- Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional in 10 Minutes
- Table of Contents
- Copyright
- Tell Us What You Think!
- About the Authors
- Introduction
- Conventions Used in This Book
- Lesson 1. Navigating Windows 2000 Professional
- What Is Windows 2000 Professional?
- Starting Windows 2000
- Understanding the Windows Desktop
- Using the Mouse
- Using the Start Button
- Using the Taskbar
- Shutting Down Windows 2000 Professional
- Lesson 2. Working with a Window
- What Is a Window?
- Opening a Window
- Sizing a Window with Maximize, Minimize, and Restore
- Sizing a Window's Borders
- Using Scroll Bars
- Moving a Window
- Viewing a Window's Contents
- Closing Windows
- Lesson 3. Using Menus
- Using Toolbar Buttons
- What Is a Menu?
- Choosing Menu Commands
- Reading a Menu
- Using Shortcut Keys Instead of Menus
- Using Shortcut Menus
- Lesson 4. Using Windows 2000 Professional Help
- Getting Help in Windows 2000
- The Help Window
- Using Windows Online Help
- Using Web Help
- Lesson 5. Using Dialog Boxes
- What Is a Dialog Box?
- Using the Components of a Dialog Box
- Using the What's This? Feature
- Using Text Boxes
- Using Option Buttons
- Using Check Boxes
- Using Command Buttons
- Using Property Sheets and Tabs
- Lesson 6. Working with Multiple Windows and Applications
- Opening a Windows Application
- Viewing an Application's Window
- Exiting an Application
- Arranging Windows on the Desktop
- Moving Between Applications
- Moving Between Windows in the Same Application
- Lesson 7. Copying, Moving, and Linking Between Windows and Applications
- Using the Clipboard
- Selecting Text for Copying or Moving
- Selecting Graphics
- Copying Information Between Windows
- Moving Information Between Windows
- Sharing Information Between Applications
- Understanding Linking
- Creating Links
- Understanding Embedding
- Embedding Objects
- Using the ClipBook Viewer
- Lesson 8. Using My Computer
- What Is My Computer?
- Browsing Folder Options
- The My Computer Menu
- The My Computer Toolbars
- Customizing View Columns
- Lesson 9. Managing Files with My Computer
- Selecting Files and Folders
- Moving Files and Folders
- Copying Files and Folders
- Deleting Files and Folders
- Renaming Files and Folders
- Using Windows Explorer
- Creating Shortcuts
- Searching for Files and Folders
- Lesson 10. Using WordPad
- What Is WordPad?
- Moving the Text Insertion Point
- Inserting and Deleting Text
- Selecting, Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text
- Formatting a Document
- Saving a Document and Exiting WordPad
- Lesson 11. Understanding File Properties and the Recycle Bin
- Filenames
- File Size
- File Creation Date and Time
- File Attributes
- Viewing Properties
- Managing the Recycle Bin
- Opening the Recycle Bin
- Emptying the Recycle Bin
- Restoring Files
- Recycle Bin Properties
- Lesson 12. Printing
- Installing a Printer
- Printing from an ApplicationControlling the Print Job
- Working with the Print Folder
- Controlling the Print Job
- Using Drag and Drop
- Lesson 13. Using My Network Places
- What Is a Network?
- About Clients and Servers
- What Is My Network Places?
- Logging On to a Network
- Accessing My Network Places
- Logging Off a Network
- Lesson 14. Using the Control Panel
- What Is the Control Panel?
- What Can You Accomplish in the Control Panel?
- Selecting a Screen Saver
- Configuring Video Options
- Configuring Sound Options
- Configuring Multimedia Devices
- Configuring Your Keyboard and Mouse
- Lesson 15. Using Outlook Express Mail
- Opening and Closing Outlook Express Mail
- The Outlook Express Mail Window
- Sending a Message
- Using the Windows Address Book
- Retrieving and Reading Your Messages
- Saving a File Attached to a Message
- Replying to a Message
- Deleting Old Messages
- Lesson 16. Sharing Workstations and Setting Passwords
- Assigning Passwords to Screen Savers
- Changing Your Password
- Sharing Resources on Your Computer
- Sharing Folders and Disk Drives on Your Computer
- Setting File Permissions
- Creating and Sharing a Printer
- Sharing an Already-Defined Printer
- Setting Printer Permissions
- Lesson 17. Using Internet Explorer 5
- Starting Internet Explorer 5
- Navigating the IE5 Window
- The IE5 Toolbars
- Navigating a Web Page
- Reading URLs
- Visiting a Web Site
- Understanding Links
- Understanding Caching
- Lesson 18. Web Site and Document Searching
- Understanding Searches
- Creating a Web Search
- Searching for Text on a Web Page
- Lesson 19. Troubleshooting, Restarting, and Disaster Planning
- Task Manager
- Restarting Windows 2000
- What is a Computer Virus?
- Curing and Preventing Computer Viruses
- Creating a Startup Disk
- Troubleshooting Windows 2000
- Lesson 20. Customizing the Windows 2000 Environment
- Creating Shortcuts
- Arranging Icons
- Choosing Colors and Backgrounds
- Changing Fonts
- Customizing the Taskbar
- Changing the Time or Date
- Creating Custom Toolbars
What Is a Network?
A computer network is a group of two or more PCs that are connected to each other and can communicate with each other over the medium that connects them. Usually they are connected by special network cables, but they may also connect by telephone lines, radio or infrared waves, or even over electric lines.
A local area network (LAN) is a small group of computers (usually less than 254 computers) that share a common cable and have to take turns using it. Most LANs these days use a cabling scheme called Ethernet. Other cabling schemes that are more or less widespread include token ring and AppleTalk (for networks of Macintosh computers).
To communicate with each other over a LAN (or by phone, or at all), computers have to agree on a set of communication rules, called a communication or network protocol. Most LANs these days use TCP/IP as their network communication protocol. LAN or network protocols in widespread use today include TCP/IP, IPX/SPX, NetBEUI, and LocalTalk (for AppleTalk networks). Of these, TCP/IP is gradually eclipsing the others (just as Ethernet is eclipsing the other cabling schemes).
If you connect two or more LANs to each other, you create an "internetwork." You can connect them using various devices, including bridges, routers, and switches. These devices listen to the network traffic on each LAN to which they are connected; when a communication is addressed to a computer on another LAN, the bridge, router, or switch passes that communication over to the other LAN.
The Internet is a worldwide internetwork of LANs that use TCP/IP to communicate with each other. The Internet is a public network, in the sense that no single entity owns it or controls it. In general, anyone who wants to connect to the Internet can do so.
An intranet is a company's or organization's private internetwork of LANs. Most companies maintain the privacy of their intranet in one of two ways. Either they don't allow any connections between their intranet and other networks (such as the Internet) or they connect to other networks through a "firewall." A firewall is any configuration of routers, proxy servers, and intervening LANs that serves to limit what kind of communication can pass between the intranet and external networks.
Here we discuss communication and sharing resources over an installed corporate network.