Is XP totally different in look from 98 and 95 at start up?

[Guest]

I have Win98 for several years and previously did Win 95. Startup page
relatively same thing with the blue sky, cloud and microsoft windows 95 or 98
being the only difference.
My buddy has just gotten a new HP computer 805 (I think) and has XP
loaded in.
Now I have been trying to show him the basics ( I mean really basic like:
cut and paste, how to use the mouse, keyboard usage as well.
I do not recognize the startup screen however, I mean after the windows
XP he does not have a desktop per se with folders.
Or should I say, everything above the start button is different (like when
I left click on Windows98, I get 11 different things in a box) When I do it
on XP I get 2 long columns on a 17" screen full of stuff. Its totally
different.
Is that the way it is suppose to be. He's not connected to the net, yet,
if that should make a difference.

Is this screen suppose to be that way? Is it suppose to be a challenge
for us old windows users? Just asking. Does it become more traditional
windows later? It is only a week old. I been playing on computer for
about 7 years, with windows.(not 3.1).

Would appreciate some info.

From what I remember, he doesn't have an owners manual for XP, I forgot to
ask. Will the explanation be clear in there?

 

[T. Waters]

"From what I remember, he doesn't have an owners manual for XP, I forgot to
ask. Will the explanation be clear in there?"
--No. My "manual" weighs about 5 grams.

It is possible to configure XP to look like 98, and many users do just that.
--Right-click on the Start button and select Properties
--In Control Panel / Display / Appearance, choose "Classic Windows Style"

If there are other aspect of XP that cause you problems, let us know.

 

[John Rampling]

T Waters has given you a good tip for customising the basic appearance. Also
try right-click on the Desktop, 'Arrange Icons By...' and select 'Show
Desktop Icons'.
And right-click the Desktop, click 'Properties', 'Desktop' tab and choose a
better wallpaper.
To learn about some of the differences try Start / Programs / Accessories /
Windows XP / Tour Windows XP .

John

 

[Sharon F]

Or should I say, everything above the start button is different (like when
I left click on Windows98, I get 11 different things in a box) When I do it
on XP I get 2 long columns on a 17" screen full of stuff. Its totally
different.

The first click on the start button in XP (using XP style start menu),
displays what is called the Start Panel. The layout is different than Win98
and it has some additional features/functions.

The classic style start menu has the same look to it as Win98. Can switch
to this style via Tasbar/Start Menu properties.

 

[Galen]

In friedemann <[email protected]> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

<snip>

You know what you said so for space I'll snip it out. Above and beyond the
other excellent pieces of advice I think you'll find this handy:

Right click on the start button itself, select properties, click classic
view, click apply. Repeat the same steps and this time click the customize
button, and in there untick the scroll programs button and make sure that
you have it set to allow dragging stuff around.

Next, in their profile, make a bunch of new folders. Give them names like
System Tools, Security Applications, Media Opening, Media Editing, File
Editing, Burning, etc... Then (assuming this is the only user on the PC, if
not do it for all users or just copy it to the other profiles when you're
done) drag the different applications to the different folders. That will
keep that list small and tidy and will make it much easier for someone who's
pretty new to computers to find what they're looking for. The same thing
goes for the desktop. Make a special folder on the desktop (you can right
click it, select properties, and then give it it's own special icon if you
want) and make the same folders in there and then put the icons for the
installed applications that aren't used often inside that folder. Another
good idea is to enable the quick launch and to drag often used application
there with the right mouse button, let it go, and then use the create
shortcut here option.

Galen