Windows XP in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Conventions Used in This Book

The following typographical conventions are used in this book:

Constant width

is used to indicate anything typed, as well as command-line computer output and code examples.

Constant-width bold

is used to indicate user input in code.

Constant-width italic

is used to indicate variables in examples and so-called “replaceable” text. For instance, to open a document in Notepad from the command line, you’d type notepad filename, where filename is the full path and name of the document you wish to open.

[Square Brackets]

are used to show around an option (usually a command-line parameter) that the parameter is optional. Include or omit the option, as needed. Parameters not shown in square brackets are typically mandatory. See “Path Notation”, which follows, for another use of square brackets in this book.

Italic

is used to introduce new terms and to indicate URLs, variables in text, user-defined files and directories, commands, file extensions, filenames, directory or folder names, and UNC pathnames.

The following symbols are used in this book:

Tip

This symbol indicates a tip.

Warning

This symbol indicates a warning.

Path Notation

Rather than using procedural steps to tell you how to reach a given Windows XP user interface element or application, we use a shorthand path notation.

For example, we don’t say, “Click on the Start menu, then click on Search, then For Files or Folders, and then type a filename in the Named: field.” We simply say: Start → Find → Files or ...