XP Environment Basics

Help Center → Troubleshooting x86 Machines & the Windows Operating System → XP Environment Basics

For virtually any Operating System (OS) that utilizes a Graphical User Interface (GUI), for user interaction, will have a desktop. The desktop is the focal point for all user interaction; the desktop gives the user easy access to both user programs and system tools, and at the same time it manages all of these programs in a way that optimizes user productivity (at least that is the goal). Below is a picture of a Windows XP desktop in "Classic" Mode. The Classic desktop has the look and appearance of the older Microsoft operating systems, but still has all of the new features that are included with Windows XP. Below, the key features of the desktop are explained in greater detail.

A Windows Desktop
Click here for XP version

DESKTOP ICONS

The My Computer icon is the access point to all of the files on your computer. The screen that immediately appears shows all of the Local Drives (Hard Drives), Optical Drives (CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, CD-RWs, etc.), Removable Drives (Floppy Drives, Zip Drives, Portable Hard Drives, Digital Cameras, etc.), and Mapped Network Drives. If you ever need to find a file, select a medium, and then use the "Search for files and folders" utility on the left, or use the Start Button, select Search, and then choose the appropriate item.

The My Network Places icon is a shortcut to a location in the Explorerhierarchy that shows all of your Network Places, which are places within your network that you have visited. On the left there are four tools under "Network Tasks" that any user which is connected to a network should be familiar with.

• Add a network place - This option allows you to add places indiscriminately. Using this tool allows you to specify a location in your network, a Web Site, ftp address, etc. These places are allot like the Favorites in Internet Explorer, merely shortcuts to make your time more productive.
• View network connections - Your computer can have multiple connections to different networks which could consist of dial-up locations, wired network connections, wireless network connections, etc. Clicking on any of these items displays the properties for that connection. If the connection is active it displays a window that displays connection statistics, and if you click on the Support tab, there is a useful "Repair" button. If you ever have any network problems, you should click on this button first.
• Set up a home or small office network - Although most experts would not choose to use this feature to set up a network, people who do not know or do not want to know how to set up a network will find this tool invaluable, as it requires almost no knowledge of networks or their policies to set up.
• View workgroup computers - This option allows you to browse through computers in your workgroup and/or domain. Only computers that are sharing resources on the network will be visible, and then you will be only be able to browse those resources if theAdministrator of that computer has given your account permission.

The My Documents icon is, by default, a shortcut to the folder:

Windows Volume\Documents and Settings\User Name\Documents\

Since the folder is dependant upon the current user that is logged in, every user's My Documents folder is different. Depending upon the version of Windows XP you are using, and your user classification, no other user can access any of the files is this folder The My Documentsfolder is the default location to save all of your documents, downloaded files, pictures, and music.

The Recycle Bin is the place where all of the files you delete from your system immediately go by default. This is a safety feature which prevents you, or a third party, from accidentally deleting important files from your computer. The Recycle Bin is actually a hidden folder on your hard drive, on which a certain percentage of it's disk space is dedicated this folder. Once the contents of the Recycle Binreaches its limit the oldest items are permanently deleted to make room any new items you delete. Some find the Recycle Bin, as a whole, an annoyance. It is possible to bypass the Recycle Bin on individual occasions by holding down while deleting your items, or permanently, by right-clicking on the Recycle Bin and altering the properties.

THE TASKBAR

The Taskbar contains four items: 1) the Start Menu (explained later), 2) the System Tray, 3) the Quick Launch Bar, and, 4) for lack of a better word, the Taskbar. Both the Quick Launch Bar, and the Taskbar as a whole can be resized to your preference. If it seems that you cannot resize these items, simply right-click on them, and make sure that "Lock the Taskbar" does not have a check next to it.

System Tray

The System Tray is, unfortunately, an often overlooked portion of the desktop. The System Tray is, by default, the rightmost portion of theTaskbar, and is a holding place for programs which are running in the background, almost always, anonymously. Good management of theSystem Tray is essential for a smooth running computer since it is an indicator of how many programs are launched at start-up; as common-sense suggests, the more icons that are present, the more resources are being consumed. Most of the programs that appear in here are worthless and do nothing more than slow down your computer. Most multimedia applications such as Real One Player, Quicktime, Winamp, etc. all launch needless programs at startup and you could free up valuable resources by disabling them. With that being said, the System Tray is an invaluable place to have programs run that would otherwise clutter your Taskbar. Many programs have an option to hide in theTaskbar when minimized; you should consult the documentation of your program for information on how to accomplish this.

Windows XP has a feature that hides InActive icons in the system tray. In order to see all of the programs that are running, simply click, if present, the arrow on the left edge of the System tray.

A Windows System Tray
Click here for XP version

Quick Launch Bar

Windows XP, by default, has the Quick Launch bar turned off. I, however, find this feature invaluable since I do not like the new XP styleStart menu. To turn it on, simply right-click on the Taskbar, and alter the relevant settings in the properties dialog. The Quick Launch Bar is a place to store shortcuts to your most commonly used programs and/or documents. With the shortcuts here, you can launch the programs without minimizing your currently running programs, or browsing theStart Menu. You can add shortcuts here simply by dragging them from an existing location, and you can delete unnecessary items by right-clicking on them and selecting delete.

A Quick Launch Bar
Click here for XP version

Taskbar

The Taskbar is a portion that takes up the largest portion of the whole; in the classic Windows theme it is gray, but blue in the XP theme. The vast majority of the programs that you launch will immediately show up here as a rectangular box with corresponding title and icon. Windows includes this feature in order to allow the user to easily switch between programs. In newer versions of Windows, there is a feature incorporated into the Taskbar that stacks multiple windows of the same type on top of one another in the same rectangle when the Taskbarbecomes full. Clicking on one of these grouped items will show you a sub menu of windows instead of bringing a program to the foreground. Another, alternative, method of switch programs is to hold down , and then push .

THE START BUTTON

The Start Menu Button is located on the Task Bar, which is most commonly found on on the bottom half of the screen. The Start Buttonlaunches the Start Menu, which is the main access point to both the user programs that are installed on the system, and the system resources which control the behavior of the OS. If you are looking for a program or a system setting, this is the best place to start.

The Classic Windows Start Button
Click here for XP version

THE START MENU

There are two different version of the Start Menu, a "Classic" and a "XP" version. Unlike all of the other differences we have seen this thus far, the differences between these two versions extends beyond their look and feel. The "Classic" Start Menu is similar to those found in the previous version of Windows, and is thus probably more comfortable to use for those who have upgraded from earlier versions. To switch between these two versions, right-click on the Taskbar, select properties, then click on the "Start Menu" tab.

Regardless of the version you choose to use you will want to be familiar with the Programs tab. The Programs tab is the default location that installers place program execution shortcuts. You navigate the menu by moving your mouse over the appropriate icon or folder. The folders expand to reveal another sub menu, allowing you to navigate further into the hierarchy, and the icons launch programs when you click on them. You can place additional shortcuts by creating additional folders or shortcuts in the Start Menu folder in your user settings. I suggest only altering objects beneath the Programs level since the "XP" version of the Start Menu will reflect these items below the Programs level regardless.

To get to the appropriate folder:

1. Launch My Computer
2. Select the volume in which Windows is installed on (C: by default)
3. Navigate to Windows Volume:\Documents and Settings\User Name\Start Menu\

Your Start Menu is representative of the folders and shortcuts that are found in this folder, and any changes you make to this folder will affect your Start Menu. You will note that all of the folders and shortcuts in theStart Menu will not be in this folder. The rest of the icons that you are looking for are in the folder:

Windows Volume:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\

You should note that any changes that you make in this folder will affect all of the other users on the system.

Two other options on either Start Menu are Help and Support and Run.Help and Support is the first place to go if you are looking for information on how to do something in the OS; if you are looking for information on how to do something within a program you should consult the program's help file, which can usually be found on the toolbar at top.Run is a tool that can be used to execute programs, specifically system programs such as msconfig, or cmd. msconfig allows you to configure windows startup options, and cmd launches a command line interface similar to an old OS known as DOS.

There are many of options that can make your Start Menu fit your personal style. To look at these options right-click on the Taskbar, select properties, click on Start Menu, and then click on customize.

Classic Start Menu

The Classic Start Menu, is a far simpler design than the version found in the XP theme. This version is much more tree-like, with very few options at the base level; most everything found here is a branch that expands into other areas. A few components that any Windows user should be familiar with are:

• Settings - Contains the Control Panel, which will be discussed in detail on the next page, and other individual settings that you can choose from in the customization options such as Printers and Network Connection; these items themselves are components of the Control Panel
• Search - This is the fastest way to find files on your computer. It can also be used to search the internet, and 3^rd party programs often install other options in here that are program specific.
• Windows Update - This option is a quick link to the Microsoft web site that is used to keep your Windows Operating System up-to-date with all of the latest patches and upgrades. It is always a good idea to make sure that you check for updates since security updates are released constantly.

One particular customization option that you should take a look at is the "Personalized Menus" option. With this option on, programs you don't use that often are not displayed immediately when you browse throughPrograms, and you have to click on the double arrows located at the bottom of the menu to display all of the programs. This option is on by default, but can often hide programs that you installed on your computer.

An example of browsing the Start Menu in the Classic mode

The XP Start Menu

The XP Start Menu may look very different than the Classic Start Menu, but it is very similar in many ways; many of the features have just been moved around. The XP Start Menu is very flat in the sense that it has no layers by default except for the Programs tab. On the right side of theStart Menu are the programs and system controls that would normally either be found on the Desktop or in the Settings tab. You can, by editing the Taskbar and Start Menu control panel, make these icons expand into sub components. The left side of this Start Menu is much more interesting. The top two components are whatever shortcut is registered with Windows as your default Internet Browser and Email Application. Although there are none pictured on the Start Menu below the rest of that space would be dedicated to the programs that you use most frequently; the number of which can be altered through theTaskbar and Start Menu control panel. The last item found is your full listing of programs.

The XP Styled Start Menu

EXPLORER

Windows Explorer is the Desktop Manager, File Browser, and Internet Browser all rolled into one package. Explorer is so integrated into the Windows framework that it was once the subject of allot of controversy from competing internet Browsers, who claimed that Microsoft was involved in unfair business practices. That being said, if you want to be able to use Windows well , you will need to learn the details of this program.

Click thumbnail to view full image.

THE TASK PANE

The Task Pane is a advent of Windows XP, and is very useful to those who do not know keyboard shortcuts for completing certain tasks or jumping to certain special locations within your computer. You can minimize/maximize any of the Tasks by simply clicking on the arrow to the right of the heading.

File/Folder Specific Tasks

These tasks appear when you have entered a folder which has a defined type other than "Documents". The tasks that will appear here are suited for completing tasks on the given type; such as:

• View a slide show for a picture folder
• Shop for music online for a music folder
• Play all for a video folder

You can customize your folder types by right-clicking on the folder and selecting the Customize tab. In this tab there is a drop down menu which will allow you to change the type of files this folder contains. Many other options may appear here when you are in special locations such as the Control Panel, the root of your Windows Volume, the Program Files directory, and the Windows directory.

File and Folder Tasks

These tasks are those for which you would want to perform on any file or folder such as: sharing, renaming, moving, copying , and deleting. This is also where you would want to go if you needed to create a new folder.

Other Places

If you need to jump to a place quickly in the Windows Infrastructure you could do so quickly by using these shortcuts. The shortcuts that appear here are: My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places.

Details

This is less a group of tasks, and more a tool for displaying file/folder specific information. When displayed this part of the Task Pane will display file details similar to those found in the Details view mode. The information displayed here consists of File Name, File Type, Size, Date Modified, Document Specific Information, and, if available, Preview Information in the format of a thumbnail.

STATUS BAR

The Status Bar, by default, has been turned off in Windows XP, and in Microsoft fashion, I fully expect it to disappear by the next rollout of the Windows Operating System. However, we should always take advantage of things while they are still around; one can turn on the Status Bar by going to View -> Status Bar. This bar is useful to Windows users no only in Windows Explorer, but in Internet Explorer as well. In Windows Explorer it shows you rudimentary file details which are specific for you file type. In Internet Explorer the status bar shows you useful messages such as: page load progress, page messages, and page errors.

ADDRESS BAR

The address bar allows the user to type in a url or directory and move straight there without any further navigation as well as letting the user know where they are currently on the internet/file system. The wonderful thing about the address bar is that it allows you to seamlessly go between the two flavors of explorer; if you are on the internet type in "c:\", or type in "www.washington.edu" to go to the UW home page.

STANDARD BUTTONS

The standard buttons operate the same way in both Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer. The common buttons are:

• Back - Navigates to the last page/folder that you were viewing.
• Forward - If you have browsed backwards using the back button you may use this button to move forward through the views you backed out of
• Home - Only available on Internet Explorer; takes the user to their home page as specified in the Internet Options. If this button is used in Windows Explorer, it will still take the user to the homepage.
• Refresh - Allows you to refresh the current web page with the latest versions from the server, or in Windows Explorer refreshes the file list that is currently displayed.
• Search - Lets you search either the internet for web sites or your file system for certain files.
• Stop - This button stops your browser from continuing to load the current page if it is in the process of doing so. This button has no function in Windows Explorer, even though it is present.
• Up - Only available in Windows Explorer; this button allows you to move one directory up into the file system. For instance: If you were at C:\Windows\, pressing the Up Button would take you to C:\.

You can, of course, customize this feature by going to View -> Toolbars -> Customize. Other buttons you can add include: Copy, Paste, Cut, Copy To, Move To, Map Drive, and Properties.

VIEWING OPTIONS

Windows offers it's users a variety of methods to view their files. Each method has it's own benefits/disadvantages when compared to the others, but most choose their viewing method simply based on their personal preference. Each folder is unique, Windows will remember the view mode settings for every folder, thus it will appear the same every time you visit the folder. Click on View in the toolbar and select your desired view to change your current view mode.

Details View

The Details View disseminates the most information about multiple files than any other view mode. All the information is tightly displayed, which makes this view the favorite for viewing files which contain no extra information such as pictures or movies. You can add or delete the information topics displayed by right clicking on the bar with the topic names on them, and then checking, or un checking, the items you want displayed. Another useful feature of this display is the ability to sort the files in the view simply by clicking on one of these topics.

Explorer viewing files in the Details Mode

List View

The List View is similar to the Details View, in that it lists the filename, and associated program icon, but no preview information. Unlike the Details View, this view does not list any of the extra information such as: Date Modified, Size, or Type. This would be the ideal option to choose if you had allot of files you needed to see all at once, but did not need the preview or extra information that other views provide.

Click thumbnail to view full image.

Explorer viewing files in the List Mode

Icons View

The Icons View displays icons, which are based on their associated program, and the file name. Some file types will display preview information; this, however, is a function of it's associated program, and not Windows. Windows, by default, only shows preview information in the Thumbnail and Filmstrip View. An example of a program that displays preview information is Adobe Photoshop, which displays preview information for pictures as well as Photoshop Document (PSD) Files, an example of such is displayed below.

Explorer viewing files in the Icons Mode

Tiles View

The Tiles View is the same as the Icons View with the exception that it displays some extra information along with the file name such as: File Type, Size, Picture Dimensions, and Music Author and Title.

Explorer viewing files in the Tiles Mode

Thumbnails View

The Thumbnails View is the first view which Windows decides to display preview information of its own. This information is usually only displayed on files which contain multimedia content such as: Pictures (BMP, GIF, JPG, and PNG), and Movies (MPG, ASF, and AVI), but sometimes other documents such as Office Documents (DOC, XLS, and PPT) will display preview information as well.

Explorer viewing files in the Thumbnails Mode

Filmstrip View

The Filmstrip View is excellent for browsing through multiple pictures at once. The biggest difference between this view and the other views which show you preview information is that a large preview is generated above the thumbnails of the file currently selected. Also, this view gives the user primitive picture manipulation features below the large preview. Currently you are only allowed to rotate the image, but there will likely be more options in the next version of windows.

Explorer viewing files in the Filmstrip Mode

You can change all of the folders in you computer to conform to the same viewing method by settings them all in the Folder Options control panel, or by going to Tools -> Folder Options -> View, and then clicking on the Apply to All Folders button. This will make every single folder display exactly as the one you are currently viewing.