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
    • Using the Add or Remove Programs Window
    • Customizing Windows XP
    • Installed Applications
    • Uninstallation Procedures
    • A Last Resort
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Workshop
  • 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

Customizing Windows XP

After you've opened the Control Panel's Add or Remove Programs dialog box, click the Add/Remove Windows Components button to display the Windows Components Wizard page shown in Figure 8.2. A Windows XP Wizard is a step-by-step procedure that guides you through some process, such as installing a program. Unlike your applications, you'll never remove Windows XP because you would be removing the operating system that controls your PC. (You wouldn't sit on the same tree branch you're sawing off, would you?) When you update to a future version of Windows, the new version will remove Windows XP, but you can worry about that later. For now, the Windows Components Wizard lets you add and remove various Windows XP options.

Figure 8.2 Change Windows XP options from the Windows Components Wizard dialog box.

When you make a change to a Windows XP setting, that setting might not show until you restart Windows XP.

The following To Do item shows you how to change Windows XP installation settings. Although the various Properties menu options you find throughout Windows XP let you change settings that affect Windows'performance, appearance, and operation, the Windows Components Wizard lets you add or remove pieces of Windows XP's functionality.

To Do: Modifying Your Windows XP Installation Settings

1. Select Add/Remove Windows Components to run the Windows Components Wizard. The Components scrolling list box shows which groups of Windows XP options you've installed. An empty check box means that none of those options is installed to run. A grayed-out check mark means that some of the options in that group are installed. A regular check mark means that the entire group is installed. If you didn't install Windows XP, or if you installed Windows XP using all the default options, you might not be completely familiar with all the groups that appear. As you work through this 24-hour tutorial, you'll learn more about the various options available for Windows XP.
2. Click the title for Accessories and Utilities. (If you click the check mark and not the title, you'll change the setting.) Then click the Details button, and a new list appears that shows entries for Accessories and Games.
3. Click Accessories to select the item.
4. Click the Details button to see the details of the Accessories group of programs. You'll see a scrollable list of Accessories programs like those shown in Figure 8.3. Accessories are most of the programs that appear when you select the Start menu's More Programs, Accessories option.
5. Uncheck the Clipboard Viewer. Rarely will you need this leftover from Windows 3.1 days. Unchecking it requests that Windows XP remove it from your system. (You can repeat this task afterward to put it back.)
6. Click OK twice to return to the Windows Components Wizard.
7. Click Next and Windows XP begins the process of removing the Clipboard Viewer from your system. This update can take a while if you have just added or removed several Windows XP components.
8. Click Finish to close the Windows Components Wizard and return to Windows XP.
   

   Figure 8.3 See which Accessories options are installed.

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