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The Unauthorized Guide to Windows Me (Millennium Edition)
Introduction
By definition, what people create using a computer is a unique expression of who they are. Whether it's a memo, a letter, a financial model, a presentation, an email message, or a Web page, the fruit of their' labors is something that only they could have produced. On the other hand, how people use their computers—or, more to the point, how they use Windows—generally isn't unique at all. Most users follow the same Start menu paths to launch programs, use the standard techniques in programs like Windows Explorer and Outlook Express, and perform customizations that don't go much beyond changing the wallpaper. That's because most users find it easier to toe the Microsoft party line and follow the techniques outlined in the "Getting Started" booklet and the Help system. To be sure, this is a reasonable approach for novice users who are intimidated by Windows and prefer to tread carefully to avoid upsetting any digital apple carts.
However, what about those users who qualify as "post-novice"? By that I mean any person who either knows the basics of Windows or who has some computing experience and is smart enough to figure things out without having his or her hands held. For those users, doing things the "authorized" way is slower, less efficient, and less powerful because Windows Millennium was designed from the ground up so as not to confuse novice users (or, I guess, not to confuse them more than necessary). The result is default settings that restrict your flexibility, interminable wizards that turn two-step tasks into twelve-step sagas, and powerful and useful programs hidden behind layers of menus and dialog boxes. To get the most out of Windows Millennium, the post-novice user needs an "unauthorized" approach that goes where the "Getting Started" booklet and the Help system fear to tread. Welcome to The Unauthorized Guide to Windows Millennium Edition. In this book, I thumb my nose at the standard-issue techniques sanctioned by Microsoft and parroted in other Windows Millennium books. Instead, I offer shortcuts for boosting your productivity, customizations for making Windows Millennium work the way you do, workarounds for known Windows Millennium problems, and warnings for avoiding Windows Millennium pitfalls. Along the way, you learn about all kinds of insider details, undocumented features, powerful tools, and background facts that help put everything into perspective.
So is this merely a collection of tips, tricks, and traps? Not at all. This is a guide to Windows Millennium. That means I teach you how to use Windows Millennium, from setup to startup, from performing system maintenance to maintaining system performance, from getting on the Internet to getting on your network. I also cover most of the features new to Windows Millennium, including Internet Explorer 5.5, Outlook Express 5.5, the Home Networking Wizard, and much more.
The Unauthorized Guide to Windows Millennium Edition is structured as a work of reference. This means that you can dive in to most chapters to learn just the facts or techniques you need now without having to worry that you missed some crucial information in an earlier chapter. The exception to this is Chapter 3, "An Insider's Guide to Four Crucial Configuration Tools." That chapter discusses the Windows Millennium Registry, the System Policy Editor, the Tweak UI customization accessory, and Control Panel, and I use all four tools throughout the rest of the book.
The next few sections give you a synopsis of the book's structure.
The book begins with three chapters that discuss some Windows Millennium basics with a beyond-the-basics approach. You get a host of Windows Millennium Setup tips and techniques and an inside look at the Windows Millennium startup process. I also discuss the Registry, System Policy Editor, Control Panel, and Tweak UI, as mentioned earlier.
The four chapters in Part II show you how to get wired with Windows Millennium. I begin by showing you how to install and configure your modem. From there, you learn how to get on the Internet and how to get the most out of Internet Explorer (for the World Wide Web) and Outlook Express (for email). I close with a look at some important Internet security considerations.
This short section contains just three chapters, but it's jam-packed with practical and powerful tips and techniques. Chapter 8, "Expert Windows Explorer Techniques," shows you how to get the most out of Windows for file and folder chores. Chapter 9 "Powerful Techniques for File Types," discusses file types and file extensions and shows you how to modify existing file types, create new file types, customize Windows Millennium's New menu, and more. Chapter 10, "Taking Advantage of Shortcuts," teaches you about shortcuts and shortcut files, shows you how to modify shortcut properties, and provides a number of techniques for working with and customizing shortcuts.
Windows Millennium is bursting at the seams with powerful system tools, most of which are hidden in the most obscure places. The chapters in Part IV show you where to find these tools and how to make best use of them. You learn about installing and uninstalling applications, optimizing memory, revving up your hard disk, taking advantage of FAT32, and protecting system files. For safety's sake, I also show you how to create an emergency boot disk and back up your files.
The two chapters in Part V offer loads of customization techniques that go beyond the standard wallpaper-and-color tweaks. You get behind-the-scenes coverage of Web integration and the Active Desktop, and powerful methods for customizing the desktop, Start menu, and taskbar.
Part VI covers Windows Millennium networking. You learn network fundamentals such as the difference between peer-to-peer and client/server, networking hardware, and networking architecture. I then show you how to set up a local area network, how to work with and share network resources, and how to connect to a network remotely using Dial-Up Networking.
The last three chapters of the book cover Windows Millennium's extensive hardware features. You start by learning some crucial hardware concepts, including device drivers, device settings—such as interrupt request lines and I/O ports—and Plug and Play. With that background, you then learn about installing device drivers, using Device Manager, and configuring graphics adapters, monitors, and other multimedia hardware. This section closes with a look at some notebook features, including power management, Direct Cable Connection file transfers, briefcase synchronization, and more.
The book finishes with a few appendixes. You get a glossary of Windows Millennium terms, a selection of World Wide Web and Usenet resources for Windows Millennium, and a complete list of Windows Millennium keyboard shortcuts.
In the book's margins, you'll see the following six special sidebars, which I hope will help you learn more about Windows Millennium and will help you get things done quickly, efficiently, and smartly:
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