European Computer Driving Licence Module 2 – Using the Computer and Managing Files Chapter 2.2 – Creating and Printing Files

Launching WordPad ZClick on Start ZClick on All Programs ZClick on Accessories ZClick on WordPad ZWordPad will appear on screen

Saving WordPad Files ZType in some text ZClick on File ZClick on Save As The Save As dialogue box appears ZType a file name into the file name box ZClick on the Save button ZClick on the Close icon to exit WordPad ZAll WordPad files are saved as Rich Text Format

File Types ZWindows recognises many file types ZWhen you save a file, Windows will add a full stop followed by a (usually) three letter extension ZIt depends on how your computer is set up as to whether or not you will be able to see these ZWindows uses the file extension to identify the program used to create the file Costs.xls? That’s an Excel file!

Popular File Extensions.docA wordprocessed file produced by MS Word.xlsA spreadsheet file produced in MS Excel.mdbA database file produced in MS Access.pptA presentation file produced in MS PowerPoint.bmpA bitmapped graphic produced in a graphics package.jpg.gif.tifDifferent types of graphics files.mp3.mid.wavAudio files.txtA plain text file created in Notepad.zipA compressed file.htmA web page file.tmpA temporary file.pdfA portable document file created in Adobe Acrobat

To Save or To Save As? ZFile, Save, Use this to save a file for the first time, Use this to save changes made to a file, When you select Save the original file will be overwritten Z File, Save As, Use this to save a file using a different file name, Use this to save a file to a different location, Use this to save a different version of a file

Opening an existing file ZOpen WordPad ZClick on File ZClick on Open The Open dialogue box appears ZUnless you choose otherwise the contents of My Documents will be displayed ZDouble-click on the file name to open that file

Printing a file ZClick on the print icon to print one copy from the default printer ZClick on File then Print to give you more options ZYou can choose which pages to print and how many copies ZMake your selections then click on the OK button

Desktop Print Manager ZWhen you send a document to the printer, a printer icon will appear in the System Tray ZDouble-click on the printer icon to view a print job’s progress ZYou can pause, restart or cancel a print job from here by right-clicking on the file and selecting the appropriate option

What to do if your mouse stops working ZPress Ctrl + S to save the changes made to your document ZUse the Tab key to move to the save button and press the Enter key ZPress Ctrl + F4 to close the file ZPress Alt + F4 to exit the program ZPress Alt + F4 again to exit Windows ZCheck your mouse connection – has it come loose at the back? Reconnect and switch on the computer again

Closing a Non-Responding Program ZIf a program “freezes” press Ctrl + Alt + Delete ZOn a stand-alone PC the Task Manager will appear ZAll the applications running will appear on the Applications tab ZIf a program has the words “Not Responding” after it, click on it once then click on the End Task button

Handy Tips ZSave your work every few minutes ZCheck to see if the program has an autosave function switched on – it may be possible to recover your work when you restart ZAny files that you have saved to the hard disk or floppy disk are safe ZDon’t have too many programs open at once Z A quick way to check if your computer has crashed is to press the Caps Lock key – if the keyboard light doesn’t come on or go off, the chances are your PC has crashed Z Restart your computer – with a fresh restart the problem might disappear Z As a last resort only, press and hold in the power switch for 5 seconds to switch off the system unit