Chapter1 What Are Windows Live Essentials? In thIs chapter, you wIll: uuDiscover the applications you can add to Windows at no cost uuSet up your own Windows Live ID uuWalk through adding the Windows Live Essentials Applications to your computer uuRun the Windows Live Essentials Applications uuInstall the Windows Live Toolbar uuSearch the Internet with Bing uuAccess Windows Live Applications from the Windows Live Toolbar uuCustomize the Windows Live Toolbar If you are reading this book, then chances are you own a copy of Windows and want to get more from it. While Windows comes with a number of great applications, there are always more applications you can get. While you can lay out hundreds of dollars for software to do things such as produce videos, work with documents, manage your email, track your time, or do a variety of other things, you can also get applications that can do these things for free. Windows Live Essentials is a set of applications that you can download from Microsoft at no cost. There are also Windows Live Services, which are services that you can access and use on the Internet. With these essential applications and services, you can extend what you can do with Windows in many differ- ent ways. 26873c01.indd 1 8/9/09 11:33:19 PM 2 ❘ ChAptEr 1 What are WindoWs Live essentiaLs? Introducing windows live applications When you install Windows Live Applications, which you’ll do later in this chapter, you will be asked to select the applications you want to install. Each application might include some prerequisites; however, in almost all cases, everything you need will be installed at the same time that you install the application. In most cases, these applications will be downloaded to your computer so that you can use them whether you are connected to the Internet or not. The applications you will be able to install include those listed in Table 1.1. Table 1.1 The Windows Live Essentials lIve essentIal BrIef DescrIptIon Messenger this is a program that lets you interact with other people (contacts). You can send text messages, play games, share pictures, and much more. Mail this is an email program that is installed onto your computer. it allows you to access multiple email accounts as well as interact with your calendar, news- groups, feeds, and more. Photo Gallery With this program, you’ll be able to work with pictures and videos. You’ll be able to organize them as well as fix and manipulate them. if you are using Windows vista, then you already have a version of Photo Gallery. Writer this writing program will help you to create blog posts. You’ll be able to post to a Windows Live account as well as to other blogging programs such as Blogger, Live Journal, typePad, and WordPress. Movie Maker Movie Maker will allow you to work with video clips. You’ll be able to cre- ate your own movies with transitions, effects, and a soundtrack using your video clips or images. You’ll even be able to publish the result to the Web or elsewhere. Family safety this is a program for helping to keep kids safe on the internet. You’ll be able to restrict web sites, contacts, time, and more. it provides the tools to moni- tor online usage. toolbar this is an add-on for internet explorer to give you quick access to some of the Windows Live essentials programs as well as to Windows hotmail, search- ing, and more. silverlight* this is a program that provides advanced support for a rich experience. it improves what you can do on Windows Live, the Microsoft sites, and more by supporting better graphics, high-definition video, and more. office outlook these add-in programs extend what you can do with Microsoft outlook and add-in & office Microsoft office. they allow you to store and access information on the Web Live add-in* as well as allow you to pull information from the Web, such as email, to your local machine. *these are secondary programs but are a part of the Windows Live essentials. 26873c01.indd 2 8/9/09 11:33:20 PM introducinG WindoWs Live Applications ❘ 3 In addition to the Windows Live Applications, there are also a few additional Win- dows Live Services that are worth your attention. A few are listed in Table 1.2. These services will also be covered in this book. In addition to the following services, there are several others that are can be found within Windows Live. All of these services are available online, so they require an Internet connection to use. Table 1.2 Windows Live Services servIce BrIef DescrIptIon Windows Live id a unique identifier that you can use to sign into various live services. spaces this is a social networking platform that allows you to also create your own blog. Groups a part of the Windows Live services that allow you to create or join social groups where you can interact or share. skydrive this service provides you storage on the internet where you can place files and share them with others. calendar use an online calendar to manage your time and your appointments as well as to coordinate with others. requirements Not everyone will be able to set up and use the Live Essentials Applications. You need to make sure you are running an acceptable version of Windows and that your com- puter is tough enough. In general, the requirements for running these applications are very similar to what you need to run Windows. Of course, you should make sure you are running the correct version of Windows. You need to be running Windows Vista, Windows 7, or Windows Server 2008. All of the programs, except for Windows Live Movie Maker, will also work on the 32-bit version of Windows XP with Service Pack 2. NOTE In addition to the operating system, there are system requirements your computer must meet. You should have a computer with a 1-GHz or better processor (800 MHz 26873c01.indd 3 8/9/09 11:33:20 PM 4 ❘ ChAptEr 1 What are WindoWs Live essentiaLs? or higher for Windows XP). It is recommended that you have 512MB of RAM in your computer. If you are using Windows XP, you can get away with only having 128MB of RAM; however, 256MB is the recommended minimum if using Windows XP. Because you are downloading these applications from the Internet, you’ll need an Internet connection. If you are using Windows Live Mail, you’ll need to have the con- nection to send and receive mail. You should operate with a minimum resolution of 1024x768. Using Windows at a lower resolution doesn’t give you much area to work with anyway. Additionally, if you plan to use Movie Maker, then you will also need a good video/graphics card. Micro- soft recommends an ATI Radeon 9500 or higher as well as an nVidia GeForce FX 5900 or higher. Odds are, if you are using Windows Aero on Windows Vista or later, you will likely be able to use Movie Maker. The last requirement I’ll mention is a browser. If you are going to use the Windows Live Toolbar, you will need Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later. NOTE Downloading and Installing the windows live applications The first steps to using the Windows Live Applications are to download and install them. You can download and install any or all of the applications that you want. If you choose to not install them all, you can always do the same process over to install any additional applications. 26873c01.indd 4 8/9/09 11:33:21 PM doWnLoadinG and installinG the WindoWs Live Applications ❘ 5 To start the process of installing the Windows Live Applications, you need to first download a file fromdownload.live.com . When you go to this URL, you should find that it is somewhat similar to Figure 1.1. FigurE 1.1 ​The Windows Live download page Web pages evolve with time, so the page you see might be slightly different; however, you should find a link or button to allow you to download the Windows Live Appli- cations. In Figure 1.1, you can see that there is a download button on the right. Click- ing the download button on this page will begin the downloading process. It is most likely that Windows will ask if you want to Run or Save the file being downloaded. You’ll need this file (called wlsetup-web.exe) in order to install the Windows Live Applications. Choose to either Run or Save the program. If you choose to Save the file, then once you download it, you will need to then run it. NOTE 26873c01.indd 5 8/9/09 11:33:22 PM 6 ❘ ChAptEr 1 What are WindoWs Live essentiaLs? Once you’ve downloaded the wlsetup-web.exe file, run it by double-clicking on its icon. You could also have chosen to run this program as a part of the download. When you run this program, you may need to tell Windows to allow the program to run (you’ll need to have administrator rights to your machine). The program will start by showing what is in Figure 1.2. FigurE 1.2 ​Starting the Windows Live Applications Installer Once the installer starts loading, you will be presented with a selection of the various applications you can download and install, as shown in Figure 1.3. 26873c01.indd 6 8/9/09 11:33:23 PM doWnLoadinG and installinG the WindoWs Live Applications ❘ 7 FigurE 1.3 ​Choosing the applications to install You can check the items you want to install.