Using the Computer and Managing Files 1

Basic Information And Operations  View The Computer's Basic System Information  Change The Computer's Desktop Configuration  Use Available Help Functions  Set, Change Keyboard Language  Format Removable Disk Media: Diskette  Install, Uninstall A Software Application 2

View The Computer's Basic System Information operating system and version number, installed RAM (random access memory). 3

You can view basic system information using the following procedure: ➢ click on Start in the Windows Taskbar. ➢ Choose control panel ➢ choose to System icon The system window displays data for system information for the type of operating system, version number and memory available. 4

Change the computer's desktop configuration:  date & time, Personalizing your computer (computer's theme, color, sounds, desktop background, screen saver, font size, and user account picture. )  To change the above settings you need to open the Windows Control Panel. Go to Start>Control Panel. 5

Date & Time Date and Time – to change these settings, click on the Date, Time in the Control Panel window. Note: changing the computer's date and time can negatively impact on a network and users should take care when changing these features. 6

Personalizing your computer You can add a personal touch to your computer by changing the computer's theme, color, sounds, desktop background, screen saver, font size, and user account picture. You can also select specific gadgets for your desktop. 7

A theme A theme is a combination of pictures, colors, and sounds on your computer. It includes a desktop background, a screen saver, a window border color, and a sound scheme. Some themes might also include desktop icons and mouse pointers. Start>Control Panel> Personalization 8

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A Color You can change the color of your window frames from Start>Control Panel> Personalization >window color 10

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A sound You can have your computer play a sound when certain events occur on your computer. Start>Control Panel> Personalization >sound 12

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desktop background (wallpaper) Change your desktop background (wallpaper) Your desktop background (also called wallpaper) can be a digital picture from your personal collection, a picture that comes with Windows, a solid color, or a picture framed with a color. Start>Control Panel> Personalization > desktop background 14

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screen saver Change your screen saver Windows comes with several screen savers. You can also create your own screen savers from personal pictures that you've saved on your computer Start>Control Panel> Personalization > screen saver 16

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Font size Make the text on your screen larger or smaller You can make the text and other items, such as icons, on your screen easier to see by making them larger. You can do this without changing the screen resolution of your monitor or laptop screen. Smaller - 100% (default). This keeps text and other items at normal size. Medium - 125%. This sets text and other items to 125% of normal size. Larger - 150%. This sets text and other items to 150% of normal size. This option appears only if your monitor supports a resolution of at least 1200 x 900 pixels. 18

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Customize desktop gadgets You can customize desktop gadgets by changing their settings, resizing them, keeping them on top of other windows, moving them anywhere on the desktop, and making other changes. To learn more about desktop gadgets 20 Choose a picture for your user account and Start menu

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Choose a picture for your user account and Start menu You can choose a picture that will be associated with your user account and shown on screens or menus that display your user name, such as the Welcome screen or Start menu. User picture in the Start menu Start >Control Panel> User Accounts > 22

Choose a picture for your user account and Start menu Click Change your picture. Click the picture you want to use, and then click Change Picture. – or – To use your own picture, click Browse for more pictures, navigate to the picture you want to use, click the picture, and then click Open. You can use a picture of any size, but it must have one of the following file name extensions:.jpg,.png,.bmp, or.gif. 23

Use Available Help Functions To see some of the Help features available, go to Start>Help and Support. Type the word Help into the Search box and click on the arrow key beside it. In the Search Results which appear below, look for Help and Support Centre overview. Click on this for more information on the Help section. 24