`take work home from the office network, or network domain members want to keep
`working on documents even if the server that houses them goes down.)
`
`The Windows XP
`A«essories
`
`Tour Windows XP
`This command gives you a multimedia advertisement for the new features of Windows
`XP. Try to contain your excitement.
`
`Windows Explorer
`See page 108 for details on this navigational tool.
`
`Windows Movie Maker
`Chapter 7 has the details on this bare-bones video editor.
`
`WordPad
`Think of WordPad as Microsoft Word Junior, since it looks much the same as Word
`(see Figure 6-6) and creates files in exactly the same file format. That's a great feature if
`you don't have Microsoft Word, because WordPad lets you open (and edit) Word files
`sent to you by other people. (WordPad can open only one file at a time, however.)
`
`If Microsoft Word isn't on your PC, then any icon with the file extension .doc opens
`into WordPad when double-clicked. (If you install Microsoft Word, however, it takes
`over the .doc extension.) WordPad can also open and create plain text files, Rich Text
`Format (RTF) documents, and Microsoft Write documents.
`
`Figure 6-6:
`WordPad has menu bars,
`too/bars, rulers, and plenty
`of other familiar Windows
`features. Unlike Notepad,
`WordPad lets you use bold
`and italic formatting to
`enhance the appearance
`of your text. You can even
`insert graphics, sounds,
`movies, and other OLE
`objects (see Chapter 5).
`
`I
`
`•
`
`•
`
`•
`
`e[)[g]~
`~ c hapter 15. rtf • WordPad
`Ale Edit View Insert For!Mt Help
`- ~-1
`-
`- - -
`D~fiiil S [Q. II
`jl. ~~•')
`~I j10 ~I jwe,tem
`lil e [~ ll ~ @ :t; 11
`lve,dana
`A .. . I " •1" •
`• ? • • • I
`• . f . · · ' · · · lltalicJ
`' : ·
`Chapter 15: The Beginning of the Beginning
`
`•-
`
`. 5 . '
`
`'
`
`I
`
`•
`
`I t began innocently enough: a few laughs, a little promotional fiyer here and
`there. But by mid-October, even the town hermit had noticed the ch- s .
`Then one day, Jenkins opened the mail to find a neat little Q¥4¥i•J
`with
`centered text:
`
`'l'o11 art imrittd to a <Pri7,att Cert 111011y
`Swulay, ~\ftry 13
`11t tfie Stro~ of 9ttid"tn91it
`
`Makes the selection ~alic (tOQQle).
`
`..
`
`L ,·:
`
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`The Windows XP
`A«essories
`
`Using WordPad
`When WordPad first opens, you see an empty sheet of electronic typing paper. Just
`above the ruler, you'll find drop-down menus and buttons that affect the formatting
`of your text, as shown in Figure 6-6. As in any word processor, you can apply these
`formats (like bold, italic, or color) to two kinds of text:
`
`• Text you've highlighted by dragging the mouse across it.
`
`• Text you're about to type. In other words, if you click the I button, the next char(cid:173)
`acters you type will be italicized. Click the I button a second time to "turn off" the
`italics.
`
`The rightmost formatting buttons affect entire paragraphs, as shown in Figure 6-7.
`
`WordPad doesn't offer big-gun features like spell checking, style sheets, or tables. But
`it does offer a surprisingly long list of core word processing features. For example:
`
`• Edit(cid:157) Find, Edit(cid:157) Replace. Using the Find command, you can locate a particular
`word or phrase instantly, even in a long document. The Replace command takes it
`a step further, replacing that found phrase with another one ( a great way to change
`the name of your main character throughout an entire novel, for example).
`
`\Y ! 00·-·8 !Western
`. !- .. . ~ ... f-' .. ~ .. ' 3 '
`
`v-l B ..r
`
`Bulleted
`
`1he rain
`
`falls
`
`down
`
`Its
`
`glrstening glrstentng going
`
`bander violent way
`
`drip
`drop
`drippa
`drop
`
`For Help, press I
`
`(Bulleted)
`
`(Centered)
`
`(Flush right)
`
`Rgure 6-7:
`The rightmost
`buttons make
`paragraphs flush
`left, centered, flush
`right, or bulleted as
`a fist. You can drag
`through several
`paragraphs before
`clicking these
`buttons, or you can
`click these buttons
`to affect just the
`paragraph where
`your insertion point
`is already. The
`dotted fines in this
`illustration indicate
`how each press of
`the Tab key fines up
`the text with one of
`the tab stops you
`click onto the ruler.
`
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`
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`
`
`• Indents and Tab stops. As shown in Figure 6-7, you click on the ruler to place Tab
`stops there. Each time you press the Tab key, your insertion point cursor jumps in
`line with the next tab stop.
`
`The Windows XP
`Accessories
`
`• Object Linking and Embedding. As described in the previous chapter, this feature
`(Insert(cid:157) Object) lets you create or insert a picture, graph, chart, sound, movie,
`spreadsheet, or other kind of data into your WordPad document.
`
`• Drag-and-drop editing. Instead of using the three-step Copy and Paste routine
`for moving words and phrases around in your document, you can simply drag
`highlighted text from place to place on the screen. See page 199 for details.
`
`Windows XP Games
`Although the central concept of Windows XP-merging what were once separate
`Windows versions for corporations and homes-is a noble and largely successful one,
`a few peculiar juxtapositions result. If you're a corporate user, for instance, you may
`wonder what to make of things like Movie Maker (for editing home movies), Outlook
`Express (a stripped-down, free version of Outlook)-and games. Yes, Windows XP
`even includes eleven games for your procrastination pleasure.
`
`More interesting still, several of tl1em let you play against other people on the Internet.
`At the Microsoft Game Center (www.zone.com), players from all over the world gather
`to find worthy opponents. When you choose one of the Internet-enabled games,
`your PC connects automatically with this Game Center. An automated matchmaker
`searches for someone else who wants to play the game you chose, and puts the two
`of you together, albeit anonymously.
`
`The game board that opens, like the one in Figure 6-8, provides more than just the
`tools to play; there's even a pseudo-chat feature. By choosing from the canned list
`of phrases, you can send little game exclamations to your opponent ("Good move;'
`"King me!" "Bad luck;' and so on).
`
`Tip:The list of utterances available in your chat session is completely canned. For example, you can't type in,
`"That was uncalled-for, you sniveling roach!" Still, its canned nature has a virtue of its own: You can exchange
`platitudes with players anywhere in the world. Your quips show up automatically in the language of your
`opponent's copy of Windows, be it Korean, German, or whatever.
`
`Here's the Windows XP complement of games, all of which are listed in the Start(cid:157)
`All Programs(cid:157) Games submenu.
`
`Tip:Complete instructions lurk within the Help menu of each game. That's fortunate, since the rules of some
`of these card games can seem elaborate and quirky, to say the least.
`
`• FreeCell. You might think of this card game as solitaire on steroids. When you
`choose Game(cid:157) New Game, the computer deals eight piles of cards before you.
`The goal is to sort them into four piles of cards-one suit each and sequentially
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`Windows XP Games
`
`from ace to king-in the spaces at the upper-right corner of the screen. (To move
`a card, click it once and then click where you want it moved to.)
`
`You can use the upper-left placeholders, the "free cells;' as temporary resting places
`for your cards. From there, cards can go either onto one of the upper-right piles
`or onto the bottom of one of the eight piles in the second row. However, when
`moving cards to the eight piles, you must place them alternating red/black, and
`in descending sequence.
`
`Tip: When you're stuck, move your cursor back and forth in front of the little king icon at top center. Watch
`his eyes follow your arrow as though hypnotized.
`
`• Hearts, Internet Hearts. The object of this card game is to get rid of all the hearts
`you're holding by passing them off to other players. At the end of each round, all
`players counts up their points: one point for each heart, and thirteen points for the
`dreaded queen of spades. The winner is the person with the fewest points when
`the game ends (which is when somebody reaches 100).
`
`What makes it tricky is that even while you're trying to ditch your hearts, somebody
`else may be secretly trying to collect them. If you can collect all of the hearts and
`the queen of spades, you win big-time; everybody else gets 26 big fat points, and
`you get off scot-free.
`
`Rgure 6-B:
`It may look like a simple
`game of checkers, but you're
`actually witnessing a spec(cid:173)
`tacular feature of Windows
`XP: instantaneous anonymous
`Internet gaming. Two Internet
`visitors in search of reaeation
`have mode contact, a game
`board has appeared, and the
`game is under way. The Chat
`window sits below the game
`board. You can even turn Chat
`off if you're planning to play a
`cutthroat game and don't want
`to fake having friendly feelings
`toward your opponent.
`
`White has chat turned on.
`Vou are playing as Red.
`White > It's your turn
`Red> Hello
`White> Hello
`White> Oops!
`
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`Windows XP Games
`
`You can play Classic Hearts either against Windows, which conjures up names
`and hands for three other fictional players to play against you, or against people
`on your network. And if you open Internet Hearts, you can play against other
`similarly bored Windows PC owners all over the world.
`
`• Internet Backgammon. This is classic backgammon, but with a twist: Now you're
`playing against people you've never met, via the MSN Gaming Zone.
`
`• Internet Checkers. It's just checkers; once again, though, you can now play against
`random players on the Internet (see Figure 6-8).
`
`• Internet Reversi. Like Othello, you play this strategy game on a chess-type board
`against another player from the MSN Gaming Zone.
`
`• Internet Spades. Here's yet another card game, again designed for Internet
`playing.
`
`• Minesweeper. Under some of the grid cells are mines; under others, hints about
`nearby mines. Your goal: Find the mines without blowing yourself up.
`
`When clicking random squares, you run the risk of getting blown up instantly. If
`that happens, you lose; them's the breaks. But if you get lucky, you uncover little
`numbers around the square you clicked. Each number reveals how many mines
`are hidden in the squares surrounding it. Using careful mathematical logic and the
`process of elimination, you can eventually figure out which squares have mines
`under them. (To help keep track, you can right-click the squares to plant little
`flags that mean, "Don't step here.") You win if you mark all the mine squares with
`flags.
`
`• Pinball. To start this noisy, animated, very realistic pinball machine (Figure 6-9) ,
`choose Game(cid:157) New Game. You get three balls; launch the first one by tapping the
`Space bar. (For a more powerful launch, hold the Space bar down longer before
`releasing.)
`
`Tip: The game becomes a lot more fun when it tills the screen. Press F4 to make it so.
`
`• Solitaire. Here it is: The program that started it all, the application that introduced
`millions of people to the joys of a graphic interface like Windows. (Ask the ad(cid:173)
`vanced-beginner Windows fan to identify a good program-file code to type into
`the Start(cid:157) Run dialog box, and he might not know winword or msconfig-but he'll
`probably know sol.)
`
`In Solitaire, the object is to build four piles of cards, one for each suit, in ascend(cid:173)
`ing order (starting with aces). To help achieve this, you maintain seven smaller
`stacks of cards in the second row. You can put cards onto these piles as long as you
`alternate red and black, and as long as the cards go in descending order (a four of
`hearts can be placed on a five of spades, for example). Click a face-down card on
`one of these piles to turn it over. If it helps you to continue the red/black/red/black
`sequence you've started, remember you can drag around stacks of face-up cards
`
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`
`Windows XP Games
`
`on these piles. And when you can't find any more moves to make, click the deck
`in the upper-left corner to reveal more cards.
`
`If you win, an animated simulation of what's euphemistically called "52 Pickup"
`appears for your viewing pleasure.
`
`Tip: You can't play Solitaire over the Internet. Even Microsoft hasn't yet figured out a way to turn Solitaire
`into a multiplayer game.
`
`Figure tHI:
`Once the Pinball ball is in
`orbit around the screen,
`you twitch the flippers
`by pressing the Zand I
`keys. (Put your pinkies
`there- this feels much more
`logical than it reads. Even
`so, you can reassign these
`functions to other keys
`by choosing Options(cid:157)
`Player Controls.) You can
`even "bump the table" by
`pressing the X period, or
`up arrow key.
`
`• Spider Solitaire. If your spirit needs a good game of solitaire, but you just don't
`have the time or patience for Solitaire or FreeCell, this kinder, gentler, easier game
`may be just the ticket. Thanks to the built-in cheat mechanism, which suggests
`the next move with no penalty, you can blow through this game with all of the
`satisfaction and none of the frustration of traditional solitaire games.
`
`You play with 104 cards. You get ten stacks across the top of the screen, and the
`rest in a pile in the lower-right corner of the screen. By dragging cards around,
`all you have to do is create stacks of cards in descending order, from king down
`to ace. As soon as you create such a stack, the cards fly off the playing board. The
`goal is to remove all of the cards from the playing board.
`
`In the easiest level, there's no need to worry about color or suit, because the game
`gives you only spades. If you run out of imagination, just press the letter M key to
`make the program propose a move, accompanied by a heavenly sounding harp
`
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`
`
`ripple. And if even the game can't find a legal move, simply click the deck in the
`lower-right corner to distribute another round of cards, which opens up a new
`round of possibilities.
`
`Sticking with the game to the very end delivers an animated confetti/fireworks
`display-and a tiny, budding sense of achievement.
`
`Windows XP Games
`
`Everything Else
`The rest of the programs listed in the Start(cid:157) All Programs menu (at least the ones
`that come with Windows XP) are covered elsewhere in this book. Internet Explorer is
`detailed in Chapter 11, Outlook Express in Chapter 12, Remote Assistance in Chapter
`4, and Windows Media Player in Chapter 7.
`
`Tip: There's much more free Microsoft software available to Windows XP gluttons. For example, you'll have
`a lot of fun trying out the popular PowerToys package (programs produced after the operating system's
`release), the Windows Media Bonus pack, and additional screen savers. You'll find them all here: http//www.
`microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/downloadsjdefault.asp.
`
`CHAPTER 6: THE FREEBIE SOFTWARE
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`203
`
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`
`
`
`204
`204
`
`
`WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION: THE MISSING MANUAL
`W INDOWS XP HOME EDITION: THE MISSING MANUAL
`
`EX 2009
`
`EX 2009
`
`
`
`CHAPTER
`
`7
`
`Pictures, Sound,
`and Movies
`
`W indows XP is the most advanced version yet when it comes to playing
`
`and displaying multimedia files-photos, sounds, and movies. New fea(cid:173)
`tures make it easier than ever for your PC to control your digital camera
`or scanner, play movies and sounds, and play radio stations from all over the world
`as you work on your PC (thanks to your Internet connection).
`
`In this chapter, you'll find guides to all of these features.
`
`Digital Photos in XP
`The new stability of XP is nice, and the new task pane can save you time. But if you
`have a digital cam era, few of the new features in Windows XP are quite as useful as its
`ability to manage your digital photos. Microsoft has bent over backward to simplify
`and streamline a process that was once a chain of pain: transferring photos from your
`camera to the PC, and then trying to figure out what to do with them.
`
`Hooking Up Your Camera
`If your digital camera is less than a few years old, it probably came with a USB cable
`designed to plug into your PC. Fortunately, if your PC is young enough to run Win(cid:173)
`dows XP, it probably has a USB jack, too.
`
`Furthermore, Windows XP comes preloaded with drivers for hundreds of current
`camera models, generally sparing you the standard installation process described in
`Chapter 14. That's why, for most people, the instructions for transferring photos from
`the camera to the PC are as follows:
`
`CH A PTER 7: PICTURES, SOUND, ANO MOVIES
`
`205
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`EX 2009
`
`
`
`Digital Photos
`inXP
`
`1. Connect the camera to the PC, using the USB cable.
`
`That's it-there is no step 2. As shown in Figure 7-1, Windows XP automatically
`opens the Camera and Scanner Wizard, a series of screens that guides you through
`the process of selecting and then transferring the photos you want.
`
`Note: If hooking up the camera produces the dialog box shown at the top of Figure 7· 1, then you've installed
`some photo-management software of your own (maybe some that came with the camera). In that case, you
`have a choice: Either select that program to download and manage your photos or click Cancel to let XP do
`the job as described in these pages. Then open your My Pictures folder (Start(cid:157) My Pictures) and, at the left
`side of the window, click "Get pictures from camera or scanner."
`
`~Ulebd Phc,t,:, Eop:lls706.0
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`0 N.,....,,..,r111fmhd~l'litlct...i,,c:b,t•
`
`Welcome to the Scanner and Camera
`Wizard
`
`PowcrShOIS'I0
`
`ond 0nma6on
`Pict111e H-
`Seleci1n.nerddetlln-Dlnb)o'011 pit;&L11"
`
`2. 0.00-•--b-hp.ocl~
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`
`- -¥I t:,-_ I
`
`Completing the Scanner and Camera
`Wizard
`
`2Dicti.re{s) wereCOPiod
`
`...,.
`
`l D111e,ou,pdulMOf'lro,ul~• OI M1:~cie\lheloc.!,I.Ol'I
`
`Mrre:cr,\l':N';,t l;W
`
`Rgure 1-1:
`Top left: When you con•
`nect the camera, you
`may be asked which
`editing program you
`want to open.
`
`Top right: Click gad•
`vanced users on/~ to
`work with the camera's
`memory card as
`though it's a disk.
`
`Middle left: The Clear
`All and Select All
`buttons can save time
`when you want to
`include, or exclude,
`only a few pictures.
`
`Middle right: Windows
`offers you the chance
`to create a new
`folder for the incoming
`pictures, and also
`to delete them from
`the camera after the
`transfer.
`
`Lower left: After the
`transfer, Microsoft
`invites you to spend
`some money.
`
`Lower right: Click Finish
`to open up the folder
`that now contains your
`pictures on the hard
`drive.
`
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`Digital Photos
`inXP
`
`The various screens of the Camera Wizard take you through these steps:
`
`• Welcome screen. If you're the kind of person who prefers to let others do your
`grunt work, just click Next.
`
`Note, however, the "advanced users only" link (Figure 7-1, top right). If you click
`it, Windows XP opens up a new folder window that shows you the contents of the
`camera's memory card. Each photo is represented as a file icon. At this point, you
`can copy these photos to your hard drive by dragging them. Use this technique
`if you want to file them into different folders, for example, rather than using the
`wizard to dump them all into a single place.
`
`• Choose Pictures to Copy. On this screen (Figure 7-1, middle left), you can look
`over slide-sized versions of the pictures currently on the camera and, by turning
`on the checkboxes above them, tell Windows which ones you want to copy to your
`hard drive.
`
`Tip: To straighten a photo that's turned 90 degrees, click it and then click one of the two tiny Rotate buttons
`at the lower-left corner of the dialog box.
`
`• Picture Name and Destination. On this screen (Figure 7-1, middle right), Windows
`asks you to type the name of the group of pictures to be imported. If you name
`this group Robin's Party, for example, Windows will put the downloaded photos
`into a My Pictures(cid:157) Robin's Party folder. (It will, that is, unless you intervene by
`clicking the Browse button to choose a different folder.)
`
`TROUBLESHOOTING MOMENT
`
`When the Wizard Doesn't Show Up
`-~ : ii the wizard doesn't appear when you hook up your cam-
`If your camera is too old for Windows XP's tastes, you won't.·
`-·e~i you' m~y be one of the unlucky ones whose camera
`be able to use any of the automated downloading features
`·,_ driver .didn't come installed with XP. Technically speaking,
`described in this chapter. You can still get your pictu.res
`:;,. -th~CamJra Wizard gets triggered only by cameras whose
`onto the PC, however, either by using the software provided
`.\marlllfa'cturers promise WIA (Windows Image Acquisition).
`with the camera (or an updated version- check the camera .. •
`·:·
`i:cimpatibility. Almost all cameras sold since the year 2000
`maker's Web site) or by buying a card reader, an inexpensive .• ·
`,;, ;areWIA'i:ompatible.
`external "disk drive" that accepts the memory card from your · •·.
`..... ,. ~
`camera. Once inserted, Windows treats the memory card : ·
`. >'"ii the ~i~~rd ·do~sn't appear even though you have a com(cid:173)
`exactly as though it's a giant floppy disk. Opening the card·:1
`:
`.:,' ·pa:t!~ie,t?~~ra, you '!lay _have to· install the driver yourself,
`(from within the My Computer window) lets you manually": ·
`.':: _using theCD-ROM that came with your camera, as described
`drag the photos to your hard drive. •
`·{~\(~~?Pt~(:14.,1! the c_amera is reasonably new, it should
`'< thereafter work JUst as descnbed on these pages.
`:t:~_:{:t::.~;Eili\ ._:,··:;_.~- ~+. ·
`.
`.
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`Digital Photos
`inXP
`
`Tip: This screen offers one of the most useful options: a checkbox called "Delete pictures from my device
`after copying them." If you turn on this checkbox, then you'll find your memory card freshly erased after the
`photo transfer, ready for more picture taking.
`
`• Other Options. When the transfer process is over, the next screen (Figure 7-1,
`lower left) offers you direct links to publishing the photos to a Web site, ordering
`prints by mail via the Web, or Nothing-which is almost always what you want to
`do here.
`
`• Completing the Scanner and Camera Wizard. The final screen (Figure 7-1, lower
`right) completes the process by offering you a link that opens the folder currently
`containing the pictures (on your hard drive). Click either the link or the Finish
`button, which does the same thing.
`
`Fun with Downloaded Pictures
`Once you've transferred pictures to your hard drive, you can enjoy a long list of
`photo-manipulation features, new in Windows XP. These features put to shame the
`national photo-management system: shoving drugstore prints into a shoebox, which
`then goes into a closet.
`
`!~~·r-::-~·T'~1:;·::--"7""·.::-:---:-~-.~.--...
`
`_·
`"'-' .. ,;·:,-, ---· ............ •.
`.:.,--::.:;", -,"·:-.-· -·- -·
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`
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`• . • ' 7 . -
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`
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`
`. _pe()f)fl: wo~ldrather have
`:, Windows just· shut up and
`- -
`. - .
`.
`·c'. automa ca y copy a p_ o_os .
`·::·: to the hard drive each tirile . .
`) tt{f c)rife~(is\o~ri~ct~d--: . :
`: Once the photos are there,
`<.: then y~~,c~~ take the time ',: '.
`~t:f f jt.jijr!:f :na3~j:(;-·•
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`208
`
`WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION: THE MISSING MANUA L
`
`EX 2009
`
`
`
`Digital Photos
`inXP
`
`Suppose you've opened a folder of freshly downloaded pictures. (As noted above,
`they're usually in a folder in your My Pictures folder, which itself is in your My Docu(cid:173)
`ments folder. Unless you've deliberately removed My Pictures from your Start menu,
`just choose its name from the Start menu to get going. Or you can put a shortcut icon
`for My Pictures right on your desktop.)
`
`Here are some of the ways you can manage your pictures after their safe arrival on
`your PC.
`
`Download more photos
`When a camera or scanner is turned on and connected to the PC, the first link in the
`task pane of your My Pictures folder is, "Get pictures from camera or scanner." Click
`it to launch the Camera and Scanner Wizard all over again.
`
`Look them over
`Windows XP comes with two folder window views especially designed for digital
`photos: Thumbnail and Filmstrip. You can read about them on page 74; for now, it's
`enough to note that Filmstrip view (Figure 7-2) is ideal for reviewing a batch of freshly
`transferred pictures at the size that's big enough for you to recognize them.
`
`Remember to press the F 11 key to maximize the window and hide a lot of the ancillary
`toolbar junk that eats into your photo-displaying space. (Press Fll again to restore
`the window size when you're done.) Also remember to rotate the photos that were
`
`Figure 7-2:
`In filmstrip view,
`the enlarged image
`shows the currently
`selected photo. You
`can select a different
`one for enlargement by
`clicking another image
`icon (bottom row) or by
`clicking the Previous and
`Next buttons beneath
`the selected photo.
`Don't miss the special
`tasks listed in the task
`pane at the left side- or
`the options in the menu
`that appear when you
`right-click the central
`enlarged image.
`
`File Edit View Fovcdes Tools He\,
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`
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`
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`y <
`
`CHAPTER 7: PICTURES, SOUND, AND MOVIES
`
`209
`
`EX 2009
`
`
`
`Digital Photos
`inXP
`
`taken with the camera turned sideways, especially if you plan to use the slide show,
`Web page, or email features described in the following paragraphs.
`
`Tip: When rotating a photo in Filmstrip view (Figure 7-2), Windows sometimes announces: "Because of the
`dimensions of this picture, rotating it might permanently reduce its quality. Do you want to proceed?"
`
`This scary message pops up only when you're trying to rotate a photo whose dimensions (measured in
`pixels) aren't an even multiple of sixteen. Windows is letting you know that, thanks to a quirk in the science
`of JPEG compression, it must recompress the graphic in order to rotate it. Microsoft says that the "quality
`loss" is imperceptible to the human eye, and you'll probably agree. But if you're worried about it, make a
`copy of the original photo file before you rotate it.
`
`Start a slide show
`When you click "View as a slide show'' in the task pane, your screen goes dark, thunder
`rumbles somewhere, and your entire monitor fills with a gorgeous, self-advancing
`slide show of the pictures in the folder. If you then move the mouse, a tiny palette
`appears in the upper-right corner with buttons of control buttons that correspond
`to Play, Pause, Previous, Next, and Stop.
`
`The beauty of a slide show like this is that everyone at your presentation ( or, if this
`is your home computer, in your family) can see it at once. It beats the pants off the
`ritual of passing out individual 4 x 6 drugstore prints to each person.
`
`To stop the slide show, press the Esc key on your keyboard (or click the X button in
`the floating palette that appears when you move your mouse).
`
`Nole:Why do photo-related tasks appear on the task pane only in the My Pictures folder? Because Microsoft
`has applied the Pictures or Photo Album folder template to it. You can make these tasks appear in any other
`folder, however, just by applying the same folder template; see page 75.
`
`Order prints online
`If you click this link in the task pane, Windows XP presents a wizard that helps you
`select photos in your folder for uploading to an online photo processor, like Kodak,
`Shutterfly, or Fuji. You can specify how many copies you want of each print, and at
`what sizes (Figure 7-3) . Once you've plugged in your credit card number, the prints
`arrive by mail in about a week.
`
`Make a printout
`This task-pane link, too, opens a wizard. This time, it guides you through a selection of
`photos in your folder to print, a selection of printers to use, and the layout of photos
`on each 8½ x 11 sheet (four 3 x 5 inch prints, 9 wallet-sized prints, and so on). Note
`that many of these layouts chop off parts of your pictures to make them fit the page;
`the layout previews will reveal exactly which parts of the image you'll lose.
`
`210
`
`WINDOWS XP HOME EDITION: THE MISSING MANUAL
`
`EX 2009
`
`
`
`Install new wallpaper
`The "Set as desktop background" link (which appears whenever you've highlighted
`a picture) plasters the currently selected photo across the entire background of your
`screen, turning your PC into the world's most expensive picture frame. (For instruc(cid:173)
`tions on changing or removing this background, use the Display program described
`on page 257.)
`
`Digital Photos
`inXP
`
`Photo 1:
`
`Prints: (Prints best up to 20 x 30') Price: Quantity:
`
`•
`
`Ofoto: Customize Your Order - Step 1 of 5
`Choose print sizes and quant~ies.
`
`0 4 X 6'
`
`0 5 X 7"
`
`$0.49 D
`$0.99 D
`$1.79 D
`0 Wallets ( 4 per sheet)
`Larger Print sizes (cid:141) (Bx 10", 16 x 20", 20 x 30')
`
`Figure 7-J:
`The price for prints via
`Web is usually 50 cents
`for 4 x 6 prints, and up
`to $20 for a 20 x 30 inch
`poster. Be especially
`careful when you see
`the red minus symbol
`shown here. It lets you
`know that the reso-lu(cid:173)
`tion of that photo is too
`low to make a good
`quality print at that size.
`A 640 x 480-pixel shot
`for example, will look
`grainy when