working with windows - School of Computer Science

Transcription

University of KwaZulu-Natal
School of Computer Science
COMP104
Computer Literacy for the Humanities
2006
WORKING WITH
WINDOWS
Course Notes written by Jan Smith, printed with permission.
http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/index.html
Page 1
Jan Smith , Copyright © 1997-2006
Copyright © 1997-2006
Jan Smith <[email protected]>
All Rights Reserved
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................2
Working with Windows.................................................................................................7
Windows 95/98/XP....................................................................................................7
Who is this for?......................................................................................................7
What's covered? .....................................................................................................7
Lesson design.........................................................................................................7
What you see may not match!................................................................................8
Interrupted Work....................................................................................................8
How detailed ..........................................................................................................9
Working with Windows: Windows Basics ....................................................................9
Lesson Objectives ..................................................................................................9
Windows Basics: Desktop & Taskbar .........................................................................10
What You See: The Interface...................................................................................10
Taskbar.....................................................................................................................11
Start Menu................................................................................................................11
Quick Launch toolbar ..............................................................................................11
Open Application ....................................................................................................11
The Tray...................................................................................................................12
Document Icons .......................................................................................................12
Shortcuts to Applications.........................................................................................12
Desktop Icons...........................................................................................................13
Windows Basics: The Window....................................................................................13
What You See: The Window ...................................................................................13
Title Bar ...................................................................................................................14
Menubar ...................................................................................................................15
Toolbar .....................................................................................................................15
Status Bar .................................................................................................................15
Scrollbars .................................................................................................................16
Document.................................................................................................................16
Windows Basics: The Mouse.......................................................................................17
What You Do with a Mouse ................................................................................17
Practice Mouse Skills...........................................................................................18
Pointer Shapes......................................................................................................19
Windows Basics: Start up ............................................................................................19
Step-by-Step: Start Up .............................................................................................19
Windows Basics: Shut Down.......................................................................................20
Step-by-Step: Shut Down ........................................................................................20
Keyboard method:................................................................................................21
Windows Basics: Control the Mouse..........................................................................23
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Step-by-Step: The Mouse ........................................................................................24
Move the pointer ..................................................................................................24
Click and Right Click...........................................................................................24
Click and Drag .....................................................................................................25
Mouse dialog........................................................................................................26
Double-click.........................................................................................................28
Motion settings.....................................................................................................29
Windows Basics: Control the Window.......................................................................29
Step-by-Step: Control the Window..........................................................................30
Minimize, Maximize, & Restore the Window.....................................................30
Move the Window: Mouse...................................................................................31
Move the Window: Keyboard..............................................................................31
Change Window Size...........................................................................................32
Windows Basics: Context Menus ...............................................................................33
Step-by-Step: Context Menus ..................................................................................33
Windows Basics: Dialogs ...........................................................................................35
Windows Basics: Dialogs: Date/Time ........................................................................36
Step-by-Step: Date/Time Dialog..............................................................................37
Windows Basics: Display Dialog ...............................................................................40
Step-by-Step: Display Dialog ..................................................................................40
Dialog: Display Properties...................................................................................41
Background ..........................................................................................................42
Screen Saver.........................................................................................................43
Appearance ..........................................................................................................43
Settings.................................................................................................................44
Other Choices.......................................................................................................44
Windows Basics: Help ................................................................................................45
Help Tools............................................................................................................46
Differences between Help versions .....................................................................46
Windows Basics: WinXP Help...................................................................................47
Help Interface...........................................................................................................48
Toolbar: Help ...........................................................................................................49
..............................................................................................................................49
Navigation Buttons ..............................................................................................49
Lists in the Left Pane ...........................................................................................49
Make Changes......................................................................................................51
Windows Basics: WinXP Help Contents....................................................................51
Step-by-Step: Help Contents -WinXP ....................................................................51
Open Help and Support Center ..........................................................................52
Navigate to an Article ..........................................................................................52
Articles: Definitions.............................................................................................54
Articles: Related Topics.......................................................................................55
Windows Basics: WinXP Help Index.........................................................................56
Step-by-Step: Help Index -WinXP .........................................................................56
History..................................................................................................................58
Windows Basics: Application Help ............................................................................60
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Step-by-Step: Paint Help..........................................................................................60
Open Paint............................................................................................................60
Open Paint Help ...................................................................................................61
Work with Help Open ..........................................................................................62
Paint Tools ...........................................................................................................62
Windows Basics: Help- Find/Search ..........................................................................63
Step-by-Step: Help - Find/Search ............................................................................63
Use Find/Search ...................................................................................................63
Close Paint from the Taskbar...............................................................................66
Summary of Windows Project 1 ..............................................................................67
Working with Windows: Files & Folders...................................................................68
Windows Project 2 Objectives.............................................................................68
Basic Terms .........................................................................................................68
Files & Folders: Views ................................................................................................69
My Computer .......................................................................................................70
Explorer................................................................................................................70
Folder View Styles...................................................................................................72
Sorting..................................................................................................................74
Show in Groups....................................................................................................74
Change Details Shown.........................................................................................75
Files & Folders: Format Disks.....................................................................................75
Formatting Disks..................................................................................................76
Write Protection ...................................................................................................76
Files & Folders: Removable Media .............................................................................77
Floppy Disks ............................................................................................................77
Parts of a floppy disk: ..........................................................................................78
USB Flash Drives ....................................................................................................78
Step-by-Step: Using a Removable Disk ..................................................................78
Insert & Eject a Floppy Disk ...............................................................................79
Insert & Stop/Eject USB Flash Drive ..................................................................80
View Contents of a Floppy Disk..........................................................................82
View Contents of Other Removable Media.........................................................84
Reminders on care of a floppy disk .....................................................................86
Files & Folders: Format Floppy...................................................................................86
Step-by-Step: Format a Floppy Disk .......................................................................86
Files & Folders: Names ...............................................................................................90
Parts of a filename ...............................................................................................90
Characters allowed...............................................................................................90
Length of name ....................................................................................................91
Converting to 8.3 name........................................................................................91
Grouping by Folders ............................................................................................92
Files & Folders: Create & Arrange Folders.................................................................92
Step-by-Step: Create & Arrange..............................................................................92
Open a Drive in My Computer ............................................................................93
Create & Name a Folder in My Computer...........................................................93
Arrange Icons in My Computer ...........................................................................95
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Files & Folders: Move, Delete, & Rename Folders.....................................................96
Step-by-Step: Move, Delete, & Rename..................................................................96
Move by Dragging ...............................................................................................96
Move with Right Drag .........................................................................................98
Select and Move Multiple Folders.......................................................................98
Delete Folder........................................................................................................99
Rename Folder ...................................................................................................100
Check it out!.......................................................................................................101
Files & Folders: Folder Tree......................................................................................101
Step-by-Step: Folder Tree......................................................................................101
Open an Explorer Window: WinXP ..................................................................102
Open the Removable Disk .................................................................................103
Create New Folder .............................................................................................103
Views in Explorer ..............................................................................................104
Expand & Collapse Folder Tree Branches.........................................................105
Arrange Icons in Explorer..................................................................................106
Files & Folders: Select Folder(s) ...............................................................................107
Step-by-Step: Select Folders..................................................................................107
Select in Explorer...............................................................................................108
Select Adjacent Folders: SHIFT key .................................................................109
Select Adjacent Folders: Drag ...........................................................................110
Select/Deselect Folders- Not Adjacent: CTRL key ...........................................110
Files & Folders: Copy, Move, & Restore Folders .....................................................110
Step-by-Step: Copy/Move & Restore ....................................................................111
Move: Right Drag ..............................................................................................111
Move: Undo .......................................................................................................112
Move: Cut & Paste: Popup Menu ......................................................................113
Show Toolbar.....................................................................................................114
Customize the Toolbar .......................................................................................114
Copy: Toolbar ....................................................................................................115
Move: Cut & Paste: Menu Bar...........................................................................117
Move: Drag ........................................................................................................117
Delete: Menu......................................................................................................118
Delete: Keyboard ...............................................................................................119
Restore from Recycle Bin ..................................................................................119
Rename ..............................................................................................................121
Check it out!.......................................................................................................122
Files & Folders: Text: Create & Save Files ...............................................................122
Notepad ..................................................................................................................122
Step-by-Step: Create & Save Text .........................................................................123
Start a Program from Explorer...........................................................................123
Create a Document.............................................................................................125
Save a Document ...............................................................................................125
Files & Folders: Text: Edit & Print............................................................................128
Step-by-Step: Edit & Print Text.............................................................................128
Edit: Add Text....................................................................................................128
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Edit: Erase Text..................................................................................................128
Edit: Replace Text..............................................................................................129
Edit: Move Text .................................................................................................129
Save an Existing Document ...............................................................................130
Print Document ..................................................................................................130
Close with Task Manager ..................................................................................131
Open Document: Explorer .................................................................................132
Rename ..............................................................................................................133
Open Document: Open Dialog...........................................................................134
Files & Folders: Image: Create & Save .....................................................................135
What is Microsoft Paint? ...................................................................................135
Step-by-Step: Create & Save Image ......................................................................136
Start a Program from Run ..................................................................................136
Resize Canvas ....................................................................................................137
Create a Picture ..................................................................................................138
Save a Picture.....................................................................................................140
Files & Folders: Image: Resize & Print.....................................................................142
Printing Pictures.....................................................................................................142
Step-by-Step: Resize & Print Image ......................................................................142
Open an Existing Picture from File menu..........................................................142
Check File Size ..................................................................................................143
Resize the Canvas ..............................................................................................144
Print a Picture.....................................................................................................145
Files & Folders: Backup ............................................................................................147
Step-by-Step: Backup a Floppy .............................................................................147
Format the Backup Disk ....................................................................................148
Create the Backup Copy ....................................................................................148
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Working with Windows
Windows 95/98/XP
This is the first of a set of tutorials under development to accompany the computer
literacy material in Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101. The tutorials will cover
Computer Basics, Windows (where you are now!), word processing, spreadsheets,
the web and presentations.
Who is this for?
The whole course is designed for people who are new to computers, but even old pros
need a refresher from time to time. You might even learn something new, or at least
be reminded of tips and tricks that you have forgotten.
Clearly, if you are reading this page in a browser, you already have some computer
skills, or else you have a handy helper or instructor close by.
What's covered?
The Windows lessons will cover the basic skills, just to be sure that you manage for
yourself: using shortcuts; the Start menu, and the Taskbar; the parts of a window;
creating, moving, and deleting files and folders.
The lessons do build on one another, so if you skip one, you may get confused later.
Fair warning!
Lesson design
Each lesson has:
•
•
•
•
Topics - info for you to read
Step-by-Step directions - for things to do at the computer.
Quiz - multiple choice questions
Exercises- to give you practice and to take you further.
You must actually follow the directions while at the computer!!
You cannot just read about a technique and expect to be able to do it yourself later. It
is different when you are doing it yourself!
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You might want to print the steps out if your monitor is small. It can be hard to
read directions on the screen while you are trying to follow the directions!
You may be able to print just the parts you want. Select the part to print and go to
the File menu and then the Print... command. There may be a choice in the dialog to
print just the "Selection", depending on which browser you are using.
If you want to work with directions on the screen, you can switch between
the directions in the browser and the application window where you are working by
clicking on the taskbar icon or with the ALT + TAB key combination. Or if you are
using a high resolution, perhaps you can size your windows so that you can see both
at the same time. (These suggestions won't make sense yet if you are not experienced
with Windows! The techniques will be part of the lessons.)
What you see may not match!
What you actually see on your computer may vary from what is shown and described
here. Things change quickly in the world of computers. Don't let it fluster you!
•
New version or update - Each one makes changes, some minor and some
quite noticeable. Your software may be older or more recent than mine.
•
Customized - Everyone likes to arrange things to suit themselves. So your
computer may not have the default settings any more, and, therefore, not
behave as the lessons describe. This, too, is part of the world of computers!
The Step-by-Step sections will explain how to set the features that will affect how
your computer responds to the directions. If your computer still does not behave as
you expected, look in the Help for the program or ask your instructor or network
administrator (or a even more experienced friend). That's why they are there! . [Note:
You may not be allowed to change some settings on classroom or network
computers.]
The directions and images were prepared originally from Windows 95. I have added
some discussion of Windows 98 and Windows XP, where the difference is significant.
Later versions of Windows, such as WindowsMe, Windows 2000, and Windows XP
use the basic skills and approach. Some of the details are a little different. For
example the Start button, program icons, and menu bars have a somewhat different
look in each version of Windows. Some dialogs are rearranged, though most still have
the same or similar choices.
Interrupted Work
You may need to stop before finishing all of the directions in a Step-by-Step section.
Pay attention to what lesson page you are on when you quit. If you are sharing a
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computer, write down the page's address from the browser's address bar. If you are on
your own computer, you can bookmark the page in the browser. Bookmarks on a
classroom computer may not be there when you get back to it!
If you were creating a document, don't forget to save it, or you will have lots to
redo when you return to the computer!
How detailed
After the first exercises, you will not be prompted by the directions to turn on the
computer or shut it down. You are expected to have that much sense! In a classroom
situation, follow your teacher's directions about leaving the computer on or off.
The amount of detail in the directions and illustrations will decrease as you gain more
experience with the Windows interface and then with the various programs.
Working with Windows:
Windows Basics
Lesson Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Identify the parts of the user interface and of a window
Start and shut down Windows
Use the mouse to click, double-click, right click, and drag
Open an application from the Start menu and close it
Move, resize, minimize, maximize, and restore a window
Properly use the different inputs in a dialog box
Find Help for Windows and for an application
Windows uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) so almost everything can be done
using mouse clicks on icons and buttons. You don't have to memorize commands or
remember keystroke combinations. Instead of typing commands, you can SEE what
you are doing. Later, once you know your way around, you will find it useful and
often faster to type in commands or use those odd combinations of keystrokes.
On to the first Windows lesson: Desktop and Taskbar
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Windows Basics:
Desktop & Taskbar
What You See: The Interface
When your computer completes its startup routine, called booting, you will find
yourself looking at a screen displaying the Windows interface. This means what you
see and interact with. The Desktop and the Taskbar are the two main parts of the
interface. Let's inspect the parts on the simplified desktop.
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Taskbar
Across the bottom of the screen we see the Taskbar. Normally it is in view all the
time. Besides holding the Start Menu and the Tray, the Taskbar's main job is to show
what tasks are currently running.
Each open application has an icon with a label that shows the program and the current
document, when there is room to see it! The icons and labels for the tasks adjust in
size to fit the space on the Taskbar. So if you have several programs running, you may
not see much of each one's taskbar icon.
In WinXP you may see double chevrons on the Taskbar when there are too
many items to show in the allowed space. When you click the chevrons, a menu list
appears or the space will expand to show the hidden items.
Start Menu
Clicking on the Start Menu brings up a cascading list of
shortcuts to start your programs. We will look into this very
useful feature more a little later.
Quick Launch toolbar
Internet Explorer 4 and Win98 add a Quick Launch toolbar next to the Start Menu
button. It holds shortcuts to your frequently used programs. This is handy because the
Taskbar is in view all the time. Desktop shortcuts can get hidden by open
applications. This example has shortcuts for Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, and
Show Desktop (minimizes all open applications). These are installed by default. More
icons can be displayed by clicking the small black arrow on the right of the Quick
Launch toolbar. You add new shortcuts by dragging one into the Quick Launch area.
Open Application
Each open application will have an icon on the Taskbar like the one shown here for
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MS Word 97. Word has been minimized so all we can see is its icon on the taskbar. If
there is room, you will see the name of the document that is open in Word. When an
application is maximized, its window takes up all the space above the taskbar.
In this example the icons in the Quick Launch area are a little different. These icons
show that the computer has Internet Explorer 5 installed. Frequently a new version of
a program will have a slightly different icon, and sometimes a completely different
one. Some programs have different icons to use for screens that can handle lots of
colors. It can get a bit confusing!
The Tray
The Tray, or taskbar notification area, is used to show icons for
programs that are awake and hanging around in the background, like
the clock, anti-virus and scheduling programs. Having an icon in the
Tray lets you know for sure that the program is ready to do its thing
when it is needed.
Document Icons
Files can actually be stored as part of the Desktop. This icon represents a document
rather than a shortcut to the application. There is no arrow at the bottom left like there
is for a shortcut. The W on top of the paper is the logo for MS Word.
Deleting this icon will delete the actual document.
Shortcuts to Applications
A shortcut points to the file that runs a program, in this case MS Word and
PaintShopPro. A shortcut can be in whatever handy place you want to put it. The
actual file that starts a program must remain in the folder where it was installed or else
it won't work. Note that a shortcut has a small arrow at the bottom left of the icon.
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If you delete an icon on the desktop, be SURE what you delete is a shortcut rather
than the file itself! Don't try to delete the icons for parts of your computer. (Surely
you wouldn't be that silly!)
Desktop Icons
Desktop icons from Win98 and WinXP.
Some icons lead you to important parts of the computer. A number of others of this
type may show on your desktop, depending on what has been installed.
Windows Basics:
The Window
What You See: The Window
A window is a rectangular area on the desktop which usually contains a number of
standard parts. But it does not have to have any of the standard parts. The illustration
below shows a Help window, an Explorer window, a Solitaire window, and a dialog
window, usually called a dialog box (regardless of its shape or size!). The only part
that they all have is the titlebar!
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The illustration below labels the important parts that appear in most application
windows.
Title Bar
The Title bar of an application window shows the title of the current
document and the name of the application.
Other kinds of windows may show only the title of the window.
At the left of the Title bar is
the control icon. Each program has its
own picture to put here. When you click on the icon, a menu appears with commands
to control the size and location of the window.
On the right end of the Title bar are buttons to minimize the window to the
Taskbar, maximize the window to cover the whole Desktop, and close the window.
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Menubar
An application window has a menubar which lists cascading menus of commands for
the program.
Cascade means that a menu can have other menus in it.
Types of menu items:
The arrow means that another menu will cascade from it.
Three dots means that a dialog box will open, containing
choices for you to make.
The checkmark means that clicking this item will toggle the
feature on or off.
If there is a keyboard shortcut shown in the menu, you can use
those keys to run the command without having to open the
menu.
Toolbar
A toolbar contains buttons for the most commonly used commands. The icons are
supposed to make it easy to guess what the button does. Most modern applications use
similar buttons for the same commands.
The toolbar above has icons for the commands:
New | Open | Save | Print | Preview | Find | Cut | Copy | Paste | Undo | Insert
Date/Time
An application might have several toolbars in view at once. A context-sensitive
toolbar will appear only when the commands on it apply to what you are doing. For
example, if you select a picture in a Word document, the Picture toolbar appears.
Status Bar
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The bottom of a window contains the Status Bar. It displays messages about the status
of the program. For example, it might say "Saving document" during the saving
process and then "Done" when it is finished.
The diagonal lines in the corner of the Status Bar mean that the window can be
resized by dragging its edges.
Some dialogs can be enlarged but cannot be made smaller. The corner has only 2
diagonal lines in this case.
Scrollbars
Windows that are too small to show the whole document will have scrollbars for the
width or the height of the document, or both, if necessary. You change what part of
the document is showing by dragging the scrollbox or by clicking the scroll arrow or
by clicking in the scrollbar itself.
The size of the scrollbox in many applications is in proportion to how much of the
document is showing. So, if half the document is visible, the scrollbox will be half of
its maximum length.
Document
The main area of the application window shows the active document. For a word
processing program this could be a letter, a brochure, or a report. For a graphics
programs it would be a picture. For a browser it would be a web page.
You can have windows inside other windows. Many programs can have several
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documents open at the same time inside the application's window, like the example
above from Paint Shop Pro, which has 4 image windows open in the document area.
In WinXP some applications show a separate toolbar button for each open
document.
You can also have WinXP group similar windows together onto one button with a
cascading list.
Windows Basics:
The Mouse
Before you can explore the Desktop and Taskbar, you must know how to use your
mouse. Your mouse is a pointing device. You use it to point to things on the
computer screen.
A mouse has at least two buttons - left and right. Some have a middle button or a
scroll wheel between the left and right buttons. The left button is used the most, but,
since Win95, Windows uses the right button also.
The normal shape for the mouse pointer is an arrow:
What You Do with a Mouse
Move the pointer
Click
Double-click
Right click
Moving the mouse around moves the mouse
pointer/cursor on the screen.
Press a mouse button and release it. Usually the left
button.
Press a mouse button twice quickly
Press the right mouse button and release it.
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Drag
Scroll
Hold a mouse button down while moving the
mouse. Usually what the mouse pointer was over
on the screen will move or be highlighted when you
drag.
Rolling the wheel that some mice have will scroll
the document in the current window.
Practice Mouse Skills
(Works in Internet Explorer 4+. Netscape 4 does not even see the inline
frame with the images. Netscape 6 sees the frame but does not respond to
the mouse actions in it.)
Refresh your window to get back to the original layout. Be careful how you click.
Things may move!
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to
display inline frames. Move your mouse pointer over each image at the right.
After a brief pause, a popup tip appears.
Click on the cars. Something changes. Click on other images.
Double-click the fish. Another change. Double-click other images.
Right click on a picture. Right click but not on a picture. You get two
different context menus.
Drag the scrollbar at the right of the images down A new set of images comes
into view.
Drag the images around. Can you get them into a single stack... with even
edges? What other arrangements can you create?
If you mouse has a scroll wheel, put
the mouse over the framed area.
Rotate your scroll wheel. You can
move the images up and down in the
frame just like the scrollbar did.
When you reach the top or bottom of
the framed document, rotating the
wheel any more makes the whole
page move.
To reset the images, refresh the page by
clicking the Refresh button of your browser.
These images are the card backs from
Solitaire in WinXP.
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Pointer Shapes
The shape of the pointer changes depending on where it is and what is happening. The
term cursor is used when the shape shows where your typing will appear. Otherwise
the term pointer is a better choice.
The hand shape
usually means that the pointer is over a link, like on a web page.
To use your mouse comfortably you must practice, practice, practice. This is a
physical skill which uses muscles in your hand and forearm and even the chest that
you may not have used before in quite this way. You should expect some soreness
when you first start or when you have an unusually long or intense session with your
mouse.
Windows Basics:
Start up
Clearly you can't start doing your lessons until the computer is turned on. Since you
might not be able to finish in one session, we need to be sure right away that you
know how to properly shut down Windows, too. So your first Step-by-Step lessons
you will learn how to turn on and shut down your computer. Then you can move on.
It's the shutting down part that seems hard for people to do right!
Step-by-Step: Start Up
Turn on the computer. There is a push button or a toggle switch, probably on the
front. There may be both- a toggle switch on the back and a button on the front!
The button will only work when the toggle is On.
(Odds are, your computer is already on if you are reading this on a computer!)
What happens next?
•
As the computer boots, it checks itself out. The hard drive spins up to
working speed. The power supply fan comes on. The cooling fan for the CPU
starts blowing. The floppy drive spins a time or two. Other gizmos attached to
the computer may power up and make noises, too. Altogether it may sound
like a whole herd of squirrels waking up.
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•
You should see some text on the screen as this happens. First the BIOS checks
the memory and looks for hardware parts. Programs that run at startup may
print messages to the screen. Hopefully they just say that all is OK.
•
Then you will see the Windows startup screen. This picture is
different for each version of Windows. There may be different words
below the Windows text, depending on what other Microsoft
products you have installed.
•
The final screen you see shows the desktop and taskbar. Ready to
work!
Windows Basics:
Shut Down
While recent versions of Windows are more forgiving of mistakes than previous
versions, it is still quite possible to destroy your hard work, without much effort. One
error that is common to newcomers is turning off the computer without saving your
documents and closing the applications. That power switch can be dangerous to your
work!
This section will show you how to shut down the computer correctly. The directions
are for a keyboard method (without using the mouse). These keyboard skills are
actually quite useful at those times when your mouse decides to take a vacation from
reality.
Step-by-Step: Shut Down
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FIRST: Read ALL the directions carefully. Do not practice shutting down your
computer until you thoroughly understand all your choices. You can print the
directions or make notes if you wish.
Keyboard method:
1.
While holding down the CTRL key on the bottom left of your keyboard,
press the ESC key at the top left of the keyboard.
OR
Press the key with the Windows logo
, if your keyboard has one.
The Start menu pops up. The Start menu on your machine may look a little
different.
WinXP's Start menu using
Windows Classic style
WinXP's default Start menu.
2. Press the letter U key on the keyboard.
This is the keyboard shortcut for the command Shut Down... or Turn Off
Computer... Windows shows you this by putting an underline beneath the
letter for you to type to run a menu command. For some menus you must hold
the ALT key down when you press the letter key.
In WinXP the underscores do not show on the Start menu if you click on
Start with the mouse. The keyboard shortcuts still work, however.
The Shut
box appears,
Down Windows dialog
which list some choices.
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This dialog may look different on your computer.
Win98
WinXP
Starting with Internet Explorer 4 and Win98, the log off and log back on
option is on the Start menu just above the Shut Down item.
The choice Stand by is added if your computer has advanced power
management.
3.
Choose the Shut Down command by pressing the key for its
underlined letter- the letter S . The radio button beside the command will be
black for the currently chosen command. Click OK after you've chosen the
Shut Down command.
Press the letter U again.
4. Wait. The computer may take some time to shut down all the open
applications and background processes. Not all of them have windows, so you
don't even know they are running.
You will eventually see the screen that says Please wait while your computer
shuts down.
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Most recent computers will automatically go ahead and turn the power off
once all the processes are shut down.
5. If the screen stays on, you will see the orange on black screen that says It is
now safe to turn off your computer. Turn the power switch off.
6. Wait 30 seconds and turn the switch back on. The wait time is to give the hard
drive time to stop spinning. You can fatally damage the hard drive by turning
the computer back on too quickly.
When do you choose which command?
•
•
•
•
•
Shut Down or Turn off computer if you want to turn the computer off and
leave.
Restart the computer if you want to restart the computer right now.
You might want to do that if your computer has started behaving oddly. A
restart can clear up a lot of problems. You also may need to restart after
installing a new program. If so, the installation program will tell you.
Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode if you need to run a DOS
program that won't cooperate with Win95/98. [This command is not available
on later versions of Windows.]
Close all programs and log on as a different user or Log off if you are on a
network and need to logon as yourself.
Stand by if you will be away from the computer for a while. This will save
energy but the computer can wake up quickly when you return.
You probably already knew what was covered in Start Up and Shut Down, but now
we can be sure that you are ready to begin the rest of the lessons. You will need the
skills and information they provide to do the Review Questions and the Exercises at
the end.
Windows Basics:
Control the Mouse
There are several things that you can adjust about the way the mouse behaves. You
should experiment until you find settings that let you use it comfortably.
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Your favorite pointing device may have more features than a standard mouse has. For
example, you can adjust the pressure sensitivity of a glidepad. Your properties dialog
may look different from the standard one used below.
Step-by-Step: The Mouse
What you will learn:
to move mouse pointer
to click, double-click, right click, & drag
to adjust mouse settings
Start with:
Move the pointer
1. Turn on your computer if it is not already on. [Hmm. If you are reading this on
the screen, I guess your computer is definitely on!]
2. Experiment with moving your mouse around on the screen. Get a feel for the
relationship between how far you move the mouse on its mouse pad to how far
the pointer moves on the screen.
3. Move the mouse slowly and then quickly. With a quick motion, the mouse
may accelerate faster than your hand moved. This is helpful when moving all
the way across the screen, especially large screens.
Click and Right Click
1. Move the pointer over the time, displayed at the far right
of the Taskbar. As you hover over the clock, the day and
date pop up.
2.
Click the right mouse button. A popup menu appears.
Read through the choices. Many of these change your
Desktop looks.
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In Windows XP you can lock the taskbar so that it cannot be
moved around. If there is a check mark beside the menu command
click on the command using the left mouse
Lock the Taskbar,
button to unlock the Taskbar. For the next section you need a movable
Taskbar.
Click and Drag
1. Slowly move the
pointer to the top edge of the taskbar. It will change to the Vertical Resize
shape . If you move too fast, you may miss the change.
2. While the pointer shows this shape, hold the left mouse button down and
drag upwards. The taskbar expands upwards.
3. Now
drag back down until the taskbar vanishes and release the mouse
button. When this happens accidentally, it can be quite a shock. "Where's my
taskbar???!!"
4. To recover the taskbar, move your pointer to the bottom of the screen until it
turns into the Vertical Resize shape again and then
drag upwards until
the taskbar pops back into view. What was lost is now found!
5. Point to the taskbar in a blank area. While the pointer
has its normal shape,
drag the taskbar again over to the right of the screen. Wow! The whole
thing moves! Keep dragging to the top and over to the left of the screen. There
is a position to make everyone happy!
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Now, you have seen the pointer change shape; you have clicked and dragged.
What skills you have!
If you wish, you can lock the taskbar back again now.
Mouse dialog
For WinXP to look and behave more like previous versions of Windows, you need to
change the look of the Start Menu to Windows Classic. You can change it back, if
you wish, after you finish the lessons.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Right click on the Taskbar to get that popup menu back.
Click on Properties and then on the tab Start menu.
Click on the radio button for Classic Start menu.
Click on the Customize button.
Find the choice Expand Control Panel.
If the box beside it has a check mark in it, click on the box to remove the
checkmark. This setting is handy because it lets the items in the Control Panel
cascade from the Start menu. But we want to look at the whole set right now.
7. Click on OK to close the Customize dialog and then on OK again to close the
Properties dialog.
1.
Click on the Start button. The Start menu will appear above the button.
Move your mouse pointer to Settings. A new menu will appear to the right.
click.
Move your mouse pointer to Control Panel and
If your pointer goes off the menu too far, the menu will vanish!
The Control Panel window will open on the desktop. This window contains
icons that open dialog boxes for managing different aspects of Windows. Your
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window may have different icons, depending on what programs you have
installed.
2. Move your mouse pointer to the Mouse icon
and
double-click it.
A window will open that lets you change some of the behaviors of the mouse.
(The icon image may be different if your mouse has its own software.)
3. Click on the Buttons tab, if it is not already on top.
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The Mouse Properties dialog box allows you to set several characteristics
about your mouse's behavior. On the Buttons tab, for people who are lefthanded, you can switch the normal functions of the buttons by clicking the
circle labeled "Left-handed". This kind of input is called a radio button. Only
one circle in a set of radio buttons can be selected at a time.
Double-click
You can control the speed required to get a double-click by using another type of
dialog box input, the slide bar.
1. Test your ability to double-click in the Test area. If you succeed in doubleclicking, the image will change!
Your pointing device may use its own dialog. Logitech is a popular brand for
pointing devices. You may have to look around to find the test area. Try to
modify a button to Click/Select (not Double-Click!). The dialog for that choice
should show a Test area.
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2. Move the slide bar by pointing to the slide with your mouse and
dragging..
3.
Double-click in the test box again. Is this easier or harder? Find a doubleclick speed that is comfortable for you.
[Note: if you are on a network or shared computer, you may not be able to
keep your changes for your next session.]
Motion settings
1.
Click on the tab labeled Motion. Here is where
you can change how fast the pointer moves across
the screen.
2. Move the slide, then
click the Apply button.
Test your mouse's motion. Try different settings until you find a comfortable
pointer speed.
3.
Click on the check box labeled "Show pointer trails". Move your mouse
around. Try different trail lengths by moving the slide from "Short" to "Long".
Do you like pointer trails? Turn them off if you don't.
4. Close the Mouse Properties dialog box by:

clicking on the OK button if you made changes that you want to
keep.

clicking on the Cancel button if you do not want
to keep the changes.
Leave the Control Panel open for the next Step-by-Step.
Windows Basics:
Control the Window
You can control the location and size of a window with
the titlebar buttons
dragging with your mouse. The shape of the mouse pointer tells you what
and by
action will take place when you drag. We have already used the Vertical Resize on
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the taskbar. Here is a list to remind you of the possible shapes when resizing or
moving.
Step-by-Step: Control the Window
Start with:
to minimize, maximize, and restore a window
to move a window
to resize a window
Control Panel open [Start menu | Settings | Control Panel]
Minimize, Maximize, & Restore the Window
1.
Click on the Minimize button on the right of the titlebar on the Control
Panel window. Where does the Control Panel go? It is minimized to an icon on
the taskbar.
2.
Click on
or
, the taskbar icon for the
Control Panel. It pops back into view on the desktop as the active window.
Note that in the default color scheme, active windows have a blue title bar
while inactive windows have a gray title bar. A good color scheme will use a
bright color for the active window and a dim one for the inactive.
3.
Click on the Maximize button on the right of the titlebar. Wow! The
window now takes up the whole desktop. Notice that the Maximize button
has changed to .
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4.
Click on the Restore button on the right of the titlebar. Your Control
Panel reverts to its previous size. Tada!
Move the Window: Mouse
1.
Drag the Title bar, using a spot that is not on a button or the control icon on
the left. This moves the whole window to a new spot on the desktop. Simple.
Not simple: The Title bar can get moved out of sight off screen. To get it
back, you need a keyboard method, which could be used at other times if you
prefer it.
Window won't move: The window cannot be maximized. You must drag
by the Title Bar.
Move the Window: Keyboard
1.
Hold down the ALT key and at the same time
press the spacebar (ALT + space) to drop the control
menu from the titlebar icon. This menu will be in view
even when the titlebar itself is not.
2.
Click on the Move command. Or type the letter M.
The pointer changes to
the Move shape.
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3. Position the pointer
over the titlebar (or as far to the top of the window as
possible if the titlebar is off screen) and
where you want it.
You could also use
drag until the window is back
the arrow keys to move the window
the Move shape . You must press the ENTER key to
once your pointer has
fix the window in place.
Change Window Size
To resize a window is an easy dragging job. You already worked with the Vertical
Resize when you resized the taskbar. You will add two other directions to your skills
list.
When a window has diagonal lines in the corner
, it can be resized.
1. Move the pointer to the top or bottom edge of the Control Panel window until
the pointer changes to the Vertical Resize shape.
2.
Drag the edge to make the window taller. Release the mouse button and
move the pointer off the window edge.
3. Move the pointer to the left or right edge of the Control Panel window until
the pointer changes to
the Horizontal Resize shape.
4.
Drag the edge to make the window wider. Release the mouse button and
move the pointer off the window edge.
5. Move the pointer to a corner of the window until the pointer changes to
the Diagonal Resize shapes.
6.
or
Drag to resize the window in two directions at once. Convenient!
Did you notice the Size command on the Control menu? If you chose
that command, the pointer turns into the Move shape. Pressing an arrow key
pops the pointer over to the edge of the window in that direction. Pressing the
arrow key again, changes the window size in direction of the arrow. Try it! It's
actually a pretty cool trick!!
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7. Close the Control Panel window.
Windows Basics:
Context Menus
Windows shows a popup menu when you right click on something. What is on the
menu depends on what you clicked on and, sometimes, on what you were doing. That
makes the menu context-sensitive.
Using the popup menus can save your wrist a lot of work. The commands you are
most likely to need are on the menu that pops up right beside your pointer. Hardly any
distance to move at all!
It may take you a while to get into the habit of using the right mouse button to open
these context-sensitive menus. Make the effort. There are programs that have
commands that are not accessible except from a popup menu!
Step-by-Step: Context Menus
Start with:
1.
to open context-sensitive menus
what is on some of the popup menus
with Taskbar showing.
Right click on the Start button. A menu appears. There may
be other entries on your menu, depending on what other software is
installed on the computer.
2. Press the ESC key. The menu vanishes.
3.
Right click on a blank area of the Taskbar. An entirely different menu
appears.
Notice the last entry - Properties, which is usually at the
bottom of a context-sensitive menu. Most objects in
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Windows have properties that you can change. What those properties are
varies depending on what the object is, of course.
4.
Right click on the My Computer icon on the desktop. Again we see a
different menu. But Properties is still there, down at the bottom.
Win95/98
WinXP
5.
Right click on a blank area of the desktop itself. Again we see a different
menu with Properties at the bottom.
Win95/98
WinXP
We will not investigate what the Properties actually are. The purpose of this lesson is
to practice with Context Menus.
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Windows Basics:
Dialogs
A dialog box is a special purpose
window which asks for your input.
You may have to type in
something, like your name or a file
name. You might have to just
select Yes or No in answer to a
question. There are several types of
inputs to help make it all easier for
you. You have seen the Mouse
Properties dialog box. Now you
will see some others that illustrate
the different types of input.
Here you can see what the most
common types of dialog box inputs
look like. These samples are
selected from the Display
Properties, Solitaire Options, and
Open dialog boxes. You won't find them all together like this anywhere!
How they work
(but these examples don't!)
Click on an item in the list box to select it. Use the scroll bar to see items out of
view.
Use the tiny arrows in the spin control box to move through the list of available
values. Only one value will be visible at a time. You can also type in a value. This
type of input is used a lot for numbers.
Drag the slide. The text below will change as your sliding hits new values.
Clicking the down arrow will open up a drop list of choices. Click on your choice
just like in a list box.
Click on the circle of your choice, called a radio button. In a group of radio
buttons, only one choice can be chosen at a time. "Draw" and "Scoring" are separate
groups.
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Click a checkbox to select it. In a group of checkboxes, any number of boxes can
be checked at the same time. The "Keep score" checkbox is in gray instead of black if
it is not available to be chosen right now.
Click in the text box and then type your entry.
By the way, the name radio button comes from an old type of car radio which had
round push buttons on the front. You could set each button for a particular radio
frequency. You could just push the button to switch stations instead of having to
carefully tune in the signal. This probably prevented a lot of auto accidents!
Windows Basics:
Dialogs: Date/Time
A dialog is a window which has places for you to make
choices or to give a response. Dialogs can be as simple as
a two-button Yes/No box. Some dialogs have several
sections on different tabs.
You have already seen the Shut Down/Turn off computer
dialog and the Mouse Properties dialog.
You will practice using the Date/Time dialog to make changes to Windows.
If you are sharing a computer, do not forget to undo any changes you make that might
cause problems for others!
[Note: if you are on a network or are using a classroom computer, your changes may
not be saved or they may be lost when the computer is restarted.]
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Step-by-Step: Date/Time Dialog
Start with:
to use the different types of input in dialog boxes
to use Dialog Help
to change the time and date
to close a dialog box
1. Move your cursor over the time in the tray and let it hover there a few
seconds. You will see the date pop up.
Popup tips are often available for icons and toolbar buttons.
2. Move your mouse pointer over other things on the taskbar and desktop and
see if they have a popup message for you.
3.
Double-click the time. You will see the Date/Time Properties dialog box
containing a calendar and a clock. From here you can change the computer's
date and time.
This is an example of a dialog box, also called just a dialog.
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Since all computers have a small battery inside to keep the clock running, even
when unplugged, the time should not be off much unless the battery is getting
old. (Or someone has been playing around!)
It is important that the date and time be correct so that your files will have an
accurate time stamp. You can also insert the date or time into a document. If
the computer doesn't have the right date or time, neither will your document.
The Windows 98 clock sometimes does not show the correct time. It
seems to be related to programs that are working in the background. At this
time no good solution has been announced.
Don't leave this dialog open while you work! In at least some versions of
Windows, if you leave this dialog open, the documents you save and the
folders that you create are time stamped with whatever date and time are
displayed in the dialog, even if you have not clicked the Apply button! Win
XP seems have fixed this dangerous behavior.
Let's check out some of the parts of this window.
4.
Click on the Dialog Help button
. Your cursor changes to
.
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5.
Click on the a part of the window. A yellow popup tip box appears
telling you what that part is for. While it is fairly obvious what is going on in
this particular dialog box, others may not be so clear at first. Using the Help
button can be really helpful!
Notice that the Apply button is grayed out- the letters are gray instead of
black. This means that this command is not available right now. The letters
will go to black if you make a change in a setting.
6. Experiment by changing the date and time. The Apply button will change.
Use each of the inputs to change the date and time. Clicking on a down arrow
will either drop a list or scroll the selection to the next item on the list. For the
time box you will have to either type in a time or select part of the time and
use the arrows. The arrows will only affect one part of the time at a time.
7. There are several ways to get out of this dialog box.
a. Clicking the Close button will not save your changes and closes the
window.
will save your changes and closes
b. Clicking the OK button
the window.
c. Clicking the Cancel button
will not save any changes and
closes the window.
d. Use the Tab key to move from part to part of the dialog box. When the
OK or Cancel button is selected (highlighted with a color change or
surrounded with a dashed box), press the ENTER key. The changes are
saved with the OK button.
Try out each of these methods.
Each time you close the dialog box, open it again by
double-clicking the
time in the tray. When you have tried all 4 methods, leave the dialog box
closed. Be sure not to leave the time and date changed unless they were wrong
to begin with.
WinXP adds another tab - Internet Time. On this tab you can reset your
computer clock to match a standard clock at Microsoft or at NIST (National
Institute of Standards and Technology). Of course, you must be connected to
the Internet to do this. If your computer is connected nearly all the time, the
clock will update weekly. There is a button that updates the clock right now.
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Windows Basics:
Display Dialog
Dialogs with tabs can show you a large number of choices in a small space. Just click
on a tab label to bring that tab to the front. Try it on the image below.
The keystroke combo CTRL + TAB will bring the next tab to the front. (But not
on the image above!)
While you are learning about Windows' Display Properties, you will also be
practicing with different kinds of dialog inputs. Isn't this sneaky? Learning two things
at the same time!
Step-by-Step: Display Dialog
to customize the look of WindowsBackground
Screen saver
Appearance
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Settings
Start with:
Dialog: Display Properties
1.
Right click on a blank area of the desktop to get the contextsensitive menu.
2.
Click on Properties. You will see a dialog box for Display
Properties. Here is where you can customize how the display on your
monitor works.
There may be extra tabs and different input boxes in this dialog box
depending on what video drivers your computer uses and on which version of
Windows you have. If you have installed Microsoft Plus! you will have a
Themes tab.
Themes: A theme is a matched set of colors, background, screen saver,
pointer shapes, sounds, and Desktop icons. These are all related to the same
topic: space, the sea, nature, Star Wars, or Sherlock Holmes, for example.
Microsoft Plus! includes a number of themes. WinXP comes with just two:
Windows XP and Windows Classic. You can also download themes - many
are free.
default Windows XP theme
Windows Classic theme
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Background
1.
Click on the Background tab to bring it to the front, if necessary.
Click on the Desktop tab.
2. Experiment with some of the choices for Pattern and Wallpaper
(
Background in WinXP).
The effect will show in the small monitor in the dialog box.
Pattern is a design that replaces the solid color background on the desktop. It
uses a fairly small repeated image.
Wallpaper is a picture that replaces the solid color background on the
desktop.
Tile will repeat the picture until the whole desktop is covered.
Center will place the picture in the center of the screen.
You can choose to use both a pattern and a wallpaper. Usually the wallpaper
hides the pattern, but you may see it in the labels of desktop icons or around a
centered wallpaper image.
Windows XP combines Wallpaper and Pattern as Background, since both
are created with pictures.
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Screen Saver
1.
Click on the Screen Saver tab. A screen
saver is a moving design that comes on after a
set time passes with no activity on the monitor.
Its purpose to keep your screen from sitting too
long with one picture on it. This can cause a
permanent shadow on older monitors. Of course,
screen savers are also a lot of fun!
2. Experiment with different screen savers. Select
one from the drop list. Then click on Settings to
see what changes you can make. The Preview
button will run the screen saver in the small
monitor in the dialog box.
Appearance
1.
Click on the Appearance tab. In this tab you can change the colors of the
parts of a window, either one item at a time or by selecting a scheme.
2. Experiment by selecting various color schemes.
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Settings
1.
Click on the Settings tab. From this tab, if
your video card and monitor allow it, you can
change the color depth and resolution of your
screen. You may have to reboot the computer for
your changes to take effect. It depends on your
video card.
The Color palette and Desktop area will only
show choices that will work for the equipment
and drivers being used. You may not have any
choices!
The Advanced Properties button leads you to a
dialog for changing the video driver and the type
of monitor.
Do not change the Advanced Display Properties settings unless you
KNOW what you are doing will work! The wrong settings here can make your
screen unreadable and might even keep Windows from starting.
For changes to take effect you will probably have to restart the computer.
2.
Click on the Cancel button to close
Other Choices
Win98 adds two more tabs to the Display dialog: Effects and Web. On the
Effects tab you can change the icons used on the desktop for My Computer
and other standard items. You can choose whether or not to use certain effects,
like smoothing fonts and animating windows, menus, and lists when opening
and closing. The Web tab lets you choose to view the desktop as a web page.
In that case you click only once on a shortcut to open it. The Web tab allows
you to connect to Microsoft's web site to download new Active Desktop items
to your channel bar.
In WinXP you get to these choices by clicking the Customize Desktop...
button on the Desktop tab.
Page 44
Windows Basics:
Help
We all need help from time to time. No one can remember all the tricks to working
with Windows, much less all the other programs on your computer. In addition, things
often change from version to version. The tricks and methods you learned may no
longer work. The current trend is to put the resources for answering your questions
directly on the computer instead of on paper.
In the next sections you will learn to use Windows Help and Help for an application.
You will use four Help features: Contents, Index, Find/Search and a tour.
Help window for WinXP, Win98, and Win95
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Help Tools
No more thick user manuals! Help is available right on your screen.
Help is supplied by topic, keywords, or search, plus interactive tour or tutorial.

Contents: Lists topics in groups, like the table of contents for a book.
Index: Is like the index in the back of a book. You can look up keyword(s)
and see what topics contain the word(s).
Find or Search: Lets you search all the text of the Help file. It can find places
that a keyword is used that aren't in the Index.
Tour or tutorial: A walk-through of features and common actions. You may
need the installation CD for the software since such tours/tutorials can be quite
large.
Differences between Help versions
Win95 Help: One pane. Opening a Help topic hides the list of topics.
Win98 Help: Two panes. The list of topics is in one pane and the Help topic you
picked is in another pane.
WinXP Help: Offers task-based groups of topics. Once you choose a topic,
you have 2 panes: topics and articles.
The two-pane style has the advantage. You can see the list of topics and the topic you
are reading at the same time. The disadvantage is that the window must be bigger.
This is a real problem when Help is set to remain on top of all the other windows, as
some programs still do.
For some programs the Help window style will change to match the style for the
operating system. Other programs may still use an old style of Help dialog or a style
of their own.
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Because Help has different topics and methods in the different versions of Windows,
there are separate sections for the versions covered here: Win95, Win98, and WinXP.
The Application Help lesson is for all versions, with illustrations mostly from Win95.
It actually is not as confusing as it sounds!
Win98 Tour: You will need the files that are on the Windows installation CD in
the folder D:\WIN98\TOUR, where D is your CD drive. The whole folder is about
16.6 MB in size. Your instructor may have been copied the folder to the hard drive or
to a network drive.
WinXP Tour: Installed by default to your hard disk when you installed
WinXP:
C:\WINDOWS\Help\Tours\mmTour\default.htm (19.2 MB) for the multimedia tour
C:\WINDOWS\Help\Tours\htmlTour\default.htm (1.66 MB) for the plain pages tour
(no Flash animations and no music).
It's a good idea to be familiar with all three types of Help windows in the lessons
(Win95, Win98, WinXP). An application may use an older style, even in WinXP. If
you don't have the latest operating system today, you will probably get there some
day. Learn you way around now!
Windows Basics:
WinXP Help
With WinXP Microsoft has grouped Help topics in the Help and Support window by
task, like Windows basics, Networking, and Customizing your computer. There are
links for getting support elsewhere, too.
It's an approach that is intended to be more natural for newcomers. For those of us
who have been using computers awhile, it can take some time to figure out where to
look for the topic that we know is there... somewhere. But, you can always use
Search!
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The initial Help and Support page
To work with Help in Win95, go to Win95 Help Contents.
To work with Help in Win98, skip to Win98 Help Contents.
Help Interface
The basic Help and Support window has two panes, a
toolbar, and a Search textbox. Quite different from
Win95/98. No more tabs! This change can take some
getting used to.
The Table of Contents is in the left pane. On the home
page the left pane shows a list of topic categories. More
specific contents show up here as you select Help topics.
When you select a topic on the left, you usually get a
more detailed list of subtopics in the right pane.
Sometimes you get an actual article in the right pane.
Search is no longer on its own tab but is a textbox that is available in every Help
window. Handy.
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Index is not on a separate tab either. Click the Index toolbar button
the Index list in the left pane.
to show
Toolbar: Help
The toolbar for Help in WinXP has buttons that are similar to some of Internet
Explorer's buttons. They are in three groups: Navigation buttons, lists for the left
pane, and buttons that help with changes.
Navigation Buttons
Back and Forward buttons: These move you through the list of
Help pages that you have seen recently. The tiny arrow at the right of
each button opens a short list of the pages that you have visited.
(Maximum of 10)
Home: Takes you directly back to Help's home page.
Lists in the Left Pane
These buttons are not quite like similar buttons in Internet
Explorer, which toggle content on and off. Clicking one of
these a second time does NOT hide what showed up in the
left pane. Annoying.
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Index: Changes the left pane to show the Index of topics. Typing a
keyword in the Index textbox will scroll the list for you.
Favorites: Opens in the left pane a list of Help and Support topics you
have saved in Favorites. You add a topic or support info page to this list with the
button
article is displayed.
. This button appears at the top of the right pane when an
History: Displays in the left pane a list of the Help topics you have
viewed. Clicking on one opens it back up.
Both panes change, so you cannot see the History list anymore. The Back button or
the History button will bring History into view again.
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Make Changes
Support: Opens in the left pane a set of links: Ask a friend for help (using
Remote Assistance), Get help from Microsoft, Go to a Windows web site forum. All
of these require an Internet connection.
Options: You can change some things about how Help behaves and what
buttons are displayed, what size icons to use, whether to show the text labels on the
buttons.
In the next pages you will learn to use the table of contents, index, and search function
while learning some things about your computer.
Windows Basics:
WinXP Help Contents
Now its time to see if you can find some jewels by mining the WinXP Help articles.
In WinXP's Help, there are several helpful new features.
•
•
•
•
•
History - Tracks the Help articles you have viewed so that you can return to
them quickly.
Favorites - Lets you add Help articles to a Favorites list for use later.
Search the Knowledge Base - Search works directly with Microsoft's
Knowledge Base and other sources of help.
Tasks - On the Help and Support home page is a group of links to help for
common tasks that people need help with, like Remote Assistance and
Windows Restore. No more digging around to find the information.
Links to assistance and support.
Step-by-Step: Help Contents -WinXP
to open Windows Help
to navigate the Contents to find a topic
to navigate the topics and related topics
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Start with:
Open Help and Support Center
1.
Click on the Start button to open the Start menu.
2.
Click on Help and Support. The Help and Support
Center window opens to its Home page.
Navigate to an Article
1.
In the Contents pane on the left, move your mouse
over the topic Customizing your computer.
The words become underlined and the mouse pointer changes to a hand.
This shows that the words are a link. Clicking on the link will do something.
In this case, the page will change inside the window.
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2.
Click on the topic Customizing your computer. The window changes to
show a table of contents, starting at the topic you clicked on.
Icons you will see:
This topic has subtopics. The subtopics may link to articles or to further lists
of subtopics.
The list of subtopics is already open.
A list of topics will open in the right pane.
An article will open in the right pane.
The link opens in a new window.
The link runs a program.
3.
Click on the topic Keyboard and Mouse. A list of
subtopics appears in the right pane. Somewhat unexpected!
4.
Click on the topic Mouse Overview in the right pane. An
article opens in the right pane.
Finally we have something to read!
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5. Read the article about the mouse.
Articles: Definitions
Take a look at the extra features in Help articles. Links and definitions
abound!
1. Move your mouse pointer over the green, underlined phrase secondary mouse
button.
The link and the pointer change. A definition of the phrase or
word is available.
2.
Click on the phrase. A definition of the phrase appears on top of the
window.
3.
Click somewhere to close the
definition.
Pressing the ESC key on your
keyboard will also close a definition.
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Articles: Related Topics
Windows tries hard to guess what else you might want to know.
1. Scroll to the bottom of the article to see the link to Related Topics.
2.
Click on the link Related Topics. A menu appears offering you some
choices.
3. From the popup menu select Change the number of clicks required to open
items.
A new topic is displayed in the right pane. The left pane does not change.
4.
Click the Back button at the top of the window.
You are returned to the previous topic.
5.
Click the Forward button. You are returned to the
topic you just left.
6. Practice navigating through the Help topics. Pick
some topics that look interesting. Use the Back and
Forward buttons as you go along. You can learn quite
a lot while by just wandering around.
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Windows Basics:
WinXP Help Index
The Index for Windows Help is similar to the index for a book. It lists keywords and
phrases that you might be looking for. Each one may be related to several actual Help
topics, which are listed below the phrase.
An index does not include all of the places a word is used. Only the places where the
word is important to the topic are included. To look for all places where a word is
used in a Help topic, you must use Search, which is covered later.
Another way to return to a topic is to use History. Very useful!
Step-by-Step: Help Index -WinXP
Start with:
1.
to find a topic in Help Index
to find the Table of Contents entry for an article
to use History to return to an article
Help and Support Center is open.
Click on
to the keyword list.
the Index button in the toolbar. The left pane changes
2. Type as your keyword in the textbox the letters
mouse .
Notice how the list of keywords scrolls as you
type each letter.
The nearest match is mouse, which has quite a
number of subtopics.
3.
Double-click overview in the list of
keywords. The right pane changes to show the article. The left pane still shows
the Index.
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Once you have found an article, how can you tell where it is in the table of
contents? There is a button for just that!
4.
Click on
right pane.
the Locate in contents button at the top of the
The left pane changes to show the table of contents with this topic highlighted.
Oh, you have been here before!
You must have an article displayed in the right pane for this to work, not
one of the default title pages or lists of subtopics. You will find that some
articles are not available from the table of contents!
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Remember that the topic Keyboard and mouse did not open the Mouse
overview article itself. It opened a list of links, which included Mouse
overview. So the article you were reading is not actually listed in the left pane
at all. A bit confusing.
5. Experiment with the Index. Think of some terms or phrases that you have
questions about and try them in the keyword box. Are your words in the
index? Do the topics that appear answer your questions?
You will work with Search in the section on Paint Help.
History
All the time you are viewing various articles in Help, WinXP is keeping a list of what
you have looked at. This is a very handy feature.
1.
Click on
where you've been.
the History button. The left pane changes to show
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2.
Click on one of the choices in the list. It is highlighted but the article is not
displayed yet.
3.
Click on
the Display button at the bottom of the left pane. Both
panes change to show the article you clicked.
You could double-click the item to display it immediately.
4.
Click on
the Back button. You are returned to History.
Clicking the small arrow beside the Back button opens a short list of
previously viewed pages. History is always at the bottom of the list. When the
page you want is too far back to show on the list, click on History to see the
longer list.
5. Close the Help and Support window by clicking the Close button in the
upper right corner of the window.
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Windows Basics:
Application Help
You won't find information about individual applications in Windows Help. You must
go to that application's own Help menu.
The application Paint comes with versions of Windows since Win95, so it is a good
choice for exploring how to get Help for an application. While the dialogs will look
different in different versions of Paint, the topics are the same. The names are just a
little different. You do not need a completely separate set of instructions. The
illustrations are from Win95.
You will using Paint later to print images of what you have done in the exercises.
Paint is fun, but it is also a useful tool.
Step-by-Step: Paint Help
Start with:
to open an application
to open Help for an application
to work in an application with Help open
to practice drawing with Paint's tools
Taskbar showing
Open Paint
1. Open the Start menu, click on Programs to expand the
click on
menu, then click on Accessories. Finally,
Paint.
Making WinXP look like the illustrations
When Paint opens, the size of the window and the size of the drawing
area will depend on what it was the last time Paint was used.
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Open Paint Help
1.
Click on Help in the menu.
2.
Click on Help Topics.
Surprise! This time WinXP uses the same style for
Help for Paint as Win98. But, the topics are named and arranged somewhat
differently. You might want to review the lessons Win98 Contents and Win98
Index, if you are not familiar with this style of Help
window.
3.
Open the topic "Drawing Lines and Shapes" in the
Help Topics window.
For WinXP, click on Create Pictures.
4.
Open the document "Drawing a straight line" and read
the article.
For WinXP, click on Draw a straight line.
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Work with Help Open
1. Switch back to the Paint window and draw some straight lines of different
colors in the Paint window.
In Win95 and Win98 the Paint Help topic will stay on top, so you may
have to move the window. (Aren't you glad you saw that demonstration
earlier?!
Remember- to move a window,
drag the window by its title bar.
You select the color for a line by clicking on a color tile on the Color Bar.
Left mouse button uses the foreground color. The right mouse button draws
with the background color.
Paint Tools
1. Back in the Contents window, read the other topics under "Drawing Lines
and Shapes".
In Win95, click on the Help Topics button to switch back to Contents.
In WinXP read the topics that start "Draw a..."
2. Practice using the tools they describe. It's OK to have fun for a bit!
The line width you choose remains in place for the outline of shapes also.
To change line width you will have to go back to a line tool to choose the
width.
You have now seen how to open Help for an application and how to use what it says.
Next you will learn how to use the Find/Search feature for Help.
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Windows Basics:
Help- Find/Search
Sometimes none of the topics you see sound like they would answer your question
and none of the keywords in the Index is right either. Don't give up!
If you can think of a keyword or phrase that relates to your question, the Find/Search
portion of Help may come to your rescue.
Unlike the Index part of Help, the Find (Win95) or Search (Win98 & WinXP) portion
makes a list of all the words used in the Help files. So if your brain works a bit
differently and the guy who wrote the index is just not on your wave-length,
Find/Search can at least tell you if your word is there at all.
Step-by-Step: Help - Find/Search
Start with:
to use Find/Search to find a topic
to close an application from the Taskbar
Paint with Help open
The images below are from Win95, but most of them are the same or very similar in
Win98 and WinXP.
Use Find/Search
1. If necessary, open Paint again and open Help for Paint.
2.
Click on the Find tab (if you are in Win95) or click on the Search tab (if
you are in Win98 or WinXP).
If Find/Search has not been used before for this particular Help file, you will
see a dialog box that asks what size database you want to create. Choose
Minimum database and click the Next button. In the next window click
Finish. You'll see a book being written on while the database of words is
created.
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3. Type erase in the text box at the top.
4.
Double-click on the topic Erasing a
large area in the list of topics in the
bottom part of the Help window.
In WinXP the keyword is highlighted in the article. You can turn off the
highlighting by pressing the F5 key on your keyboard. That refreshes the
window.
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5. Read the topic and practice erasing on the picture
you created in the last lesson or on a new picture.
6.
Click on Related Topics at the bottom of the
Paint Help window. You will see some choices.
For Win95 and Win98 the Topics Found
appear in a new window.
In WinXP you will see a popup menu.
7.
Click on the topic Erasing a small area
and display it.
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8. Read the topic and practice erasing small areas in the Paint window.
9. Close Paint Help by clicking on
the Close button.
Close Paint from the Taskbar
1.
Right click on the taskbar icon for Paint to see the popup menu.
Taskbar button in WinXP:
2.
Click on Close. When you are asked if you want to save your picture,
choose No.
The key combination ALT + F4 that can also be used when the
application is the active one.
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Summary of Windows Project 1
In Windows Basics you have learned the basics of how to get around in Windows.
You've learned the parts of the user interface and of a window. You have seen how
Windows contains multiple methods to accomplish tasks - mouse, menu, and
keyboard. You've accessed Help for Windows and for applications. You manipulated
windows -up, down, and all around. When it all sinks in a bit, you'll be ready for the
mysteries of Files and Folders, your next project.
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Working with Windows:
Files & Folders
Windows Project 2 Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Know parts of the My Computer and Explorer windows
Understand the folder tree
Manage the display of files and folders in the window
Create a folder
Open a file from the window
Copy, move, rename, delete, and undelete files and folders
Open an application using a shortcut, My Computer, Explorer, or Run dialog
box
Save a file with a proper and useful name
Understand 8.3 filenames
Use Open and Save As dialog boxes
Format a floppy disk
Create a backup disk
Use Print Preview
Print a document
Use Find/Search to locate a file
In the Windows Basics lessons you learned how to get around the Windows interface,
using the mouse, menus, and the keyboard. You opened some applications and
managed their windows. You created a drawing (though it might not have qualified as
ART!). But when you closed Paint, your drawing was lost. How sad!
Next you need to learn how to save your work and keep track of where all that saved
work is. That requires an understanding of the rules Windows uses to manage files
and the folders they are stored in.
Basic Terms
File:
Each document, whether it is a plain text file or a letter in Word or
music or the directions for a program, is called a file.
Folder: Files are grouped together in
folders, also called directories by folks who
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are used to other operating systems like DOS.
Drive: Your files and folders are stored on a hard disk on your computer or on a
network drive, or on some kind of removable media like a floppy disk,
CD, or a USB drive or other removable disk.
Large hard disks are divided into several logical drives to make the space
easier to work with and maintain. Older operating systems cannot handle
drives larger than 2 GB unless they are divided up this way.
Drives are named with letters. The floppy drive is normally A:. The hard
drive is C:, if you only have one hard drive. Network drives are usually
further down the alphabet, like M: or O:.
Path:
The drive and folders you must go through to get to the folder or file that you
want is called the path. A path always starts with a drive letter. The file that
starts Notepad has the path C:\Windows\notepad.exe The path
C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer leads to the folder that holds Internet
Explorer's files.
Each program you have on your computer created a set of files and folders on your
hard drive when it was installed, including Windows itself. You can create your own
files and folders, too. The first task is to learn how these are arranged on your
computer and how to view the arrangement. Then you can learn how to save your
own files and create your own folders.
Files & Folders:
Views
In keeping with Windows' fondness for multiple ways of doing things, you have two
styles for windows that show you what is on your computer's disks:
My Computer and Explorer.
Most tasks having to do with files and folders can be done from either type of
window. Each has advantages in certain situations and there are a few things that are
special to each. We will look at the basics, so keep in mind that there are more ways
to do things and more options exist than we can cover in this lesson.
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In WinXP you can switch a window from the My Computer style to Explorer and
. A great idea!
back using the Folders button
My Computer
A My Computer window shows the
contents of a drive or of a folder on a drive.
The name of the drive or folder is in the
titlebar.
My Computer window in Win95/98
If you open up a folder in a My
Computer window, its contents will display
in a new window, unless you have changed
the default setting. So when you dig down
deep into the folder structure, you can have
quite a number of open windows. This
could clutter up your screen, but it is useful
sometimes to have a separate window for
each folder you want to look at.
The default setting for WinXP reuses
the same window when new folders are
opened.
My Computer in WinXP
Common Tasks at left
Toolbar and Address bar showing
Explorer
An Explorer window shows the whole folder tree on the left. The contents of
whatever drive or folder is selected shows on the right. An open folder icon,
marks such a folder.
or
,
Opening a new folder replaces the display on the right.
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Advantage: No stacks of different windows when you navigate through the folder
tree.
Disadvantage: You can only see the contents of one folder at a time, unless you open
a new window yourself.
Explorer window in Win95/98
Explorer in WinXP
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Folder View Styles
You have several choices for how to display the files and folders in the right pane of a
My Computer window. Change the view using the Views button on the toolbar or
right click on the right pane and choose from the context menu.
Normally, folders are listed first, then files.
Thumbnail
Big icons or thumbnails of images.
Alphabetical across columns.
Folders that have images in them will display
up to 4 thumbnails on the folder, like the one
at the top right of the illustration.
Tiles
Beside each file icon is information about the
file. What information depends on how you
are sorting in this view.
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Icons
List
Alphabetical down the column.
You can see many more items with this view.
It is more natural to alphabetize down the
column.
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Details
Alphabetical down the column.
The default details are:
•
•
•
•
Name
Size
File type
Date modified
Filmstrip
This view is offered only in the My Pictures folder or folders that WinXP recognizes
as pictures folders.
The pictures extend to the right in a strip.
Click on an image in the strip at the bottom to show larger view above.
Sorting
Normally the items in the right pane are sorted
alphabetically by name, with folders being listed first.
You can sort based on the name, the size, the type, or
the date modified. These are the column titles in the
right pane in Details view. You can just click on a
column title to sort. Click again to reverse the sort. For
other views, use the menu View | Arrange Icons By or
the right click menu.
Show in Groups
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WinXP can now group the items shown in the right
pane, based on how you choose to arrange the icons. The List
and Filmstrip views cannot show groups.
The illustration at the right will change when you click on the
links below.
Examples of group labels:
•
•
•
•
Name - Other, A, B, C, ...
Size - Zero, Tiny, Small, Medium, Large
Type - Cascading stylesheets, configuration settings,
HTML, images, folders, Word documents, Excel
documents
Modified - Today, Yesterday, Earlier this week, Last month, Two months ago,
Earlier this year, Last year, Two years ago, A long time ago
Change Details Shown
The choices you see in the Arrange Icons By list are the Details that are shown in
Details view.
To change this list, from the menu select View | Choose
Details... In the dialog that appears, click on the checkboxes
to clear the ones you do not want and to check the ones you
do want to use.
You can also change the order that the columns appear in
the Details view by moving items up and down in the list.
Files & Folders:
Format Disks
Before you can use a disk to store data, it must be formatted. This prepares it to hold
data. All storage media must be formatted before you can store data on them.
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Removable media, like floppy disks, writable CD disks, USB flash devices, and zip
disks, are normally formatted at the factory, but you may find an unformatted one
from time to time. A new hard disk or tape may not be pre-formatted.
A full format does three things:
•
•
•
Erases all previous data.
Sets up a system for recording what is stored where on the disk.
Checks the disk for physical and magnetic errors.
A quick format skips the check for errors, so it is a much faster process. You can
quick format a disk only if it was already formatted. When you suspect there may be a
problem with a disk, you will have to do a full format to find out. Be cautious about
using quick formats since you will be skipping an important safety check.
Formatting Disks
Capacity: Any time you format a disk, you must specify its capacity, that is, how
much data it will be able to hold. This sets technical things about how to storage data
on the disk. Fortunately you don't have to know all the technical numbers! It's now an
automatic process. Your 3½" floppy disks almost certainly have a capacity of 1.44
MB. For other kinds of removable media, you will have to check the label for its
capacity, but the Format dialog will usually show the correct capacity.
Make System Disk? A system disk has on it the files needed to get the computer
started. This makes it a bootable disk. It is important to have at least one bootable
removable disk available for those horrible situations when your computer refuses to
boot normally.
Do not format a hard disk unless you really, really, really know what you are
doing. It erases EVERYTHING. You will have to reinstall your operating system and
all programs. All data files will be gone!
Write Protection
Most removable media has a way to keep you from writing to it accidentally, as a
safety measure. A 3 ½" floppy disk has two holes at the top. One has a slide which
can open or close the hole. This is the write-protect slide. To write on a floppy disk,
and thus to format one, the write-protect slide must be closed.
Other kinds of disks may have a teeny, tiny switch for this function.
In the lesson that follows you will format a floppy disk for your class
documents. Some steps direct you to do things that cause an error
message to appear. This is on purpose! You need to see some of the
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error messages you can encounter while working on a computer. Some of the
messages are quite useful.
at least 2 floppy disks (or the equivalent space on other media) for
You need:
storing your documents for the lessons in Jan's Illustrated Computer Literacy 101. If
you like to keep things forever and you work through more than just Working with
Windows, you'll need a lot more than 2.
Disks formatted for one operating system may not work in a computer using a
different operating system. In particular, DOS and Windows can't read a disk
formatted for an Apple or Macintosh computer. You would have to reformat a disk to
use a Mac-formatted disk in a DOS or Windows computer. This will erase any data
on the disk! Be careful when you buy disks to check what operating system they are
formatted for. Macs are friendlier and will happily read your DOS or Windows disks
and write to them.
Be SURE you have chosen the correct drive (!!!!) and that you really, really,
really, want to format it. Always check your disk's contents before formatting to be
sure you've put the right one in the drive!!
Files & Folders:
Removable Media
There are many kinds of removable media these days, including:
•
•
floppy disks
USB drives with a variety of names and shapes
Each of these will show in your My Computer window as a separate drive.
We will walk through some basic steps in how to use such removable media.
Floppy Disks
A floppy disk does not look very floppy. But what is inside the plastic case is very
floppy indeed. It is a thin Mylar disk that has magnetic properties. Your floppy drive
"writes" data onto the disk by setting the direction of the magnetic particles.
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Parts of a floppy disk:
USB Flash Drives
There are many different names, shapes, and capacities for
USB flash drives. There is not yet a generally accepted
name for such devices. Each company calls it something
different, including flash drive, flash pen, jump drive,
thumb drive, key drive, and mini-USB
drive.
All have the same kind of rectangular
connector under the cap. This connector
can only plug in one way. Do not force it!
All are small, about the size of your thumb or a large car key, and plug into a USB
port on the computer. No drivers are needed for Windows XP, 2000, or Me. Plug it in
and the computer reports a new hard drive!
Such small flash drives can have large storage capacities, from 8 MB to 1 GB or
more! Much better than a floppy disk!
Some flash drives have a tiny, hard-to-see switch that you can use to prevent writing
to the drive.
Some flash drives include password protection and the ability to run software right off
the USB drive. So cool!
Step-by-Step: Using a Removable Disk
to insert & eject
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to label or mark
to view the contents
to write-protect
to respond correctly to an error message
Start with:
These lessons will use the floppy disk icon to mark steps where you need to save to
whatever removable media you are using.
Insert & Eject a Floppy Disk
If you do not have a floppy disk drive on your computer, you can skip
this section.
1. Find the floppy drive on your computer. It is a slot with a button
and a small light which comes on when the drive is accessing a
disk. The button will stick out when there is a disk in the drive.
[Old drives have a lever instead of a button.]
2. Put a computer disk label on your floppy disk if it doesn't already have one.
Please use a label designed for floppy disks. Other kinds of labels may come
off inside the drive, with expensive results.
Be careful when you put the label on. It should not cover the holes or
touch the metal parts of the disk. Be sure all the label edges are stuck down
tightly so the label won't come off inside the disk drive!
3. Write your name on the label and the class it is for.
This label will help you keep track of what is on a disk
as well as identifying your disks to others if you lose it.
Some computer disk labels wrap around the top of the
disk to the back. Some just fit on the front.
We will call this your Class disk, meaning the disk to
which you are currently saving documents. You will
use this disk to practice working with files and folders.
If you are using the older 5 ¼" disks, be sure to write on the label
BEFORE putting it on the disk. It is easy to damage the insides of this larger
type of floppy by writing on it. A felt tip pen can be used after the label is on
the disk. Never use a pencil or ball-point pen on a 5 ¼" disk.
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4. Insert the floppy disk into the floppy drive, with the label side up and the side
with the round metal part down. Be sure the disk is entering the slot straight
and don't force the disk in. Only one will fit in at a time!
The eject button should be sticking out when the floppy disk is in the drive.
Be careful when inserting and removing disks so that you don't snag the
metal slide and bend it. That could keep the disk from working in the drive.
5. Now eject the disk by pushing the eject button on the drive. See how easy
this is!
Insert & Stop/Eject USB Flash Drive
If you are not currently using a USB device to store your documents, read through
this part anyway! You will be using such devices in the future.
1. Locate the USB ports on your computer. There
may be ports on the front, on the back, on the
monitor base or edge, or even on the keyboard.
(Keyboard ports may not carry enough power for
your device.)
2. Remove the cap from your USB flash drive.
3. Insert the USB flash drive into the USB port.
Be careful not to force it in the wrong way!
Windows recognizes that you have connected a
USB device.
Any of several events may happen:
o a notification sound plays
o a popup message appears, notifying you
of that a new device has been found
o a message tells you that drivers are being
installed.
o a search progress bar appears as Windows
looks for an AutoPlay command
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a dialog offers you several choices of what to do next, including Open
folder to view files using Windows Explorer and No Action.
o new icon
appears in the notification area of the Task Bar
o a new My Computer window displays the drive's contents
o
4. If you do not have the new icon
method.
in the tray of the Task Bar, skip to alternate
in the
5. If you have the new icon
tray of the Task Bar, left click it. A
menu appears that lists all of the USB
devices that are currently connected.
6. Click on your USB Mass Storage Device.
A popup message tells you when you can
safely remove the device. The light on the
drive is now off. If a My Computer window
was showing the drive contents, it closes
automatically.
You don't know which USB device to choose: Right click on
the
Safely Remove Hardware icon. A popup menu appears with only one
command, Safely Remove Hardware. Click on it. A dialog appears that lists all
of the USB devices. Choose one and click on Stop. Another dialog appears
with several names for the same device. Now you should be able to tell if this
is the device that you want to stop. If not, Cancel this dialog and choose
another device in the previous dialog until you find the right one. Then you
can click the Stop button. <Whew!>
7. Verify that the drive light is off.
8. Remove the USB drive by pulling it out of
the port.
Your Explorer window closes automatically
when you remove the device.
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Alternate method to safely remove USB flash drive:
Open an Explorer window or My Computer window. Right click the drive and select
Eject. Wait for your drive's light to go off. Then remove the device.
Why go through these steps? What not just pull a USB flash drive out of its
port? If the device is in the process of writing, you can corrupt your file and even
damage the device permanently.
View Contents of a Floppy Disk
Start with:
,
(removable disk is not in the drive yet)
1.
Double-click on
the My Computer icon on your desktop. A My
Computer window opens that shows icons for each drive on the computer and
for certain special folders.
2.
Double-click on the 3½" Floppy (A:) drive in the My Computer
window. The icons are a little different in each version of Windows:
, Win98
, WinXP
Win95
(Be sure the drive is empty for this step!)
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You will see the failure message at the right. You will hear the drive trying to
access the floppy. (A scary sound when not expected!) You may hear the
computer's error sound. This message usually just means that the disk is not in
the drive.
If you get this message when a disk is in the drive, it may mean that there
is either a:

Physical problem:
Dirt inside the cover or other physical
damage. Perhaps the metal slide is stuck or
the disk won't spin inside the plastic case
because of grit inside. (Ouch!)
What you do:
Eject the disk and move the metal slide back and forth a few times.
Turn the disk to the back and rotate the metal circle a time or two in
both directions to be sure it is spinning smoothly. If all seems well,
insert the disk and try again.

Data problem:
A magnetic field has scrambled or erased the data on the drive
without doing physical damage.
What you do:
Re-format the disk and use it again, if there is no physical damage.
Your data is lost.
Sometimes disks formatted in one computer are indigestible to
another one for no apparent reason. Don't assume that your data is lost
forever until you try the disk in the original
computer.
3.
Insert the Class disk into the drive and
the Retry button in the error message.
click on
The My Computer window that appears will be blank - if
the floppy was blank to begin with!
Always view the contents of a floppy before
formatting! It is very easy to grab the wrong disk.
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View Contents of Other Removable Media
If you are using a removable disk other than a floppy disk, the drive may not show in
My Computer until you actually insert your disk. It depends on the kind of drives you
are using. Zip drives will show up as will card readers (which read media cards for
cameras). USB drives will not show up until a flash drive is inserted into the port.
1. Without inserting your removable media yet,
Double-click on
the My Computer icon on your desktop. A My Computer window opens that
shows icons for each drive on the computer and for certain special folders.
2. Look for an icon for your removable media drive. If you are using a
permanently attached drive like a Zip drive, you will see an icon for it. If you
are using a USB flash drive, you will not see it in the list yet.
The example above shows 5 hard disks, which are actually separate partitions
of a single physical drive. Under Devices with Removable Storage, it shows a
floppy drive A, a CD drive I, and several removable disk drives, H, J, K, and
L.
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H is a Zip drive that is installed in a bay in the computer. J, K, and L represent
different slots in a USB device that reads three different media used in
cameras. Drives H, J, K, and L are showing even though they do not have
media in them at this time.
There are no USB flash drives are showing because no USB drives are
currently connected. A confusing difference!
3. Insert your USB flash drive, if you have one. An icon appears with a drive
letter that depends on how many other drives you have. A USB drives can
have a letter assigned permanently.
You should hear a sound that indicates that Windows has found a new USB
device. AutoPlay will look for an autorun command. In some situations, a
window will open to show the contents of the drive.
My Computer window now shows a USB drive.
If you get a message that the drive needs to be formatted, there is a serious
problem with your USB flash drive.
Physical problem:
Dirty connector or dirty port. Bent connector.
What you do:
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Clean the connector and the port of all dust or particles, try to carefully
striaghten the bent connector, and try again.
Data problem:
A magnetic or electrical event has scrambled or erased the data on the drive
without doing physical damage. This is much harder to do to a USB Flash
drive than on a floppy disk, but it can still happen.
What you do:
Re-format the disk and use it again, if there is no physical damage. Your
data is lost.
Reminders on care of a floppy disk
•
•
•
•
•
•
Label it with your name!
Keep away from heat.
Keep away from magnets, even small ones!
Keep away from smoke, dust, and dirt.
Don't bend or put heavy weights on it.
Don't spill anything on it.
It's not a good idea to carry a floppy disk loose in your purse or in your pocket.
It's too easy to damage one this way.
Files & Folders:
Format Floppy
Formatting your first disk is a bit scary and a bit risky, if you are not careful.
It is quite easy to erase your whole hard disk by choosing the wrong drive.
The menu command Format is not on the File menu unless you have selected a
drive in a My Computer window.
In Win95/98, the Format command is not on the File menu of an Explorer
window at all. It is on the popup menu if you right click a drive. Just a bit odd!
Step-by-Step: Format a Floppy Disk
to format a floppy disk
Page 86
Start with:
,
You should not need to format other kinds of removable disks unless a data tragedy
has occurred.
1. Eject the floppy and check that the write-protect
slide on the disk is open. There should be two holes
open at the top of the disk. (Yes, this will keep you
from formatting the disk. Don't worry about it yet!)
If you are using 5¼" disks, you must cover the write
protect notch on the side of the disk. Tape will do just
fine though the disks come with prettier stickers for
this purpose.
2. Insert the floppy in the drive. (Right side up!)
3.
Click on the original My Computer window to make it the active window.
4.
Click once on the icon for drive A to select it.
5. Open the File menu and click on the command Format . (This command is
not even shown unless a drive has been selected!) You will see the Format
dialog box.
In WinXP choose File | 3 ½ Floppy(A:) | Format .
Win95/98
WinXP
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6.
Check that you are about to format the floppy drive and not one of the
hard drives. You will be VERY unhappy with the results of formatting a hard
drive unexpectedly!!! So will your teacher or network administrator!
7. Select the proper capacity for your disk, which is most likely 1.44 MB.
Win95/98
WinXP
8.
Select Full in the Format type options box.
WinXP assumes you want a Full format.
9.
Click in the Label/Volume Label textbox. Type a name for your disk.
You can only use 11 letters and/or numbers.
This name will show in this dialog box if you format the disk again later. It
doesn't show in either My Computer or Explorer but does in the Properties
dialog.
A combination of your name and the class can help identify disks accidentally
left behind in the drive after you finish. (a VERY common event!!) For
example, you could use something like JSmithComp1 for the first disk and
JSmithComp2 for the second one, which you will format later. (Use your
own name, of course!)
10.
Click on the checkbox for Display summary when finished.
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11.
Click the Start button in the dialog box to begin the format process.
You may get a warning message first that tells you that formatting will erase
everything on the disk.
Error: You should next get an error message pointing out that the disk is
write protected. You opened the slide just so you could see this message.
12. Eject the floppy disk from
the drive, close the writeprotect slide, reinsert the
disk.
Click on Retry.
Click on OK to
close the message box and then on Start again..
Full formatting seems to take forever! The time is really measured in minutes.
Time the process so you'll be reassured on those days when time seems to
stand still while you wait!
When the process is done, the
Format Results window appears.
This information is useful when bad sectors
are actually found. Bad sectors are caused
by physical damage and by failure of the
magnetic media. The format process can
mark where bad sectors are so the
computer won't try to put data there. That
reduces the total amount of space available
to use on the disk. If much of the floppy
disk has gone bad, all you can do is throw
it away.
13. Remove the disk from the drive.
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Files & Folders:
Names
The names you pick for your files and folders must clearly describe what's there.
You'll appreciate it when you have to find a file or folder after a few weeks! What did
I name that thing anyway!?
Under Windows, starting with Win95, there are no longer tight limits on names for
folders and files. In fact, the ability to use long file names for both files and folders is
one of the best features of the newer versions of Windows.
Under DOS, popular in the days before Win95/98, file and directory names can have
only 8 characters, then a dot (a period), and then 3 more characters, like this myreport.txt. This is called an 8.3 name or an MS-DOS format name. Such rules
made it hard to create names that were useful and clear. You wind up with a lot of
names like bud991q.doc for the First Quarter Budget report for 1999. After a while,
you can easily forget what cute system you were using to create such names.
Parts of a filename
The first part of a file's name (before the dot) is called the filename. The part of a
filename after the dot is called the extension. So together it looks like:
filename.extension
People are pretty sloppy about how they use "filename", however. Usually they mean
the whole name instead of just the first part.
An application may recognize certain extensions automatically. For example, MS
Word documents use the extension doc. Excel spreadsheets use xls. If you create an
extension of your own, you may have to go to some trouble to get your document
open.
Characters allowed
Spaces, letters, and numbers are always allowed in long file names, but some symbols
are still not allowed. The following are not allowed \ / : * ? " < > | You'll get an error
message if you try to use these characters in a name.
Windows treats lower case and upper case as the same. So the name picture.bmp is
the same as Picture.bmp and PICTURE.BMP. But some other operating systems,
like UNIX, treat those names as all different! This is especially a problem for people
who write web pages on a Windows computer but serve those pages to the Internet
from a UNIX computer.
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Length of name
Under Win95 and later versions of Windows the limit to the length of a file or folder
name is really long = 255 characters. You must count spaces when counting
characters in the filename. However, the path (drive name and all nested folders to get
to the file) can only be 259 characters. So, the deeper your folders are nested, the
longer the path and the fewer characters are left for the file name itself. A really long
filename might get cut off!
There are practical limits for useful names, anyway.
•
•
•
The longer the name, the longer it takes to type
The longer the name, the more chances to mistype.
Long names may not fit in the display space in a dialog box.
Choose as short a name as possible while still being very clear. Don't use long
names just because you can!
Choose the first 10 or so characters so that if the rest of the name is chopped off in
the display, you will still have some idea of what the file is about. Drop lists and
dialog boxes are not usually adjustable and will only show so many characters, so this
is a common problem.
For example, the name letter to Mom on April 15.doc is legal and works in
Windows. But it is not an good choice for a name. If it gets cut off by the display at
the 9th character, it would display as letter to… Not a very enlightening name! A
better choice would be to put the date at the front with Mom, as in 0415Mom-letter
.doc which if cut short at the 9th character looks like 0415Mom-l… Not great, but at
least it's clearer.
Converting to 8.3 name
Some of the applications you use on your computer may not actually be Windows
95/98+ applications. They may be 16-bit applications instead of 32-bit applications.
Besides what else this may mean, it also means that long file names will be converted
to a 8.3 name when such a program looks at the names, like when opening or saving
files. What you will see instead of your lovely long file name is the first 6 characters,
then a tilde character ~, and then a number.
For example, the file letter to Mom on April 15.doc is converted to letter~1.doc. A
second file named letter to Mom on April 16.doc is converted to letter~2.doc. You
now have another reason to create names for files and folders that are helpful with
even just the first few characters. There is a Microsoft Knowledge Base article about
how Windows creates these short file names.
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Grouping by Folders
A thoughtful choice of folder names can help organize your work and save a lot of
time hunting for the right document. How you do this will depend on how you work
and whether you need to share files with others.
Files can be grouped by task or by type or by author or by to whom they are going.
You could put all the files having to do with this class into a single folder called
Class. Or you could separate the files by what program they are created in like Word
docs, Excel docs, Paint docs. Or you could group your files by lesson as in
WinLesson1, WinLesson2, WordLesson1, WordLesson2… Or you could group
your files by when they are due to be turned in to your teacher as in March 15, April
1, April 15, May 1…
Lots of choices!
Files & Folders:
Create & Arrange Folders
What are the basic tasks about folders that you need to learn?
Obviously you must first create a folder or two. You will change the way your folders
display in the window. You will actually move a folder to a different location and
back again. Since most of us change our minds from time to time, you'll learn how to
change the name of a folder.
Most of these tasks work much the same in both My Computer and in Explorer and
for files as well as folders. First you will work in My Computer windows and then in
Explorer.
Step-by-Step: Create & Arrange
to create a folder
to arrange folders in the My Computer window
Start with:
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If necessary, insert the Class disk into its drive or port and open My
Computer by double-clicking the My Computer icon on the Desktop.
Open a Drive in My Computer
1.
Double-click on the icon in the My Computer window for
the removable drive that you are using to save files onto, for example, or
for the 3½" Floppy (A:) icon. You will see no icons if you just formatted this
disk, which erased any files on it.
Create & Name a Folder in My Computer
1.
Choose File | New | Folder (by clicking on the
File menu, then the item New and then the item
Folder )
A new folder appears with the name New Folder, which is highlighted. How
logical! But it's not a very useful name!
An arrow following a menu item like
means that another
menu will cascade from it. Three dots following a menu item like
means that a dialog box will open, containing choices for you to make.
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2. While the folder label is still highlighted, type class as the new name for this
folder and press the ENTER key.
If you lost the highlighting before typing, you must have clicked somewhere.
Right click on the icon and choose Rename to get the highlighting back.
Then you can type.
3.
Right click in a blank spot in the window for
drive A to see the popup menu. This will also
automatically deselect the label you were just
typing.
4. Select the menu item New and then
Folder .
click on
5. While the folder label is still highlighted, type the
name my docs as the name for this new folder
and then
click in a blank spot in the window.
You just used a second method to create and name a folder.
Double-click the folder my docs to open it in a new window. It's empty so
6.
far.
If you did not get a separate window automatically, you must open a
second window yourself. There is a setting in Folder Options that controls this
feature. Making WinXP look like the illustrations
7. Using the method you just learned, create in the my docs
folder three folders, named word docs , excel docs , and
paint docs .
The icons for the new folders may be scattered around the
window. Don't worry. Making things neat is the next
topic.
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Arrange Icons in My Computer
1.
Drag a folder icon out of line and drop it elsewhere inside the window.
Did it pop right back in place? Your computer has been set to AutoArrange
icons. If this is true, select from the menu View | Arrange Icons | AutoArrange
to turn this feature off for now. All AutoArrange does is keep the icons in
rows and columns.
2.
Drag the folder icons around so that they are not in order.
3.
Right click in a blank area of the window and from the popup menu choose
Line up Icons or
rows and columns.
Align to Grid . Your icons may still not be in
If your icons still aren't neatly in rows or if they extend past the window edge,
drag one or more of them closer to where you think they should go and Line
up Icons/Align to Grid again
4. To do it the easy way, select from the menu View | Arrange Icons |
AutoArrange. Your folder icons should now be in order by rows. Try dragging
the icons around. There seem to be rubber bands attached to the icons!
5.
Drag the folder excel docs to the far right of the window. With
AutoArrange on, the folder is lined up neatly at the end of the row and the
other two folders are moved to the left. This shows that AutoArrange does not
alphabetize. It just lines up the rows and columns neatly.
6.
Right click in a blank spot in the window and choose Arrange Icons from
the popup menu. Then choose by Name , even if it is already selected. Did
any folders switch? The folder excel docs should now be back on the left in
alphabetical order across the window.
7. Experiment with the different choices on the Arrange Icons menu. But let
the last choice be by Name.
The arrangements you choose are remembered only for a time. There is no
way to set Win95/98 to remember them permanently. As you work with more
folders, older folder settings are wiped out.
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Files & Folders:
Move, Delete, & Rename Folders
You will change your mind ... about where you put a folder ... about what you named
it ... about having the folder at all. In this section you will learn how handle these
changes in My Computer windows.
Windows offers so many ways to do things that it can sometimes be confusing. Not to
worry! As long as you learn at least one way, you can manage. As you become more
familiar with Windows, you should look for other methods might work better for you.
Some folks never want to use the mouse if they can use the keyboard, and others are
just the opposite. That's the beauty of modern computing - Different strokes for
different folks.
Step-by-Step: Move, Delete, & Rename
to move/copy a folder by dragging and right-dragging
to select multiple folders
to move/copy multiple folders at once
to undo a move
to delete a folder
to rename a folder
Start with:
My Computer window for your removable disk and one for the folder
my docs on the Class disk.
Move by Dragging
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1.
To move the windows for the floppy drive and for my docs so that they do
not overlap, drag them by their title bars. Resize the windows if you need to.
2.
Drag the folder
excel docs from the
docs window until
your pointer is over
folder class in the
drive window. The
for this folder class
change to show it
selected.
my
icon
will
is
3. Drop the folder excel doc on top of the
folder class.
You drop something that you have been
dragging by releasing the mouse button that
you were holding down. The object dragged
is dropped at the pointer location.
Because the original location and the target location are on the same drive
(Drive A this time), the folder is moved when you drag. If the target location
had been on a different drive, the folder would have been copied.
Except for really small jobs, a Moving... dialog box displays while the
computer moves the folder. A progress bar
gradually extends to show you how much
of the job has been done. (This particular
job will finish before the dialog can
display!) There is a Cancel button you can
click, if you are fast enough! This is the
only choice in this dialog box.
If you copy something, the dialog box will be titled Copying... Look at the
title of the dialog window to check on
what you just did!
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Move with Right Drag
1.
Right drag the folder word docs to the folder class . When you release the
mouse button to drop the folder, a popup menu appears.
2. Choose Move Here .
Notice all the choices: Cancel, Copy Here, Move Here, or Create Shortcut(s)
Here (to the object that you right dragged).
Recommended: Right drag files and folders always and you won't have to
remember whether the object will be copied or moved. The menu will always
give you a choice!
Select and Move Multiple Folders
1.
Open the folder class by double-clicking it. A My Computer window
opens that shows the two folders you moved here: excel docs and word docs
2.
Click in a blank spot and
drag. A box called
the marquee appears as you drag. (Pronounced
. It's French.)
3. Keep dragging until the box surrounds the two
folders excel docs and word docs. They will
change color to show that they are selected.
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4. Now release the mouse button. This is called marquee select.
5.
Drag either of the selected folders over to the my docs window and drop.
Both folders are dragged since both were selected!
Delete Folder
1.
Click on the folder paint docs in the
window for my docs to select it.
2. Press the DELETE key on your keyboard.
A Confirm Folder Delete dialog box will
appear.
This is a permanent deletion since it
was on a removable disk!!. You cannot Undo this!!!
3.
Click on the Yes button.
If this folder had been on a hard disk instead of a floppy disk, you would
have seen a Confirm dialog box that sends your folder to the Recycle Bin. In
that case, if you found you had made a mistake soon enough, you could
undelete the folder by opening the Recycle Bin, selecting the item, and
choosing File | Restore. The Recycle Bin will only hold so much and will
clean itself out as it needs space for new deletions. So you can't undo your
deletions forever. If you are deleting a large number of files or big files, the
Recycle Bin may not have room for all of them at all.
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To permanently delete files or folders from the hard drive immediately,
hold the SHIFT key down while pressing the DELETE key. The selected
item(s) will NOT be put in the Recycle Bin but are destroyed.
Always look carefully at the Confirm dialog box. If the icon is the
Recycle Bin, then you can undelete your deletion, at least in the near future.
Otherwise it is a permanent loss.
Rename Folder
1. To rename the folder word docs,
click on its label.
click again. Clicking too quickly will result in a
2. Pause briefly and
double-click, which will open the folder. If you do double-click by accident,
just close the new window and try again.
If you lose highlight for the label, click off the label in a blank area of the
window and then click the label again.
3. Type pictures and don't click anywhere else yet. You changed your
mind and don't want to rename after all!
4. While the name is still highlighted, press the ESC key. The folder name will
return to the previous name.
Let's try a different name.
5.
Click on the label word docs. Pause and
click again.
6. Type reports , and then
click in a blank spot in the window. The name is
changed. Hmmm. You still don't like this name.
7. Select Edit | Undo Rename to undo the change. This works well when the
highlight has been lost. The label will return to word docs.
Notice that what you can Undo will change depending on what you just
did! It's always the very last thing you did, and that's all for My
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Computer/Explorer windows. So catch those mistakes quickly!
8. Close all open My Computer windows with the method of your choice: Close
button, File | Exit, or double-click the control icon on the title bar.
9.
If you wish, you may return WinXP to its previous state by undoing your
changes.
Check it out!
Your Class disk should now contain:
•
•
class
my docs

excel docs

word docs
Files & Folders:
Folder Tree
It is easy to get lost among the pile of folders on most hard disks unless you can
actually see the ways the folders are related to each other. The folder tree is just such
a helpful diagram.
The folder tree shows all of the computer's drives and folders in a nested arrangement.
A small plus sign marks drives and folders which contain other things. Clicking this
symbol expands this branch of the folder tree.
A minus sign marks something that is already expanded to show its contents.
Clicking it will collapse this branch of the folder tree.
Step-by-Step: Folder Tree
to open an Explorer window
to change the view in Explorer
to expand and collapse the folder tree
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Start with:
Open an Explorer Window: WinXP
1. In WinXP double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop to open a new
window.
2. Click on
the Folders button to show the folder tree. The
window shows the folder tree for Drive C: in the folder tree pane
on the left. The right pane shows the contents, including files
which do not show on the left.
3. If the right pane is not using the Details view, select it from the
Views menu.
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Open the Removable Disk
1.
Click on the icon for the 3½" Floppy (A:) or the removable disk that you
are using in the left pane to select it. In the right pane you will now see the
contents of your Class disk.
Noises: You may hear the floppy drive spinning up to access the data on
the disk. Some drives are a lot louder than others. Learn what your floppy
drive sounds like. When something is wrong with the disk or the drive, the
sound is often different, perhaps more of a grinding noise.
Resize columns: You can adjust the widths of the columns so that you can
see at least part of the information. Put your pointer over the right edge of a
column heading. The pointer changes to resize shape.
Drag to the left to reduce the column size. Drag to the right to enlarge the
column.
Create New Folder
1.
Double-click in the right pane on the folder my docs to open it. Your two
folders are shown.
2. From the menu bar select File | New | Folder .
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3. Type paint docs as the name of the new folder. Yes, we just deleted this
folder and here it comes again!
4. Click somewhere or press the Enter key. Your new folder is created and
named.
Views in Explorer
1.
Double -click on the icon for Drive C: in the folder tree to open it on that
side. Its contents show in the right pane.
2. Scroll the right pane to see all the items listed. Below the folders you will see
files. Notice that both panes display the folders, but only the right pane will
show files. The files have different icons depending on what the file extension
is. (Your window may not show the extensions.)
3. Scroll the left pane to see all the items listed. No files will show, just drives,
folders, and some special items like the Recycle Bin.
4.
Change the view type, using each of choices in the View menu. They are
somewhat different for each version of Windows.
How does the right pane change with each different View? Do you see
advantages or disadvantages for particular views?
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Views of C:\ in Win95/98
The default width of a column in the Small Icons and List views, depends
on the length of the names in the list. Here is yet another reason to keep file
names reasonably short.
Expand & Collapse Folder Tree Branches
1. In the folder tree pane (left pane),
click on the icon for the removable disk
(Different for each version of Windows!) The right pane will show the top
level folders on your disk - class and my docs.
2.
In the folder tree pane, click the and symbols beside various drives
and folders to expand and collapse the folder tree. Play around a bit.
Does the right pane change as you expand and collapse the folder tree?
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3.
Click on various folder and drive names in the folder tree. What does the
right pane show?
Conclusion: When something is selected on the left, its contents show on the
right. You can expand and collapse the folder tree without changing the right
pane by using and .
WinXP automatically expands a branch in the folder tree when you select
it. This keeps the left and right panes synchronized if you click on something
in the left pane.
Arrange Icons in Explorer
1.
In the folder tree pane, click on the icon for drive C (it may still be
expanded from your earlier work). Both panes show all the folders on the
drive. The right pane also shows the files in the root directory C:\.
2.
Double-click on the folder Windows in the folder tree to display its
contents in the right pane and to expand its branch at the same time.
3. At the top of the right pane in the Details view, the properties of the files are
displayed: Name, Size, Type, Modified. These column headings are actually
buttons that manage the order of the display of this pane. Clicking one will
reorder the display based on that property. Clicking it again will reverse the
order.
4.
Click on a property button to sort the display. Scroll the pane to see what
changes occurred. Click the same button again to reverse the display. Sort with
each of the properties. Finish with the pane sorted by Name in regular
alphabetical order.
How they sort:
Name sorts alphabetically with folders first.
Size sorts files based on size but leaves folders in alphabetical order.
Modified sorts based on the date the file or folder was last changed.
Type sorts the files by type, which is indicated by a file's extension and icon.
However, some extensions are treated as the same type, so the display is not
exactly alphabetical for extensions. For example, the extensions exe and dll
are grouped together because they are both executable files. That means that
they run programs.
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5. In the folder tree pane scroll up to find drive C.
6.
Click on the beside the icon for drive C to collapse this branch of the
tree. Whoosh! A much shorter list!
The arrangement that you choose for the icons applies to the open
folder only. Win95/98 can remember your choices for several recently viewed
folders. There is no way to make your choices stick permanently under
Win95/98. You can apply your choices to All folders.
I have not been able to find out if WinXP will remember your folder
settings indefinitely or not.
Files & Folders:
Select Folder(s)
Before you can do anything with a folder or group of folders, you first must be able to
select what you want. For a single item, it is just a matter of clicking on it in a My
Computer or Explorer window. For more than one item, you have a choice of
techniques, depending on whether the items are next to each other (adjacent) or not
(non-adjacent).
One
selected
Adjacent
selected
Non-adjacent
selected
Step-by-Step: Select Folders
Start with:
to select folders by clicking
to select folders that are adjacent
to select folders that are not adjacent
to deselect folders
, Removable drive in Explorer window , Details view.
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WinXP does not add "Exploring" to the title bar when the window is using the
Explorer view.
Select in Explorer
1. In the folder tree pane,
click on the icon for your removable drive or on its
name to select it. The name is highlighted and the contents of the drive
displays in the right pane.
2.
In the right pane, click on the folder name my docs to select it. The
name is highlighted but nothing else happens.
3.
In the right pane, double-click the folder icon or name for my docs . The
right pane changes to show any files and folders in the my docs folder. The
folder tree remains unchanged.
4.
Double-click my docs in the left pane to expand the branch in the folder
tree.
WinXP has already done this automatically.
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Select Adjacent Folders: SHIFT key
1.
In the right pane, click on the folder excel docs to select it.
2. Hold the SHIFT key down and
folders are selected.
click on the folder word docs. All three
Using the SHIFT key this way selects all files and folders between the two
clicked. It doesn't work on the folder tree!
The technique will also work other views, but what is considered to be
"between" depends on what view is in use. Remember that some views list
items going across the pane and some list going down the pane. You can have
an unhappy surprise if you don't notice which view you are using when you
select.
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3.
Click in a blank spot in the right pane to deselect the folders.
Select Adjacent Folders: Drag
1.
Drag from a blank spot in the right pane below the folders until the
marquee select has highlighted all three folders in the pane. Release the
mouse button. All three folders are selected.
Select/Deselect Folders- Not Adjacent: CTRL key
1. Hold the CTRL key down and
deselects that folder.
click on the folder paint docs. This
Using the CTRL key selects or deselects files and folders one at a
time. You can use this method to select items that are not next to
each other. Again, this doesn't work on the folder tree. It will work in
a My Computer window.
Files & Folders:
Copy, Move, & Restore Folders
There are five methods of copying or moving files and folders:
•
•
drag and drop
right drag and drop
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•
•
•
popup menu
menu bar
toolbar
Since this is a very important set of skills, you will see all five methods. The safest
method is using right drag and drop since it gives you choices on its popup menus, but
the others have their uses, too.
Step-by-Step: Copy/Move & Restore
Start with:
to copy or move folder to new location
to undo a copy or move
to restore deleted folder
, Removable disk in Explorer , Details view
Move: Right Drag
From right pane to left pane
1. If necessary, insert the Class disk into the drive or port and open an Explorer
window that displays its contents. Open the
my docs folder. Select the folders excel docs
and word docs contained in the folder my
docs.
2.
Right drag either of the selected folders over to the left pane to the folder
class . When the name class is highlighted, drop. A popup menu appears with
your choices.
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3. From the popup menu, select Cancel . Your move doesn't happen after all!
Remember - if you drag a file or folder to a place on the same drive, it will be
moved. If you drag to a different drive, it will be copied. A right drag will give
you the popup menu so you can choose. It's much safer to right drag!
Inside the left pane
You can select only one folder or drive at a time in the folder tree pane.
right drag the folder paint docs up
1. Inside the folder tree in the left pane,
to the folder class . When the folder class is highlighted, release the mouse
button. A popup menu appears.
2. Click on Move Here . The folder paint docs is moved to the folder class. The
right pane will change to show this change automatically.
Move: Undo
1.
Click on Edit | Undo Move in the menu bar. The folder paint docs
returns to the my docs folder. Are you dizzy yet??
CTRL + Z: Hold down the CTRL key and press Z. This key combo will
also undo the last thing you did in the My Computer/Explorer window.
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The folder paint docs was not put back in its spot in the display. It is at the
end of the list now, out of alphabetical order.
2. From the menu select View | Refresh to refresh the pane display and return
the folders to alphabetical order.
F5: Pressing the F5 key (usually in the top row of your keyboard) will
refresh the window in many programs, as well as in Windows itself.
Move: Cut & Paste: Popup Menu
1.
Right click on the folder word docs in the right pane. A menu pops up.
2. From the popup menu choose Cut . The icon and label turn partly
transparent. A ghost of themselves!
3.
Right click on the folder class in the folder tree.
4. From the popup menu choose Paste The folder
is moved to the new location.
This Cut-and-Paste method accomplishes the
same result as a Move. It is useful when you
cannot see what you want to move and the new
location at the same time.
Paste right away! You may lose whatever
you Cut, if you copy anything else before you
Paste!
If you Cut but never Paste in Win98 and
WinXP, the folder is not moved at all. They just
cancel the Cut of files and folders. But in
programs, that is not usually true. Cut material is
removed from documents, even if you don't ever paste it anywhere. So you
can easily lose the cut material entirely.
5. From the menu bar choose Edit | Undo Move or use the key combo CTRL +
Z.
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Show Toolbar
If the toolbar is not showing:
1.
From the menu bar select View | Toolbar to
show the standard buttons.
If your window already shows the toolbar buttons,
clicking on Toolbar will hide them.
WinXP has several toolbars so you will have to expand the Toolbars
submenu first. View | Toolbars | Standard
Buttons
2. Resize the window, if necessary, to show the
file/folder management buttons:
Cut, Copy,
Paste Undo
Move To, Copy To,
Delete, Undo
Customize the Toolbar
If you do not see the file/folder management
buttons on the Standard toolbar, you can add buttons and even separator bars to the
toolbar, if you wish.
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1. From the menu, select View | Toolbars | Customize . The dialog Customize
Toolbars appears.
2. Select a button that you want to add to the toolbar and click the Add-> button.
3. Try the choices in Text options and Icon options to see what your choices are.
The toolbar will actually change as you make a choice. If you need to start
over, click the Reset button.
4. When you are satisfied with your choices, click the Close button.
If you are sharing this computer, do not get too crazy with the buttons! In a
computer lab you may not be allowed to make these changes.
Copy: Toolbar
1. If necessary, click in the folder tree on the folder my docs to display its
subfolders in the right pane.
2. Select in the right pane the folders excel docs and word docs by holding down
the CTRL key and clicking on each of the folders.
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Copy To button
Copy button
3.
Click the Copy
button on the toolbar.
WinXP has menu commands and
buttons for Cut, Copy, and Paste, but it also
offers Copy To and Move To commands and
buttons.
3.
Click
the Copy To button
on the toolbar or select Edit | Copy To
on the menu. The Copy Items dialog
appears with its own folder tree.
This is a really advantage when the
new location is not near the old on the
folder tree.
4. Select the folder class in
the folder tree at the left.
4. Select the folder class in the Copy
Items folder tree.
5.
Click the Paste
button on the toolbar.
Both folders are now
copied to the new
location. The originals
are left in place.
5.
Click the Copy button. Both
folders are now copied to the new
location. The originals are left in
place.
(The Move To button works the same way.)
6. From the menu bar choose Edit | Undo Copy . A confirm dialog box appears
asking you to confirm your deletion. Choose Yes.
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Move: Cut & Paste: Menu Bar
1.
Select the folder my docs in the left pane to show its
contents and then click in the right pane on the folder
paint docs.
2. From the menu bar choose Edit | Copy .
3. Move your pointer to the folder tree and
folder class to select it.
click on the
4. From the menu bar choose Edit | Paste .
The folder paint docs should now be in two places - the folder my docs and
the folder class. Verify this by expanding both folders
on the folder tree.
Move: Drag
1. Select in the folder tree the folder my docs to show its contents in the right
pane.
2.
Drag the folder word docs from the right pane to the left pane folder class.
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The folder that you moved vanishes from the right pane and is now moved
into the folder class. Verify this by opening the folder class and looking at its
contents in the right pane.
3.
On the toolbar click on the Undo button to reverse
the move.
Remember that if the thing you are dragging is on a different drive than the
new location, it will be copied. If it is on the same drive as the new location, it
will be moved. If you hold the CTRL key down while you drag, this is
reversed. The best idea is to use a right drag so that you get the popup menu to
choose from! Much easier on the brain!!
Delete: Menu
Deleting from a floppy disk is permanent, no matter what method you use. Undo
will not restore what you deleted.
1.
2.
Double-click on the folder class in the folder tree to expand that branch
and show its subfolders in both panes.
Right click in the right pane on the folder paint docs.
3. From the popup menu choose Delete . The selected folder is deleted. In the
Confirm dialog box choose Yes.
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Delete: Keyboard
1. In the folder tree, select the folder class.
2. Press the DEL key on your keyboard to delete this folder.
Under DOS and UNIX you have to delete a folder's contents before you
can delete the folder. Not so with Windows.
3. Open the Edit menu. What is the current Undo command? Deleting from a
floppy is not a command that you can Undo from here. How unexpected!
Restore from Recycle Bin
At some time you will make a mistake when you delete something from
your hard disk and you won't realize it until later. Undo will not work if
you have done a number of other things since deleting. The Recycle Bin exists just to
handle this problem.
Below you will create a folder on the computer's hard disk, delete it, (which sends it
to the Recycle Bin), and then restore it from the Recycle Bin. Then you will delete it
permanently to return the disk to its previous state.
1. Create a new folder on Drive C. Leave the name as New Folder. It will be the
last item in the list for Drive C:.
If another folder already exists with this name, Win95/98 will call yours New
Folder (2). No problem! Just continue using the name Windows gave it. It
won't be around for long anyway.
2. Delete the folder New Folder with the method of your choice. When the
Confirm Folder Delete dialog box appears, choose Yes.
3.
Click on Recycle Bin in the left pane of Explorer. (You may need to scroll
to see it.)
The right pane will show a list of recently deleted files and folders. The right
pane has 2 more properties to show now: Original Location and Date
Deleted.
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There may be many other things listed or none at all. The Recycle Bin should
be emptied from time to time to save disk space.
You can also open a Recycle Bin window by double-clicking the Recycle
Bin icon on the Desktop.
click on Date Deleted to sort the deleted items.
4. If you don't see your folder,
Your folder New Folder should be the most recent deletion.
If you are using a classroom computer and other students have
already done this exercise, you may find a LOT of folders named
New Folder!
5.
Right click on New Folder and from the popup menu, choose Restore .
The folder vanishes from the list and reappears in the folder tree, in its
alphabetical place.
You can also find the Restore command on the File menu, but only when
Recycle Bin is selected.
6.
Click on Drive C:\ in the left pane and find New Folder, now listed
alphabetically in the right pane.
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7.
Delete the folder New Folder permanently by holding the SHIFT key
down while pressing the DELETE key. (SHIFT + DEL).
8. In the Confirm File Delete dialog, choose Yes.
9. Open the Recycle Bin again and look for your New Folder. It should not be
there this time.
Rename
In this section you will revise the folder names so you can use them to store the
projects you work on in these lessons.
Mouse:
1. In the folder tree pane,
click on the folder excel docs; pause;
again to highlight the folder name.
click
2. Type win project2 and press the ENTER key.
Popup menu:
1.
Right click on the folder word docs in the right pane.
2. From the popup menu select Rename .
3. Type word project1
4.
Click on the folder paint docs in the right pane. The new name took effect
when you clicked somewhere.
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Menu:
1. From the menu bar select File | Rename .
2. Type word project2 .
Check it out!
Your Class disk should now contain:
•
my docs

win project2

word project1

word project2
Files & Folders:
Text: Create & Save Files
To work with files you must first have some! Playing around with files already on the
hard disk might get us all in trouble. So you will first create some files. Then you can
play with them!
You learned to open an application from the Start menu in Windows Basics. In this
section you will learn another method.
Notepad
The application Notepad is a plain text editor. This
means that you can create documents that contain only
text - no graphics. It also means that you can't get fancy
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with your text - no interesting fonts or effects. No tables, frames, or other fancy
features. So why bother??
What Notepad creates is just fine for writing simple memos, lists, or quick notes.
Every word processor out there can read a plain text document, but they don't read all
of each other's files well at all! Plain text is all that works for certain files that your
computer uses, and that you might at some point need to edit by hand. So Notepad is
well worth meeting.
Notepad opens with a new blank document ready for your typing. Many applications
behave this way. Others offer you the option first of opening an existing document.
The cursor is the shape that shows where the text you type will go. Different
programs use somewhat different shapes. A vertical bar of some type is the most
common. Do you see the cursor in the image of Notepad?
If you have not worked with a typewriter or keyboard before:
•
•
•
•
•
To type a capital letter like R or the symbol at the top of a key like $, hold the
SHIFT key down while pressing the key you want.
To move the cursor down to create a new line, press the ENTER key when the
cursor is at the end of the line.
Use the DELETE key to erase the character to the right of the cursor.
Use the BACKSPACE key to erase the character to the left of the cursor.
To erase several characters or lines, highlight the text you want to erase by
dragging over it and press the DELETE key. Be careful. You can only undo
the last action in Notepad. Clicking around can be an action!
Step-by-Step: Create & Save Text
to open an application from Explorer
to create a new document
to save a document
Start with:
Start a Program from Explorer
To use this method to open an application, you need to know:
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a. the command that starts the application
b. what folder the command is in
1.
Right click on the My Computer icon on the Desktop and choose
Explore from the popup menu. This will open an Explorer view. Now you
know another way to access Explorer besides the Start menu!
No icon on Desktop for My Computer: Right click on the Start menu
and select Explore.
2. If necessary, expand drive C and scroll down to the folder Windows and
expand it.
Win98
WinXP
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3. Select the folder Windows to show its contents in the right pane.
4. In the right pane, scroll until you see the file Notepad.exe.
5.
Double-click on Notepad.exe to start the program. Notepad opens with a
blank document ready for your typing.
Create a Document
1. Type the first line:
This is a sample document.
2. Press the ENTER key to get a new line.
3. Type the second line:
I wrote it in Notepad.
4. Press the ENTER key twice to get a blank line.
5. Type your name.
7. Select from the menu bar Edit | Time\Date to insert the current time and
date.
9. Type the name of this course you are taking.
Save a Document
1.
Insert the Class disk into the drive or USB port, if it is not already there.
2. Select from the menu bar File | Save .
Since this document has not been saved before, you will see the Save As
dialog box. For most applications the Save In text box shows the folder last
used to save something. Others programs have a default folder for saving files.
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3. Click on the Help button in the title bar of this dialog box and then click
on each part of the window in turn to see what it is for.
4.
Click on the down arrow for the text box Save in: to display a simplified
folder tree.
While in an Open or Save As dialog box, you can do most of the tasks that
you learned to do in My Computer and Explorer, like rename, move, copy,
delete. Popup menus are available, too. You can even create a new folder
using the
button on the toolbar. (
Use
in WinXP)
Some applications are not entirely happy with doing these things inside a
dialog box. They may lock up or crash. So test your applications before you
try to manage files within a dialog box. You wouldn't want crash the program
before you actually saved your work!
5.
Click on the icon for the drive for your removable media, in the drop list,
for example Drive A: if you are using floppy disks. The dialog box changes to
show the contents of the Class disk, including the folders that you created in
the previous lessons.
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6.
Double-click on the folder my docs and then
on win project2.
7. At the bottom of the dialog, in the text box File name: type doc 1 . Yes, there
is a space in this name!
8.
Click on the down arrow in the textbox Save as type: to see what your
choices are. There are not many for Notepad, but other programs may have a
long list of file types to choose from.
9. Select the type Text Documents.
10.
Click on the Save button.
The file is saved. The complete path looks like:
a:\my docs\win project2\doc 1.txt
Of course, the drive letter will be the letter for your removable disk.
Remember - spaces are important in a path, too!
The title bar of Notepad changes to include the new name, with a txt extension
automatically added. Most applications have a default extension to add to a
filename if you don't type it in yourself.
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To see what extensions an application uses, click on the down arrow in the
Save as type box. In an Open dialog box, on the other hand, this list will show
what extensions the program can open. But it may not be able to save in that
type.
Files & Folders:
Text: Edit & Print
Step-by-Step: Edit & Print Text
Start with:
to edit a document
to print a document
to close an application with Task Manager
to open an existing document
, Notepad open with doc 1.txt displayed
Edit: Add Text
1. Move the cursor to the end of the second line and
press the ENTER key to get a new line.
Typing is overwriting your text: Press the
INSERT key on the keyboard to toggle from
overtyping to inserting.
2. Type: I can edit and delete this that I wrote in
Notepad.
Typing is wider than the window: From the menu select Edit | Word
Wrap . Notepad will wrap your sentences so you won't have to scroll
horizontally to read everything.
Edit: Erase Text
1. Move the cursor to the end of the second line: I wrote it in Notepad
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2. Drag to the beginning of the line to highlight the entire line.
Extra lines are selected: Dragging at a bit of an angle can select other
lines. Click off the selection to deselect and try again.
3. Press the DELETE key. The line vanishes. If a blank line remains, press
delete again.
4. Press the down arrow key three times and then the HOME key. The cursor is
now at the beginning of the line with the time and date.
5. Press the DELETE key enough times to erase the time but not the date.
Edit: Replace Text
1. Move the cursor to the end of the word "that" in the second line.
2.
Click once.
3. Backspace enough times to erase the words "this" and "that".
4. Type the word what in their place.
Edit: Move Text
1. Select the first line of text by dragging to highlight it.
2. Select from the menu bar Edit | Cut .
Notice the key combo listed in the menu. CTRL + X will
cut.
3. Move the cursor to the beginning of the line with your name.
In more advanced applications you can drag selected text to a
new location.
4. Select from the menu bar Edit | Paste . The text is moved.
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The key combo CTRL + V will paste.
5. Press the ENTER key twice to move your name down two lines.
Save an Existing Document
1.
From the menu bar select File | Save . The file is saved without
displaying the Save As dialog box because the file has already been saved
once.
Print Document
(You may need special instructions from your teacher about using the classroom
printer)
1. From the menu bar select File | Page Setup... .
Most applications remember the page settings from the previous printing job.
You must always check the page setup to see what the computer is going to do
with your document!
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Notepad doesn't have a Print Preview window
where you could actually see what the page will
look like. The Preview you see in the Page Setup
dialog box is not of your actual document.
Most applications these days do have a print
preview window. Use it!! The cause of some of the
most wasteful printing errors is failure to look at
the preview before pressing the print button!!
2. In the Header text box, after the characters that are
already there, type 2 spaces and then your name.
3.
4.
Click the OK button.
From the menu bar select File | Print . Your short document will be
printed.
Close with Task Manager
Sometimes your programs will get stuck and fail to respond to your commands and
keystrokes. How can you close the program in this case? The Task Manager is your
friend when all else fails!
1. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys and press the DEL key (the same as
DELETE). The Task Manager
appears.
2. Select doc 1.txt - Notepad on the
list of active programs and click on
the End Task button. Notepad
closes.
Sometimes you will see another
dialog after a few seconds that
reports that the task you tried to
close is not responding. You can
chose to wait, if you think the task
might actually finish doing
something. Or you can chose to
terminate the task anyway. This will be your choice when you are trying to
close down a frozen program - one which has stopped responding but has not
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damaged any other processes going on.
In WinXP the Task Manager has more tabs. The Applications tab shows
what applications are currently running. The
Processes tab shows a lot of strangely named
things that go on in the background. You will
not usually want to deal with Processes.
Using CTRL + ALT+ DEL twice quickly will reboot the computer. You
will lose all unsaved data!
This combination of CTRL + ALT + DEL is sometimes called the three finger
salute. It is pronounced as "control alt delete". This key combo was used
before Win95 to reboot the computer, especially when programs crashed
(refused to work any more).
Sometimes ending the program is not enough to get your computer working
happily again. You may have to shut down the computer and restart it to
recover from a bad lock-up or crash.
Open Document: Explorer
Start with
,
, Notepad closed
1. Open an Explorer window. (Hint: Start | Programs | Windows Explorer)
2. Select your removable drive from the folder tree, that is, the drive you just
saved the Notepad document to.
3.
Double-click to open the folder my docs.
4.
Double-click to open the folder win project2.
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5.
Double-click in the right pane on the file doc 1.txt. Notepad should open
with this file displayed in the window.
This only works if the extension txt is associated with the program
Notepad, as it will be by default. Some other program will open if txt has been
associated with it instead.
6. Close the program that just opened.
Rename
1. In the Explorer window, rename
the file doc 1.txt to docone.tex
(Type this exactly!)
Warning box: When you click
off the label, you will get a
warning box that explains that
changing an extension may be a
bad idea. Apparently Windows
does not recognize the extension tex as a text file extension, even though it
looks quite reasonable.
2.
Click the No button. Then press the ESC key. The file name returns to the
original.
3. Close the Explorer window and close Notepad.
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Open Document: Open Dialog
Start with
,
, Notepad closed
1. Open Notepad from the Start menu. (Hint:
Start | Programs | Accessories | Notepad)
2. From the menu bar select File | Open
The Open dialog box appears.
Use the Up button and/or the drop box
folder tree if you need to switch to a
different drive in the display.
3. Open folders until the file doc 1.txt is displayed in the main area.
The sequence of windows may be different from that in the illustration.
4. Select the file doc 1.txt. It's name appears in the File name text box at the
bottom of the dialog box.
5.
Right click on doc 1.txt and choose
Properties from the popup menu.
Note the MS-DOS filename shown.
The first 6 characters show, or up to the first
space, then the ~, and then a number, starting
with 1. All because MS-DOS names can't
have spaces.
6.
Click on the Cancel button to close the
Properties box.
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7.
Click on the Open button. The file opens in Notepad. TaDa!
8. Close Notepad with the method of your choice!
Files & Folders:
Image: Create & Save
Everyone likes pictures. They perk up a page of dull text and make it bearable. (Hmm.
Like this one?) Plus, some things just can't be expressed as well in words.
Are picture files different from text files? Not really. Both are sets of 1's and 0's. The
biggest difference is that image files are often quite large. The file name extensions
are different, of course.
You have the same kinds of tasks to learn that you had for text files. Create a new
document, save it, edit it, save it again, print it. So, in this section you will review or
see another way to do the tasks you have already learned. Plus you get to play with
Microsoft Paint. Be careful not to neglect your other work! Paint can be addicting,
even if you are not artistic!!
What is Microsoft Paint?
What is this program called Microsoft Paint, anyway?? Paint is a simple program with
basic tools for creating bitmap pictures. That means that you define the color of each
little dot, called a pixel, in the image. In the hands of a patient person, however, Paint
can be used to create some spectacular images. Of course, it would be a lot easier in
one of the advanced graphics programs!
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Step-by-Step: Create & Save Image
Start with:
to open a program from Run
to draw with Paint
to save an image
Start a Program from Run
1. Open the Start menu and choose Run .
2. In the Run dialog box, type paint and
click on the OK button. Windows
looks for a file that it can run, like paint.exe.
3. Error: You will see an error message because Windows will not be able to
find the file.
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The problem in this case is that the file that starts Paint is actually named
mspaint.exe instead of just paint. Run is smart enough to figure it out if the
file uses a common extension for program files, like exe or dll or com. But it
is totally fooled by the wrong name!
When this happens, first check the file name for misspellings. If the
spelling is right, try typing in the full
path to the file, like:
c:\program files\accessories\mspaint.exe
or
c:\windows\system32\mspaint.exe
Or you can use the Browse button to get
to a folder tree, find the right file, and
double-click on it, which puts the full
path into the Run text box.
4.
Click on the OK button in the error
message box.
5. Highlight the word paint in the textbox
labeled Open: and type mspaint .
6.
Click on the OK button. Paint will
open. (Yes, even without the extension!
I told you that Run was smart!)
The size of the window and the size of the blank canvas depend on their sizes
the last time Paint was used.
Resize Canvas
If your canvas size is too small to work with comfortably, you need to resize it.
1. Resize the window to be large enough to hold the canvas size you want.
2. Resize the white canvas by dragging on
the tiny blue handles at the right
and bottom edges of the canvas to make the drawing area large enough to
work in.
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Create a Picture
1. Select
the Text tool by clicking on it.
2. Move your pointer to the white canvas and
drag in the upper left of
the canvas. A box of dashed lines (a marquee) will appear. Your text
will go inside this box shortly.
Make your box large. Your name must fit inside!
3. Release the mouse button. A Text toolbar appears. (If it does not show up,
select from the menu View | Text toolbar.)
4.
Click on the down arrow in
the box that shows font names.
5. Scroll until you find Wide Latin
which is a font that comes with
Windows.
6.
Click on Wide Latin to select it.
7. Select the font size 20 in a similar way.
8.
Click inside the marquee box.
Your pointer turns to a vertical line cursor to show where your typing will
appear.
As long as you don't click outside the box, you can edit what you type by
backspacing and deleting. Once you click outside the box, the text becomes
part of the picture. Then you make any changes only with graphics methods
like erasing. No more backspacing and deleting!
9. Type your name in the marquee box. The marquee box will enlarge down as
you type, as far as the edge of the canvas, but it will not get any wider. It will
chop off what won't fit on the canvas.
Name does not fit: Drag the marquee box wider to the edge of the canvas.
If your name still won't fit, you'll have to start over with a new box. Use Edit
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| Select All , and press the DELETE key to remove everything from the
canvas. Then drag a larger box, and try again. You may need to enlarge the
canvas first.
10. From the menu bar select Edit and inspect the menu
that appears. Note that the commands that are gray are
not currently available.
Key combos for Undo = CTRL + Z and Repeat = F4 in win95/98 or
CTRL + Y in WinXP. The Undo command reverses your last action. The
Repeat command reverses your last Undo.
Many applications use Ctrl + Z for Undo and CTRL + Y for Redo/Repeat.
These are a particularly useful key combos to learn to use. It is MUCH faster
to execute menu commands from the keyboard, so watch for the ones that
execute the commands you use a lot. Undo certainly gets a lot of work!
11. Press CTRL + Z to undo what you just did. Your typing vanishes! But do not
despair
Paint will allow you to undo up to three actions, if you've done that many
things. Some programs only remember the last action. Others allow you to
select how many steps to remember.
12. Use the key combo to repeat the step that you just undid. Voila! Your name
appears again. Rescued!!
Since Paint does not list for you what three actions it is remembering, it is
easy to get confused when going back and forth between Undo and Repeat.
13. Experiment with different fonts and font sizes. Don't click outside the box
while you make changes or you will have to start all over (see the comment at
step 8). Use the keystrokes you just learned to undo the changes that you make
and to recover your deletions when you change your mind.
14.
Click on a color square in the Color Palate at the bottom of the window.
The top color box on the left changes and
your text changes color! Experiment!!
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15.
Right click on a color square. The bottom color box on the left changes and
the background behind your text changes color, but not the whole canvas.
16. When you are satisfied with the appearance of your name,
click on the
white canvas somewhere outside of the box. Your name is now part of the
picture and you can no longer use the Text toolbar on it.
Save a Picture
1.
Insert the Class disk into the drive if it is not already there.
2. From the menu bar select File | Save . Since the picture has never been saved
before, the Save As dialog box appears.
3. Rather than maneuver through the folder tree, type in the File name text box
the full path to where the file should go, using the letter for your removable
disk drive:
a:\my docs\paint docs\myname.bmp
(Type this exactly as written here, please. Yes, it is wrong on purpose!)
Spaces and spelling are important in file names! It is easy to make a
mistake with spaces!
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When you are using an application that doesn't like spaces in the name, put
quotes " " around the whole path like: "a:\my docs\paint
docs\myname.bmp".
4. Error: An error message appears saying that the path you typed does not
exist. The problem is that we previously renamed the folder paint docs to win
project2.
Many programs will, instead of this error message, ask if you want to create
the missing folder. A very useful feature. Paint doesn't ask. You must create
the folder yourself.
5.
Click the OK button in the error message.
6. To edit the path,
click in the space between the words paint and docs in
the File name text box.
7. Press the DELETE key enough times to erase the word docs .
8. Press the BACKSPACE key enough times to remove the word paint .
9. Type win project2
10.
Click on the Save button.
If your canvas is really large, the file can be too large for a floppy to hold!
If you get a message that there is not enough space on your floppy disk, use
the technique in the section Resize Canvas above to reduce the canvas to a
more reasonable size.
11. Close Paint for now.
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Files & Folders:
Image: Resize & Print
Printing Pictures
One of life's most perplexing questions is "Why didn't it print the way I wanted?"
Usually the answer lies in the Page Setup dialog or in the Print dialog. In other words,
you forgot to look at what you really asked the computer to do!
Text can merrily wrap itself to a page's width or flow on to multiple pages. An image
is more stubborn. It does not break apart easily. There are several ways you can get an
unpleasant surprise from the print process, especially with images. The most common
may be to find that your image takes a bit more than one page to print. The chopping
can be ugly!
In this lesson you will print an image from Paint.
Step-by-Step: Resize & Print Image
Start with:
to open an existing picture from the File menu
to resize the canvas
to save an existing picture
to print a picture
Open an Existing Picture from File menu
Start with: Paint is closed
1. From the Start menu choose Run . In the Run dialog box, the text box labeled
Open remembers your previous entry: mspaint.
Different command in view: If someone has used Run since you did,
there may be a different command in view. Click on the down arrow at the end
of the text box and choose mspaint from the list or just type it in again.
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2.
Click on the OK button.
3. From the menu bar select File .
4. After the menu appears, look at the entries at the bottom of the list just above
Exit . There is a list of the last 4 images that Paint
used.
5.
Click on myname.bmp or press the key 1.
myname.bmp is not in the list: Either you
did not save the file, you didn't save it using this
computer, or four other files have been opened in
Paint since you saved the your file. In this case
select Open from the File menu and use the
dialog box to open myname.bmp.
Check File Size
1. Select from the menu bar File | Save As . Use the drop down folder tree to
display the contents of my docs on Drive A.
2.
Show the Details views.
Click on the Details button in the toolbar of the Save As dialog.
From the View button, select Details.
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Notice the size of the original file! Yours is probably a different size.
Resizing the canvas will reduce the size of the file, without changing anything
else about the picture except the amount of white space.
3.
Click on the Cancel button.
Resize the Canvas
1. Move your pointer to the bottom right corner of the canvas and place it over
the handle there. The pointer will change to the Diagonal Resize shape.
A handle is a small square at the corners and side centers.
If your canvas is really large, you will have to use the scroll bars to see this
handle. It is tiny! You may have to resize in steps since the display will not
scroll by itself as you drag.
2.
3.
Drag the bottom right handle of the picture until your name just fits in the
dotted box and then release the mouse button. The white canvas will resize to
fit the box.
Save this new version with File | Save .
You will NOT see the Save As dialog box this time because the file has been
saved previously.
If you want to save a file under a different name or in a different place,
you must select Save As
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4. To see how the file size has changed, select File | Save As one more time.
5.
Click on the Details button.
6. Look at the size reported. It should be much smaller now. The actual sizes for
your file will almost certainly be different from those shown in the
illustrations.
Print a Picture
1. From the menu bar select File | Page Setup . The Page Setup dialog box will
appear. It shows a sample document, not your actual document. If you make
changes in the settings, you can see the effect in this
sample.
2. Check the orientation of the paper and the width of
the margins.
3. Make changes if necessary and then click the OK
button.
Never print without checking to see what your print
settings are!
4. From the menu bar select File | Print Preview to see what your picture will
look like when printed.
5.
Click the Zoom In button to enlarge the page you are viewing.
6.
Click the Zoom Out button to reduce the size of the page again.
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7. Look carefully to see if the Next Page button is available. If the words "Next
Page" are black, your print job will take at least one more sheet of paper. This
happens when your image is wider than the space between the margins as set
in Page Setup. Unfortunately Paint does not tell you how many pages there
will be all together.
When your picture is too wide or too tall to fit on one page, you have three
choices.

Change the margins or orientation in Page Setup to keep your image on
one page.
Edit the picture to make its dimensions match the paper.
Accept a divided picture. You can print all pages, or in the Print dialog
box, choose to print just one page.
8.
If you do need to change something, click the Close button and proceed
with your changes, then return to this step.
9.
Click the Print button after your image fits on one page. The Print dialog
box appears.
Here is where you can choose to print only certain pages. Be sure your picture
fits on one page.
10.
If you have a color printer, click on
Properties button. Check to see if the page
will print in color or in gray scale or in
black-and-white. Change, if necessary, to
the mode you want.
11.
Click the OK button to print your
picture.
12. Close Paint.
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Files & Folders:
Backup
Now that you have created some documents, you need to consider how to safeguard
your files. Nothing is like that horrible sinking, sick feeling that you get when you
realize that you've destroyed/damaged/lost the one and only copy of something that
took days to create.
Since removable disks are easy to lose or damage, you should have at least one copy
of your work besides your Class disk. Such a copy is called your backup, so we will
call this disk the Backup disk.
When working with your own computer at work or home, your files will normally be
stored on a hard disk. You could just copy individual files to the removable disk as
you complete each.
Backup floppy disk: For a classroom situation the simplest method for floppy disks
is to use the Copy Disk command to duplicate your Class disk. While this command
also copies the blank space on the disk, it ensures that you have up-to-date copies of
ALL the files on the disk.
Backup removable disk: Save one copy to a removable disk and one copy on your
home computer's hard disk. For important data, more than one backup is a really good
idea!
You don't want to use Copy Disk for large capacity disks. It will take a LONG time. It
is easier to copy the changed files to the Backup disk. Just look at the timestamp in an
Explorer window for the files and copy the new ones to the Backup disk.
If you have a lot of files to backup, you will want to use some kind of backup
software that will manage the files so that both disks have the same versions.
Step-by-Step: Backup a Floppy
to create a backup disk of a floppy disk
Start with:
For floppy disks only, not USB or Zip!
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Format the Backup Disk
1. Insert your blank second floppy disk into drive A.
2. Open an Explorer window for drive A.
3.
Right click on drive A and from the popup menu choose Format . This
will make sure that your floppy disk is free from damage. Wouldn't it be silly
to count on this disk for your backup and then find out it was damaged
already!?
Be VERY sure that you have put the correct disk into the drive!!!
4. Do a Full format so that the disk is checked for errors.
5.
When you finish going through the Format sequence, eject the disk and
label it as Backup. Include your name and the course, too.
Create the Backup Copy
1.
Insert your Class disk into drive A.
2. Choose from the menu bar View | Refresh . This refreshes the listing in the
window to show the contents of the current disk in the drive.
It is much faster, once you can remember it, to use the F5 key to refresh
the file display.
Be sure that the disk is your Class disk. This is your source disk for the Copy
Disk sequence to follow.
3.
Right click on drive A in the folder tree and select Copy Disk . A Copy
disk dialog appears. Unlike older computers, Windows can copy from A to A.
Of course you have to swap disks in the floppy drive halfway through the
process.
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If you have more than one drive for removable media (floppy, SuperDisk, Zip,
Jaz ...), you may have to choose the drive to copy from and the drive to copy
to.
4.
Click on the Start button.
The progress bar at the bottom will gradually fill in as the disk is copied. It
will stop at the half way mark when the source disk data has been read.
5.
6. Follow the instruction to insert the destination, or target, disk. (This means
the disk you labeled Backup.)
Be sure you have these disks in the right order or you will lose all the
documents on your Class disk!
7.
8. When the Copy Disk sequence is finished, eject
the Backup Disk. Mark the date on the label.
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Make it a habit to have at least one backup copy of every important file. Consider just
how much trouble it would be to have to recreate it. The minute or two it takes to
make a copy can save you from data disaster!
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