So you're sitting in front of your computer, and this thing called Windows XP is staring at you. The screen you see - the one with the peoples' names on it - is called a Welcome screen, but it doesn't say "Welcome" or "Howdy" or even "Sit down and get to work, bucko." It says only that you have to click your user name in order to start, but you don't have any idea what a user name is, why you have to have one, what Windows has to do with anything, and why in the %$#@! you can't bypass all this garbage, log on, and get your e-mail.

Good for you. That's the right attitude.

Someday, I swear, you'll be able to pull a PC out of the box, plug it into the wall, turn it on, and get your e-mail - bang, bang, bang, just like that, in ten seconds flat. If you want the computer to do something, you'll say, "Computer, get me my e-mail," just like Scotty in the Star Trek ... read full excerpt from Windows XP All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies ebook