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

Installed Applications

Almost every time you purchase a new application program to install on your PC, you'll insert its CD into the drive, close the drive door, and see an installation screen such such as the one shown in Figure 8.4.

Figure 8.4 An application program is about to install.

In most cases, such an application checks your PC to see if the program is already installed. If it isn't, the program gives you an installation screen such as the one shown in Figure 8.4. The software authors know that you probably wouldn't be inserting the CD into the drive if you didn't want to install the program.

If the application doesn't start, or if you have AutoPlay disabled (AutoPlay is a feature of Windows XP that starts reading your CD as soon as you place a CD-ROM in the drive) and you want to leave it that way, you can choose Run from the Start menu and type d: \Setup. Replace the d with the letter of your CD-ROM drive.

If you get an error message, choose the Start menu's Run command to make sure that you've entered the drive, backslash, and Setup command properly. If you get an error message again, your program might require a different command. Replace Setup with Install to see what happens. If the Run command still fails, check the program's owner's manual to locate the correct command.

Each application's setup is different. Nevertheless, the following list provides guidelines that almost every installation follows:

• You can often read installation notes (usually called a Readme file) by clicking an appropriate selection in the installation window.
• Sometimes multiple installation options are available. Check the manual for the installation that suits you if you can't determine from the opening window which one to use.
• When you start the installation, an installation wizard usually guides you step-by-step through the process.
• You can often accept all installation defaults if you're unsure whether to install an option during the wizard's performance. The wizard asks questions such as which disk drive and folder you want to install to.
• If you don't have adequate disk space, the installation program will tell you. You'll have to remove other files, get more disk space, reduce the installation options, or do without the program if you don't have space for it.
• At the end of the installation, you will probably have to restart Windows for all the installation options to go into effect. If you're asked whether you want to restart Windows, you can answer No, but don't run the installed program until you restart Windows.

Share This