This guide to using Windows XP begins with a tour of the desk top, the two-column start menu, and instructions for customizing the taskbar and toolbars. Other chapters explore each control panel and built-in applications; walk through every conceivable configuration (setting up a PC for Internet use, peripheral equipment, laptop life, and so on); and explain setting up a small network, including how to share a single Internet connection among several PCs. Finally, special chapters are dedicated to standard rituals of Windows life: troubleshooting, installation, and upgrading.
David Pogue, Yale '85, is the personal-technology columnist for the New York Times. With nearly 3 million books in print, he is also one of the world's bestselling how-to authors, having written or co-written seven books in the "for Dummies" series (including Macs, Magic, Opera, and Classical Music), along with several computer-humor books and a technothriller, "Hard Drive" (a New York Times "notable book of the year"). Pogue is also the creator and primary author of the Missing Manual series of complete, funny computer books, a joint venture with O'Reilly & Associates. Titles in the series include Mac OS X, Windows XP, iPod, Microsoft Office, iPhoto, Dreamweaver, iMovie 2, and many others. His Web page is www.davidpogue.com, and his email address is david@pogueman.com.