Opening Documents
Opening documents is one of those tasks that virtually all computer users do several times a day. So
naturally, Windows offers umpteen different ways to do it. Of course, there is no wrong way or right way.
It’s all just a matter of using whichever method is most convenient at the moment. Note that it’s rarely
necessary to open the program first. If you just open the document from Windows, the appropriate
program for working with that document will open automatically we well.
From the Start menu
The My Recent Documents option on the Start menu keeps track of documents you’ve worked with
lately. So one quick and easy way to open a document is to click the Start button and then point to or
click My Recent Documents, as in Figure 3-6. If you see the name of the document you want to open,
just click its name.
Figure 3-6: The My Recent Documents menu, off of the Start menu
If you don’t see a My Recent Documents option on your Start menu, but would like to have one, rightclick
the Start button and choose Properties. Click the Customize button next to Start Menu, and then
click the Advanced tab. Then choose the Show Most Recently Used Documents check box near the
bottom of the dialog box. Close both open dialog boxes, as usual, by clicking their OK buttons.
Windows XP Bible