To use Windows efficiently, you must master a few simple operations, all of which you perform with your mouse. The most common mouse operation is pointing and clicking. Simply move the mouse so the cursor is pointing to the object you want to select, and then click the left mouse button once.

1. Position the cursor over the icon or button.

2. Click the left mouse button.

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Click to Select

Pointing and clicking is an effective way to select icons, menu items, directories, and files.

If you're using Windows XP's default operating mode, you'll need to double-click an item to activate an operation. This involves pointing at something onscreen with the cursor and then clicking the left mouse button twice in rapid succession. For example, to open a program, simply double-click a specific icon.

1. Position the cursor over the icon or button.

2. Click the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.

When you select an item and then click the right mouse button, you'll often see a pop-up menu. This menu, when available, contains commands that directly relate to the selected object. Refer to your individual programs to see whether and how they use the right mouse button.

1. Position the cursor over the icon or button.

2. Click the right mouse button.

Dragging is a variation of clicking. To drag an object, point at it with the cursor and then press and hold down the left mouse button. Move the mouse without releasing the mouse button, and drag the object to a new location. When you're done moving the object, release the mouse button to drop the object onto the new location.

1. Position the cursor over the icon or button.

2. Click and hold the left mouse button.

3. Drag the icon or button to a new position.

4. Release the mouse button.

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Moving Files

You can use dragging and dropping to move files from one folder to another or to delete files by dragging them onto the Recycle Bin icon.

When you position the cursor over an item without clicking, you're hovering over that item. Many operations require you to hover your cursor and then perform some other action.

1. Position the cursor over the icon or button without clicking.

2. Read the ToolTip text.

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ToolTips

When you hover your cursor over a cursor or menu item, Windows displays a ToolTip that tells you a little about the selected item.

Every software program you launch (as explained later in this chapter in the task “Opening a Program”) is displayed in a separate onscreen window. To move a window, click the window's title bar and drag the window anywhere on the desktop. When you release the mouse button, the window stays where you put it.

1. Position the cursor over the window's title bar.

2. Click and hold the left mouse button.

3. Drag the title bar to move the window to a new position and drop it by releasing the mouse button.

Many windows contain more information than can be displayed at once. When you have a long document or web page, only the first part of the document or page is displayed in the window. To view the rest of the document or page, you have to scroll down through the window, using the various parts of the scrollbar.

1. Click the up arrow on the window's scrollbar to scroll up one line at a time.

2. Click the down arrow on the window's scrollbar to scroll down one line at a time.

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Other Ways to Scroll

To move to a specific place in a long document, use your mouse to grab the scrollbox and drag it to a new position. You can also click the scrollbar between the scrollbox and the end arrow, which scrolls you one screen at a time.

You can change the size of most windows by dragging any edge of the window with your mouse. If you drag either side of the window, you resize the width. If you drag the top or bottom edge, you resize the height. And if you drag a corner, you resize the width and height at the same time.

1. Position the cursor over the edge of the window.

2. Click and drag the edge of the window to a new position.

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Changing Cursors

The cursor changes shape to a double-ended arrow when it's positioned over the edge of a window.

After you ve opened a window, you can maximize it to display full-screen. You can also minimize it so that it disappears from the desktop and resides as a button on the Windows Taskbar, and you can close it completely.

1. To maximize the window, click the Maximize button.

2. To minimize the window, click the Minimize button.

3. To close the window completely, click the Close button.

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Restoring a Window

If a window is already maximized, the Maximize button changes to a Restore Down button. When you click the Restore Down button, the window resumes its previous (premaximized) dimensions.

All the software programs and utilities on your computer are accessed via Windows's Start menu, which consists of two columns of icons. Your most frequently used programs are listed in the left column; basic Windows utilities and folders are listed in the right column. To open a specific program or folder, just click the menu icon.

1. Click the green Start button to open the Start menu.

2. Click any menu item to launch a program or open a folder.

To view all the programs installed on your PC, open the Start menu and click the All Programs arrow. This displays a new menu called the Programs menu. From here, you can access various programs, sorted by type and title or manufacturer.

1. Click the Start button to display the Start menu.

2. Click the All Programs icon to display the Programs menu.

3. Click the right arrow next to any menu item to expand that item and show its contents

4. Click the icon for the program you want to launch.

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More Programs in the Folder

When more programs are contained within a master folder, you'll see an arrow to the right of the title. Click this arrow to display additional choices.

Desktop icons those little pictures on your desktop function as shortcuts for opening programs and documents. Placing a shortcut on your desktop is an alternative to launching items from the Start menu.

1. Click the Start button to display the Start menu.

2. Click the All Programs button to open the Programs menu.

3. Navigate to the icon for a specific program, and then right-click the icon.

4. From the pop-up menu, select Send to, Desktop (Create Shortcut).

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Alternative Methods

You can also create a shortcut by right-dragging a file icon directly to the desktop or by right-clicking the desktop and selecting New, Shortcut from the pop-up menu.

After you ve launched a few programs, you can easily switch between one open program and another by clicking the buttons located at the bottom of the Windows desktop.

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Keyboard Switching

You can also switch between programs. Hold down the Alt key and then press the Tab key repeatedly until the application window you want is selected. (This cycles through all open windows.) When you're at the window you want, release the Alt key.

Most windows use a set of pull-down menus to store all the commands and operations you can perform. The menus are aligned across the top of the window, just below the title bar, in what is called a menu bar. You open (or pull down) a menu by clicking the menu's name; you select a menu item by clicking it with your mouse.

1. Click the menu's name to pull down the menu.

2. Click the menu item to select it.

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Not All Items Are Available

If an item in a menu, toolbar, or dialog box is dimmed (or grayed), that means it isn't available for the current task.

Some Windows programs put the most frequently used operations on one or more toolbars, typically located just below the menu bar. A toolbar looks like a row of buttons, each with a small picture (called an icon) and maybe a bit of text. You activate the associated command or operation by clicking the button with your mouse.

• Click a toolbar button to select that operation.

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Long Toolbars

If the toolbar is too long to display fully on your screen, you'll see a right arrow at the far-right side of the toolbar. Click this arrow to display the buttons that aren't currently visible.

Windows's My Computer utility lets you access each major component of your system and perform basic maintenance functions. For example, you can use My Computer to “open” the contents of your hard disk and then copy, move, and delete individual files.

1. Click the Start button to display the Start menu.

2. Click the My Computer icon.

3. Double-click any icon to view its contents.

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View Drive Contents

To view the contents of a specific drive, double-click the drive's icon. You'll see a list of folders and files located on that drive; to view the contents of any folder, double-click the icon for that folder.

The Windows Control Panel is used to manage most (but not all) of Windows's configuration settings. The Control Panel is actually a system folder (like My Computer and My Documents) that contains several individual utilities that let you adjust and configure various system properties.

1. Click the Start button to display the Start menu.

2. Click the Control Panel icon to open the Control Panel.

3. Click the icon for the category you want to configure.

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   Control Panel Categories

   Individual settings within the Control Panel are organized by category. You first have to select a specific category to access all its related settings.

   
   

4. Click the task you want to perform.

5. Configure the settings for that task using the selected utility's dialog box.

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Configuring Individual Settings

When you open a configuration utility, you'll see a dialog box for that particular item. You can then change the individual settings within that dialog box; click the OK button to register your new settings.

You can configure your computer's display so that the desktop is larger or smaller than normal, by changing Windows's screen resolution. A larger desktop lets you view more things onscreen at the same time even though each item is smaller than before. A smaller desktop displays fewer items, but they're larger.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop to display a pop-up menu.

2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu; this opens the Display Properties dialog box.

3. Click the Settings tab.

4. Adjust the Screen Resolution slider, and click OK when done.

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Resolution and Pixels

Resolution is measured in pixels, each of which is a single dot on your screen. You have to select both a horizontal and vertical resolution, such as 1024 (horizontal) by 768 (vertical) pixels.

Desktop themes are specific combinations of background wallpaper, colors, fonts, cursors, sounds, and screensavers all arranged around a specific look or topic. When you choose a new theme, the look and feel of your entire desktop changes. Windows's default theme is called Windows XP.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop to display a pop-up menu.

2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu; this opens the Display Properties dialog box.

3. Click the Themes tab.

4. Select a new theme from the Theme drop-down list; click OK when you're done.

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More Themes

You can find additional themes in the Microsoft Plus! SuperPack add-on pack. Learn more at the Microsoft Plus! website (www.microsoft.com/windows/plus/).

Although changing themes is the fastest way to change the look of all your desktop elements, you can also change each element separately. For example, you can easily change your desktop's background pattern or wallpaper. You can choose from the many patterns and wallpapers included with Windows or select a graphic of your own choosing.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop to display a pop-up menu.

2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu; this opens the Display Properties dialog box.

3. Click the Desktop tab.

4. Select one of Windows's built-in backgrounds from the Background list; then click OK.

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Center, Tile, or Stretch

To determine how the image file is displayed on your desktop, select one of the items from the Position pull-down list: Center, Tile, or Stretch.

The default Windows XP desktop uses a predefined combination of colors and fonts. If you don't like this combination, you can choose from several other predefined schemes.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop to display a pop-up menu.

2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu; this opens the Display Properties dialog box.

3. Click the Appearance tab.

4. Pull down the Color Scheme list, and select a new theme. Click OK when done. Default (Blue) is the standard Windows XP color scheme.

If you have multiple people using your PC, you should assign each user in your household his or her own password-protected user account. Anyone trying to access another user's account and files without the password will then be denied access.

1. From the Control Panel, click User Accounts.

2. Click Create a New Account.

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   Different Users

   You can create three types of user accounts computer administrator, limited, and guest. You should set yourself up as an administrator because only this account can make systemwide changes to your PC.

   

3. When the User Accounts screen appears, enter a name for the account.

4. Click Next.

5. On the Pick an Account Type screen, check either the Computer Administrator or Limited option.

6. Click the Create Account button. Windows XP now creates the new account and randomly assigns a picture that will appear next to the username.

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Change Your Picture

You can change an account picture by returning to the User Accounts utility, selecting the account, and then selecting the Change My Picture option.

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Create a Password

By default, no password is assigned to the new account. You can assign a password by returning to the User Accounts utility, selecting the account, and then selecting the Create a Password option.

Screensavers display moving designs on your computer screen when you haven't typed or moved the mouse for a while. This prevents static images from burning into your screen and provides some small degree of entertainment if you're bored at your desk.

1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop to display a pop-up menu.

2. Select Properties from the pop-up menu; this opens the Display Properties dialog box.

   

3. Click the Screen Saver tab.

4. Select a screensaver from the Screen Saver drop-down list.

5. Select the number of minutes you want the screen to be idle before the screensaver activates.

6. Click OK when you're done.

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Configure the Screensaver

Click the Settings button to configure settings specific to an individual screensaver (if available).

When you can't figure out how to perform a particular task, it's time to ask for help. In Windows XP, this is done through the Help and Support Center.

1. Click the Start button to display the Start menu.

2. Click the Help and Support icon.

   

3. Click the Index button to display a list of help topics.

4. Click a topic to display information about that topic.

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Search for Help

You can also use the Search box to search for specific help topics. If you're connected to the Internet, Windows will search Microsoft's online Knowledge Base for more answers.