Computer Basics Tip Sheet for Windows 7

COMPUTER BASICS TIP SHEET FOR WINDOWS 7

Computers are incredibly powerful tools that allow people to perform a multitude of tasks. Personal computers come in two basic forms: laptops and desktops . Laptops are self‐contained and portable, while desktop computers are intended to sit and stay on a desk and are composed of multiple components that are connected to each other via various cables. The basic parts of any personal computer include the mouse (and/or touchpad in the case of laptops), the keyboard, the monitor, and the CPU (this is the guts and brain of the computer). We interact with a computer via the mouse and keyboard, and we see the progress of this interaction via the text and images displayed on the monitor screen. A Word About Redundancy This tip sheet provides basic information on computers running the Windows 7 operating system. An operating system is the master control program that manages In Windows (and this is true of all operating systems), there are multiple ways to perform all computer functions and provides the user with a platform on all other programs the same task. This redundancy can be run. There are other operating systems, including older Windows operating systems confusing at first, but, as you grow familiar (e.g. XP, Vista, etc.), the Macintosh operating system (e.g. Tiger, Leopard, Lion, etc.), with your computer, you’ll learn that this and Linux, an open source operating system. Still, the most common operating built‐in redundancy is actually a good thing. system is Windows, and, as stated, this tip sheet will focus solely on the most recent For example, there are three ways to launch version of the Windows operating system, Windows 7. programs, there are three ways to create folders within the My Documents folder, and the list goes on and on. The Desktop

After you turn on your computer and enter your password to log in to Windows, the first screen you see is the Desktop. Along the bottom of the screen you will see a blue bar called the Taskbar. At the far left edge of the Taskbar is a round button called the Start Button. A few other buttons will appear on the Taskbar; these are shortcuts to various programs (e.g. Windows Explorer, Internet Explorer, Windows Media Player, etc.). Above the Taskbar is the Desktop. If your computer is brand new, you will see the Windows 7 logo on a blue background in this space. You may also see a number of icons along the left edge of the screen. These are shortcuts to various programs.

You can create a shortcut icon for any program on your computer, if you like. In addition, the background of the Desktop can be customized. As stated, a new computer with Windows 7 loaded will have an image of the Windows logo displayed as the background of the Desktop. This image is referred to as wallpaper. You can change the wallpaper and make your background a solid color, or you can choose a different image (including your own pictures or artwork). We will discuss customization of the Desktop and Taskbar further down on this tip sheet. The Start Button: Where It All Begins

In the bottom left corner of the screen you will see a round button with the Windows logo. This is the Start Button. While you can launch programs via the shortcut icons on your Desktop and Taskbar (double‐click for Desktop icons; single‐ click for Taskbar icons), the Start button provides you with access to every component of your computer—including all of the programs ( the icons on your Taskbar and Desktop are simply redundant ways of accessing certain programs).

When you place the point of your mouse cursor in the center of the Start button and click once, the “Start Menu” will appear. On this menu you will see a few options listed in two columns:

 The left column lists 10 commonly used programs. If your computer is new, this list will include links to a tour of Windows 7 and a selection of Windows‐specific tools. Over time, Windows will learn which programs you access most via the Start Menu, and these programs will start to show up as the 10 listed programs.

Near the bottom of the left column is a button labeled “All Programs”. Click this option to display a list of all of the programs

© 2011 Monroe County Public Library ‐ For Training Purposes Only ‐ Not For Sale or Distribution Outside of MCPL Page 1 available on your computer. Some of the programs are located in folders; if so, you will need to click on the appropriate folder to display the programs organized in that folder.

At the very bottom of the left column is a search box. You can type the name of a file or program into this program and press the ENTER key on your keyboard to locate the file or program.

 The right column lists locations where files may be stored, options for customizing your Windows experience, and provides access to Windows help and support. Let’s take a closer look at these options: o ‘Documents’, ‘Pictures’, and ‘Music’ are quick links to the Documents, Pictures, and Music libraries o ‘Computer’ provides access to all of the components and drives connected to your computer—including your hard drive, CD/DVD drive, any flash drive you might have connected to your computer, etc. o ‘Control Panel’ is the one‐stop spot for “looking under the hood” of your computer. From the Control Panel you can uninstall programs, adjust the settings of your mouse, adjust security and power settings, customize your display, set up a screen saver, and much, much more. o ‘Devices and Printers’ will open a window that will allow you to configure how printers and scanners interact with your computer o ‘Default Programs’ lets you choose which programs open which types of files o ‘Help and Support’ opens a window that lets you search for help topics by keyword Launching Programs

There are three ways to open a program: via the Start Menu, via a shortcut icon on the Desktop, or via a shortcut icon on the Taskbar.

To open a program from the Start Menu, click the Start Button, then click “All Programs” to display a menu of programs and folders containing more programs. Here all of the programs available on your computer are listed. To display the programs listed in folders, click the text next to the folder icon one time. To launch a program, simply hover the tip of the mouse cursor over the desired program and left‐click the mouse one time.

To open a program using a shortcut icon on the Desktop, hover the point of your mouse over the icon and click the left mouse button twice in quick succession. If you’re having trouble clicking the mouse button twice in quick succession, you can click on the icon one time and then press the ENTER key on your keyboard.

To open a program using a shortcut icon on the Taskbar, hover the point of your mouse over the icon and click the left mouse button once. Closing and Minimizing Programs

One of the nice things about computers is that you can run multiple programs at the same time. When you open a program in Windows, not only will the program open on your screen, but you’ll see a rectangular button along the bottom of the screen that corresponds to the program/file you have opened. As you open more programs, more buttons will appear along the bottom of the screen.

Something to be aware of when you’re looking at any window is the small group of three buttons in the top right corner of the program window (see the above image). The button furthest to the right contains an ‘X’, which is highlighted red when you hover your mouse over it. Click this one time to close the program/window. The button to the left of this can change depending on whether or not the program you’re working with is filling the screen (click it a few times to see how it changes the size of your window). To the left of this is a button that has a small dash along its bottom edge. Use this button to “minimize” the program you’re working with. When you minimize a program, you don’t close it; rather, you reduce it to an icon on the Taskbar. To “un‐ minimize” a program, simply click the button at the bottom of the screen to bring the program back up.

For the most part, when you use the mouse, you click the left mouse button. However, it’s worth taking a moment to discuss what the right mouse button’s function is. The right mouse button, when clicked, does one thing and one thing only: it displays what is called a “shortcut menu”. The thing is the options on the shortcut menu differ depending upon what your mouse is hovering over when you click.

A good way to think of right‐clicking is this: There are many tasks, features, and means for customizing Windows and the various programs you may have installed on your Windows 7 computer. Over time, you will learn how to accomplish many of these tasks, take advantage of the features, and customize programs and files using clickable buttons on the screen or dropdown menus. That said, there will come times when you’re not sure how to accomplish a task that you’re sure can be accomplish, when you want to enable a feature that you’re sure can be enabled, and when you want to customize some aspect of Windows or another program that your sure is customizable. That’s where right‐click comes in.

When you are stumped in efforts to accomplish a task or customize Windows or another program, your first course of action should be to hover your mouse over the content or portion of the screen you’re trying to customize and click the right mouse button. This will display a shortcut menu, and, nine times out of ten, what you want to accomplish will show up as an option on that menu. Remember: the only purpose of clicking the right mouse button is to display a shortcut menu; once the menu is displayed, you are back to clicking the left mouse button. The Task Bar

The Task Bar is the long bar along the bottom of your screen. At the far left edge is the Start Button. To the right of the Start Button are shortcuts to a selection of programs. This is also where you can keep track of all of the programs open on your computer. If you open a program using one of the shortcut icon on the Taskbar, a box will appear around the icon to indicate that the program is open. If you open a program for which there is not an icon on the Taskbar, a new icon will appear on the Taskbar with a box around the icon to indicate the program is open.

One of the nice things about the Taskbar is that you can customize its appearance. There are two basic ways of doing this: adding/removing shortcuts and changing the way the icons are displayed. Let’s discuss how to add/remove shortcuts first.

Windows refers to the process of adding an icon to the Taskbar as “pining”. Conversely, when you remove a shortcut icon from the Taskbar, you are “unpinning” it. To “pin” a program to the Taskbar, find the program you want to pin to the Taskbar on the Start Menu, hover the point of your mouse over that program, click the right mouse button, hover the point of your mouse over the option that says “Pin to taskbar”, and click the left mouse button. To unpin an icon from the Taskbar, hover the point of your mouse over the icon you want to remove, click the right mouse button, hover the point of your mouse over the option that says “Unpin this program from the taskbar”.

To adjust the order of the shortcut icons on the Taskbar, hover the point of your mouse over the icon you want to move, click and hold down the left mouse button, then drag the icon to the position of your choosing and release the mouse button.

If you would like to see more information displayed when you open a program (i.e. instead of just seeing an icon, you would see text next to the icon telling you the name of the file and the program), you will need to adjust the properties of your Taskbar. To do this, hover the point of your mouse over an empty spot on the Taskbar, click the right mouse button, then left‐click on the “Properties” option. A small window will open. Across from the text “Taskbar buttons:” is a dropdown menu. Click the small black triangle at the right edge of the dropdown menu to display all of the options. Click on the option that reads “Combine when taskbar is full” (see the image to the right). If you want to revert to the previous setting, you would choose the option that reads “Always combine, hide labels”.

The first time you use your Windows 7 computer, the Desktop wallpaper will display the Windows 7 logo (see the image to the right). You can replace this wallpaper with something of your choosing. There are three options: use a different Windows 7 theme, use an image from the Internet, or use one of your own pictures. Let’s start with themes.

Minimize or close all programs so that you’re looking at your computer’s Desktop. Hover your mouse anywhere on the Desktop, click the right button on the mouse, then hover over the option that reads “Personalize” and click the left mouse button. A window will open displaying a number of theme options for your computer. Simply hover your mouse over the theme you like and click the left button. The new theme will be applied.

If you’d prefer to use an image you’ve found on the Internet, you need to take screen resolution into account. Check your screen resolution by minimizing/closing all programs so that you’re looking at your computer’s Desktop. Hover your mouse anywhere on the Desktop, click the right button on the mouse, then hover over the option that reads “Screen resolution” and click the left mouse button. A window will open displaying the interface for adjusting your screen’s resolution. You should see the dimensions of your screen resolution displayed in this window (e.g. 1024 x 768, 1440 x 900, etc.). If you want the image you have in mind to cover the entire Desktop, you’ll want to make sure it’s the same dimension; if it’s smaller and you try to make it fill the entire screen, you will lose image quality. If you don’t care whether or not the image you have in mind fills the entire screen or not, then you don’t need to worry about the dimensions of your image. Regardless, find the image you want to set as your Desktop wallpaper on the Internet, hover your mouse over the image, click the right mouse button, then hover your mouse over the option that reads “Set as background” (if you’re using Internet Explorer1), and click the left mouse button.

If you’d like to use one of your own digital photographs, you will need to use Windows Explorer to locate the file on your computer (if you need help with Windows Explorer, see the tip sheet on “File Management”). Once you are looking at the file icon for the photo, hover the tip of you mouse over the file, click the right mouse button, then choose the option that reads “Set as desktop background”. The Control Panel

The Control Panel provides a means for “getting under the hood” of a computer. You can access the Control Panel by clicking the Start Button and then clicking on the option labeled “Control Panel” in the right column of options displayed on the Start Menu. Once you have the Control Panel open, take note of the text that reads “View by:” toward the top right corner of the window. If this is the first time you have accessed the Control Panel, you are probably viewing options by category. Click the blue text tot the right of “View by:”, then click on the option that reads “Small icons”. Now you will see dozens of aspects of your computer that can be tweaked and customized.

Discussing all of the options available via the Control Panel is beyond the scope of this tip sheet, but it is important to be aware of these options and to know how to access them. Examples of tasks that can be accomplished via the Control Panel include adjusting power settings, uninstalling programs, changing the settings for your mouse, and much more (some of which we’ve discussed on this tip sheet—though we’ve gotten at such features in a different way). Turning Your Computer Off

Shutting your computer down is simple. Simply click on the Start Button at the left edge of the Taskbar, hover the point of your mouse over the button labeled “Shut Down” at the bottom of the right column of options on the Start Menu, and click the mouse once. Sometimes your computer will need to install security updates. Always let your computer cycle through the shutdown process before unplugging it or turning off a power strip to which you may have it connected.

1 If you’re using Mozilla Firefox, the option will read “Set as Desktop Background…”. If you’re using Google Chrome, you’ll have to save the image to your computer, right‐click on the file, and then choose “Set as desktop background”.