Windows XP was first released 2001 as a general use operating system for home and business computers. The two most common editions were the Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional Edition. The tips here will hopefully be useful to both.

Microsoft Word is the word processing application in Microsoft Office. Word became the premier word processing program in the 1990s.

Microsoft Office Outlook is the email application within the Office Suite of products. It, however, is more than just email. It is a personal information manager. Along with email it provides a calendar, task list, contact management, note taking, journaling, and web browsing. It can be used as a stand-alone application or with Microsoft Exchange Server or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server. The server applications allow organizations to share calendars, folders, mailboxes and meetings.

Microsoft Office PowerPoint is a presentation application. Text, graphics, movies and sound can be incorporated  and organized in slides which can be printed or shown on-screen either in person or online. Speakers notes and handouts can also be incorporated into the file.

Microsoft Office Publisher is a desktop publishing application. It has some of the same features as Word however its main focus is page layout and design. Word's emphasis is on word processing. Publisher is designed so that it can be used with only entry-level skills.