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If you have a new computer, you need to know a few basics before you can use it effectively. Unfortunately, most computers come without any written instructions to get you started. Since most of you are using Windows 95/98, I have put together a few basic instructions for you.

The Desktop

When you start your computer you will see several screens flash by before you arrive at the main Windows 95/98 screen, which is called the Desktop. This screen is where you will do your work when you use the Windows operating system. On the Desktop, you will see several icons. You can customize your desktop by right clicking on any blank area and choosing Properties. The Properties window gives you information about the desktop and allows you to make changes to it. You will see various tabs on the top of the screen in the Properties window. Choose the Background tab to change the color and style of the desktop. Choose the Screen Saver tab to change your screensaver.

Window

A window is a rectangular pane with information in it. Every window has a Title Bar, usually darker in color, at the top. The Title Bar has the name of the program and the name of the file. This is important information, not to be overlooked. The Title Bar also has three small icons in the upper right corner, that allows you minimize a window (make it smaller), maximize a window (make it larger) or close a window. You can also resize a window easily. Move your cursor over the edge of the window until it turns into a double-arrow. When you see the double-arrow, press down the left mouse button and drag the window frame to adjust the size.

The Task Bar

This is the bar at the bottom of the Windows desktop. It has the Start Button on the left. The programs or tasks that you are running are shown in small rectangles near the middle of the task bar. Near the right side, you will see the programs or tasks that have been started automatically when you started Windows. On the far right, you will usually see the time displayed. If you move your cursor over the time and hold it there for a second or two without clicking the mouse, you will see the current day and date.

The Start Button

In Windows everything begins and ends at the Start Button. Click on the Start Button and a menu pops up. Move your cursor over the choices and other menus with more choices will appear. The top of the Start Menu is where you will put shortcuts to your most often used programs, so you can start them quickly and easily. To put a program on your Start button, you simply drag any icon from your desktop onto the Start Button. If you have a key on your keyboard with a Windows icon on it, pressing that key also will bring up the Start menu. Always click on the Start Button and choose Shut Down before turning off your computer.

Icons

Icons are small pictures that are graphic representations of computer files, devices or programs. For instance, the Recycle Bin looks like a wastebasket and a folder icon looks like a manila file folder.

Shortcuts

Shortcuts are icons that have a small white arrow in the lower left corner. The arrow indicates that the icon is a shortcut that points to a program, folder or other item. Since the shortcut is simply a pointer, you can delete the shortcut or remove it from your desktop without actually deleting the program or file.

My Computer

This is the icon that represents everything in your computer. Double click on My Computer and you will see a floppy disk called A:, one or more hard disks, the first of which is usually called C:, and other disks that you may have like a CD-ROM and/or zip disk. Double clicking on any of those icons will show you the files and folders that reside on the chosen disk.

Menus

The menus at the top of the screen are called drop down menus. When you click on any of the words in the menu a list of choices drops down. You will usually find that each word has one letter underlined. Pressing that letter is the same as clicking the mouse on that item. If there is a keyboard shortcut, like Ctrl-S next to any item on a drop down menu, you can use that key combination to perform the given function without having to click on the menu choice. For instance, in most programs pressing Ctrl and the letter S at the same time is just like clicking on the save icon or choosing File, then choosing Save.

Toolbars

There is often one or more toolbars under the menu choices. A toolbar is a row of icons. These icons are shortcuts for choices that are in the menus. You can perform most functions more quickly by using the icons on the toolbar. You display or hide the toolbars by finding the Toolbar menu, most often found in the View menu. If there is a check in front of the toolbar name, it is already displayed. To hide a toolbar, you remove the checkmark by clicking on it. In many programs, you can also customize your toolbars.

Highlighting

In Windows, when you want to work with some text, you must select or highlight it. Do this by placing the icon at the beginning or the end of the text you want to select, press the mouse button and hold it down as you move the cursor across the text, then release the mouse button. The text will become blackened. To select a picture or icon, simply click on it. It will either blacken or be surrounded with small squares. Once you learn the basics of highlighting, there are many shortcuts. Double-click on a word to highlight it, triple-click on a paragraph to highlight it. Hold down the CTRL key and you will be able choose more than one thing at a time. Experiment with these techniques and you will become an expert user in no time.

Cut/Copy & Paste

In any Windows program you can cut or copy information into an area of the computer memory called the Clipboard. You cannot see the Clipboard or the information that is in it. Once you have highlighted something, choose Edit, then Copy or Cut. Click your mouse anywhere in that program or another program, choose Edit, then Paste, to insert your selection into a new place. Choosing Copy will copy the text or graphics that you have highlighted and keep the original document intact. Choosing Cut will remove the text or graphics from the original document. To save mouse clicks, use the icons at the top of the screen for cut and copy procedures. Cut looks like a pair of scissors, copy usually shows two pieces of paper and paste looks like a clipboard or a pot of glue. To save even more time use keyboard shortcuts. Press the CRTL key. Hold it down while pressing the x key for cut. Use the same procedure with the c key for copy and the v key for paste.

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