Switching On Make sure that the floppy disk drive is empty Press the power switch on the front of the system unit You may also need to switch on the monitor If working on a network, you will need to type in a user name and password (for security reasons the password will not be displayed on the screen) After a short period, the Windows desktop will appear REMEMBER: WORK SAFELY!!

The Windows Desktop Icons Taskbar Start button System Tray

Desktop Icons A directory/folder icon Double-click on one of these to open the folder and select a file A file iconDouble-click on this to open the file in the application that created it, eg Word An application iconDouble-click on this to launch the application Recycle binIf you delete a file, it is stored here. You can retrieve it later if you change your mind Printer iconYou will learn more about printing later in this module

Taskbar The most important part of the taskbar is the Start button – click on this to access all programs, documents and computer settings Quick launch toolbar shows icons for frequently used programs The main part of the taskbar will show which programs are currently running – each button represents a program In the bottom right hand corner is the System Tray – if you hover your mouse over the time, today’s date will appear! ……..……………Main taskbar area…………………. Start button Quick launch toolbar System Tray

The Start Button Use the Start button to start an application Move the mouse pointer over it and click once The Start menu appears If your chosen application doesn’t appear in the Start menu, click on All Programs Move the mouse pointer to your required application and click once The application will start!

The Parts of a Window Title bar Status Bar Menu bar Minimise, maximise and close buttons

What They All Mean Title barThis shows the name of the program Menu barHas labels which when clicked on produce drop down menus with options to choose from Status barGives information about the current status of the program you are working in Minimise iconClicking on this makes the window disappear but a button appears on the taskbar. To restore the window, click once on the taskbar button Maximise buttonClicking on this makes the window fill the screen Restore buttonClicking on the restore icon will restore a maximised window to its previous size Close buttonClick this once to close a window

Moving and Resizing a Window To move a window, click on the title bar and drag the window to its new position To resize a window, move the mouse pointer to any of the borders. A two-headed arrow will appear. Drag to make the window bigger or smaller

Switching Off Your Computer Close all open programs Click on the Start button Click on Turn Off Computer Click on the Turn off icon Most modern computers will switch themselves off automatically Handy Hint: Alt + F4 will also bring up the Turn off computer dialogue box!

Restarting Your Computer Click on the Start button Click on Turn Off Computer In the dialogue box that appears, click on Restart Click on OK Handy Hint: Pressing Ctrl + Alt + Delete twice in quick succession will do the same job on a stand-alone PC!

Launching WordPad Click on Start Click on All Programs Click on Accessories Click on WordPad WordPad will appear on screen

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

To Save or To Save As? File, 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 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 Open WordPad Click on File Click on Open The Open dialogue box appears Unless you choose otherwise the contents of My Documents will be displayed Double-click on the file name to open that file

Printing A File Click on the print icon to print one copy from the default printer Click on File then Print to give you more options You can choose which pages to print and how many copies Make your selections then click on the OK button

Disk Drives On Your Computer Most computers will have several drives Windows assigns each drive a letter Click on Start then My Computer to view the drives installed on your computer If your PC is on a network you will also see Network drives

Changing the Appearance Click on the View menu to see the different views Thumbnails will display pictures Tiles will display large icons Icons will display smaller icons List will display a list in columns Details will show you details about each item

The C: Drive Click on Start then My Computer Double-click on the icon representing the hard disk (C:) A window will appear showing the folders on the C: drive Click on the folders icon This will show a more detailed view

Creating a New Folder Click on Start then My Documents From the File menu select New then select Folder Type in the folder name and press the Enter key Click away from the newly created folder Repeat as necessary

Expanding And Collapsing Folders Click on a plus sign Any folders contained inside that folder will display in the left-hand pane This is called expanding An expanded folder will now show with a minus sign Click on the minus sign to collapse the view A collapsed folder will now show with a plus sign Expanded ECDL folder Collapsed ECDL folder

Renaming A File Right-click on the file name Select Rename from the pop- up menu Type in a new name for the file then press the Enter key Click in an empty part of the same window

Sorting Files You can change the order in which files are displayed in the right hand pane Go to the View menu and select Details Click on the bar above Name, Size, Type or Date Modified to show in ascending order Click again to show the files in descending order

Selecting Files And Folders Rather than selecting files and folders one by one, you can select multiple files To select adjacent files, click on the first file, hold down the Shift key then click on the last file To select non-adjacent files, click on the first file, hold down the Ctrl key then click on another file

Copying/Moving Files And Folders Use the clipboard to copy and move files Select the files you want to copy From the Edit menu click on Copy Select the folder where you want the copies to go to From the Edit menu click on Paste To move a file click on Edit then Cut Select the folder where you want the files/folder to go to From the Edit menu click on Paste Handy hint: you can use keyboard shortcuts – Ctrl + X to cut, Ctrl + C to copy, Ctrl + V to paste

Copying/Moving Files Using Drag And Drop Another way to move or copy file(s) is to select them and drag them to a new location If you drag to a folder on the same drive the files will be moved If you drag to a folder on a different drive, the files will be copied Hold down the Ctrl key when you drag to copy files on the same drive

Deleting Files & Folders Select the files or folder you want to delete Press the Delete key on the keyboard If the files were originally on your hard disk, they will be stored in the Recycle bin If you delete files from a floppy disk or a zip disk they are instantly deleted

The Recycle Bin Temporary storage area for deleted files Double-click on the Recycle Bin icon on your Windows Desktop A window opens showing you the Recycle Bin contents To permanently delete the files click on File then Empty Recycle Bin If you want to retrieve a file, right click on it and select Restore from the pop-up menu

Using Windows Explorer You can also use Windows Explorer Click on Start then All Programs then Accessories then Windows Explorer A similar window to My Documents will appear Handy Hint: Press the Windows key + E

Creating/Removing A Desktop Icon Click on Start then All Programs and point at the program (eg Solitaire) Right click on the program name and point at Send to and select Desktop (create shortcut) The icon will appear on your desktop To delete an icon, right click on it and select Delete Click on Yes to confirm

Creating Other Icons Create a shortcut to your printer to gain quick access to your print jobs! Click on Start, Printers and Faxes Drag the default printer icon (the one with a tick next to it) onto the desktop Double click on the icon to check the status of your print jobs! Create a shortcut to a file that is used a lot! Find the file using My Computer Drag the file name onto the Desktop Double click on the icon will open that file in the program that created it!

Basic System Information Click on Start Right click on My Computer and select Properties The System Properties window appears which will tell you the following: The current version of Windows Who Windows is registered to and the serial number Type and speed of processor, followed by the amount of RAM installed

Changing The Background Right click on an empty part of the desktop and select Properties From the window that appears, click on the Desktop tab In the Background section, scroll up and down and click on a background (the preview window will show you what it looks like) When you find one you like, click on OK

Setting Up A Screensaver Click on Start then Control Panel then Display From the window that appears, click on the Screensaver tab In the Screensaver section, scroll up and down and click on a screensaver (the preview window will show you what it looks like) When you find one you like, click on Apply then OK

Date & Time / Sound To change the date/time, click on Start, Control Panel then Date & Time Select your options then click on OK To change the volume, click on Start, Control Panel then Sounds and Audio Devices Select your options then click on OK

Installing/Uninstalling Software Most software which comes on CD will automatically run On screen instructions appear telling you how to proceed To remove an application, see if there is an uninstall link on the Start menu Otherwise click Start, Control Panel, Add/Remove programs Click on the program you want to remove, then click on Change/Remove Follow on-screen instructions

Installing A New Printer Most printers will come with an installation CD If you don’t have one, try the following steps: Click on Start, Printers and Faxes Click on the Add printer icon Follow the on-screen instructions Make sure you select the correct port – LPT1 or USB Select the printer manufacturer and model You will be asked if you want to make the printer the default printer (click on Yes or No) and if you want to print a test page – click on Yes If the test page doesn’t print out, you can click to start the Printer troubleshooter!