How to add user accounts

To setup user accounts

1.  Log on to your computer as an administrator.  Click Start, and then Control Panel.

2.  Under Pick a category, click User Accounts.

3.  Under Pick a task, click Create a new account.

4.  In the User Accounts wizard, on the Name the new account page, type the name for the user. You can use the person’s full name, first name, or nickname.  Then click Next

5.  The User Accounts wizard displays the Pick an account type page.  Click Limited, and then click Create Account.

6.  To create another account, return to step 3.

Note: In these steps, you created a limited account. Limited accounts
offer better security than Computer administrator accounts. However, limited
accounts cannot make system-wide changes or install some applications. If you
need to make changes to your system, log on with the administrator account you
used to create the new accounts.

Now that you have added new user accounts, you can change the default display
pictures or create passwords for the accounts.

How to create passwords for user accounts

To create a password

1.   Log on to your computer as an administrator.  Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2.   Under Pick a category, click User Accounts.

3.   Under or pick an account to change, click the account for which you want to create a password.

4.   Click Create a password.

5.   On the Create a password page, type the password twice.  Optionally, type a password hint.  Then click Create Password.

6.   To create passwords for other accounts, return to step 3.

When several people use a single computer, it’s convenient to set up a user
account for each person to keep everyone’s setup preferences and documents
separate. If someone wants to use your computer briefly he or she can use the
Guest user account. By default in Microsoft Window XP, this account is disabled,
which means that only specifically authorized users can access your computer.

If you have enabled your Guest account, you should disable the Guest account
(once your guest has finished using your computer) to improve your computer’s
security.

To disable the Guest account

1.  Click Start, and then click Control Panel.

2.  Under Pick a Category, click User Accounts.

3.  Under or pick an account to change, click Guest.

4.  On the What do you want to change about the guest account? page, click Turn off the guest account.

Now the Guest account is disabled.  As an added safety precaution, and to prevent users without user accounts from logging on, it’s a good idea to add passwords to every account on your computer.

Microsoft Windows Explorer, which is accessible through the Start menu, is the
tool you use to look through the files and drives on your computer.

When you start Windows Explorer from the Start menu, it opens your My Documents
folder by default. However, a My Documents shortcut already exists on your Start
menu. You can put the Windows Explorer shortcut to better use by changing it to
display all top-level drives and folders on your system. This change will give
you a broad, overall view of all your folders and files.

To change how Windows Explorer opens

1.  Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, right click Windows Explorer, and then click Properties.

2.  The Target box currently shows %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe
     At the end of the line, type the characters /n, /e, /select, C:\
     The line should now read %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\
     Be sure you insert blank spaces in the correct locations. Then, click OK.

3.  Now, when you open Windows Explorer, it will display all of your folders and drives, not just your My Documents folder.

Microsoft Windows XP uses many visual effects to provide a rich, friendly
interface. One of these settings allows menus to fade into view when you open
them. This visual effect is so smooth that you may never have noticed it;
however, the effect does cause menus to take a little longer to appear.

On a fast computer, this shouldn’t be an issue. But on a computer that isn’t
responding as quickly as you’d like, you can make menus display faster.

To speed up menu display

1.  Click Start, Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.

2.  Click the Advanced tab.  In the Performance area, click Settings.

3.  On the Visual Effects tab in the Performance Options dialog box, clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box.

4.  Click OK.

5.  In the System Properties dialog box, click OK.

Now when you click a menu, it will appear almost instantly.

Microsoft Windows XP lets you show the contents of folders in a variety of
ways, such as a simple or detailed list of the files, or as thumbnail images.
Each folder in My Computer or My Documents can have its own view. That’s useful
for folders like My Music or My Pictures, because you can look at your digital
photos in Thumbnails or Filmstrip view, and see your song titles in Tiles view.
But changing the view for every folder can be time-consuming.

If you prefer to have all your folder contents displayed in a particular way,
you can save yourself some time by changing the view for all the folders on your
computer at once.

To set your windows so they all have the same view

1.  Click Start, and then click My Documents.

2.  Click the Views button, and then click view you want to apply to all folders.

3.  Click Tools, and then click Folders Options.

4.  Click the View tab, and then click Apply to All Folders.

5.  Click Yes.

6.  Click OK.

The next time you open a folder, it will be displayed using the view you
chose. To restore your original folder settings, repeat steps 1-3. Then, in step
4, click Reset All Folders.

When you browse the Web with Microsoft Internet Explorer, links open with a
single click. Yet, when you browse My Computer or My Documents, a single click
lets you select a file or folder, but you have to double-click to open it.

If you’d rather single-click to open files and folders, you can change the
setting on your mouse (don’t worry, this process doesn’t require any double
clicks).

To change the settings on your mouse

1.  Click Start, and then click My Computer.

2.  Click Tools, and then click Folder Options.

3.  Click Single-click to open an item.  Then, click OK.

Now you can navigate folders and open files with a single rather than a
double click. If you need to select a file, simply hold your mouse over the file
for a few seconds without clicking.

The mouse, one of the greatest advances in computing history, provides you with an intuitive point-and-click method for using your computer. Depending on the type of work you’re doing, however, sometimes using a mouse actually slows you down. If you are a good typist, taking your hands away from the keyboard to move the mouse can use up a few seconds. Over the course of a full day, you could save several minutes by using keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse.

You can use your keyboard instead of your mouse to do these three tasks:

• Start a program
• Navigate menus
• Minimize, maximize, and close windows

The Start menu is great for finding programs, but its multiple levels of folders can be time consuming to navigate. If there is a program you start frequently, you should set a keyboard shortcut for it so that you can start the program without taking your hands off the keyboard.

To set a keyboard shortcut to start a program

1. Click the Start menu, and then click All Programs. Right-click the program that you want to start with a keyboard shortcut, and then click Properties.

2. Click in the Shortcut key box. Now press the letter on your keyboard that you want to use to start the program. Make it easy to remember—for example, press I for Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Note: You can use either uppercase or lowercase letters when creating your keyboard shortcuts—and when accessing them later. In the Shortcut key box, Microsoft Windows XP automatically adds Ctrl + Alt + before the key you pressed. When you want to start the program, hold down both the CTRL and ALT keys simultaneously, while also pressing the letter you chose. This way, your program won’t start every time you type that letter.

3. Click OK.

4. Now test your shortcut. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys, and then press the letter you chose. If you find it difficult to hold down two keys at once, read Turn on the Sticky Keys feature. Your program should start.

When your friends see you start up programs without touching your mouse, they just might think you have a psychic connection with your computer!

Navigate menus using the keyboard

You can speed up tasks in almost any program by choosing menu items using your keyboard instead of your mouse. This operation is particularly handy when you’re performing repetitive tasks.

To control menus using your keyboard

1. With your program open, press the ALT key. Notice that one letter on each menu name is now underlined. To open the menu, press the underlined key. For example, in Internet Explorer, the View menu name shows the V underlined after you press the ALT key. To open the View menu, press the ALT key, and then press V.

2. Now, each menu item will show one letter underlined. To access or activate the menu item you want, simply press the underlined key. For example, in Internet Explorer, after you open the View menu, the Privacy Report menu item shows the V underlined. Instead of clicking Privacy Report with your mouse, you can just press the V key.

3. You can also choose menu commands by pressing key sequences quickly, without waiting for the menus to open. For example, to quickly view a Web page’s privacy report in Internet Explorer, press ALT, V, V. Similarly, to save a Web page in Internet Explorer, you would normally click the File menu, and then click Save As. To choose the same commands using your keyboard, press ALT, F, A.

Control windows using your keyboard

If you like to keep four or five windows open while you work (or play) on your computer, you’ll appreciate knowing these keyboard shortcuts. You can quickly switch between your Web browser, e-mail, instant message windows, and other programs without taking your hands off the keyboard.

Action                                                                                                             Shortcut
Minimize a window to your taskbar
                                                                   ALT, SPACEBAR, N

Maximize a window so it takes up your whole desktop
                                       ALT, SPACEBAR, X

Restore a window so it’s visible but doesn’t take up your whole desktop
               ALT, SPACEBAR, R

Close a window
                                                                                               ALT+F4

Switch to the last window you had open
                                                            ALT+TAB

Programs often start up in a “restored” state, where the window takes up only part of the screen. To maximize the window so that it takes up the entire screen, press the ALT key, press the SPACEBAR, and then press X. This will feel natural after you do it a few times, and you will feel much more efficient while using your computer.