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Chapter One

 Windows Basics
 Logging On
 The Windows Screen
 Using the Taskbar
 Getting Started
 Working with a Window
 Shutting Down

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WINDOWS BASICS
In Windows, the computer screen is referred to as your desktop and functions similar to a
physical desktop. You can have a calculator, calendar, clock, notepad and multiple
documents all on your computer desktop the same as you might on a physical desktop.

The diagram below illustrates a typical Windows XP desktop:

The difference between a physical desktop and your Windows desktop is that on the computer
screen, all of your utilities and documents are displayed in rectangular windows. The
"windows" can be rearranged on your desktop in any way that you want them (side-by-side,
behind one another, overlapping, or as icons).

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Icons (like the Recycle Bin in the example shown in the bottom right corner of the screen) are
simply pictorial representations of programs, documents, shortcuts, and other items that can
be accessed through Windows.

To open an icon, place the mouse pointer on top of it and click the [LEFT] mouse button twice
rapidly (double-clicking).

Once an icon is opened, its associated application is placed in a rectangular window. Using
the previous diagram, the calculator, the painting program and the game Solitaire are all
displayed in their own windows.

Each window may be manipulated in a variety of ways (e.g., enlarged, moved). Once the
window is closed, the program, document, shortcut, etc. returns to an icon status.

Across the bottom of the Desktop is the Taskbar which is used to quickly access programs,
list the programs currently running and display the current time.

You can choose to have the taskbar always displayed across the bottom of your screen or (to
save space) you can choose to have it only appear when you move your mouse to the bottom
of the screen.

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TYPICAL WINDOWS ICONS

Although only the Recycle Bin is initially placed on your screen,

there are several icons that most users add. Below is a list of
some of the Windows icons that can be added to your desktop:

Use the My Documents folder to access your most-

often used files.

Use My Computer to view and manage the disks,

folders, and files stored on your computer.

If you are connected to a network, use My Network

Places to display a list of computers and resources
on the network.

This icon represents the Recycle Bin folder which

stores your recently deleted files until you choose to
empty the trash.

This icon is used to access the Internet using

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer program.

This icon represents Outlook Express, which is the

Microsoft application used to access and manage
your e-mail.

This application is used to play video,

music and other multimedia files.

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LOGGING ON
Since Windows is designed to be used by multiple users, you will need to log on under your
user account. By having different user accounts, each person can keep their programs and
files separate - even though they are using the same computer.

When you first start your computer, you will be asked to Log On to the system:

To log on, follow the steps outlined below:

 Click on your assigned user name.

 In the box provided, enter your password. If you have forgotten your password and you
have previously provided a password hint, click on to see the hint now.

 After entering your password, press Enter or click on .

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THE WINDOWS SCREEN

Once you log on, the Windows XP desktop will be displayed, as shown below:

When you first begin working with Windows, the only icon on the Desktop is the Recycle Bin
(which contains deleted items). However, as you continue to work with XP, you will probably
want to add icons representing shortcuts to your applications, utilities, folders, documents, and
other often-used objects. Since these icons are only shortcuts, deleting them from your
desktop does not delete the application they represent. Deleting the icon simply removes the
shortcut from your desktop. You can still access the application/object via the Start menu or
My Computer utility.

Along the bottom of the Desktop is the taskbar which contains the Start menu, any opened
applications, and the notification area (where you can take a tour of XP, access Microsoft
Messenger and view the current time).

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USING THE TASKBAR

USAGE: Along the bottom of the screen is the Taskbar which
is used to quickly access programs, documents, help screens, and
Windows settings with the click of a button.

It is also used to display currently running programs so that you

can quickly switch between opened applications (referred to as
multi-tasking).

The far right side of the bar displays various information and alerts.

The taskbar typically consists of the following parts:

This button is used to

access the Start menu which is where
all of your installed programs are
typically listed.

Taskbar Buttons These buttons represent

currently running applications. To
quickly switch to any opened application
click on its corresponding button.

Notification Area This last section is used to

display information and alerts.

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Most of your activity will begin with the button which

displays a menu where you can launch applications, utilities and
accessories. When you click on the button, a pop-up
menu appears, as shown in the diagram below:

Windows displays a list of available items (e.g., programs,

documents, settings) to choose from.

Items containing an arrow indicate additional choices are available.

For example, if you select Windows will provide a
sub-menu displaying all programs installed on your system.

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The following items are available within the Start menu:

Select this item to run Internet Explorer

and begin browsing the Net.

Choose this item to open Outlook

Express so that you can work with your
e-mail.

This program is a basic video-editing

application which allows you to transfer
home movies from your video camera to
your computer for editing purposes.
You can capture stills from the video
and add narration or sound tracks to it.

This multimedia program is used to play

your audio and video files. You can
also copy CDs to your hard drive using
this application.

If you use MSN as your Internet

provider, click on this item to connect to
the Internet.

Click on this item to take a tour of

Windows XP and learn the basics.

Select this item to display the folder

labeled My Documents where
Windows automatically stores your
standard data files. These files typically
do not include video, music or graphics.
They, instead, are stored in separate
folders.

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Select this item to view a list of the most

recently used documents you have
created or have been using. When you
select one of the files, Windows
automatically runs the application
associated with the document and loads
the file for you to begin editing.

Select this item to open the folder

labeled My Pictures where Windows
automatically stores all graphic images
you create and download.

Select this item to open the folder

labeled My Music where Windows
automatically stores all music files you
create or download.

This item displays a list of the installed

disk drives and document folders
located on your system.

This option is used to perform such

actions as adding or removing
programs, installing printers and
hardware, and customizing the Desktop
appearance.

This item is used to install and configure

your printers and faxes.

This item accesses the help screen.

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This option is used to locate files,

folders, and other computers.

This option runs DOS commands,

programs that are not included in your
menu or starts installation of a new
application.

This item is used to log off from the

current user and allows you to log back
on using another ID.

This option is used to shut your system

down, switch to standby mode, or
restart your computer.

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WORKING WITH A WINDOW

USAGE: There are two types of windows within the system:
Application and Document. An application window is the window
containing the actual program you are currently working with (e.g.,
Excel or Word) - which may consist of one or more document
windows. A document window is a sub-window of an application
that contains the current file you are working on. For example,
when working with a word processing application, you may have
two or more documents open simultaneously - each in its own
window.

Application windows contain a menu while document windows do

not. In addition, most document windows cannot be placed outside
of their respective application window. However, some newer
applications display each document in a separate application
window which makes switching between multiple documents
easier.

To efficiently work with Windows XP, you need to be able to control

an individual window. Most windows allow you to change their size
and position.

Each window can be one of three sizes, as discussed below:

 Minimized This temporarily puts aside the

current window and includes it in the taskbar.
The program has not been closed but merely
set aside. You can return to where you left off
by clicking on the taskbar button representing
the program.

 Maximized The current window is enlarged

to take up the full screen. The window cannot
be moved or resized while it is maximized.
This gives you "maximum" working area and is
useful when working within applications, such
as a word processing program.

 Restored This is the size of a window

before maximizing or minimizing. This is the
only setting that you can use to manually
change the window size.

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MINIMIZING A WINDOW

To minimize a window, click on the button shown below:

Click on this button (located in the upper right corner of the

window you wish to minimize).

If you are minimizing a document window, the window

shrinks to a miniature title bar located at the bottom of the
application window. If you are minimizing an application
window, the application is placed as a button on the taskbar.
Keep in mind that if you have minimized an application, it is
still running and that you have only set it aside temporarily.

MAXIMIZING A WINDOW

To maximize a window, click on the button shown below:

Click on this button (located in the upper right corner of the

window you wish to maximize).

The current window expands to fill up the entire screen (or

application window if it was a document window).

TIP: You can quickly maximize a window by double-

clicking on the title bar of the restored window.

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RESTORING A WINDOW TO ITS PREVIOUS SIZE

To restore a window to its previous size:

Click on this button (located in the upper right corner)

If an application window has been minimized to a taskbar

button, point to the button and click once to restore it.

TIP: You can quickly restore a window by double-clicking

on the title bar of the maximized window.

MANUALLY SIZING A WINDOW

Once a window has been restored down to its previous size, it is

possible to manually size it to meet your own specific needs, as
discussed in the steps outlined below:

 When you point to one of the

borders or corners of a window, the mouse
pointer changes to one of these double-sided
arrows.

 If you hold the [LEFT] mouse button down and begin to drag
the mouse, you will be able to change the size of the
window.

When working with application windows, you should

notice this icon (which is located in the bottom right
corner of the window). If you place your mouse
pointer on this icon, the double-sided arrow should
appear - indicating that the window’s size may be
changed.

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MOVING A WINDOW

Once you size a window, you may find it desirable to move it to a

new location on your desktop.

To change the location of a window, follow these three steps:

 Point to the title bar of the window to be moved.

 Click and drag the [LEFT] mouse button so that the window
moves across the screen. Depending on your system’s
settings, you will see a thin outline of the window as it is
being moved or the entire window will be moved.

 Once you have reached the desired location, release the

mouse button. The window will appear in its new location.

NOTE: You cannot move a maximized window since it already

takes up the full size of the screen.

CLOSING A WINDOW

Closing a document window closes the file you are currently

working with while closing an application window actually exits the
program itself. This second operation removes the program from
memory.

Click on this button (which is located in the upper right

corner of the window you wish to close).

NOTE: If you close an application containing a document that

has not been saved, you will be prompted to save the
file before the program is closed.

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SHUTTING DOWN THE SYSTEM

USAGE: While working with Windows, there are many system
and data files open. You should never physically turn your
computer off without first allowing Windows to update, save and
close all of the necessary system files. Doing so, can cause
Windows to be damaged to the point where you cannot work with
your computer. Therefore, you should always let Windows shut
down your system.

Follow the steps outlined below to shut down Windows:

 Click on this button (located on

the taskbar). The following pop-up menu
appears:

 Select from the menu.

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The following box will be displayed:

This option places your computer in a low-power

mode when it is idle but remains available for
immediate use. This is typically used for laptops and
portable devices, but can also conserve power with
desktop systems. Be sure to save your work before
going into standby mode as your data is not saved to
disk if the power fails while in this mode. All
information within the computer’s memory will be lost.

Saves any changes to Windows settings and writes

any unsaved data to the hard drive before turning off
your computer system.

Saves any recent changes to Windows settings and

writes any unsaved data to the hard drive. It, then,
restarts the computer. Use this option if your system
seems to be bogged down or having problems.

 Select one of the three options.

NOTE: If you change your mind and decide you do not want
to perform any of these actions, click on to
cancel this box.

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Microsoft Windows XP
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Chapter Two

 Running Programs
 Switching between Applications
 Arranging Windows
 Accessing Menus
 Working with Dialog Boxes

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RUNNING PROGRAMS
USAGE: The Start menu (located on the taskbar along the
bottom of the Desktop) accesses all of the programs available on
your system. By default, Windows XP will have installed a
standard set of applications, accessories, and utilities that you can
access from this menu. This menu can also be used to locate files
and is a quick way of obtaining help.

 Click on this button to open the

Start menu.

 Select this option to choose from

a list of available programs within Windows
XP.

 Select the program you wish to run from the sub-menu.

To run a second program, repeat the three steps outlined above.

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SWITCHING BETWEEN OPEN APPLICATIONS

Sometimes you will have several applications running at the same

time. It is very easy to keep track of these opened applications
because as you open multiple programs Windows lists each
application along the taskbar at the bottom of the screen.

You may, then, switch between these opened applications by

simply clicking on the application’s name listed on the taskbar.
Once selected, that application becomes the active window.

USING THE KEYBOARD TO SWITCH BETWEEN PROGRAMS

Another way of switching between opened applications is to hold

down the Alt key and tap Tab key. Windows will display a box
showing all opened programs and cycle through each application
by placing a small rectangular border around each program as it
becomes active.

Continue to hold the Alt key down while tapping the Tab key
until the desired application is selected.

Once the desired program’s icon is highlighted, release the Alt

key and Windows will make that program the active window.

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ARRANGING APPLICATION WINDOWS

When running multiple programs simultaneously, you might like to

see more than one program on the screen at once. If so, you can
choose to Cascade or Tile. Cascading windows stacks them on
top of each other - resembling a stack of playing cards. Tiling
arranges each window beside the other (vertically or horizontally).

CASCADING WINDOWS

To cascade opened application windows, follow these two steps:

 While
pointing to a blank spot on the
taskbar, click your [RIGHT]
mouse button once.

 From
the resulting pop-up menu, select
Cascade Windows.

The following diagram illustrates cascaded windows:

Click on the title bar of the application window you want to work on.

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TILING WINDOWS

Tiling windows divides the screen among the opened application

windows so they are displayed side-by-side in the form of "tiles".

To tile opened application windows, follow these two steps:

 While
pointing to a blank spot on the
taskbar, click your [RIGHT]
mouse button once.

 From
the pop-up menu, select Tile
Windows Horizontally or Tile
Windows Vertically

The diagram shown below displays windows tiled horizontally:

Click on the title bar of the application window you want to work on.

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SHOWING THE DESKTOP

If you have several windows open and arranged on the screen,

Windows allows you to quickly minimize all opened windows and
show the Desktop.

This can be useful if you need to leave your computer for a short
time but do not want to close each application.

The information contained within each document you have been

working on will not be seen if someone walks past your computer
and glances at your screen. When you return to your computer,
you will restore the application you want to continue working on.

Follow the steps outlined below to minimize all application

windows:

 While
pointing to a blank spot on the
taskbar, click your [RIGHT]
mouse button once.

 From the pop-up menu, select Show the Desktop.

All opened windows will be minimized and placed on the taskbar

along the bottom of the Desktop.

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WORKING WITH THE MENU

USAGE: The menus within all Windows applications function
basically the same - each menu lists a set of commands. First,
choose the menu you want to open and then select the desired
command from the pull-down menu.

USING THE MOUSE TO ACCESS THE MENU

To access any Windows menu system through the mouse, follow

the steps outlined below:

 Point to the menu you wish to access and then click the
[LEFT] mouse button once.

 When the menu drops down, move the pointer through the
list to the desired command and click the [LEFT] mouse
button again to actually select the option.

USING THE MOUSE TO CANCEL A PULL-DOWN MENU

To cancel a pull-down menu, click on the same menu a second

time.

USING THE MOUSE TO CANCEL A PULL-DOWN MENU

To access any Windows menu system through the keyboard, follow

the steps outlined below:

 Press Alt once to access the menu bar.

 Type the underlined character of the desired menu option.

When the selected pull-down menu appears, type the
underlined character of the desired selection.

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For example, to access the menu labeled “File” (within most

Windows applications) through the keyboard, you would press the
shortcut key combination Alt+f.

TIP: When available, this manual will display the shortcut

key combinations for the various tasks.

USING THE KEYBOARD TO CANCEL A PULL-DOWN MENU

The Esc key is pressed to cancel the current drop-down menu.

If you only press Esc once, however, the menu bar remains
active. You will need to press Esc a second time to exit out of the
menu altogether.

TIP: The quickest way to cancel a pull-down menu is to

press Alt a second time. The first time the key is
pressed, it activates the menu bar. The second time
the key is pressed, the menu bar is deactivated.

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WORKING WITH DIALOG BOXES

USAGE: Beyond the menus available from the menu bar, all
Windows applications use dialog boxes to collect the information
the program requires to carry out your commands. A dialog box is
a sort of input form that allows you to make selections and supply
additional data without having to work through a maze of layered
menus.

Menu options followed by an ellipsis indicate a dialog box is to

follow. Below is a diagram of a generic dialog box. It is not an
actual dialog box from any of the XP applications but, rather, a
sample to illustrate the various parts found in dialog boxes:

A text box is used for you to enter data (e.g., a filename).

The rectangular buttons are referred to as command buttons.

They will perform some command when selected.

Some options have an ellipsis beside them (...). This symbol

indicates that an additional dialog box is available.

A double chevron (>>) indicates the dialog box can be expanded.

List boxes contain lists of files, fonts, colors or other options that
can be chosen from. You get to choose one item from the list.

Radio buttons are small hollow circles that are usually grouped
together to provide a selection of options. The dark circle within a
radio button indicates the current (default) setting. Only one of
these choices can exist at a time.

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The hollow rectangles are known as check boxes. These boxes

are blank or have a checkmark to indicate whether the action
should (with a checkmark) or should not (blank) be carried out.
More than one of these boxes may contain a checkmark. To select
an option, simply click on it. To deselect it, click a second time.

ACCESSING HELP WITHIN DIALOG BOXES

This Help button is available within most dialog boxes. It is

located towards the upper right corner. If you select this
icon, your mouse pointer changes shape and you will be
able to point to the item within the dialog box you would like
help on.

USING THE KEYBOARD WITHIN DIALOG BOXES

To select an option with the keyboard, use the Tab key to move
forward through the options or Shift+Tab key to move
backward.

As you move from one selection to another, a small dotted

"marquee" will appear around the current selection. It is
sometimes hard to see, so you may need to look closely. Once
you are within the desired option area, use your arrow keys to
move to the correct choice and then press the •. If you press this
key more than once, you will deselect an option.

NOTE: If you tap the Alt key, an underlined character will be

added to each selection. A quick way of selecting an
item through the keyboard is to hold down the Alt
key and tap the corresponding underlined character.

After making your selections, choose or press Enter to

accept the changes and return to your document.

To cancel out of a dialog box without saving the changes, click on

or press the Esc key.

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Chapter Three

 Working with My Computer

 Changing Views
 Working with Windows Explorer
 Moving/Copying/Deleting Items
 Creating Folders
 Searching for Objects
 Working with the Recycle Bin
 Creating & Using Shortcuts

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WORKING WITH MY COMPUTER

USAGE: My Computer is an easy tool for exploring the
contents of your folders, files, network drives, and printers. In
addition, you can use My Computer to copy, move, rename and
delete items from your system. You can also perform various tasks
associated with your system (such as printing, displaying slide
shows, and publishing files to a web site).

To access My Computer, follow the steps outlined below:

 From your desktop,

click on this button to access the Start
menu.

 Select this option to access My

Computer.

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The following window will be displayed:

There is a menu across the top of the window along with a toolbar.

Down the left side of the window are three collapsible panes.

The Tasks pane provides a list of tasks for the currently selected
folder or object.

The Other Places pane displays a list of folders you can access
through the current folder.

The Details pane displays information about the currently selected

file or folder (such as the file type and date the file was last
modified).

Each pane collapses to a title bar to save space on your screen.

Simply click on the pane’s title bar to collapse it. Once collapsed,
click the title bar a second time to expand the pane.

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The center of the window contains the following information:

Files Stored on This Computer This list displays the shared

folders available to the current
user.

Hard Disk Drives This list displays the

hard drives installed on the
computer.

Devices with Removable This list displays all

removable
Storage devices
(such as floppy disks, CD drives,
and Zip drives).

Network Drives This list displays

any network drives installed on
your system to which you are
currently attached.

If you have a camera or scanner connected to your system, they

will be displayed below the list of network drives.

CHANGING VIEWS

Although the objects within a folder default to being shown as

Tiles, there are several other views available while working with My
Computer. Tiles show large icons and sorting information. If you
need to see more information (such as the file type, their size, and
the date they were last modified), you can switch to Details view. If
you are viewing photographs, you might want to switch to
Thumbnail or Filmstrip view to see each photo.

To change the view, you can either access the View menu or use
the toolbar, as shown below:

Click on the down arrow beside this tool

(which is located across the top of the My
Computer window) and then choose the view
you wish to switch to.

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If you are viewing a list of folders that contain pictures and you are
working in Thumbnail view, XP will display four of the photos
contained within the folder on the folder’s icon, as shown below:

If the view contains several photo folders, it may take several

minutes for XP to update the folder’s thumbnail picture.

To actually view the photos within a folder, double-click on the

folder’s icon to display thumbnails of each picture, as shown below:

If you have many pictures in a folder, it may take XP several

minutes to update each thumbnail.

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When viewing a folder containing pictures, an additional view

option (called Filmstrip) will be available.

This view allows you to see a larger display of the currently

selected picture in the top portion of the window.

In addition, this view allows you to adjust the window size to

increase/decrease the display size of the current photo.

There are buttons to display the previous and next picture and also
to rotate the currently displayed picture.

NOTE: Be careful when using the rotate option on pictures!

XP will automatically replace the original photo with
the rotated version. You should make a backup copy
of the original picture before choosing to rotate a
photo.

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Icons view is similar to the Tiles view but displays smaller icons
and does not include sorting information:

The List view offers an alphabetized listing of each item name:

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The Details view offers more detailed information about each

object. For example, when viewing the details of storage devices,
you will see the name of the device, the type of storage device, the
capacity (total size) and the amount of free space available.

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ARRANGING YOUR DATA

If you are working in the ”Details” view and wish to arrange (sort)
the information regarding your files based on one of the column
headings, you can easily do so by clicking on the column header.
When viewing the top level of My Computer (the one listing all of
your drives), clicking on a column header will organize your drives
according to the name, type or size. When viewing the actual
contents of a drive or folder, clicking on a column header will sort
that column in ascending (A-Z) or descending (Z-A) order.

Click once to sort in ascending order. Notice that an arrow

appears - indicating the current sort order for the selected column.
Click a second time on the same heading to sort in descending
order. The arrow will change direction to show the new sort order.

If you’re working in one of the icon views, you can arrange the
icons by following these steps:

 Click
your [RIGHT] mouse button while
pointing to a blank area.

 Select Arrange Icons By  from the pop-up menu.

 From
the sub-menu, select the way in
which icons should be arranged.

In addition to sorting the icons by name, size, type and when they
were last modified, you can break them into groups or have XP
automatically arrange them. The last option (Align to Grid) is used
to align the icons evenly if you are manually arranging them.

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DISPLAYING A PARENT FOLDER

As you view the contents of a drive, you will notice that each folder
you open takes you further down the hierarchy of your system. If
you are working with a computer containing a folder with several
sub-folders, you may want to move up one level at a time. The
folder above the current one is referred to as the “parent” folder.

The fastest way to move up one level at a time is to

click on this button (located on the toolbar).

SELECTING PREVIOUSLY VIEWED OBJECTS

Click on this button to move back through your

previously viewed items - one at a time. If you click
on the down arrow to the right of the button, you
can choose from a pull-down list of previously viewed
objects (e.g., drives or folders).

If you have been cycling back to previously viewed

items, you can click on this button to move forward
through your list of viewed items - one at a time. If
you click on the down arrow to the right of the
button, you can choose from a pull-down list of
previously viewed objects (e.g., drives or folders).

USING THE ADDRESS BAR

To quickly select another drive on your system (without moving

through previously viewed objects), access the Address Bar:

Click on the down arrow

(located to the far right
of the Address Bar) to
access a pull-down list of
available drives. From the
list provided, click on the
drive you wish to access.

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RENAMING AN OBJECT
USAGE: You might decide after saving a file or creating a
folder that you assigned the wrong name to it or misspelled it. If
this occurs, you can rename the object.

To rename a file or folder, follow the steps outlined below:

 Select the object to be renamed.


Choose Rename this file
from the “File and Folder Tasks”
pane (located along the left side
of the My Computer window).

The selected object’s name will be highlighted, as illustrated below:

 When you see the name highlighted, you may begin

entering a new name. As you start typing, the original name
will be replaced with the new entry.

 When done, press Enter.

TIP: You can also rename an object by clicking on it twice

(slowly). If you click once on an object, it will become
selected. If you click a second time, you will be able to
rename it. When done, click away. Be careful not to
double-click on the object or you will be running it!

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MOVING/COPYING FILES AND FOLDERS

USAGE: There will be times when working with Windows XP
that files or folders will need to either be moved to a new location
or copied from one location (disk drive) to another.

SELECTING CONTIGUOUS FILES/FOLDERS

To select a group of contiguous files or folders, follow these steps:

 Click on the first file or folder to be selected.

 While holding down the Shift key, click on the last file or
folder to be selected. All files between the first and last
selected file or folder will be included in the selection.

SELECTING NONCONTIGUOUS FILES/FOLDERS

To select noncontiguous files or folders, follow these two steps:

 Click on the first file or folder to be selected.

 While holding down the Ctrl key, click on each additional
file or folder to be selected.

TIP: To quickly select all objects within the current view,

press Ctrl+a or access the Edit  Select All menu.

TIP: You can also select a group of items by

clicking the [LEFT] mouse button on an empty space
and dragging a boxed outline around the items you
wish to include.

If you use the [RIGHT] button, the shortcut

menu will appear when you release the mouse
button.

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MOVING FILES OR FOLDERS

To move a file or folder, follow the steps outlined below:

 Select the item(s) to be moved.


Choose Move this file
from the “File and Folder Tasks”
pane (located along the left side
of the My Computer window).

 Choose the new location for the selected item(s) from the list
of available drives and folders. You can move the selected
item into a new folder by selecting where the new folder
should be located and then clicking on .

 When done, click on .

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COPYING FILES OR FOLDERS

To copy a file or folder, follow the steps outlined below:

 Select the item(s) to be copied.

 Select
Copy this file from the “File and
Folder Tasks” pane (located
along the left side of the window).

 Choose the new location for the selected item(s) from the list
of available drives and folders. You can copy the selected
item into a new folder by selecting where the new folder
should be located and then clicking on .

 When done, click on .

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DELETING/UNDELETING ITEMS
USAGE: There will probably be times when you will want to
remove unwanted files and/or folders. The first thing you will need
to do is select the files/folders you wish to remove.

To remove unwanted files or folders, follow these three steps:

 Select the item(s) to be removed.

 Select
Delete this file from the “File
and Folder Tasks” pane (located
along the left side of the My
Computer window).

 You will be asked to confirm the deletion.

UNDELETING FILES OR FOLDERS

If you change your mind after deleting a file or folder, you can
undelete it by accessing the Edit  Undo menu.

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WORKING WITH THE RECYCLE BIN

USAGE: The Recycle Bin is used by XP to store deleted items.
Whenever you delete an item it is placed in the Recycle Bin folder.
The Recycle Bin keeps the deleted files until you specifically
instruct Windows to empty the bin. You can undelete/restore one
or more files that have previously been deleted (sent to the recycle
bin).

TIP: If you hold the Shift key down when you delete an
item, it is permanently deleted instead of first being
placed in the Recycle Bin.

Double-Click on the Recycle Bin

TIP: To access the Recycle Bin from within the Explorer

window, click on the Recycle Bin icon (located
towards the bottom of the folder list).

The Recycle Bin window appears - listing all of the items that have
previously been deleted. Choose the Details view to display the
date each file was deleted.

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RESTORING A DELETED ITEM

To restore an item placed in the Recycle Bin, follow these steps:

 Select the item you wish to restore.

 Choose this task -

from the left side of the Recycle Bin
window.

RESTORING ALL DELETED ITEMS

To restore all items within the Recycle Bin, follow these two steps:

 Be sure no single item has been selected.

 Choose this task -

from the left side of the Recycle Bin
window.

EMPTYING THE RECYCLE BIN

To empty the Recycle Bin, follow these two steps:

 Be sure no single item has been selected.

 Choose this task -

from the left side of the Recycle Bin
window.

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To quickly empty the Recycle Bin directly from the Desktop, follow
these two steps:

 Point to the Recycle Bin icon on

the Desktop and click your [RIGHT] mouse
button once.

 From
the pop-up menu, select Empty
Recycle Bin.

CLOSING THE RECYCLE BIN

Click on this button (which is located in the top right corner)

to close the Recycle Bin window.

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WORKING WITH WINDOWS EXPLORER

USAGE: The Windows Explorer is the main interface through
which you interact with Windows XP. You use the Explorer to
access your drives, folders, files, and other system resources.

The Explorer runs the Desktop, taskbar, and all of the other visual
components within Windows XP. However, we typically see the
Explorer only when working within an Explorer window (such as My
Computer, Network Connections, Control Panel, etc.)

The Explorer operates in two modes: Open and Explorer. The

open mode displays a single folder or drive at a time and provides
task panes along the left side of the window for quick and easy
access to your most commonly used functions. When you run My
Computer, you are basically opening the My Computer folder within
the Explorer.

The Explorer mode replaces the task panes with a Folders pane.
This pane displays your drives and folders in a hierarchal format
(referred to as a Directory Tree). If you are used to quickly moving
up and down a directory with your mouse, you will probably prefer
working within the Explorer mode over the Open mode.

To switch from Open mode to Explorer, click on this

button (which is located on the toolbar).

To access Explorer directly from your desktop, follow these steps:

 Click on this button

(located on the taskbar) to access the
Start menu.

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The Start menu will be displayed, as shown below:

 Select All
Programs to choose from a list of all
available programs.

 Choose
Accessories from the sub-menu

 Select Windows
Explorer from the list of available
accessories.

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The Explorer window will appear, as illustrated below:

By having an efficient filing system, you can easily locate a file. On

computers, folders are used to accomplish this task. Each folder
on a disk is used to store a different group of files or additional
folders. Because hard drives have the capacity of storing
hundreds or thousands of files, it is essential to organize these files
in a manner which is as structured as possible so that finding them
is simple.

To display the files for a particular computer, disk drive, or folder

simply select the object you wish to display from the left side of the
window and Explorer will list the contents of the selected object on
the right side of the window.

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ICONS WITHIN EXPLORER

Along the left side of the window you may see these icons:

The Desktop icon represents your entire desktop,

which includes your computer, drives, folders, and
other computers you have access to.

The Computer icon represents your computer

system.

The Floppy Drive icon represents floppy drives.

The Hard Drive icon represents installed hard drives.

The Shared Drive icon represents a drive or folder

on your system that has been shared with other
users.

The Removable Drive icon represents a drive (such

as a Zip drive or a Compact Flash Reader) that is
removable from your system.

The CD ROM Drive icon represents any CD ROM

drives that may be installed on your system.

The Network Drive icon represents a drive letter that

is connected to another computer.

The Folder icon represents existing folders.

In addition to the icons shown above, Explorer provides quick

access to some of the system objects via the following icons:

The Control Panel folder provides access to various

system settings, such as modems, mouse, network,
passwords, and sound.

The My Documents folder contains frequently used

documents and templates for new files.

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The My Network Places icon is used to display

additional computers on your network and to provide
access to their resources (e.g., drives or printers).

The Recycle Bin folder contains any deleted items.

The Internet Explorer icon is used to launch

Microsoft’s Internet browser application.

There are also icons along the right side of the Explorer window
that represent various types of objects, as listed below:

The Folder icon represents existing folders.

This icon represents a video or audio clip that can be

played with the Windows Media Player.

The Generic icon represents files that the Explorer

cannot associate with any application.

The Text icon represents a text file that can be

opened and modified using Notepad or any other text
editor.

EXPANDING/COLLAPSING ICONS

An icon in the left portion of the window containing a

plus sign indicates that the icon may be expanded to
display information stored beneath it.

An icon containing a minus sign indicates that the

icon has been expanded and can now be collapsed to
hide the information stored beneath it.

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MOVING WITH DRAG & DROP

You learned how to move and copy objects using My Computer but
you can also move or copy items using Drag & Drop within
Explorer. This feature allows mouse users to "drag" an item to a
new location. Once the location is reached, you "drop" the
selected item off.

To move an item or group of items using the drag & drop feature,
follow the steps outlined below:

 Select the file(s) or folder(s) to be moved - from within the

right pane of the Explore window.

 Point to one of the selected items but do not click.

 Begin dragging the selected item(s) with your [RIGHT]

mouse button to the location in the directory tree within the
left pane. Do not use the [LEFT] mouse button to drag!

 When you reach the

correct location, release the mouse
button. A pop-up menu will appear
asking if you want to move or copy the
selected item(s). Choose Move Here
from the list.

NOTE: If you are dragging an object to a location on the same

drive, Explorer will assume you want to move the item
and will automatically bold that selection in the pop-up
menu. However, if you are dragging the object to
another drive, Explorer will assume you want to copy
the item rather than move it.

NOTE: You can also move an object by dragging it with the

[LEFT] mouse button. However, if you are moving to
a different drive, you will need to hold the Shift key
while dragging in order to ensure the object is moved
rather than copied. Be sure to let go of the mouse
button first once you reach the destination.

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COPYING WITH DRAG & DROP

To copy an item or group of items using the drag & drop feature,
follow the steps outlined below:

 Select the file(s) or folder(s) to be copied - from within the

right pane of the Explore window.

 Point to one of the selected items but do not click.

 Begin dragging the selected item(s) with your [RIGHT]

mouse button. Do not use the [LEFT] mouse button to
drag!

 When you reach the

correct location, release the mouse
button. A pop-up menu will appear
asking if you want to move or copy the
selected item. Choose Copy Here from
the pop-up list.

NOTE: If you are dragging an object to a location on the same

drive, Explorer will assume you want to move the item
and will automatically bold that selection in the pop-up
menu. However, if you are dragging the object to
another drive, Explorer will assume you want to copy
the item rather than move it.

NOTE: You can also copy an object by dragging it with the

[LEFT] mouse button. However, when copying to the
same drive, you will need to hold down the Ctrl key
while dragging in order to ensure the object is copied
rather than moved. Be sure to let go of the mouse
button first once you reach the destination

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CREATING FOLDERS
USAGE: To define your own levels of organization, you can
create a hierarchy of folders that can be used to organize your
documents. For example, you could have a folder named
Documents which may contain two sub-folders labeled Business
and Personal. All business documents would be stored within the
Business folder while all personal documents would be stored
within the Personal folder. Having the two separate folders would
allow you to keep your business and personal files stored
separately.

To create a new folder, follow the steps outlined below:

 Select the drive/folder (from the left side of the Explorer

window) under which the new folder should be placed.

 Access the following menu:

MENU:
file
new 


Choose
folder from the sub-menu.
Explorer will add the new
folder to the bottom of
your list, as shown below:

 Enter a name for new folder - up to 255 characters.

 When done, press Enter.

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RENAMING FILES/FOLDERS
USAGE: Once a document or folder has been created, you
may decide that its name is not descriptive enough and that you
would like to assign a different name to it.

Follow the steps outlined below to rename a file or folder:

 Click once to select the file or folder to be renamed.

 Click a second time to edit the file or folder’s name.

NOTE: Be careful - clicking twice too quickly will open the

file/folder!

 A cursor appears indicating that you may now edit the

existing file or folder name.

Use the normal editing keys (e.g., ¢, =, R, and Q) to edit

the name. The file or folder name can contain up to 255
characters - including spaces.

NOTE: If a file name ends with an extension (3 characters

after a period), do not remove that portion from the
filename. Windows uses that extension to identify the
file type and application associated with the file.

 When done, press Enter.

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SEARCHING FOR OBJECTS

USAGE: Explorer provides an extensive search feature that
allows you to locate files, folders and other objects stored on your
system.

SEARCHING FOR FILES AND FOLDERS

To search for files or folders, follow the steps outlined below:

 Click on the Search button

(located on the toolbar across the top of the
Explorer window).

You will be asked what you want to search for:

 Select the type of object (pictures, documents, computers,

help, etc.) you are searching for from the list provided.

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If you had selected , you will now be able to enter

your search criteria::

 In the box labeled All or part of the file name, enter the
name of the file or folder you are searching for. If you
cannot remember the entire name, you can enter part of the
name.

(OPTIONAL)  If you cannot remember any part of the

file name, use the box labeled A word or phrase in the file
to instead enter a phrase or sentence from the file you are
searching for.

TIP: If you are unsure of the exact spelling of the criteria

you are entering (file name, document text), you can
use the wildcard character (*) in your search. For
example, if you entered B* as your search criteria,
Explorer would locate all files/folders beginning with
the letter B.

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(OPTIONAL)  If you want Explorer to only search for

the file or folder on a specific drive, click on the down arrow
beside the Look in box and select the drive you wish to
search on.

(OPTIONAL)  Click on When was it modified to

narrow the search to only those files saved on a specific
date.

(OPTIONAL)  Click on What size is it to narrow the

search for files of a specific size.

(OPTIONAL)  Click on More advanced options to

include system, hidden and sub-folders in your search, to
make the search case sensitive, and to search a tape
backup if one is available.

 When done, click on to begin the search.

NOTE: If you change your mind and want to stop the search,
simply click on when you see the search
status screen.

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If the search was successful, the right window pane will display the
files and/or folders matching your search criteria.

The left pane will display the following information:

If the search resulted in locating too many files or folders, you can
choose to redefine it to narrow your search criteria.

You can also sort the results by category or customize a view for
displaying the search results.

If you have finished reviewing the search results and would like to
now search for another object, click on to return to the
original screen.

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VIEWING THE LIST OF FOUND FILES

As the search begins, the right window pane will display the list of
files matching your criteria, as illustrated below:

You can sort the file listing by clicking on the column heading on
which you want to arrange the files. For example, if you click on
the Name column heading, the files will be displayed in ascending
(A-Z) order. If you click a second time on the same column
heading, the list will be displayed in descending (Z-A) order.

If you double-click on any of the files in the list, the application that
the file was created in will be executed and the file will be opened -
ready to begin editing.

NOTE: If you click your [RIGHT] mouse button while pointing

to one of the files, you will be able to cut, copy,
rename or delete the file.

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WORKING WITH SHORTCUTS

USAGE: Shortcuts are icons that provide a quick means of

opening a file or folder or to launch a program. They can be added
to the Desktop, the Quick Launch toolbar or the Start menu. A
shortcut is a pointer to an existing object (e.g., file, folder, disk) but
is not a copy of it.

PLACING A SHORTCUT ON YOUR DESKTOP

To place a shortcut on your desktop, follow these steps:

 From within Explorer or My Computer window, select the

object for which you want to create a shortcut.

 While
pointing to the selected object,
click the [RIGHT] mouse button
once and select Send To  from
the pop-up menu.

The options within this pop-up

menu will vary depending on the
type of item you have selected.


From the
sub-menu, choose
Desktop (create
shortcut).

From the Desktop, check to see that your shortcut has been
added. You can, then, edit the shortcut’s name by clicking on it
twice (slowly) or by highlighting it and pressing @.

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PLACING A SHORTCUT IN THE START MENU

To place a shortcut in the Start menu, follow these steps:

 Select the object for which you want to create a shortcut.

 Drag the selected

object to the Start button (which is
located along the left side of the
taskbar). Do NOT release the mouse
button!

 After a brief delay, the menu will open. Drag the object to
the menu item to be associated with the selected object.

 To place the object in an existing sub-menu, drag the object

on top of the menu item and wait until the menu opens.
Next, drag the object to the desired sub-menu.

A horizontal line appears ( ) as you drag the object -

indicating where the shortcut will be placed when you
release the mouse button.

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MOVING A SHORTCUT

Moving a shortcut from the Desktop to a new location is a simple

matter of clicking and dragging.

To move a menu shortcut involves the steps outlined below:

 Select the menu shortcut you wish to move by highlighting it

- without actually clicking on it!

 Once highlighted, click and drag the shortcut to the new

menu location. A horizontal line appears ( ) as you drag
the object - indicating where the object will be placed when
you release the mouse button.

 When you reach the desired location, release the mouse

button. The shortcut will have been placed in the new
menu.

DELETING SHORTCUTS

You may decide that a shortcut is no longer needed and should be

removed from your desktop.

To remove an unwanted shortcut from the Desktop, follow the two

steps outlined below:

 Select the shortcut you wish to remove.

 Drag the shortcut into the .

NOTE: When you drag a shortcut to the Recycle Bin,

Windows will ask you to confirm the deletion.

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To remove a shortcut from the Start menu, follow these steps:

 Point to the
unwanted shortcut and then click the
[RIGHT] mouse button once.

 From the pop-up list of options, select Delete.

NOTE: When you delete a shortcut from the Start menu,

Windows will ask you to confirm the deletion.

UNDELETING SHORTCUTS

If you accidentally deleted a shortcut and want to restore it, you

can do so by following the steps outlined below:

 Double-Click on the Recycle Bin

(which is located on the Desktop).

 Select the shortcut to restore from the list of deleted items.

 Click on this task -

which appears on the left side of the
Recycle Bin window when an item is
selected.

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Chapter Four

 Customizing the Desktop

 Customizing the Taskbar & Start Menu
 Working with the Control Panel

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CUSTOMIZING THE DESKTOP

USAGE: Since you will access your desktop on a daily (or
regular) basis, you will want to customize it to suit your particular
needs/wants. For example, just as you would decide what colors
to have in your office, you can customize your desktop colors.

Windows XP allows you to customize your desktop in a variety of

ways. You can rearrange your icons, change background colors
and patterns, customize the screen saver, customize Windows
colors, and change video resolution.

Before continuing, be sure that the Desktop is visible.

Follow these two steps to customize your desktop:

 Click
your [RIGHT] mouse button while
pointing to a blank spot on your
desktop.

 Select the desired option to customize from the pop-up

menu.

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ARRANGING ICONS

When working with Windows XP, you should know that icons are
used to represent computers, folders, and programs/documents
stored on your computer system.

As you add shortcuts and new icons to your desktop, you may
notice that they are placed randomly on your desktop which can
become messy if you add several icons. You can reorganize your
desktop by rearranging the icons by name, type, size or date.
These are the same choices as arranging icons through the
Explorer window.

Although you can rearrange them manually by clicking and

dragging them to their new location, you can also instruct Windows
to Auto Arrange the icons, which will automatically arrange new
icons.

To arrange icons on your desktop, follow these three steps:

 Click
your [RIGHT] mouse button while
pointing to a blank spot on the
Desktop.

 Select Arrange Icons By  from the pop-up menu.


From the top
of the sub-menu, select
the way in which icons
should be arranged.

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ALIGNING THE ICONS ON YOUR DESKTOP

If you have a tendency to manually rearrange the icons on your

desktop, you may find that after awhile the icons no longer look
neatly arranged.

If you like the icons to be neatly arranged in rows and columns, you
can have Windows re-align and evenly space your icons.

Before continuing, be sure that the Desktop is visible.

To align the icons on your desktop, follow these steps:

 While
pointing to a blank spot on your
desktop, click your [RIGHT]
mouse button.

 Select Arrange Icons By  from the pop-up menu.


Select Align
to Grid from the sub-
menu.

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CHANGING THE DESKTOP APPEARANCE

You can customize the appearance of your desktop by changing

background colors, changing the colors of your windows, or adding
pictures to your background.

To change the Desktop appearance, follow these steps:

 Click
your [RIGHT] mouse button while
pointing to a blank spot on the
Desktop.

 Select Properties from the resulting pop-up menu.

 Using the five tabs (displayed on the next several pages),

set the options you would like to customize your desktop.

 Once you have customized the Desktop, click .

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The tab labeled Themes is used to quickly change the entire look
of your desktop by selecting one of the built-in themes. Each
theme consists of a custom background, associated colors, font
styles and sizes, sounds, mouse pointers, icons and a screen
saver.

Click on the down arrow beside the section labeled Theme to

specify which theme you would like applied to your desktop. Notice
the sample in the middle of the dialog box offers a preview of the
currently selected theme.

Click on to apply the selected theme to your desktop.

You can create a custom theme by selecting one from the list and
then modifying it. Once you have customized the theme, click on
to save it. You’ll be asked to assign a name to it.

If you have saved a custom theme and now want to remove it from
the list, select it from the pull-down list and then click .

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By default, Windows XP displays the graphic “Bliss” on your

desktop. However, you can use the tab labeled Desktop to specify
another background pattern or image that will be displayed.

Scroll through the list of available backgrounds or if you prefer

using one of your own pictures, you can click on to
search your system for the file.

Click on the down arrow beside the box labeled Position to

specify how to position the selected image on your screen. You
can choose to tile the picture across the entire screen, place it in
the center of the screen or stretch it to fit the screen.

Click on the down arrow beside the box labeled Color to specify
a background color to apply to your desktop. You can only use this
option if you have not assigned a background picture.

Click on to specify which items should be

displayed on your desktop.

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The tab labeled Screen Saver displays the following dialog box
that is used to set or change your screen saver:

The computer screen at the top of this dialog box provides a

sample of the currently selected screen saver. To view the current
screen saver, click on .

Click on the down arrow beside the box labeled Screen saver
to specify which screen saver you would like to activate.

You will also be able to specify the time to wait (if there is no
mouse or keyboard activity) before the screen saver is activated.
Click on to increase or decrease the wait time.

To protect your system, you can add a password so that once the
screen saver is activated, that password will be required to access
your computer.

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Each screen saver has its own unique settings which may be
modified. For example, if you select Marquee as the type of
screen saver, you can add your own personalized message text.

You can also modify the font and colors being applied to the
marquee text and background, the screen position for the text, and
the speed at which the marquee moves across the screen.

Click on to modify the current screen saver.

Notice the bottom section of the dialog box allows you to set
energy saving options for your monitor, such as switching to
standby mode after a set amount of idle time (when the computer
is not in use).

Click on to adjust your current computer power

settings.

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The tab labeled Appearance displays the following box:

The sample across the top displays the currently selected choices.

Windows Click on the down arrow beside this

box to
and buttons select either the new XP style buttons or
the classic Windows buttons.

Color scheme Click on the down arrow beside this box to

select the color scheme you would like applied.

Font size Click on the down arrow beside this

box to select a font size for text items on the
Desktop.

Click on to specify what visual effects (if any) you

would like applied. For example, you can choose to display a fade
effect and/or shadows when using menus.

Click on to further customize the size and color of

desktop items.

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The tab labeled Settings displays the following box:

This tab defines the screen resolution and the number of colors
your computer can display. The options available will depend on
the video graphics card and monitor installed on your system.

Screen resolution Drag the slider to increase or

decrease the resolution (quality) of your
monitor.

Color quality Click on to select the number

of colors that can be displayed on your
screen.

If you are having display problems, click on to display

the Troubleshooting Wizard, which will attempt to determine the
problem and help you to fix it.

Click on to change the video card adapter and other

display settings.

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CUSTOMIZING THE TASKBAR AND START MENU

USAGE: As you know, the taskbar is used to quickly switch
between active applications and is located at the bottom of the
screen. Whenever you run an application, the taskbar appears on
top of any other window so that it is always available. The name of
each program that is running is placed on the taskbar. However,
the more applications you have running, the smaller the icons
become.

You can adjust the taskbar to show more than one line of icons.

RESIZING THE TASKBAR

To stretch the taskbar out so that you can see more than one line
of icons, follow these three steps:

 By
default, the taskbar is locked and
cannot be resized so your first
step will be to unlock it.

While pointing to the taskbar,

click your [RIGHT] mouse button
and choose Lock the Taskbar to
deselect this option.

 Once the taskbar has been unlocked, XP adds a small

border to the top edge of the taskbar (shown below). Point
to this top border until you see a double-sided arrow .

 Click and drag the border until the taskbar reaches the
desired size. When done, release the mouse button.

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REPOSITIONING THE TASKBAR

By default, the taskbar appears across the bottom of your screen

and is locked so that it cannot be moved. However, you can unlock
it and then move it to the top or along the left or right border, as
outlined in the steps below:

 Be
sure to unlock the taskbar.

If locked, point to the taskbar and

click your [RIGHT] mouse button.
From the pop-up menu that
appears, choose Lock the
Taskbar to deselect this option.

 Once unlocked, point to the clock on the taskbar and begin

dragging the bar to the left, right or top borders. When the
taskbar is in place, release the mouse button.

TASKBAR BUTTON GROUPING

When the taskbar becomes too crowded, XP combines multiple

windows within a single application and groups them together as
one button. For example, if you have four Explorer windows open,
XP might display a single button to represent them all.

Click on the taskbar button representing the program and then

select the actual window you wish to access. To close all of the
windows, point to the taskbar button and click your [RIGHT] mouse
button. Choose Close Group from the pop-up menu.

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CUSTOMIZING THE NOTIFICATION AREA

The notification area (also referred to as the System Tray) is

located along the far right side of the taskbar and contains the
clock as well as information and alerts when appropriate.

By default, the notification area is collapsed so that only the icons

you have most recently used are displayed.

Click on (which is located along the left side of the notification

area) to expand it and display all of the other available icons.

Once opened, you can click on the button to collapse it again.

To customize the notification area, follow the steps outlined below:

 While
pointing to the notification area,
click your [RIGHT] mouse button.

 From the pop-up menu that appears, choose Customize

Notifications...

 A dialog box containing options for customizing the

notification area is displayed. Use this box to specify when
an icon should be displayed.

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The following options are available:

From the list provided, select a notification item and then choose
what behavior that item should have.

For each item listed, you can choose to hide it when it is inactive,
always hide it or always show it.

Click on the button to reset the original options

within this dialog box.

 When done, click on .

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TASKBAR AND START MENU PROPERTIES

You can customize the taskbar and Start menu to display exactly
what you most often want to see so that working with XP is as easy
as possible. For example, you can choose to automatically hide
the taskbar so that it is not distracting and can switch to the earlier
Windows version of the Start menu if you feel more comfortable
working with that one.

To customize the taskbar and Start Menu properties, follow the

steps, as outlined below:

 Point
to a blank spot on the taskbar
and click your [RIGHT] mouse
button once.

 From the pop-up menu that appears, choose Properties

 A dialog box containing two tabs (displayed on the next few

pages) will appear.

The first tab (labeled Taskbar) is used to define what items

you would like to display on the taskbar.

You can access the second tab (labeled Start Menu) to

specify the look and feel of your Start menu.

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TASKBAR OPTIONS

This tab is used to specify the following options:

Several checkboxes are available, as discussed below:

Lock the taskbar Check this box to ensure that the taskbar
remains locked at its current screen position
and cannot be moved or resized.

Auto-hide Check this box to hide the taskbar from

view.
the taskbar It will reappear only when you point to
the area on the screen where the taskbar is
located. This gives you extra room on the
screen.

Keep the taskbar Check this box to ensure that the taskbar
on top of other remains visible no matter what other program
windows you may run - even if that program’s
window has been maximized.

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Group similar Check this box to allow XP to group multiple

taskbar buttons windows of the same application (such as four
or five Internet Explorer windows) under one
taskbar button instead of having four or five
separate taskbar buttons.

If the taskbar becomes too crowded, a single

button will be used to represent all of the
opened files within a single application. For
example, if you are running Explorer and have
four windows opened at the same time, XP
would combine them into a single taskbar
button.

If this occurs, you would click on the taskbar

button representing Explorer to display a list of
the opened windows. From the list, you could
then select the window you wish to access.

Show Quick Check this box to include the Quick

Launch
Launch bar on the taskbar. The Quick Launch
bar can be customized to display your most-
often accessed applications so that you can
run them with a single click on the taskbar.
This bar also contains a button for accessing
the Desktop - without having to first minimize
the current window you are working with.

Show the clock Displays the time on the taskbar.

Hide inactive Check this box to hide those icons which have
icons not recently been used. A Show
Hidden Icons button is placed on the taskbar
so that you can access those icons in the
future if you need to.

Click on to customize the behavior of the various icons

within the notification area of the taskbar. For each icon, you can
choose to always show it, always hide it, or hide it when it is
inactive.

Click on to apply the changes you have made.

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CUSTOMIZING THE START MENU DISPLAY

Use this tab to customize the look of the Start menu. You can
choose to display the new XP style menu (with the 3-d color
scheme) or use the old classic style from previous versions of
Windows. You will probably opt to keep the new XP menu.

Click on (beside whichever menu you have selected) to

customize that menu to fit your particular needs. For example,
when customizing the XP Start menu, you can choose between
small and large icons, how many of the most recently used
applications to display on the Start menu, and whether your
Internet and e-mail programs should be included in the menu.

Click on to apply the changes you have made within

this tabbed dialog box.

When done, click on to close the dialog box and return to

the Windows desktop.

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WORKING WITH THE DESKTOP TOOLBARS

USAGE: There are four Windows toolbars that you can place
on the taskbar along the bottom of the screen, as discussed below:

Address This toolbar offers access to Internet

Explorer directly from your Desktop and can be
used to enter the Web addresses you want to
visit.

Links This toolbar contains the links

from Internet Explorer. Although the initial
links are the standard ones that come with
Internet Explorer, you can customize the links
to include your most-often accessed web sites.

Desktop This toolbar displays an icon for each

Desktop item as well as the more important
Windows folders (such as My Computer). To
work more efficiently, you can display this bar
as a single button that, when clicked, expands
to list the items on your Desktop.

Quick Launch This toolbar provides quick access to the

programs and documents you most often use.

ADDING A TOOLBAR TO THE TASKBAR

To add one of the four toolbars discussed above to your taskbar,

follow the steps outlined below:

 Point to the taskbar and click the [RIGHT] mouse button

once.

 Choose the toolbar

you would like to add to your Desktop.

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THE ADDRESS TOOLBAR

This toolbar is very similar to the Address Bar within Microsoft’s

Internet Explorer browser. Simply enter a Web address in the box
provided to access a web site directly from the Windows Desktop.
The Address Bar can also display local drives and folders.

In the box provided, enter the Web address you want to access
and then click on the button or press Enter.
Click on the down arrow beside the Address box to display a list
of previously visited web sites.

THE LINKS TOOLBAR

This toolbar displays the standard links that come with Internet
Explorer, as shown below:

You will probably want to customize this toolbar to display the web
sites you most-often access.

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THE DESKTOP TOOLBAR

This toolbar displays the Desktop icons as well as the key Windows
folders (such as My Computer).

NOTE: This toolbar displays what is currently on your Desktop

so its contents will vary depending on what your
current settings are.

To save space on the taskbar, you can customize this toolbar to

display as a single button that, when clicked, lists the items
contained on it.

THE QUICK LAUNCH TOOLBAR

This toolbar can be used to quickly access your most often-used

programs and documents directly from the taskbar.

Instead of having to open the Start menu or access the Desktop,

you can run a program directly from the taskbar.

You will need to customize the bar to include those programs and
documents that you wish to have quick access to.

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MOVING ONE OF THE DESKTOP TOOLBARS

To move one of the toolbars, follow the steps outlined below:

 Point to the dotted handle located on the far left side of the
bar you want to move. Your mouse pointer should change
to a double-sided arrow .

 Click and hold the [LEFT] mouse button down to drag the
bar up off the taskbar. The mouse pointer will initially
change to until you drag the toolbar to the Desktop
where the pointer will change to .

 Once the toolbar is on the Desktop, release the mouse

button.

When you release the mouse button, the bar will be

displayed in its own window on the Desktop. You can then
drag the window by its title bar to any location desired.

NOTE: To return the toolbar to the taskbar, simply drag it

back on top of the taskbar.

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PLACING A SHORTCUT ON THE QUICK LAUNCH TOOLBAR

To place a shortcut on the Quick Launch toolbar, follow these

steps:

 Select the object for which you want to create a shortcut.

 While pointing to the selected object, click and drag the

object down to the Quick Launch toolbar (along the taskbar
at the bottom of your screen).

A vertical line appears ( ) as you drag the object onto the

Quick Launch toolbar - indicating where the shortcut will be
placed when you release the mouse button.

 When you reach the desired location, release the mouse

button. The shortcut should have been added to the Quick
Launch toolbar.

 You can now rename the shortcut by pointing to the shortcut

and clicking your [RIGHT] mouse button once. From the
pop-up menu that is displayed, choose Rename.

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DOCKING A TOOLBAR

In addition to placing a toolbar on your desktop, you can also dock

toolbars along the four sides of the screen. The bottom of your
desktop is already occupied by the default taskbar so if you try to
place a toolbar along this area, it will automatically merge with the
taskbar. However, if you drag a toolbar to one of the sides or top
of the screen, it will attach (dock) itself to that edge.

MODIFYING TOOLBAR PROPERTIES

Each toolbar has a set of properties that can be modified. These

properties include showing larger icons, displaying descriptions,
and auto-hiding.

To access these additional properties, follow the steps below:

 Click your [RIGHT]

mouse button while pointing to a blank
spot on the toolbar you wish to modify.

 From the pop-up menu, select one of the following options:

View Select this option to switch

between large and small icons.

Open Folder Select this menu option to open

the folder containing the items on the
selected toolbar. This will allow you to
add or remove toolbar items.

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MODIFYING TOOLBAR PROPERTIES (CONT’D)

Show Text This option displays/hides the

names of each icon on the toolbar.

Show Title Displays the name of the toolbar

beside the toolbar handle.

Close Toolbar Select this option to close the toolbar.

Toolbars Use this option to display or

create additional toolbars.

Always on Top Select this option to ensure that the

toolbar is always visible on top of any
application that may be running.

Auto-Hide This option causes the toolbar to

hide itself from view when it is not in
use. To access a hidden toolbar simply
point to the edge of the location where
the toolbar is docked and it will
reappear.

TIP: If you happen to have closed all of your toolbars,

simply point to a blank spot on the taskbar and click
your [RIGHT] mouse button once. From the resulting
pop-up menu, select Toolbars and then the name of
the toolbar you wish to display.

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WORKING WITH THE CONTROL PANEL

USAGE: The Control Panel is used to customize and configure
the Windows XP system to your individual needs. Within the
Control Panel you can add new hardware/software, customize the
display, set the date and time, manage your fonts, change
passwords, configure the mouse, and many other system
functions.

To access the Control Panel, follow these two simple steps:

 Click on this button.

 Select from the Start menu.

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Windows opens the Control Panel window, as shown below:

The left window pane is used to switch between Classic view and
Category view. Classic view lists all of the available settings in a
single window (as in previous versions of Windows) while Category
view divides the settings into categories for easy access.

If you continue working in Category view, the right window pane

displays links to the various categories available for customizing
your system. For example, the category labeled Appearance and
Themes is used to change the theme, modify the Desktop
background, choose a screen saver, and set the screen resolution.

Click on the link representing the category you wish to access. A

new window will be displayed, listing the actual settings within the
selected category. Click on the setting to actually make changes.
For example, if you wanted to configure your mouse, you would
first select the Printers and other Hardware category and then
choose Mouse from the list of available settings.

Once you have selected a category, click on this

button to return to the original Control Panel window.

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APPEARANCE AND THEMES

You can change the appearance of your desktop by applying a

new theme, changing the background, choosing a different screen
saver or setting a new screen resolution by accessing the
Appearance and Themes window.

Click on this category link to change the

appearance of your desktop and apply a
new theme.

The Appearance and Themes window will be displayed:

Click on this link to access a

dialog box where you can apply a
new theme to your computer.

This link is used to access a

dialog box where you can change
the picture and colors
representing the background of
your desktop.

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Click on this link to specify

which screen saver to use.

This link is used to change the

screen resolution.

Towards the bottom of the window are three icons:

Click on this icon to access the

Display Properties dialog box
where you can set all of the
attributes you would like applied
to your desktop (theme,
background, screen saver,
Windows buttons, and screen
resolution).

Click on this icon to access the

Folder Options dialog box
where you can specify folder
defaults.

Click on this icon to access the

Taskbar and Start Menu
Properties dialog box where you
can specify the defaults for both
the taskbar and the Start menu.

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SETTING THE DATE, TIME, AND LANGUAGE

At some point, you may want to change the date and time settings
on your computer or change the format that Windows uses for
displaying numbers, dates, and times.

Click on this category link to set

the date, time, language and
regional options for your
computer.

The Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options window will

be displayed, as shown below:

Click on to adjust the date and time for

your system.

Click on to open the

Regional and Language Options dialog box where you can
specify the format for displaying numbers, currency, dates, and
times. You can choose a language (such as English) which will
select the format or you can customize the settings yourself.

Click on to install additional languages on

your computer so that you can read and create documents
containing more than one language.

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