Windows 2000 Pro: The Missing Manual

Chapter 3. The Desktop and Start Menu

The first time you turn on a PC after installing Windows 2000 (or after un-packing a new PC that has Windows 2000 preinstalled), you encounter a Getting Started wizard that offers three choices:

• Register Now. Register your copy of Windows 2000 with Microsoft, so that you're eligible for exciting new streams of junk mail.

• Discover Windows. Take a quick tour of Windows 2000 features (you'll be asked to insert your installation CD).

• Connect to the Internet. Sign up for an Internet account using the Internet Connection Wizard (see Section 11.1.3).

Once you're beyond this big hello, however, you encounter the digital vista shown in Figure 3-1, a screen that greets tens of millions of people every morning: the Windows desktop.

Figure 3-1. Everything you'll ever do on a Windows 2000 Pro computer begins with a click on one of these three elements: a desktop icon, the Start button, or the Taskbar, which is described in Chapter 4. Some people find this default desktop too cluttered already, and promptly delete some of the icons they'll never use. Others place even more icons on the desktop—favorite programs and documents—for quicker access. Let your personality be your guide.

The Windows 2000 Desktop

The desktop is the backdrop for all activities in Windows 2000. The desktop is a virtual desk that holds virtual folders and files while you work; depending ...