Chapter 5. Getting Help

Windows 7 may be better than any version of Windows before it, but improving something means changing it. And in Windows 7, a lot has changed; otherwise, you probably wouldn’t be reading a book about it.

Fortunately, help is just around the corner—of the Start menu, that is. Windows’s electronic Help system was completely new in Windows Vista and has been further enhanced in Win7; it’s got little videos, links to Web articles, and even links that do certain jobs for you. It may take all weekend, but eventually you should find written information about this or that Windows feature or problem.

This chapter covers not only the Help system, but also some of the ways Windows can help you get help from a more experienced person via your network or the Internet.

Navigating the Help System

All Versions

To open the Help system, choose Start→Help and Support, or press +F1. The Help and Support window appears, as shown in Figure 5-1. From here, you can home in on the help screen you want using one of two methods: using the Search command, or clicking your way from the Help home page.

Search the Help Pages

By typing a phrase into the Search Help box at the top of the main page and then pressing Enter (or clicking the tiny magnifying glass button), you instruct Windows to rifle through its 10,000 help pages—and many more that reside online—to search for the phrase you typed. ...

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