Windows ME: The Complete Reference

By John R. Levine, Margaret Levine Young, Douglas Muder, Alison Barrows and Rima S. Regas.
October 2000, 985 pages, US$39.99. ISBN 0-07-212751-1

Windows ME (Millennium Edition) is a version of Windows intended for use in homes and small businesses. It's an update of Windows 98, with lots of nice little improvements, and it came loaded on most IBM-compatible PCs from October 2000 until October 2001, when Windows XP Home Edition came out. If you have a choice between Windows ME and Windows XP, we highly recommend Windows XP, which is much more stable.

Our mammoth book covers an enormous range of topics, from configuring your desktop to getting on line to configuring your Web browser to setting up LANs and Internet connections to coercing ancient DOS applications to run. Every page offers the benefits of our hand-to-hand combat with Windows ME, so you can get going and up to speed fast.

What's the big deal about Windows ME?

• It's a lot like Windows 98 Second Edition, with a few clever improvements:
• Auto Update tells Windows to update itself from the Microsoft Web site whenever a patch comes out.
• Hibernation is another way that newer laptops can sleep when you're not using them.
• Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) lets all the computers on your home or office network (LAN) share one Internet connection, whether it's a dial-up line or a faster connection. (We include full instructions for setting up a LAN, too.)
• Windows Media Player 7 is Microsoft's latest audio and video player, and Windows Movie Maker helps you create videos and slide shows, including voice-overs.
• Sytem Files Protection prevents you (or your applications) from messing up the files that Windows needs to run.
• System Restore lets you take a snapshot of Windows and your other programs, which you can return to if your system gets unreliable later on.

The fabulous CD-ROM

• Contains the full text and illustrations of the book, for on-line reference
• Extensively hyperlinked both within the book and to places on the net.
• Expanded glossary fully linked back to the text, for quick access to all topics.

The informative web site

• Get updated and extended information about Windows ME, and links to other on-line Windows ME resources.

Table of Contents

Part I: Working in Windows ME
Chapter 1: The Basics of Windows ME
Chapter 2: Running Programs
Chapter 3: Installing Programs
Chapter 4: Working with Documents in Windows ME
Chapter 5: Using Accessories
Chapter 6: Getting Help
Chapter 7: Copying, Moving, and Sharing Information Between Programs

Part II: Managing Your Disk
Chapter 8: Using Files and Folders
Chapter 9: Managing Files and Folders
Chapter 10: Formatting and Partitioning Disks

Part III: Configuring Windows for Your Computer
Chapter 11: Setting Up Your Start Menu and Taskbar
Chapter 12: Setting Up Your Desktop
Chapter 13: Configuring Your Keyboard and Mouse
Chapter 14: Adding and Removing Hardware
Chapter 15: Setting Up Printers and Fonts
Chapter 16: Working with Sound and Graphics
Chapter 17: Working with Video
Chapter 18: Running Windows ME on Laptops
Chapter 19: Accessibility Options

Part IV: Windows ME on the Internet
Chapter 20: Configuring Windows to Work with Your Modem
Chapter 21: Connecting to Internet and Online Service Accounts
Chapter 22: E-Mail and Newsgroups Using Outlook Express
Chapter 23: Browsing the World Wide Web
Chapter 24: Working with Your Browser
Chapter 25: Internet Conferencing with MSN Messenger and NetMeeting
Chapter 26: Other Internet Programs that Come with Windows ME

Part V: Networking with Windows ME
Chapter 27: Designing a Windows-Based Local Area Network
Chapter 28: Configuring Windows for a LAN
Chapter 29: Sharing Drives and Printers on a LAN
Chapter 30: Connecting Your LAN to the Internet
Chapter 31: Computer and Network Security

Part VI: Windows Housekeeping
Chapter 32: Keeping Your Disk Safe
Chapter 33: Tuning Windows ME for Maximum Performance
Chapter 34: Troubleshooting Windows ME
Chapter 35: Other Windows ME Resources

Part VII: Behind the Scenes: Windows ME Internals
Chapter 36: Windows ME Configuration and Control Files
Chapter 37: Registering Programs and File Types
Chapter 38: Running DOS Programs and Commands
Chapter 39: Automating Tasks with the Windows Scripting Host
Appendix A: Installing or Upgrading to Windows ME
Glossary
Index