially the monochrome green-letters-on-black kind, would burn in characters when left on too long without being used. In other words, if you left the monitor on for a long time and did not type anything, the characters on the monitor would begin to leave character trails that stayed on the monitor even after you turned it off.

To combat character burn-in, programmers began to write screensavers that blanked the screen or displayed moving characters and pictures. The blank screens had no burn-in problems, and the moving text never stayed in one place long enough to burn into the monitor. The screensavers kicked into effect after a predetermined length of non-use. When you wanted to start work again, you could press any key to restore the computer screen to the state in which you left it.

Today's monitors don't have the kind of burn-in problem that previous monitors had. Screensavers aren't typically needed. Although a color monitor that is turned on all day and displays the same information will still get the burn-in effect, the effect is less pronounced than a few years ago. Why, during an age when they are not needed, are screensavers more popular than ever before? The answer is simple: Screensavers are fun! Screensavers greet you with designs and animated cartoons when you would otherwise look at a boring screen. It's cool to use a screensaver. After you master Hour 14, you will be able to use even live Web pages as your screensaver!

Setting Up a Screensaver

Windows contains several screensavers from which you can choose. Through the Screensaver dialog box, you can set up a blank screensaver or one that moves text and graphics on the screen. You control the length of time the monitor is idle before the screensaver begins. The following To Do item explains how to implement a screensaver.

To Do: Requesting a Screensaver

1. Open the Display Properties dialog box and click the Screen Saver tab. (You can also open the Control Panel window, select Appearance and Themes, and then select the option labeled Choose a Screen Saver to display the same Screen Saver page.) Windows XP displays the page shown in Figure 7.5.

   

   Figure 7.5 The Screen Saver tab controls the screensaver's timing and selection.

   If your monitor is designed to be Energy Star-compliant, meaning that your monitor supports energy-efficiency options, the lower dialog box settings will be available to you. You can adjust these options to save electricity costs. The Energy Star controls work independently and override any screensaver settings you might use.

2. The drop-down list box—directly below the Screen Saver prompt—that you display when you click the down arrow contains a list of Windows screensavers. Click the box now to see the list. When (None) is selected, no screensaver will be active on your system.

3. If you select Blank Screen, Windows uses a blank screen for the screensaver. When the screensaver activates, the screen goes blank, and a keypress (or password if you set up a password) returns the screen to its previous state.

   The remaining screensavers are generally more fun than a blank screensaver. If you want to see the other screensavers, click any one of the remaining screensavers in the list (such as 3D Flying Objects or 3D Maze), and Windows will display a preview of it on the little monitor inside the dialog box, as shown in Figure 7.6.

   

   Figure 7.6 You can preview any of the screensavers.

4. The animated screensavers can move fairly fast. To adjust their speed, click the Settings button. In some cases, you can also adjust the number of animated items that appear on the screensaver screen. Click OK when done.
5. The Preview button enables you to view the screensaver full-screen if you want a better preview than the small screen inside the dialog box provides. Click Preview to see the actual screensaver in action. Press any key or move the mouse to terminate the screensaver preview and return to the dialog box.
6. The Wait prompt determines how many minutes your computer must remain idle for the screensaver to activate itself. By pressing Alt+W (the shortcut key combination for the Wait prompt), you can enter a new minute value or click the up and down arrow keys to change to a new minute value.
7. When you click the OK command button at the bottom of the dialog box, Windows activates the screensaver program. The screensaver remains active in all future Windows XP sessions until you change it again by using the Screen Saver dialog box.
8. The screensaver operates in the background but never shows itself, even on the taskbar of program buttons, until your computer sits idle for the specified time value. If you keep your hands off the keyboard and mouse for the waiting time period, you'll see the screensaver go into action. Press any key (or move the mouse) to return to the desktop.

If you click the option labeled Return to the Welcome Screen, Windows XP returns to the account logon screen. There, you or another user will have to log on once again (and possibly enter a password if your account is password-protected) to use the computer after pressing a key to stop the screensaver.

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