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. © 2011 Monroe County Public Library ‐ For Training Purposes Only ‐ Not For Sale or Distribution Outside of MCPL Page 2 Right‐Clicking 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.