Windows XP, both Home and Professional versions, includes plenty of interface enhancements. The Task Bar, which includes the Start Menu, has undergone several changes in the new OS.

Start button

Regardless of which Windows operating system you're running, the Start Menu is one of the primary places to accessing programs, files, and settings. If you work steadily with Windows throughout the day, you most likely use the Start Menu frequently.

In Windows XP, Microsoft made several changes to the Start button to make accessing commonly used files, folders, and applications easier. Once you begin using the new Start button, you'll quickly discover that there isn't much of a learning curve for mastering its design and layout. While there was little change in the Start Menu between Windows 98 and Windows Me, Windows XP represents a shift.

Beauty isn't skin deep

The Start button has a new look (see it up close). The rectangular gray button with the Windows flag logo has been dressed up with an anti-aliasing coat. The new Start button is still rectangular, but sports softer edges, a deep lime green color, and is accompanied by a more colorful flag.

Once you click on the Start icon, you'll notice significant differences. For one, the single-panel approach found in all previous Windows versions has been expanded to include two distinct panels. The left panel houses icons for all of the Microsoft applications: Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player (MPXP), MSN Explorer, Windows Messenger, and Windows Movie Maker (a generic video editing application). This could be the company's way of keeping all of its products easily available. However, it could also be a marketing ploy to keep end users in direct contact with the company's products -- thus increasing the chance that a Windows XP user will opt to use a Microsoft product over competing ones. This may be especially true of users who are buying their first computer.

Though the initial installation contains all MS icons, the icons can change, depending on new installations and the apps you use most. The left panel also features a new wizard, designed to help you move settings and files between two PCs. Finally, it also contains an arrow labeled All Programs that, when clicked, brings you to the list of applications you have loaded on your computer. This capability isn't new.