Desktop - The blank area behind all the icons and programs on the screen.
Instead of the desktop being blank, you can have "wallpaper".
The wallpaper is then the desktop.
Desktop Icons - The icons that actually sit on your desktop like "My
Computer" and "Recycle Bin".
Screen Saver - This is different than the wallpaper. It’s what
is displayed after you don't use your computer for a number of minutes.
It can be animated, or a series of pictures that keep changing.
Task bar - The gray bar at the bottom of your screen. On the left of
your task bar is the "Start" button, and on the right is the
"System Tray". In the middle are all the programs you have running.
System Tray - programs that are running in the background all the time,
or quick shortcuts to certain features like screen display and volume
control.
Stuff you can do with the Task Bar:
Resize it by dragging its border. Make it disappear by dragging the
border to the bottom of the screen.
Make it "auto-hide" or "always on top". Click "Start
| Settings | Task Bar".
Move it by dragging it to a different side of the screen (point to a
blank area of the task bar first).
Right-click on taskbar to tile, cascade, or minimize all windows on
the screen.
Switch quickly between programs by clicking their button on the task
bar. Right-click on a program button for a context menu.
Basic Windows Terms – Program Features
Title Bar - At the top of the program window. Has the name of the program
and the "Minimize", "Maximize"/"Restore",
and "Close" buttons. Usually this bar is blue (unless you changed
your color scheme).
Scroll Bars - Usually along the right or bottom of a window. You can
drag the slider bar, or click the arrows at the ends of the scroll bar.
Menu Bar - Usually just under the Title Bar. Click on one of the items
on the menu bar to open it up. You can also hold down [ALT] and press
the underlined letter.
Tool Bar - Usually just under the Menu Bar. Sometimes called "Button
Bar". Has icons that are shortcuts to menu commands. In many programs,
you can hover the mouse over a button to find out what it will do.
Document Window - Usually below the Tool Bars. The Document Window also
has its own "Minimize", "Maximize"/"Restore",
and "Close" buttons. Many programs allow you to have more than
one document open.
Program Window - Encompasses all the above items.
Moving and Resizing Windows. What to do if your window moves off the
screen.
Moving - drag the Title Bar to move the window.
Resizing - First, if the window is maximized, you must "restore"
it. Then, drag an edge or corner of the window to resize.
If your window moves too far off the screen to grab, right-click on
the task bar and select "Cascade", "Tile Horizontally",
or "Tile Vertically".
Keyboard shortcuts (if your mouse dies!) - [ALT]+[SPACEBAR] to open
up the Control Menu. Use the arrow keys to select Maximize, Restore, Move,
or Resize. Press [ESC] to close this menu.
Creating a "My Favorite Programs" folder on your desktop (and
the advantages).
Right-click on the desktop and select "New | Folder". Type
a name for this folder.
Use the right mouse button to drag icons for your favorite programs
into this folder. (If you use the right mouse button, you get the option
of moving or copying the icon.)
To drag items from the Start Menu, click "Start | Settings | Task
Bar". Click the "Start Menu Programs" tab. Click the "Advanced"
button. Use the right mouse button to drag/copy icons to your new folder.
Advantages:
Your new folder can be resized, moved, or minimized.
You can display the programs as large icons or in a list.
It reduces clutter on your desktop so you can see your wallpaper.
When open or minimized, you can switch quickly to it by clicking
its button on the toolbar.
Back
to Main Page