Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows® XP Media Center®

Running the Setup Wizard

Among the first things you’ll encounter when you turn on your Media PC the first

time is an interactive setup module, appropriately called the First Run Wizard. As

you step through the wizard, you’ll encounter the following activities:

■ Testing your Media Center remote control

■ Configuring your Internet connection

■ Configuring your television signal

■ Setting up your electronic program guide (EPG)

To launch the First Run Wizard, complete the Windows XP Professional setup routine

that runs after you boot up the Media Center PC the first time. After that initial

Windows setup is completed, press the Media Center button (see Figure 3.1) on your

remote control.

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

Media Center button

FIGURE 3.1

The prominent

green button

with the multi-

colored

Windows logo

(circled) is the

Media Center

button, which

launches the

Media Center

menu. On the

first use, it will

launch the First

Run Wizard to

configure your

Media Center

applications.

This action brings up the initial First Run Wizard screen, welcoming you to the

Media Center setup wizard. Press the OK button on your remote control to proceed

to the Getting Started screen (see Figure 3.2).

The primary order of business for the First Run

Wizard is to check that your remote control is

properly set up.

To respond to the wizard’s instructions, do the

following:

1. Use the directional (arrow) buttons on

your remote control.

2. Make sure that the Next button is high-

lighted at the bottom of your screen.

3. Press OK on the remote control.

For the Media Center remote control to work

properly, you must have already successfully

installed the USB-based remote control sensor (see Chapter 2, “Basic Setup of an XP

Media Center System”) and made sure that you correctly inserted the batteries into

the remote control. The wizard will display a numeric keypad onscreen and instruct

you to press numbers on the remote control (see Figure 3.3). If everything is working

correctly, you’ll see the numbers light up onscreen, corresponding to the ones you

pressed on the remote. If everything looks okay, select the option that says My

Remote Control Is Working Properly.

CHAPTER 3 GETTING STARTED & TAKING THE TOUR

35

FIGURE 3.2

This primary

screen shows

you the First

Run Wizard’s

agenda for get-

ting your Media

Center PC ready

for active duty.

tip

If, in fact, the First Run

Wizard was initialized

when you pressed the green

button on your remote, it’s a

pretty good bet that your

remote control is already

set up correctly, so just

follow the onscreen prompts.

It’s interesting to note at this point that you are already doing something that up

until now has been very foreign to the mainstream Windows operating system expe-

rience: You are driving the whole user interface solely by using the remote control.

There should be no reason to use the keyboard or mouse at all during this initial

setup procedure. Get used to it, because this is standard operating procedure for

Windows XP Media Center Edition–based PCs.

Setting Up Your Internet Connection

Now it’s time to get your Internet connection up and

running. This will allow you to take advantage of

Media Center’s capability to connect and receive TV

guide data, and CD and DVD metadata, which

we’ll discuss in later chapters. It’s also critical to

email, chat, instant messaging, and other forms of

PC-based communication, as well as browsing the

World Wide Web.

The Internet connection setup screen of the First

Run Wizard (see Figure 3.4) gives you a choice

between two types of Internet access: high-speed

broadband (cable modem, DSL, and so on), or via

a LAN connection. You can also choose None, I

Will Connect Manually, which is the correct

response if you will be using a dial-up connection

via an analog modem. At that point, the wizard will

display additional screens to step you through the

connection process you have chosen.

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ABSOLUTE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER

FIGURE 3.3

This screen checks

the operation

of your remote

control. If it isn’t

working properly,

select the option

I’m Having

Problems with My

Remote Control,

and the wizard

will launch a

troubleshooting

routine.

If you need more

information on the types

of Internet connections that are

available, see the section “A Few

Words About Your Internet

Connection,” in Chapter 1.