Windows Live Essentials and Services: Using Free Microsoft Applications for Windows 7

334 Pages·2009·41.14 MB·English

by  Bradley L. Jones, Marcus Schmidt

™
Windows Live
Essentials and Services
Using Free Microsoft Applications for Windows® 7
Bradley L. Jones
with Marcus Schmidt
Windows Live™ Essentials and Services
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
ISBN: 978-0-470-52687-3
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This book is dedicated to Melissa, Lili, and Aubrey.
—Brad
Credits
Executive Editor Vice President and Executive Publisher
Carol Long Barry Pruett
Project Editor Associate Publisher
Rosanne Koneval Jim Minatel
Technical Editor Project Coordinator, Cover
Mark Coffman Lynsey Stanford
Production Editor Compositor
Tim Tate Maureen Forys, Happenstance Type-O-Rama
Copy Editor Proofreader
Jeri Freedman Publication Services, Inc.
Editorial Director Indexer
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iv
About the Authors
Bradley L. Jones is an international bestselling author and speaker who currently
works for Internet.com. Recognized as a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP),
he is constantly working with technology and using it to help do more. While Bradley
has written a number of books on techie languages, you can also fnd his books on
using the Windows operating system, including Windows XP in 10 Simple Steps or
Less as well as The Windows Vista Bible: Desktop Edition.
Bradley can also be found online at various sites including Codeguru, Developer.com,
HTMLGoodies, Flashkit, and more. You can try to catch him on email or some of the
Live Services as
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the girls in my life for their support. This includes my
wife, Melissa, and my two girls, Lili and Aubrey, whose pictures you’ll see throughout
this book. Time with my family is priceless and writing a book takes a good chunk of
that time. Thus the value of this book is high!
I would also like to acknowledge the support provided by a number of people at
Microsoft and throughout the community. This includes those in the Microsoft
MVP program such as PJ, Brian, and others as well as several local Microsoft’s people
whose indirect support is also appreciated. This includes Bill, Dave, and Larry, who
are always willing to do what they can to lend a hand when asked.
I would like to thank the folks at Wiley who spent countless hours taking the words
I’ve written and turning them into cleaner prose for you to read. Carol, Rosanne, Jeri,
and Mark were all pinnacle in making this book be the best it could be.
Finally, thank you. A book is only good if it gets read. As such, thank you for pick-
ing up this book and taking a few minutes to read it. Hopefully you’ll fnd value in
what is presented. If so, please drop me an email (
Contents at a Glance
Introduction xvii
Chapter 1 What Are Windows Live Essentials? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Chapter 2 Instant Messaging with Windows Live Messenger . . . . . . . 31
Chapter 3 Emailing with Windows Live Mail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Chapter 4 Blogging and Writing with Windows Live Writer . . . . . . . 101
Chapter 5 Managing Pictures with Windows Live Photo Gallery . . . . 135
Chapter 6 Creating Movies with Movie Maker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Chapter 7 Organizing with Windows Live Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . .223
Chapter 8 Socializing with Windows Live Spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
Chapter 9 Interacting with Windows Live Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Chapter 10 Storing Things Online with SkyDrive . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Index 309
Contents
Introduction xvii
Chapter 1 What Are Windows Live Essentials? 1
Introducing Windows Live Applications 2
Requirements 3
Downloading and Installing Windows Live Applications 4
Setting Up a Windows Live ID 11
Editing Your Windows Live Profle 17
Using the Windows Live Toolbar 20
Keeping Tabs on People in Your Network 21
Using Bing: The Search Engine Previously Known as
Live Search 22
Access Windows Live Applications from the
Windows Live Toolbar 24
Viewing Email from the Toolbar 24
Viewing Shared Photos 25
Checking Your Windows Live Calendar 26
Sharing Your Favorites 26
Translating to Other Languages 27
Customizing Your Windows Live Toolbar 28
In Conclusion 30
Chapter 2 Instant Messaging with Windows Live Messenger 31
Signing into Windows Live Messenger 32
Adjusting Sign-In Options 34
Setting Up Contacts and Groups 34
Sending Instant Messages 39
Emoticons 41
Winks 42
Other Icons: Nudge, Voice Clip, Formatting 43
Inviting Others to Join a Conversation 45
Responding When Contacted 46
Blocking People in Messenger 48
Personalizing and Customizing 49
Display Picture 49
Status 51
Scene 52
x ❘ CONTENTS
Mov ing Beyond T e x t 54
Photos 54
Files 55
Video Calls 56
Call 56
Games & Activities 56
In Conclusion 57
Chapter 3 Emailing with Windows Live Mail 59
Understanding Email Accounts 60
Creating a Mail Account 61
The Windows Live Mail Layout 65
Tapping into Existing Mail Accounts 67
Reading a Message 71
Creating a New Mail Message 73
Personalizing Your Email Messages 78
Adding Stationery 79
Creating a Signature 80
Applying a Signature 82
Replying to and Forwarding Messages 83
Working with Attachments 84
Working with Folders 88
Using Contacts 89
Creating New Contacts 90
Organizing Contacts 92
Creating New Contacts Categories 93
Blocking Spam and Unwanted Messages 94
Working with Senders 96
Using RSS Feeds 97
Adding a Feed 97
Using RSS Feeds 99
In Conclusion 99
Chapter 4 Blogging and Writing with Windows Live Writer 101
What Is Windows Live Writer? 102
Starting Windows Live Writer the First Time 102
Setting Up Your Own Blog Area 104
Using Windows Live and Windows Live Spaces 106
Using another Blog Service 106