Searching Windows Help

One of the primary ways you will use Windows Help is to search for topics. You use the Search text box to find information about a certain topic or troubleshoot a problem you are having. The Windows Help files support text searches, which simply means you can type a keyword or keywords into the Search text box that appears in the upper-right corner of the Help and Support Center dialog box. Then click the Go button. Windows XP Help will then return all possible matches for your subject.

Using Windows Troubleshooters

Within the Windows Help and Support Center interface, you can access a very helpful component called the troubleshooter. The troubleshooter is an HTML interface that appears on the Help and Support Center dialog box. The troubleshooter asks you a series of questions and suggests different actions you can try to resolve a problem you are having. Many troubleshooters are available in the Help files, and they are very easy to use. Just follow the steps in the following section.

Using a Troubleshooter

1. Click Start | Help.
2. In the Help and Support dialog box's Search text box, type the kind of troubleshooter you want. For example, you might type modem troubleshooter, ICS troubleshooter, sound card troubleshooter, and so forth. To see a full list, just type troubleshooter.
   Note Obviously, a troubleshooter does not exist for every possible problem that you might experience with Windows, but there are troubleshooters for most hardware devices.
3. Begin the troubleshooter by clicking an appropriate radio button under What Problem Are You Having? Then click the Next button to continue.
4. Continue following the troubleshooter to attempt to solve the problem.