Datasheet

PART I

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INSTALLATION, CONFIGURATION, AND CUSTOMIZATION

A grab bag of PowerToys

PowerToys are additional programs that Microsoft developers worked on

after Windows XP was released to manufacturing. They add missing func-

tionality to Windows, and even make Windows fun in some cases.

The PowerToys collection is updated from time to time as new applets

are built, or as existing PowerToys gain some features or bug fixes. Here is a

list of PowerToys currently available:

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RAW Image Thumbnailer and Viewer. The RAW format is considered

the most flexible and true-to-life file format (unlike lossy formats such

as JPG). With this PowerToy, you can organize and work with digital

RAW files in Windows Explorer (much as you can with JPEG images).

It also provides thumbnails, previews, printing, and metadata display

for RAW images.

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ClearType Tuner. This PowerToy lets you use ClearType technology to

make it easier to read text on your screen, and installs in the Control

Panel for easy access. It is a definite boon for LCD or laptop users, since

ClearType was initially either on or off, with no easy means of control.

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HTML Slide Show Wizard. This wizard helps you create an HTML slide

show of your digital pictures, ready to place on your Web site.

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Open Command Window Here. This PowerToy adds an Open Command

Window Here context menu option on file system folders, giving you a

quick way to open a command window (cmd.exe) pointing at the

selected folder. Incredibly handy for users who enjoy a command-line

interface.

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Alt-Tab Replacement. With this PowerToy, in addition to seeing the

icon of the application window you are switching to, you will also see a

preview of the page. This helps particularly when multiple sessions of

an application are open. The page preview size is configurable, which

is a big help for people with limited vision.

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Power Calculator. With this PowerToy you can graph and evaluate func-

tions as well as perform many different types of conversions. It won’t

replace your HP scientific calculator but it’s handy nonetheless.

Bright Idea

You can download all the PowerToys for Windows XP at www.microsoft.com/

windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx.

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