® Windows XP ALL-IN-ONE DESK REFERENCE FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION by Woody Leonhard www.it-ebooks.info www.it-ebooks.info ® Windows XP ALL-IN-ONE DESK REFERENCE FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION by Woody Leonhard www.it-ebooks.info Windows ® XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies,® 2nd Edition Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc 111 River Street Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774 Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana Published simultaneously in Canada No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750-8400, fax (978) 646-8600 Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) 572-3447, fax (317) 572-4355, e-mail: brandreview@ wiley.com Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission Windows and Windows XP are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY MAKE FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT IS READ For general information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002 Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books Library of Congress Control Number: 2004112223 ISBN: 0-7645-7463-9 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 2B/QU/RQ/QV/IN www.it-ebooks.info About the Author Curmudgeon, critic, and self-described “Windows Victim,” Woody Leonhard runs www.AskWoody.com, the Web’s single best source of up-to-the-nanosecond news about Windows and Office — warts and all Check it out for answers to your most pressing questions, no-bull analysis of Microsoft’s latest gaffes, and all sorts of information that you can’t find anywhere else With a couple dozen computer books under his belt, Woody knows where the bodies are buried He was one of the first Microsoft Consulting Partners and a charter member of the Microsoft Solutions Provider organization He’s a oneman major Microsoft beta testing site and delights in being a constant thorn in Microsoft’s side Along with several co-authors and editors, he’s won an unprecedented six Computer Press Association Awards and two American Business Press Awards Woody currently lives with his son and two dogs in Phuket, Thailand, where he’s working on an action-adventure novel set in Saudi Arabia Most mornings you can see him jogging on Patong Beach with the dogs, and then guzzling a latte at Starbucks Feel free to drop by and say, “Sawadee krap!” Microsoft hit squads, please take a number and form a queue at the rear of the building About the Contributors Justin Leonhard drew recognition as the first teenager to publicly crash Office XP He put together the main peer-to-peer network used in this book, tested it with the toughest applications Windows XP handles — games — and generated several interesting bug reports in the process He was admitted to Mensa International at the age of 14, works sporadically on his PADI Rescue Diver certification, and spends his spare time playing video games Justin has developed a singular knack for, uh, challenging his teachers Pakdee Noosri (“Lek”) claims the #1 spot as Woody’s Research Assistant He’s also the lead Webmeister for www.AskWoody.com Lek holds a degree in Computer Science from Prince of Songkla University, Phuket Campus He’s an accomplished swimmer, Thai comic book guru, photographer — and one of the nicest people in the business Guy Wells knows wireless like the back of his hand He also built the advanced Windows Media Center PC used in this book, from scratch, all by himself A tinkerer of the first degree, Guy sometimes remembers to put the screws back in the case He often hangs out on eBay and other places of ill repute A frequent international traveler, he’s in the process of earning his Dive Master certification www.it-ebooks.info Katherine Murray has been using technology to write about technology since the early 80s With more than 40 books to her credit (spanning genres from technical to trade to parenting to business books), Katherine enjoys working on projects that teach new skills, uncover hidden talents, or develop mastery and efficiency in a chosen area Katherine gets the biggest kick out of writing about technologies that help people communicate better — in person, in print, by e-mail, or on the Web For the last 14 years, Katherine has owned and operated reVisions Plus, Inc., a publishing services company that uses many different programs — one of which, of course, is Microsoft Windows Jonathan Sachs discovered computers as a freshman at Oberlin College He worked as a student staff member of the college computer center for three years and graduated with an A.B in Physics He moved on to DePaul Law School, graduated, passed the Illinois bar, and relocated to the San Francisco area, where he’s currently employed as a programmer He lives with two cats in a house in the East Bay hills Jonathan has published three books and several magazine articles on computer topics — and one science fiction story In his spare time, he grows vegetables, reads, and, in a small way, sells used books through eBay www.it-ebooks.info Dedication To Rubye Hannah Leonhard (nee Holmes), who had the knowledge to teach me what I needed to know, and the wisdom to let me learn for myself We love you, Mom — Woody, Add, and Justin Author’s Acknowledgments Thanks so much to Melody Lane, Linda Morris, Jean Rogers, and Jim Kelly, who guided the second edition of this book on its often-harrowing journey Claudette Moore and Debbie McKenna once again proved themselves to be agents of the first degree And a special thanks to Christian Simpson of euromantix music, London (www.euromantix.com), for helping me sort through the arcana of Windows Media Center Edition Most of all, thanks to the folks at Microsoft who realized that the original Windows XP was badly in need of a makeover, and for the hard work and dedication it took to get Windows XP Service Pack out the door I know you guys ’n’ gals didn’t really want to work on a Service Pack, but the world needed it www.it-ebooks.info Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/ Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Production Project Coordinator: Kristie Rees Project Editor: Linda Morris Layout and Graphics: Andrea Dahl, Lauren Goddard, Denny Hager, Joyce Haughey, Stephanie D Jumper, Melanee Prendergast, Jacque Roth, Heather Ryan, Julie Trippetti Acquisitions Editor: Melody Layne Copy Editor: Jean Rogers Technical Editor: Jim Kelly Editorial Manager: Leah Cameron Proofreaders: Melissa D Buddendeck, John Greenough, Carl Pierce, Dwight Ramsey Permissions Editor: Laura Moss Media Development Manager: Laura VanWinkle Indexer: Rebecca R Plunkett Media Development Supervisor: Richard Graves Editorial Assistant: Amanda Foxworth Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Publishing and Editorial for Technology Dummies Richard Swadley, Vice President and Executive Group Publisher Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher Mary Bednarek, Executive Acquisitions Director Mary C Corder, Editorial Director Publishing for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services www.it-ebooks.info Contents at a Glance Introduction Book I: A Windows XP Overview Chapter 1: Introducing Windows XP .9 Chapter 2: A Windows XP Orientation 41 Chapter 3: Running Windows from Start to Finish 63 Chapter 4: Getting Help with Windows XP 103 Chapter 5: Searching Your Machine and Beyond 123 Chapter 6: Getting the Basic Stuff Done .145 Chapter 7: Maintaining Your System 177 Chapter 8: Focusing on Windows XP/Professional 201 Book II: Customizing Your Windows eXPerience 213 Chapter 1: Personalizing Your Desktop 215 Chapter 2: Organizing Your Windows XP Interface 239 Chapter 3: Lock Down: Spies, Spams, Scams, and Slams 255 Chapter 4: Security Center: Windows Firewall 277 Chapter 5: Security Center: Automatic Updates .289 Chapter 6: Security Center: Virus Protection 297 Book III: Windows XP and the Internet 309 Chapter 1: Expanding Your Reach through the Internet 311 Chapter 2: Connecting to the Internet 329 Chapter 3: Managing E-Mail and Newsgroups with Outlook Express .345 Chapter 4: Chatting with Windows Messenger 367 Book IV: Adventures with Internet Explorer 379 Chapter 1: Finding Your Way around the Internet Explorer Window .381 Chapter 2: Advanced Browsing and Searching with Internet Explorer 397 Chapter 3: Making Internet Explorer Your Own 415 Book V: Connecting with Microsoft Network 435 Chapter 1: MSN: Who Needs Ya, Baby? 437 Chapter 2: MSN Explorer 445 Chapter 3: Taking MSN Explorer for a Spin 457 www.it-ebooks.info Chapter 4: Hotmail (a.k.a MSN E-Mail) .467 Chapter 5: MSN Messenger 479 Book VI: Adding and Using Other Hardware 491 Chapter 1: Finding and Installing the Hardware You Want 493 Chapter 2: Working with Printers 535 Chapter 3: Getting the Scoop on Scanners 559 Book VII: Joining the Multimedia Mix 573 Chapter 1: Jammin’ with Windows Media Player 575 Chapter 2: Lights! Action! Windows Movie Maker 619 Chapter 3: Discovering Digital Cameras and Recorders 643 Book VIII: Windows Media Center .671 Chapter 1: Windows Media Center: Should You Buy One? 673 Chapter 2: Setting Up a Media Center PC 679 Chapter 3: Running Windows Media Center 691 Book IX: Setting Up a Network with Windows XP .701 Chapter 1: Those Pesky Network Things You Have to Know 703 Chapter 2: Building Your Network .715 Chapter 3: Putting the Why in Wi-Fi 737 Chapter 4: Protecting Your Privacy .749 Index .761 www.it-ebooks.info ...www.it-ebooks.info ® Windows XP ALL- IN- ONE DESK REFERENCE FOR DUMmIES ‰ 2ND EDITION by Woody Leonhard www.it-ebooks.info Windows ® XP All- in- One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition Published... Making a buying decision 206 Changing Your Mind 207 Converting Windows XP/ Home to Windows XP/ Pro 207 Converting Windows XP/ Pro to Windows XP/ Home 208 Installing Windows XP/ Pro... xiv Windows XP All- in- One Desk Reference For Dummies, 2nd Edition Book III: Windows XP and the Internet 309 Chapter 1: Expanding Your Reach through the Internet 311 What Is the Internet?