Windows XP for Starters: The Missing Manual: Exactly What You Need to Get Started

2.2. The Elements of the XP Desktop

Once you're past the heart-pounding excitement of the new startup logo and the Setup Wizard, you reach the digital vista shown in Figure 2-2. It's the Windows desktop, now graced by a pastoral sunny hillside that should look familiar to anyone who has ever watched "Teletubbies."

A new installation of Windows XP on a new computer presents an absolutely spotless desktop, utterly icon-free except for the Recycle Bin. Your first step in doing pretty much any task will be to click the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen. The following pages cover the Start menu in detail.