In This Chapter

The "Look-and-Feel" Looks and Feels a Bit Different

The Internet Is Closer Than Ever

Windows 2000 Gets Along with Notebook Computers (Finally!)

New and Improved Hardware Support

Shiny, New Networking Features

To those of us who monitor the wheeling and dealing of the computer industry on a daily basis, the release of Windows 2000 was a relief, indeed. For the past few years, we've had to run the gauntlet of Microsoft's greatest-thing-since-sliced-bread hype, and the doom and gloom of pundits who viewed each new Windows 2000 delay (and there were plenty of them) as a bad omen that would bring down the entire infrastructure of North American commerce.

Fortunately, the rest of the world carried on computing, blissfully unaware of this long-winded struggle for "mindshare." If they heard anything at all about Windows 2000, they just shrugged and said, "Sounds great. Lemme know when it ships."

Now that Windows 2000 has shipped, you might be wondering what all the fuss was about. This chapter will help as it describes some of the many new and noteworthy features that Windows 2000 brings to your desktop. You'll be happy to know that I completely ignore all the high-end features that would warm the cockles of those hearts found only in system administrators, IT jocks, and other geeks. Instead, my focus here (as it is in the entire book) is on those features that are helpful and useful for normal people who just want to get their job done. This will be, by necessity, only a brief overview of these features. Happily, everything I discuss here is explained in more detail elsewhere in the book.

If you're just starting out with Windows, then everything in Windows 2000 will seem new to you. You can still read this chapter to get some idea of what to expect. However, you might find that your time is better spent poring over Chapter 2, "A Field Guide to Windows 2000 for the Uninitiated."

The "Look-and-Feel" Looks and Feels a Bit Different

When you fire up your machine for the first time after Windows 2000 has been foisted upon it, you'll notice a few differences right away (see the following figure):

• The most obvious change is the desktop, where the old teal motif has been painted over with a rather nice slate blue.

• The desktop's icon collection has changed, as well. There are several brand-new icons (such as My Documents and My Network Places) and old icons such as My Computer and Recycle Bin have a fancier look.

• The taskbar has been invaded by a new QuickLaunch toolbar at the right of the Start button. These icons give you one-click access to some Windows 2000 features. See Chapter 2 for the details.

First looks: Windows 2000 sports a slightly different desktop.

Other look-and-feel tweaks become evident after you start messing around a bit. For example, on most systems, you'll notice that menus and ToolTips (the little yellow banners that appear when you hover the mouse over icons and toolbar buttons) fade in and out, and the underlined letters in menu names and commands don't appear until you press Alt. Here's a list of a few other changes you'll be tripping over:

• Personalized menus  After you've used Windows 2000 for a while (usually a few days), the various Start menus will suddenly shrink to the point where they show only those commands that you've used so far. Chapter 16, "Revamping the Start Menu and Taskbar," has the details.

• Easier Start menu customizing  Rearranging the Start menu is a great way to improve your productivity. Windows 2000 helps by making it possible to customize most Start items directly, and by offering a large number of new customization settings. I talk about all this in Chapter 16.

• Web integration  This new feature brings some elements of the World Wide Web to Windows 2000. For example, folders are displayed as though they were Web pages, you can set things up so that you can launch icons and files just by single-clicking them, and more. The nitty-gritty on this can be found in Chapter 3, "Using My Computer to Work with Files and Folders."

• The Active Desktop  This is another feature of Web integration. It enables you to view your desktop as a Web page and to add "active" items such as a stock ticker or clock to the desktop. Chapter 15, "Redoing the Desktop," tells you all about it.

My Computer is your Windows 2000 tool-of-choice for fooling around with files and folders. To help out with those chores, My Computer comes with some useful new features:

• My Computer's toolbars  My Computer gives you a choice of toolbars to display. Also, the main toolbar is now fully customizable, as shown in the following figure. Chapter 17, "Making My Computer Your Own," has the details.

  
  You use this dialog box to customize My Computer's main toolbar.

• My Computer's Explorer bars  My Computer comes with several panels that appear on the left side of the window and give you access to more features. For example, the Folders bar displays a tree-like list of the drives and folders on your computer. Again, head for Chapter 17.

• Easier file searching  One of those Explorer bars is called Search and it offers an easier file and folder searching experience. I show you how it works in Chapter 3.

• Viewing image thumbnails  If you have some folders that have tons of images, you'll love My Computer's new Thumbnails view. Instead of displaying just the filename, it shows you an actual preview of the image, as shown in the following figure. Turn to Chapter 17 to find out more.

• Easier file copying and moving  Although you can still use the standard cut-and-paste or drag-and-drop methods to copy and move files, Windows 2000 offers new Copy to Folder and Move to Folder commands that I think are a bit more straightforward for new users. I talk about them in Chapter 3.

The new Thumbnail view shows previews of each graphics file.

On the multimedia front, Windows 2000 offers three new and/or improved programs for playing files:

• Media Player  This is an all-purpose player that can handle regular sound files, MIDI files, movies, and more. I show you how to use it in Chapter 8, "The Sights and Sounds of Windows 2000 Multimedia."

• CD Player  Windows 2000's CD Player is a big improvement over the one in Windows NT 4.0 (see the following figure). For example, it enables you to download a CD's track information from the Internet. You learn how to work it in Chapter 8.

• DVD Player  Windows 2000 supports DVD, and it offers the DVD Player so you can watch DVD movies on your machine. Again, Chapter 8 is where you learn all about it.

Windows 2000's improved CD Player.

Windows 2000 also boasts a long list of new and improved programs for communications and system maintenance:

• Fax service  Faxing is now built right into Windows 2000, so you can easily use your modem to send and receive faxes, as described in Chapter 10, "Using Your Modem for Faxing and Phone Dialing."

• Phone Dialer  Windows 2000's version of Phone Dialer is more polished and feature-rich than the one in Windows NT 4.0. I talk about it in Chapter 10.

• Backup  The new Backup program has wizards to take you through backup and restore procedures, it can back up to disk drives and network folders (not just tape drives), and it offers a number of other small improvements. The place to be for this is Chapter 19, "Backing Up Your Data (The Better-Safe-Than-Sorry Department)."

• Disk Cleanup  This new program enables you to rid your system of unnecessary files (see the next figure). I show you how to run it in Chapter 20, "Painless System Maintenance Chores."

  
  Use the new Disk Cleanup program to trash unnecessary files from your hard disk.

• Check Disk  This program delves deeply into your hard disk's innards to look for problems. It's an important tool and it's covered in Chapter 20.

• Disk Defragmenter  Over time, your hard disk slows down because the files get all chopped up. To beat this fragmentation, as it's called, use the new Disk Defragmenter program, as shown in Chapter 20.

• Task Scheduler  You use this handy tool to set up programs to run at a certain time or on a certain schedule (such as once a week). Once again, Chapter 20 is the place to go for more on this.

• Windows Update  This is a new Web site that enables you to download Windows 2000 components that have been fixed, updated, or added. It should come as no surprise by now that you can turn to Chapter 20 to find out more.

The Internet Is Closer Than Ever

The Internet has been a Big Deal for a while now, and Windows 2000 reflects that because all of its Internet tools are "mature" (that is, they've been through a number of versions) and most experts rank these tools among the best in the business. Here's a summary of what to expect:

• Internet Connection Wizard  This wizard takes you step-by-step through the often tricky process of connecting your computer to the Internet. I show you how it works in Chapter 11, "Getting on the Internet."

• Internet Explorer 5  This version of Microsoft's World Wide Web browser is faster and has lots of little improvements (better searching, easier Favorites, and so on. I take you through all the new features (and plenty of the old ones, too) in Chapter 12, "Weaving Your Way Through the World Wide Web."

• Outlook Express 5  This is Windows 2000's Internet email program. Among many other improvements, it offers easier methods for handling multiple accounts, blocking and filtering messages, and working with stationery and signatures. See Chapter 13, "Everybody's Doing It: Sending and Receiving Email Messages." Outlook Express is also used for Internet newsgroups, as described in Chapter 14, "More Online Conversations: Newsgroups and Internet Phone Calls."

• NetMeeting  You use this program to set up Net-based "phone calls" where you communicate with other users through your sound card and a microphone. I describe this and other NetMeeting talents in Chapter 14.

Windows 2000 Gets Along with Notebook Computers (Finally!)

The knock on Windows NT was that it wouldn't know a notebook computer if it tripped over one. Aside from the weird image of an operating system with legs, this was a valid charge. Happily, Windows 2000 refutes that charge in the best way possible: by recognizing that notebooks aren't just luggable desktop machines and that they have special requirements and need special tools. Here's a rundown of just some of the notebook support that comes built into Windows 2000:

• Power management  Most notebooks usually end up on batteries at some point, and Windows 2000's new power management features enable you to monitor the battery status and to manage the power used by some components (such as the hard disk; see the following figure). You'll find out more about this in Chapter 6, "A Movable Feast: Windows 2000 and Your Notebook Computer."

  
  Windows 2000 now has some welcome power-management features.

• Synchronization and the Briefcase  If you need to move files between a desktop computer and a notebook, Windows 2000's new Briefcase feature makes it easy to keep everything synchronized. Chapter 6 fills you in on the details.

• PC Card support  The only way to upgrade most notebooks is by inserting those credit-card-sized devices called PC Cards (formerly known as PCMCIA cards). Windows 2000 now recognizes PC Card sockets and lets you insert and remove the cards while the computer is still running. There are some caveats to this, however, so see Chapter 6.

• Exchanging files along a cable  You can string a special cable between a notebook and a desktop machine (or whatever) and exchange files along the cable instead of using a floppy disk. Again, pop over to Chapter 6 to see how this works.

New and Improved Hardware Support

Previous versions of Windows 2000 (when it went under the guise of Windows NT) didn't have the greatest of relationships with the hardware side of things. Oh, sure, there was a long list of hardware devices supported by Windows NT, but you were usually left to your own devices (sorry!) when it came to installing them. And if you tried to install some hardware gewgaw that wasn't on the "approved" list? Hah! There was a fool's errand is there ever was one.

So when Microsoft announced that Windows 2000 would offer improved and easier hardware support, it was met with unconcealed glee in the NT community. Yes, there's still a list of approved devices that must be consulted before purchasing any hardware, but Windows 2000 does a much better job of recognizing and managing that hardware. Let's take a look at some of the new device support in Windows 2000:

• Plug and Play  This is the really big news on the hardware front. Plug and Play means that, given the right devices (that is, those that are Plug-and-Play-compatible), Windows 2000 automatically sniffs out any new device in the system and configures it for use without much intervention on your part. I talk about this in greater depth in Chapter 18, "Installing Software and Hardware."

• Add/Remove Hardware Wizard  This wizard can detect new hardware and install the necessary software to make it work. And just in case your hardware proves elusive, the wizard can also present you with a list of the devices with which Windows 2000 is on friendly terms. Check out Chapter 18 to see how it works.

• Support for new mouse species  Windows 2000 can work with those mice that have the extra wheel in between the two buttons. I talk about this briefly in Chapter 2. Windows 2000 is also conversant with Microsoft's new "explorer" mouse that features a few extra buttons.

• Disk drives galore  Windows 2000 goes beyond the run-of-the-mill disk drive types—floppy drives, hard drives, and CD-ROM drives—and provides support for many next-generation drives, including zip drives, JAZ drives, and DVD-ROM drives.

• Support for image scanners and digital cameras  The prices of image scanners and digital cameras have come down quite a bit, so lots of people have one or the other. So it's good news that Windows 2000 now supports these types of devices.

Shiny, New Networking Features

Most Windows NT computers were latched onto some kind of network, so the Microsoft programmers spent quite a bit of time tweaking and adding new networking features for Windows 2000. In fact, most of the prelaunch Windows 2000 hoopla focused on the many highfalutin networking treats that were soldered onto the Windows 2000 frame. However, things such as "Active Directory" and "roaming profiles" apply only to big-time networks, so they're beyond what this book is about. Even so, there are still tons of new network goodies for you to play with:

• The Network and Dial-Up Connections window  This new window acts like a one-stop networking shop. It contains icons for your local network connection, your remote network connection, and any Internet connections you've set up.

• Easier remote connections  Windows 2000 makes it easier than ever to connect to your network from remote locales. You can even set up a plain Windows 2000 machine to accept incoming connections. And thanks to the ministrations of the Network Connection Wizard, setting up all this requires only a few steps. See Chapter 23, "Road Scholar: Using Dial-Up Network Connections."

• A new way to get to your workgroup  The new Computers Near Me folder offers a straightforward route to the other computers in your workgroup. Find out more in Chapter 22, "Using Windows 2000's Networking Features."

• Network places  These are icons that represent shared resources from other computers on your network. They're handy because they let you access resources without having to wade through endless network folders. Once again, see Chapter 22.

• Offline files  These are local copies of network files that you can work with while not connected to the network. Windows 2000 complements this with a new "synchronization" feature that helps you keep the local copies and the network originals in sync. Chapter 22 has the specifics.

• Sharing an Internet connection  This is one of the most useful of Windows 2000's new networking features. It enables you to set up an Internet connection on one workgroup machine, and then let the other machines in the workgroup share that connection. Yup, Chapter 22 has the details.

What Happened

This chapter gave you the lowdown on the new Windows 2000 features that I discuss in this book. I gave you a preview of those features in five categories: the interface, the Internet, notebook computers, hardware support, and networking.

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