The Control Panel is the Administrative Center on Windows PC's (More so the Windows 9x series than the Windows NT Series, who have their own Administrative Tools).
It basically holds all the shortcuts to small applets, that allow the user to change system-level settings.
Control Panel Options
Windows XP Professional SP2
- Accessibility Options
- Add Hardware
- Add/Remove Programs
- DirectX
- Power Options
- Display
- Fonts
- Mouse
- Keyboard
- Date and Time
- Regional and Language Options
- System
- Sounds and Audio Devices
- Wireless Network Setup Wizard
- Windows Firewall
- Security Center
- Taskbar and Start Menu
- Speech
- Network Setup Wizard
- Automatic Updates
- Data Sources (ODBC)
- Network Connections
- Printers and Faxes
- Scanners and Cameras
- Scheduled Tasks
- Phone and Modem Options
- Portable Media Devices
- Windows Media Connect
- Administrative Tools
- Folder Options
- Game Controllers
- Internet Options
- User Accounts