Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual 2nd Edition

Description

With the release of Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft latest and most reliable corporate desktop operating system now provides better protection against viruses, worms, and malicious hackers. SP2 includes Windows Firewall, Pop-up Blocker for Internet Explorer, and the new Windows Security Center. But it still comes without a single page of printed instructions.

This superbly written guide fills the gap. Coauthored by David Pogue, New York Times technology columnist and Missing Manuals creator, Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual uses wit, technical insight, and scrupulous objectivity to light the way for first-time and intermediate network and standalone PC users. In fact, this jargon-free book explains XP's features so clearly revealing which work well and which don't that it should have been in the box in the first place.

The book reveals which features work well and which don't, such as the Remote Desktop software that enables people to connect to the office from home, the encryption file system that protects sensitive information, and the Windows Messenger that enables real-time text, voice and video communication. Contents include:

* Getting started. The book's early chapters cover using menus, finding lost files, reducing window clutter, and taming the new, multi-column Start menu.
* Mastering the network. Special chapters help you navigate the corporate network, dial in from the road, and even set up your own small-office (peer-to-peer) network, step by step.
* Understanding security. User accounts, file encryption, and the NTFS file system keep your private files private, while still offering network access to coworkers you specify.
* Flying the Net. This book demystifies Outlook Express 6 for email, Internet Explorer 6 for Web browsing, and the new Windows Messenger for voice, chat, and video conferencing.Windows XP Pro: The Missing Manual isn't for system administrators or OS theory geeks; it's for the novice or budding power user who wants to master the machine and get down to work. Yet, anyone who uses XP Pro (including hardcore techies) will find this new system much easier-- and more fun--to digest with this new Missing Manual.

CONTENTS:

What the Reviewers SaidThe Missing CreditsIntroductionThe Windows XP Desktop
* Chapter 1: The Desktop and Start Menu
* Chapter 2: Windows, Folders, and the Taskbar
* Chapter 3: Organizing Your Stuff
* Chapter 4: Getting HelpThe Components of Windows XP
* Chapter 5: Programs and Documents
* Chapter 6: The Freebie Software
* Chapter 7: Pictures, Sound, and Movies
* Chapter 8: The Control PanelWindows Online
* Chapter 9: Hooking Up to the Internet
* Chapter 10: Security, Firewalls, and Service Pack 2
* Chapter 11: Web, Chat, and Videoconferencing
* Chapter 12: Outlook Express 6Plugging into Windows XP
* Chapter 13: Printing, Fonts, and Faxing
* Chapter 14: Hardware
* Chapter 15: Joining, Compressing, and Encrypting Disks
* Chapter 16: Maintenance, Backups, and TroubleshootingLife on the Network
* Chapter 17: Accounts, Permissions, and Logging On
* Chapter 18: Setting Up a Workgroup Network
* Chapter 19: Introducing Network Domains
* Chapter 20: Sharing Network Files
* Chapter 21: Three Ways to Dial In from the RoadAppendixes
* Installing Windows XP Pro
* Windows XP, Menu by Menu
* Fun with the RegistryColophon