Office XP hits store shelves in just a few weeks. Do you have what it takes to tackle Microsoft's newest suite?

Office XP, which replaces Microsoft's two-year-old Office 2000, boasts a blizzard of add-ons, fixes, enhancements, and tools, from a glitzy speech recognition engine to snazzy new Smart Tags (helpful menus that pop up when you mouse over words, number, or spreadsheet cells). But getting to the meat of Office XP takes time; this huge suite stretches over more than 200 to 300 megabytes. To put its newest tools to work fast, you need a leg up.

That's where CNET comes in. We can help you squeeze more productivity out of this suite and avoid many of its annoying quirks. Read on to learn how to prepare for Office XP, avoid its installation traps, take advantage of the suitewide enhancements, and get the most out of its applications.

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