1. Taskbar toolbar scrollbars Start button Show Desktop button Taskbar
Acts as a container for other objects.
Provides a place to access programs that are opened.
To restore a program that has been minimized to a fully functional window by clicking its button on the taskbar.
Other features (Detailed discussion in later chapters):
The Start Button – gateway to the start menu
The Notification area – provides a place for notice of important programs that are running (System Utilities) and the system clock.
New features of XP taskbar:
Group buttons of common programs.
Hides icon in the notification area after short period of time, or if they have not been accessed recently.
toolbar
scrollbars
Start button
Show Desktop button
Taskbar
Notification Area
Open Program buttons

2. Start Button The Start Button opens the Start Menu.
Start Button also has a shortcut menu that can be accessed by right clicking on it.
This menu provides important features of windows such as windows explorer, taskbar and start menu properties, the search tool, and the ability to open the start menu as a folder.

3. The New XP Start Menu Basic division of Start Menu: Current User
Pinned items list
The most frequently used program list
Standard items on the right
All programs and log off/turn off buttons
Pinned List
Most Frequently Used Programs List
Click here for the Programs menu
Turn off or log off the computer

4. The Classic style Start Menu
Click here for the Programs menu
Turn off or log off the computer…the current user is also shown here.

5. The Start Menu viewed as a folder in Windows Explorer
Shortcuts (or menu items) on the Start Menu
The Start Menu folder
The Start Menu is actually a subfolder stored within the Documents and Settings folder (see above figure). To view the start menu as a folder, you can also select the Open option from the start button’s shortcut menu.

6. Windows XP Keyboard Shortcuts
Entering Ctrl+Alt+Del will open the Windows XP Task Manager window, which can be used to switch to, or end any unresponsive application simply by selecting it from a list (detailed discussion in the later chapters).
Task Manager