Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

Phone Dialer — \program files\windows nt\dialer.exe

Synopsis

Make voice calls, video calls, and conference calls using a phone line or Internet connection.

To Open

Start → Programs → Accessories → Communications → Phone Dialer

Command Prompt → dialer

Description

Phone Dialer is a surprisingly complete program, given that most people don’t even know it exists. The primary Phone Dialer window is essentially a contact list, which allows you to initiate a call or conference with one or more people (see Figure 4-69). To place a call, click the Dial button or select Phone → Dial; if no contact is selected (from either the Speed Dial folder or from one of the Internet Directories folders), you’ll be prompted to enter the other party’s contact information. Another Phone Dialer user can be contacted in one of the following ways (specified either in the Dial window or when editing a Speed Dial entry):

Figure 4-69. The Phone Dialer is not used to dial your phone, but to initiate voice and video conferences over a network

Phone Call

Choose this option to use your modem to call another user’s modem over standard telephone lines. Naturally, it’s simpler to just pick up the phone and place an old-fashioned phone call; and while Phone Dialer supports video, few analog modems are fast enough to accommodate two-way video communication.

Internet Call

Whether you’re connecting over the Internet or ...