Introduction To Windows XP

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Faculty Center for Professional Excellence

http://fcpe.adelphi.edu
Introduction to Windows XP
Windows XP, is an operating system which uses a graphical interface to facilitate interaction with the
computer. The figure 1 shows a typical computer “desktop” with a browser program running.
My Computer My Network Places Minimize Restore Close
Title Bar
Recycle Bin
Active program
Start Menu
Task Bar
Figure 1
Introduction to Windows XP Page 1

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Desktop basics
Here is where you find all the tools you need to do your work. The XP Desktop is meant to be analogous
to your real- world desktop.
Look at figure 1. On the left side of the desktop are small pictures called icons that represent certain
folders, applications, or documents. Double-clicking these pictures will open the folder, launch the
application, or open the document. The picture by itself can usually tell you what the icon represents, but
you can also look at the text below the icon. For example: The icon in figure 2 will launch Internet
Explorer when double-clicked. Double click
Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 (Start Button on Task bar)
Figure 6 The Task Bar with minimized applications
There are three special icons on your desktop. It’s important to learn their functions because you will
use them daily. See figures 3-6 above.
My Computer (figure 3)
This icon in the top left-hand corner represents the local components of your computer. Double clicking
on this icon reveals all your disk drives, CD-ROM or USB drives, and network drives. (A further
discussion of this feature is presented on page 5).
The Recycle Bin (figure 4)

Dragging files to this icon deletes them. You may still be able to recover those files if you didn’t empty the
trash bin. Double click on the Recycle Bin to see what files are still remaining.
The Start Menu (figure 5)

This is a series of cascading menus that allow you to launch different applications. Shutdown the computer,
or adjust settings via your control panel.
The Task Bar (figure 6)

When multiple applications are open but minimized (e.g. a word processor and a Web browser), they will
be listed on the taskbar, located at the bottom of your screen. Clicking on an icon will reopen the
minimized application. Clicking the appropriate button on the task bar allows you to switch between these
different applications. Figure 7 is the return to desktop button (located on the taskbar) which
automatically minimizes all the windows that are open (to taskbar) and returns you to the desktop.

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Figure 7 Return to desktop button
Using the Mouse

There are several common ways of manipulating the mouse:
Point Move the mouse and the on-screen pointer (usually an arrow) moves accordingly and
may change its shape depending where on the screen or application it passes over
Click Quickly hit and release the mouse button to activate a filed or icon
Double-click Click the mouse button twice in rapid succession to open a file, folder, application
Drag Hold the mouse button down while moving the pointer- to move a window or icon
Right-click Click with the right mouse button to access the shortcut menu on the desktop (will give
you file properties, or within an application- to save time with menus. You will get a sub-
menu of properties/options within the context of the screen.
Working with Windows

Every program or folder you use opens in a window. A window is always made up of the same basic
elements.
Title Bar This contains the name of the program or folder, and the three so-called “caption buttons,”
or the minimize, restore, and close buttons. Clicking on the blue part of the title bar will make the program
become “active”, allowing you to work with it, and to move the window around your desktop, while
clicking on one of the caption buttons will perform the appropriate action.
Figure 8
Figure 8 shows the following functions:
Close Box Click once to close the window or shut down the application (the X)
Minimize Click once to reduce the window to a button on the task bar (the program is still open,
just hidden)
Maximize (sometimes Restore) Click (box) once to enlarge the window to full screen

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Window Borders and Resizing
All windows have borders, namely boxes that define a window. You may resize a window by first making
it active (click on the title bar), and move your mouse pointer to the corner of a window.
When you see a diagonal arrow (figure 9), click on the left mouse button and you can proportionally
resize your window smaller or larger. Being able to resize your window is important if you wish to have 2
or more applications on your screen, and is useful for transferring files.
Figure 9
Finding a Program
If you don’t see a program icon on the desktop, the program may still be on your PC. To check, click on
the Start button…All Programs and scroll down and across until you find your program. See figure 10.
Figure 10

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Creating a Desktop Shortcut for Program Icons

If you wish to create a shortcut for a program icon not currently on your desktop, you can use the
program listing above and right click on a program icon….Create shortcut. (figure 11) Then return to the
desktop, right mouse click, and paste the shortcut to the desktop, using the submenu.
Figure 11
My Computer
Figure 12

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If you click on the My Computer icon on the desktop, you will get the window in figure 12.
This is a critical window for finding where files are located or placing files in a specific location. From this
screen, you may access files on a diskette, your hard disk (C drive and possible another drive if
partitioned), USB pen device, CD-ROM/ DVD (depending on computer’s hardware), and various
network drives (I, H, J) that are shared by entire departments.
Burning a CD (Saving files to a CD)
In Windows XP, there is no need for an extra CD-burning program like Nero or Easy-CD Creator.
Instead the operating system contains the function of writing files to a CD, whether its CD-R or CD-RW
doesn’t matter. To copy files to a CD, you would:
A. insert a CD into the CD drive
B. Click on My Computer icon and go into the drive where files are located (see figure 13 for example of
using a USB pen drive)
Figure 13
C. Locate the files you wish to copy to the CD-ROM, highlight them and click on the Copy to CD icon as
shown in figure 14. The files are being stored in memory until you are ready to copy them to a CD.
These folders are

listed as the
contents of drive G.
Highlight the file or
folder you wish to
copy, and click on
“Copy to CD”.
Figure 14

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Now you may copy these files and folders to a CD by double clicking on the CD-ROM icon under My
Computer. The files and folders ready to be copy are listed as in figure 15. Click on Write these files to a
CD.
Figure 15
The CD Writing Wizard will walk you through the steps to burn your files to your CD. You can name your
CD, and click Next to copy the files. (figure 16)
Figure 16

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Figure 17
After you copy the files successfully, you will get a confirmation screen (Figure 17). You can then go into
the drive with the copied files and confirm that they were successfully copied.
Finding Files using Search
Let’s say that you created a file a year ago that you need to locate, that you only have partial information on.
You don’t know what the file name is, or where it is on your computer, but you may know a keyword within
the document itself of the document name. Using the Search feature, you can locate that or other
files/folders that fit the criteria you are looking for. Click on Start button and then click on Search (see
Figure 18).

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Figure 18
The Search box is displayed (figure 19), where you need to indicate the type of file (pictures, music, or
video), or documents (word processing spreadsheets), or all files /folders meeting a certain criteria . Choose
all files and folders as in figure 20.
Figure 19 Figure 20
You are then prompted to provide some search criteria that will be used to locate your files (figure 21).
You may use part of a file name, combined with a word or phrase in the file, and even provide approximate
dates and file size as a criteria. Figure 22 indicates a file name search.

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Figure 21 Figure 22
Figure 23
If the search is successful, you will get one or more files/folders displayed that match that criteria (figure 23).
Quitting for the Day
Do not switch off the computer when you are ready to leave for the day. First save all your files and close
all open programs. Then click on the Start Menu… Shut Down…OK. Then, switch off the power to
your monitor.


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Adelphi University

Faculty Center for Professional Excellence

Introduction to Windows XP Page 1

Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 (Start Button on Task bar)

Figure 6 The Task Bar with minimized applications

The Recycle Bin (figure 4)

The Start Menu (figure 5)

The Task Bar (figure 6)

Introduction to Windows XP Page 2

Figure 7 Return to desktop button

Using the Mouse

Working with Windows

Figure 8 shows the following functions:

Introduction to Windows XP Page 3

Window Borders and Resizing

Introduction to Windows XP Page 4

Creating a Desktop Shortcut for Program Icons

Introduction to Windows XP Page 5

Burning a CD (Saving files to a CD)

These folders are

Introduction to Windows XP Page 6

Introduction to Windows XP Page 7

Finding Files using Search

Introduction to Windows XP Page 8

Introduction to Windows XP Page 9

Quitting for the Day

Introduction to Windows XP Page 10

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