Toshiba Satellite 2430 2435 Manual

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Chapter 6
Exploring Your Options
In this chapter, you will explore other features of your 
notebook computer.
Windows® XP special features
The Windows® XP operating system offers you several new 
features and enhancements, including:
❖New system file protection
❖A system restore function, allowing you to rollback the 
system to its previous mode
❖An improved help center, support automation, and 
automatic Windows® operating system update
❖Wizards to simplify setting up your home network
❖Ability to share one Internet connection among multiple 
PCs
❖An automatic discovery feature that allows your 
computer to detect new and intelligent devices 
						

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Personalizing your desktop
Your desktop is your virtual workspace. This section explains 
how to customize its features for the way you like to work. 
You can customize the following aspects of the desktop:
❖Taskbar—which resources to display for quick access
❖Active Desktop® interface—what information from the 
Internet to always display
❖Desktop style—how windows are displayed and how to 
browse folders and files
❖Toolbars—what information appears at the top of each 
window
Customizing the taskbar
As you work, the taskbar changes to reflect what you are 
doing. Its icons provide shortcuts to programs, documents, 
files, folders, system features, and components. Open 
applications also have Forward and Backward buttons to 
allow navigation through folders, documents, and Web sites.
For example, you can personalize the taskbar to include 
Quick Launch icons, and also your favorite URL addresses or 
local folders and programs. 
DEFINITION: URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, which is 
the address that defines the route to a file on the Web or any other 
Internet facility. Generically, it is known as the World Wide Web 
site address.
Having a list of favorite URLs handy saves time. Using it 
bypasses the need for you to launch your browser first.
To customize your taskbar settings, point to an empty space 
in the taskbar and click the secondary button. Then click 
Properties. 
						

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Bringing the world to your desktop
With the Windows® XP operating system you can set up your 
desktop with complete World Wide Web integration at a 
single click.
Turning on the Web content interface
The first step to bring active content to your desktop is to turn 
on the Web content interface: 
1Point to an empty space on the desktop and click the 
secondary button.
2Click Properties.
The Display Properties window appears.
3Click the Desktop tab.
4Click the Customize Desktop button.
5Click the We b tab.
6Follow the instructions to set up your desktop.
Adding components to the Web content interface
1Point to an empty space on the desktop and click the 
secondary button.
2Click on Properties.
The Display Properties window appear.
3Click the Desktop tab.
4Click the Customize Desktop button.
5Click the We b tab.
The operating system displays a list of items to add to the 
desktop.
6To view additional components, click New.
The New Desktop Item dialog box appears. 
						

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7To browse the Gallery for more components to add, click 
Visit Gallery. 
In order to browse, an active Internet connection must be 
established.
8To select some other Web site, type the address of the 
Web site you want or click Browse to locate it. 
You can configure the Web content interface in several other 
ways. For further information, see your operating system 
documentation or access Windows
® Help by clicking Start, 
Help and Support.
Changing desktop and browsing style
The operating system enables you to customize the way you 
view your desktop and browse the files and folders on your 
local computer or network file server.
You can make it so that:
❖ Items that normally require a double-click will open with 
a single click.
❖Folders will open in their own window instead of in the 
same window.
❖Folders are accompanied by a list of common tasks 
instead of displayed alone.
The options you choose determines how you browse in the 
operating system, regardless of whether you start from the 
desktop, My Computer, Windows  Explorer, or Internet 
Explorer.
For more information about changing your desktop style, 
enter 
desktop in the Help and Support Index.
Choosing a style
To select desktop and browsing style options:
1Click Start, then click My Computer. 
						

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The My Computer window appears.
2Select the To o l s menu, then click Folder Options.
The Folder Options dialog box appears.
Sample Folder Options dialog box
3Click the preferred options.
4Click Apply, then OK.
Personalizing individual windows
Just as you can display a Web page on your desktop, you can 
also display a Web page in an individual window. If you 
subscribe to the Web page, it can be automatically updated on 
a regular basis. For example, using this Web integration 
feature you can monitor weather, game scores, stock prices, 
or headlines—all in the window of your choice. 
						

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Customizing window toolbars
You can display one or more customizable toolbars at the top 
of a window. As you browse, the operating system detects the 
kind of information presented in the window and 
automatically displays the appropriate toolbar buttons and 
menus.
You can also add these toolbars to the taskbar.
Sample toolbar locations
Address bar Standard buttons 
						

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The elements you can add to the top of the window are:
Displaying a toolbar in a window
1Click Start, then click My Computer.
The My Computer window appears.
2On the View menu, point to To o l b a r s, then click the 
name of the toolbar you want to display.
The toolbar appears below the menu bar of the current 
window.
Displaying information about each folder
In addition to displaying the contents of each window, you 
might find it helpful to have the operating system display the 
name of the folder and brief information about how to use the 
folder. This means displaying an individual window as a Web 
page.
1Click Start, then click My Computer.
The My Computer window appears. Toolbar element Description
Address Bar Opens Web pages, programs, folders, or 
documents. By default, the address bar 
shows your current location, and whether 
it is a folder or a Web page. You can 
browse to another location by typing an 
address — a URL, a path, or even a pro-
gram name.
If you start typing a previously typed 
address, the AutoComplete feature fin-
ishes the address for you.
Standard buttons Displays buttons for commonly used 
commands, such as copying, pasting, 
deleting items, changing views, and 
browsing backward and forward. 
						

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2Open the folder you want to view as a Web page.
3In the To o l s  menu, select Folder Options.
4In the Tasks section, click the button for Show common 
tasks in folders.
5 Click Apply, then OK.
Sample Control Panel window as a Web page
The addition of the name of the folder and instructions for 
how to use the folder on the left give the window the 
appearance of a Web page.
Using your computer at the office
By connecting an external monitor, external full-size 
keyboard, an external mouse, and an external diskette drive, 
you can work with your notebook as if it were a standard 
office computer.
An external monitor connects to the RGB (monitor) port. 
An external mouse, keyboard, and diskette drive connect to 
the USB ports. 
						

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Setting up for communications
To connect to the Internet, use an online service, or 
communicate across the telephone lines with another 
computer, you need:
❖A modem (one comes with your computer) 
❖A telephone line 
❖A browser or communications program 
❖An Internet Service Provider (ISP) or online service if 
you plan to use the Internet 
Determining the COM port 
Your modem is connected to one of the computer’s COM 
(communications) ports. The default setting for the modem is 
COM3.
The following procedure is intended to support you if you 
need to either upgrade your modem or reset the port to the 
default settings.
If you’re having trouble connecting through the modem, you 
may need to determine the current COM port name and 
possibly change it.
To find out which port your modem is connected to in the 
operating system:
1Click Start, Control Panel, then Printers and Other 
Hardware.
2Click Phone and Modem options.
3The Phone and Modem options window appears.
4Click the Modems tab.
A location box appears.
5In the Attached to field, the COM port is specified.
6Make a note of the COM port number. 
						

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7To verify that the modem is set up properly, double-click 
the COM port to which your modem is connected.
The Modem AMR Properties box appears.
8In the device status area, the computer should indicate 
whether the modem is working properly.
9If the modem isn’t working properly, click 
Troubleshooting and follow the instructions.
10Click OK to close the properties box, then the Phone and 
Modem options box.
11Close the Control Panel.
Connecting the modem to a telephone line
Before you can use the modem, you must connect it to a 
standard voice-grade telephone line. 
TECHNICAL NOTE: If you are using the telephone line at home, 
disable Call Waiting before you connect through the modem. Call 
Waiting interrupts data transmission.
Setting up a dial-up connection 
To set up a dial-up connection, use the Dial-Up Networking 
Wizard:
1Click Start and point to All Programs.
2Point to Accessories, then to Communications, and 
click New Connection Wizard.
3Click Next.
4Select the type of connection you want to make.
❖Connect to the Internet
❖Connect to the Network at My Workplace