pc basics 2012 - asp2 home page · 2013. 1. 22. · 6 © 2012 customguide, inc. how it works 1....

IT Services, University of Wolverhampton

PC Basics

2012

2 © 2012 CustomGuide, Inc.

© 2012 by CustomGuide, Inc. 3387 Brownlow Avenue St. Louis Park, MN 55426, U.S.A.

This material is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by CustomGuide, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of CustomGuide, Inc.

We make a sincere effort to ensure the accuracy of the material described herein; however, CustomGuide makes no warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the quality, correctness, reliability, accuracy, or freedom from error of this document or the products it describes. Data used in examples and sample data files are intended to be fictional. Any resemblance to real persons or companies is entirely coincidental.

The names of software products referred to in this manual are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. CustomGuide is a registered trademark of CustomGuide, Inc.

IT Services, University of Wolverhampton 3

Table of Contents

The Essentials .......................................................................................................................................................... 8 Hardware and Software Overview .......................................................................................................................... 9 Computer Ports .................................................................................................................................................... 11 Inside of the Computer ......................................................................................................................................... 13 Mice, Keyboards, and Touchpads ........................................................................................................................ 14 Monitors, Webcams, and Speakers ...................................................................................................................... 15 Printer Basics ....................................................................................................................................................... 17 Portable Storage Devices ..................................................................................................................................... 19 Buying a Computer ............................................................................................................................................... 20

The Essentials Review ........................................................................................................................................... 21

Introduction to the Windows Operating System ................................................................................................ 22 Starting and Logging On to Windows ................................................................................................................... 23 The Windows Desktop.......................................................................................................................................... 24 Getting Familiar with the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface) ..................................................................... 25 Understanding the Parts of a Window .................................................................................................................. 29 Using Window Sizing Buttons .............................................................................................................................. 31 Moving, Resizing, and Switching Between Windows ........................................................................................... 33 Turning Off Your Computer ................................................................................................................................... 36

Introduction to the Windows Operating System Review ................................................................................... 38

Working with Folders and Files ........................................................................................................................... 40 Understanding What’s in Your Computer ............................................................................................................. 42 Opening Drives, Folders, and Files ...................................................................................................................... 44 Understanding the Windows Explorer Window .................................................................................................... 45 Using Windows Explorer to Navigate Your Computer .......................................................................................... 46 Folder and File Basics .......................................................................................................................................... 48 Using and Creating Libraries ................................................................................................................................ 50 Modifying and Deleting Libraries .......................................................................................................................... 51 Selecting Multiple Folders and Files ..................................................................................................................... 53 Copying and Moving Folders and Files ................................................................................................................ 54 Changing Window Layout and Views ................................................................................................................... 56 Sorting and Filtering Items ................................................................................................................................... 57 Using Search ........................................................................................................................................................ 59 Working with Compressed Folders ...................................................................................................................... 61

Working with Folders and Files Review .............................................................................................................. 62

Working with Programs ........................................................................................................................................ 65 Types of Software ................................................................................................................................................. 66 Installing a Program .............................................................................................................................................. 67 Opening a Program .............................................................................................................................................. 69 Understanding a Program Window ...................................................................................................................... 70 Understanding the Ribbon .................................................................................................................................... 71 Using Dialog Boxes .............................................................................................................................................. 72 Formatting Text ..................................................................................................................................................... 74 Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text ...................................................................................................................... 76 Getting Help .......................................................................................................................................................... 78 Printing a File ........................................................................................................................................................ 79

Working with Programs Review ........................................................................................................................... 80

Connecting to the Internet ................................................................................................................................... 82 Introduction to Networks and the Internet ............................................................................................................ 84 Dial-Up Connections ............................................................................................................................................. 85


Broadband Connections ....................................................................................................................................... 87 Mobile Broadband Connections ........................................................................................................................... 89 Connecting to a Wireless Network ....................................................................................................................... 90 Using Windows to Diagnose and Repair a Connection ....................................................................................... 92 Understanding Parts of the Browser Window ....................................................................................................... 94 Information Security and Virus Protection ............................................................................................................ 95 Browsing the Web ................................................................................................................................................ 97 Downloading and Uploading Basics ..................................................................................................................... 99 Introduction to E-mail .......................................................................................................................................... 100 Composing and Sending an E-mail Message .................................................................................................... 101 Using Attachments .............................................................................................................................................. 103 Reading, Replying, Forwarding and Deleting an E-mail .................................................................................... 104 Chatrooms, Webcams, and Social Media .......................................................................................................... 106

Connecting to the Internet Review ..................................................................................................................... 107


Introducing

CustomGuide

Courseware

Thank you for choosing CustomGuide courseware as the

solution to your training needs. A proven leader in the

computer training industry, CustomGuide has been the

key to successful training for thousands of students and

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This manual is designed for computer users of all

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All this information is quickly accessible. Lessons are

broken down into basic step-by-step instructions that

answer “how-to” questions in minutes. You can print a

complete 300-page training manual or a single page of

instructions.

Here’s how a CustomGuide manual is organized:

Chapters Each manual is divided into several chapters. Aren't sure

if you're ready for a chapter? Look at the table of contents

that appears at the beginning of each chapter. It will tell

you the name of each lesson and subtopic included in the

chapter.

Lessons

Each chapter contains lessons on related topics. Each

lesson explains a new skill or topic and contains an

exercise and exercise file to give you hands-on-

experience. These skills can also be practiced using

CustomGuide Online Learning.

Review

A review is included at the end of the manual. Use these

quiz questions and answers to assess how much you've

learned.

What People Are Saying

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How It Works

1. Open Microsoft Word Our customizable courseware is provided as simple-to-

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Microsoft Word you can create your own training

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2. Select Your Topics

Select the content you need from our award-winning

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Word.

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house” look.

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paying any per-unit royalties or maintaining physical

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of related lessons, or a complete manual. It’s fast,

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5. Teach and Learn You’ll love having your own customized training

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illustrations, down-to-earth writing style, and the

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3rd

Generation Courseware: What’s New?

CustomGuide is pleased to introduce 3rd generation courseware. Completely redesigned from years of customer feedback,

3rd generation courseware features a streamlined design that is easier to customize and use as a reference tool. Take a look at

the table below for more information regarding these features.

Streamlined design Featuring a professional-looking, easy-to-read design, 3rd

generation courseware appeals to instructors, students and individual users alike.

Exercise Notes A new Exercise Notes section appears at the top of each lesson. Rather than practicing the topic step by step through the lesson as in 2

nd generation courseware, the topic can be

practiced using the exercise file and exercise described here.

Table of Contents In addition to the Table of Contents found at the beginning of each courseware title, 3rd

generation courseware includes a Table of Contents at the beginning of each chapter, making it even easier to locate the lessons you need.

Smart Quizzes The Quiz section, located at the back of the book, automatically updates itself when the manual is customized. For example, if you remove a lesson regarding cutting and pasting text, there will be no questions in the Quiz section that relate to cutting and pasting text.

Easier customization The design of 3rd

generation is simplified, which makes it easier to customize. All you have to do is click and drag or copy and paste, or press the <Delete> key to remove a lesson, and voila; you’re done!

Use as a reference tool 3rd

generation courseware breaks tasks down into basic step-by-step instructions and can be used as a virtual help desk, answering “how-to” questions in minutes.


Courseware Features

Lessons are presented on one or two pages, so you can follow along without wondering when a lesson ends and a new one begins.

Each lesson includes a hands-on exercise and practice file so users can practice the topic of the lesson.

Clear step-by-step instructions answer “how-to” questions. Anything you need to click appears like

this.

Tips let you know more information about a specific step or topic as a whole.

Whenever there is more than one way to do something, the most common method is presented in the numbered step, while the alternate methods appear beneath.

Tables provide summaries of the terms, toolbar buttons, and options covered in the lesson.

The table of contents, index, tables, figures, and quiz questions automatically update to reflect any changes you make to the courseware.

Icons and pictures show you what to look for as you follow the instructions.

Working with Shapes and Pictures

Exercise

Exercise File: AmericanHistory7-3.docx

Exercise: Select the header row containing the month labels, the Income row, the Total

Exp. Row, and the Net Inc. row (use the Ctrl

key to select multiple rows). Create a 2-D

Clustered Column chart.

© 2007 CustomGuide, Inc. 102

Whenever you insert a graphic into a document, it is

inserted inline with text by default. This means that the text in the document moves in order to accommodate the

graphic. This lesson will show you how to adjust text

wrapping and how to use the grid to position objects.

Positioning Pictures

1. Double-click the object whose text wrapping you

wish to adjust.

2. Click the Text Wrapping button in the Arrange group.

3. Select a text wrapping style from the list.

The Format contextual tab appears on the Ribbon.

Horizontal and vertical gridlines appear on the page.

Tip: Gridlines do NOT appear in the printed

document.

Tips

If you want to use a graphic with other graphics or

objects, they must be on a drawing canvas. See the

lesson on Inserting Shapes for more information.

Adjust text wrapping

To adjust how text reacts to the objects in your documents,

change the object’s text wrapping.

A list of text wrapping styles appears. Take a look at the Text Wrapping Styles table for a description of

each style.

The text wrapping style is applied to the image.

Other Ways to Adjust Text Wrapping: Right-click the image, point to Text Wrapping

in the contextual menu, and select an option

from the submenu.

Other Ways to Display the Grid: Press <Shift> + <F9>, or click the Format

contextual tab on the Ribbon, click the Align

button in theArrange group, and select View

Gridlines from the list.

1. Click the View tab on the Ribbon.

2. Click the Gridlines check box in the Show/Hide group.

To display/hide the grid


TThhee EEsssseennttiiaallss

Hardware and Software Overview ...................... 9

Computer Ports .................................................. 11

Inside of the Computer ..................................... 13

Mice, Keyboards, and Touchpads .................... 14

Monitors, Webcams, and Speakers ................. 15 Monitors ................................................... 15 Web cams ................................................ 16 Speakers .................................................. 16

Printer Basics .................................................... 17

Portable Storage Devices ................................. 19

Buying a Computer ........................................... 20 How do you plan on using your computer? ................................................................. 20

Computers are useful: they help us write

letters, find information on the Internet, and

even create our own music CDs. Some people

love computers—they speak a different

language that includes nonsensical words like

IP address and gigabytes. But most of us are

somewhat clueless when it comes to

computers. We know how to turn our

computer on, how to surf the Internet

(maybe), and how to write a quick letter on a

word processor. But that’s about it—we have

to ask our kids or a friend for help when

something goes wrong, which is all the time.

This guide takes some of the mystery out of

computers. In this chapter we’ll take a good

hard look at a computer from the front, back,

and yes, even inside. You’ll understand what

all those confusing ports on the back of the

computer are for and why it’s important for

your computer to have a fast CPU. Best of all,

we’ll explain all of this in simple terms, so

you won’t need an engineering degree to

understand everything.

Ready to tackle your computer? Great—turn

the page and let’s get started…

0


Hardware and Software Overview

Your desk probably contains a jumble of equipment

commonly known as a computer. But what is all that

stuff? What does a computer do? Unlike many other tools

or appliances that have limited purposes, a computer can

do any number of things:

Write letters

Browse the Internet

Send e-mail messages to people around the world

Play games

Help you balance your budget

…and that’s just the beginning of what you can do with a

computer!

Two basic components make up a computer: hardware

and software. You simply can’t have one without the

other. All computer parts that you can physically see or

touch are called hardware. Hardware includes the

computer’s monitor, case, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

Computer programs that tell hardware how to operate are

called software. You may have used software such as

Microsoft Excel or Corel WordPerfect in the past. So

breathe a giant sigh of relief—you don’t have to know

how to program a computer to use one. A computer

programmer has already done the work for you by writing

the program (software). All you have to do is tell the

software what you’re trying to do, and the software then

directs the work of the hardware.

The image on the right shows an example of a typical

computer setup and its components, but don’t worry if

your setup is different. More than likely, you have all the

parts that you need, and those parts are properly

connected. In any case, the table on the following page

provides more details about each individual component.

IT, short for Information Technology, is the broad subject

related to computers and managing and processing

information, especially within large organizations. Many

large companies have departments full of computer

experts called IT departments.

Figure 0-1: Typical computer setup and its components.

The Essentials


Table 0-1: Parts of a Computer

Component Description

Case or System Unit

The main computer box, technically known as the system unit, is the most important part of a computer.

It contains the guts and brains of the computer—something we’ll talk about later. The system unit

contains a lot of holes or ports where you plug in the rest of the computer system.

Monitor

The monitor resembles a television set, and is where the computer displays information.

Keyboard

The keyboard is the thing you type on to tell your computer what to do.

Mouse

Like the keyboard, the mouse is another input device that you use to communicate with your computer.

Speakers

Most computers can make sounds, just like a stereo system. In fact, you can even listen to audio CD’s on

most computers or watch DVDs.

Printer

A printer is where a computer writes down information or output, onto paper, or a hardcopy.

The Essentials


Computer Ports When you look at the back of a computer, you may feel a

bit overwhelmed by all the slots and holes. Fortunately,

manufacturers have added some fairly standard icons and

color coding to help you identify what should be plugged

into your computer and where. Before long, you’ll

recognize those icons and colors, and the configuration

won’t seem so mysterious. It’s rather like hooking up

cable and a DVD player to the back of your television—

unless you’re one of those people who just wait for the

cable guy to take care of that task. In any case, this lesson

will review each item piece by piece so you won’t get

completely lost.

Before we begin, let’s define a couple of terms. The first

thing you’ll notice is that the back of your computer has

lots of holes. Those holes are called (depending on who

you ask) jacks, ports, or connectors. You may notice that

some of the connectors have holes, but some have what

look like stickpins (which are aptly named pins). The ones

that have holes are called female connectors; the ones that

have pins are called male connectors. Let’s leave it at that.

Now let’s begin. Compare the image below to the table on

the following page. The back of your computer may be

arranged differently but should include the same

elements.

Figure 0-2: The back of a computer and its ports.

The Essentials

Power receptacle

Line-out jack

Line-in jack

Microphone jack

Air vents

Expansion slots

USB ports

Video ports

Ethernet connector


Table 0-2: What’s on the Back of a Computer Case?

Port Icon Description

Power Supply

for Desktop

Your computer will need power for it to run. Make sure your power cord is plugged into the back of

your desktop computer as well as the AC outlet on your wall or power strip

Power Supply

for Laptop

One of the reasons to have a laptop is for its mobility. It can run on the battery that it comes with,

however if your battery runs low you can plug your laptop into an AC power source just like you

would with a desktop computer.

USB

Designed to replace older Serial and Parallel ports, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) can connect

computers with a number of devices, such as printers, keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras,

PDAs, and more. Better yet, the USB port supports plug-and-play, so you can simply plug in a USB

device and start using it.

USB 2.0 ports can transfer information at a speed up to 480 Mbps. Newer USB 3.0 ports can

theoretically transfer information at 5Gbps. Most computers come with two or more USB ports.

Video or

Monitor

You plug your monitor into the video port.

Line In

The Line In jack allows you to listen to an external device through your computers speakers. It’s also a

convenient way to record audio, like a cassette, which can then be saved as a digital file such as a .wav

or mp3.

Line Out

Plug in your speakers or headphone into the Line Out jack.

Microphone

You can plug a microphone into this jack to record sounds on your computer.

Network or

Ethernet

You can connect your computer to a network by plugging in an Ethernet cable in this port.

The Essentials


Inside of the Computer The insides of your computer may look like a tangled

mess, but not to worry. This lesson will cover the basics

of what’s most important in your computer. If you’re

using a laptop, the insides will look different than this, but

each component will still be included.

Table 0-3: Inside of your computer

Computer Unit: inside this is everything which makes

your computer work. Just plug everything in (e.g.

electrical, monitor, keyboard etc.) and go!

Optical Drive: if you want to listen to a CD, watch a

DVD or Blu-ray disc, you’ll need a compatible Optical

Drive to play them.

Power Supply: The power supply delivers electricity to

every component in your computer. This is more of an

electrical relay; you still need to plug your computer into

your electrical outlet.

HDD/SSD: Hard Disc Drives (HDD) and Solid State

Drives (SSD) are long term storage devices. SSDs are

quicker at retrieving information while HDDs are

slightly cheaper.

System Fan: All that power creates a lot of heat; this fan

will constantly run to keep things cool. There are several

fans in your computer, i.e. your power supply has one,

as well as your CPU.

RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) is temporary

storage for your computer’s CPU, the more you have

available, the faster your computer will feel. 1 to 4 GB

should be adequate for most systems.

Motherboard: This is the main piece of circuitry in

your computer, everything is somehow connected to it,

even your monitor and printer.

CPU: The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is your

computer’s brain. Typically the CPU will have a

dedicated fan to keep it cool.

The Essentials


Mice, Keyboards, and Touchpads

There are a variety of input devices which you can use to

interact with your computer. You may be familiar with the

computer mouse and keyboard, but let’s see how dynamic

these devices can get. In this lesson we’ll explore a few

different varieties of these input devices so you can see

which ones suit your needs best.

Types of Mice Types of Keyboards Types of Touchpads

Mechanical mice house a hard rubber

ball which moves sensors to track

movement. These types of mice are

prone to dirt and lose functionality over

time.

Standard keyboards arrange the

alphabet as well as a few extra keys,

enough to make the typist in you happy.

Laptop touchpads are surfaces installed

onto your laptop which, when touched,

track mouse-like movement onscreen. To

perform a click operation you may click

a button adjacent to the touchpad, tap

briefly on the surface of the touchpad, or

press the entire touchpad inward.

Optical mice use an LED (Light

Emitting Diode) to detect movement

over a surface.

Multi-functional keyboards offer more

ways to interact with your computer with

added keys, arrow buttons and a numeric

pad.

External touchpads operate just like

their laptop counterparts, except they

require a USB port to plug into. You may

want to use an external touchpad if you

purchase a multi-functional keyboard for

your laptop.

Cordless mice operate like Optical mice,

except they can send a wireless signal to

a base station (e.g. a USB attachment).

Cordless mice require batteries.

Laptop keyboards are constrained by the

width of the laptop and are therefore

more like a standard keyboard layout.

Typically your laptop’s keyboard will

have a few of the functions you’d find on

a multi-functional keyboard, but not all

of them.

Touchscreens allow you to tap, drag and

‘flick’ your fingers over the surface to

interact with what is displayed onscreen

directly. These are common on

smartphones, specialty monitors, or

tablets.

Many buttoned mice have three or more

buttons which can be programmed to

perform different functions. Did you

know that the wheel on your mouse is

also a clickable button?

Trackball allow your hand to stay in one

place as you roll a plastic sphere around

with your fingertips.

Stylus mice are useful for designers

because they look and feel like a pen and

they ‘draw’ over a special pad which

tracks the pen’s movement as well as

how much pressure you’re giving the

pen.

The Essentials


Monitors, Webcams, and Speakers

Monitors

A computer’s monitor looks and works a lot like a TV

screen. The monitor is really only half of what makes text

and images appear on the screen. The other half is the

graphic card, or video/display adapter. The monitor plugs

into the graphics card in the back of the computer.

Flat panel or LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) monitors, like

the one in Figure 5-1, have replaced older CRT (Cathode

Ray Tube) monitors. Flat panel monitors are very

attractive compared to previous models since they are

thin, lightweight, and use a lot less electricity than

traditional monitors.

Size

The size of a monitor is measured diagonally across the screen, just like TVs. Common monitor sizes are typically between 19 - 24 inches. Note that computer monitors are quickly moving from a standard 4:3 aspect ratio (squarish) to a multimedia friendly widescreen (16.9).

Dot Pitch

Dot pitch refers to the distance between each pixel, or dot, on the screen, as measured in millimeters (mm). The smaller the dot pitch, the closer the dots, and the sharper the image is. If you’re in the market for a monitor try to find one with a 0.28 mm or less.

Refresh Rate

The refresh rate determines how quickly the monitor redraws, or updates, the image on the screen. Higher refresh rates are better, since they flicker less and are easier on the eyes. The refresh rate is measured in hertz (Hz), or the number of times per second the monitor redraws the entire screen. If you’re buying a new monitor, make sure to get one with a refresh rate of 72 Hz or better.

Screen Savers and Energy Star Compliance

These days most monitors are Energy Star compliant. This means they automatically turn themselves off after a period of time in order to save electricity. You turn the monitor back only by simply moving the mouse or pressing a key on the keyboard.

Figure 0-3: An LCD monitor with speakers and a webcam.

The Essentials


Web cams

A webcam is a tiny digital video camera that is often built

into or sits on top of a computer’s monitor. People often

use web cams for staying in touch with friends and loved

ones, web conferencing, online web training, or even as a

personal security camera.

Speakers

Speakers and headphones are output devices, which mean

that they are devices that communicate information from

the computer to the user. They allow you to hear sound

and music. Depending on the type of speakers, you’ll

need to connect them to either the audio port or the USB

port. You may find that some monitors have built-in

speakers.

The Essentials


Printer Basics

A printer is an output device that puts text and graphics on

paper. Using the printer is often the last step in creating

something on a computer, whether it’s a letter,

spreadsheet, or digital photograph.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot to know about printers—

especially if you’re buying one. Here are the main printer

concepts you should know:

Type of Printer InkJet and Laser printers are the most common types

of printers available. InkJet printers are the cheapest

and most common type of printer and can be found in

both homes and businesses. Laser printers are much

faster than InkJet printers, but they normally can only

print in black and white.

Color vs. Black and White Color used to be an expensive option for printers, but

not anymore. Most InkJet printers can print in color

and so can an increasing number of laser printers.

Most laser printers still print in black in white—great

for text but not for images and graphics.

Resolution A printer’s resolution helps determine the quality of

the images it can produce. Higher resolution means

higher quality images. Printer resolution is measured

in dots per inch (dpi). Generally, 600-dpi resolution

works great for text documents, while you will

probably want 1200 dpi or better resolution for

printing images. See the illustration to the right for a

good example of varying resolutions.

Speed A printer’s speed determines how quickly it can print

pages. Speed is measured two ways: in characters per

second (cps) or in pages per minute (ppm). Either

way you want a higher number if you want to have a

faster printer. Printers usually slow down quite a bit

when printing pages with a lot of complicated

graphics, or color images.

Ink Cartridges and Toner Today many InkJet printers are cheap—about as

much as dinner for two at a fancy restaurant. Sound

too good to be true? Here’s the catch: the ink for most

printers costs a lot of money. InkJet printers use ink

cartridges that seem to run dry at an alarming speed.

Laser printers user toner cartridges filled with the

same messy black powder that is found in copy

machines. Laser toner cartridges last a lot longer than

InkJet cartridges, but they also cost significantly

more.

Figure 0-4: A common InkJet printer.

Figure 0-5: An example of an image with different resolutions.

The Essentials

300 dpi 600 dpi


Memory Laser printers have their own memory, or RAM, just

like a computer. This memory is used to store pages

before they are printed. Memory is important for

printing complex or high-resolution images.

Print Buffer and Spooler Computers are a lot faster than most printers are, so

they can send information faster than the printer can

accept it. A printer buffer or spooler fixes this

problem. A print buffer works like a dam: it holds

back the information and releases it at a rate that the

printer can handle.

The Essentials


Portable Storage Devices Portable storage allows you to be mobile with important

data wherever or whenever it is needed. These often tiny

storage devices are very helpful when transporting/

sharing large quantities of data.

This table describes common portable storage devices

you may encounter:

Table 0-4: Portable Storage Devices

USB Flash Thumb Drive

A USB Flash Drive is a portable storage device that makes use of a flash memory. It is a plug and play

device that is so lightweight, it can be attached to a key chain. When you insert it into a USB port of a

computer, the operating system will recognize it as a removable drive and will assign it a drive letter.

Some Flash memory advantages:

Contains no moving parts

Extremely light and portable

Store data for longer periods

It is not dependent on any platform to function.

External Solid State Drives

An external Solid State Hard drive also contains Flash Memory and has very similar properties to a USB

Flash thumb drive. They tend to come in the same size format as their Magnetic Drives counterparts.

External Magnetic Drives

A magnetic disk hard drive is a mechanical device that contains components susceptible to shock, and

magnetic failure. On the flip side, magnetic hard drives typically hold much more information and also

tend to be cheaper than Solid State Drives.

Multi-card Reader

Some computers contain multi-card reader attachments that make it possible to write / read a variety of

flash card memories. Flash memory cards are available in various sizes and formats - the most common

format is used with digital cameras. In digital cameras, your pictures are stored on the flash memory

card. With the Flash-card reader you can then move them to your computer.

Blue Ray Disc Drive

A Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage created to succeed the DVD format. The Blu-ray disc has the

same thickness as the DVD and Compact Disc formats. Blu-ray discs have a capacity of 25 GB (single-

layer), 50GB (dual-layer). Blue-ray discs can be used for data storage, and high-definition audio and

video.

Figure 0-6: Types of Portable Storage Devices.

The Essentials


Buying a Computer Nothing’s worse than going to the computer store and

listening to a know-it-all salesperson tell you to buy the

most expensive computer in the store.

We’ll help channel your inner nerd and provide some

direction to make an ideal computer purchase with a few

questions.

How do you plan on using your computer?

I’d like a computer that is portable.

Mobile computers or laptops have become the most

popular type of computer. Most laptop computers will

likely be sufficient for basic tasks. Laptops at this level

typically have an integrated graphics chip built into the

processor to handle the minimal graphics tasks of the

operating system. While laptop computers are portable,

they are not nearly as upgradeable or as powerful as their

desktop counterparts.

I need a basic work computer.

Depending on the work tasks at hand, you may not need

the latest fifty core processing powerhouse. Most vendors

produce very affordable basic models.

I’d like a computer to store my media.

You’ve taken a lot pictures and video over the holidays.

Purchase a system that has a lot of hard drive storage to

house all those files.

I’d like a computer for gaming.

If you are planning on playing the latest strategy game,

you’ll definitely want a computer with an upgraded

graphics card since the integrated graphics built into basic

level systems will quickly be overwhelmed by high-end

games. It might also be a good idea to make sure to

purchase a system with additional cores for additional

processing power.

I’d like to do some video editing.

So you want to be the next Lucas/Spielberg? Video

editing is very resource-intensive and may require several

upgrades in order to get things running smoothly. Make

sure you’ve got a lot of hard drive storage to house all

your new video files. In fact, a second hard drive would

be a good idea. You’ll also benefit from additional

memory and processor upgrades.

Figure 0-7: Types of computers.

The Essentials


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Quiz Questions

1. ’IT’ is short for what? A. Improper Telephone B. Information Technology C. I’m Trying D. Information Terms

2. Jacks, Ports, and Connectors are all common names for the holes on the back of your computer. (True or False?)

3. Optical mice use an LED to detect movement over a surface. (True or False?)

4. The letters LCD when referring to a flat panel monitor stand for what? A. Light Color Display B. Large Color Diode C. Liquid Crystal Display D. Lemon Custard Doughnut

5. Portable Storage Devices are very large and hard to move (True or False?)

Quiz Answers

1. B. Information Technology

2. True. Jacks, Ports, and Connectors are all common names for the holes on the back of your computer.

3. True. Optical mice use an LED to detect movement over a surface.

4. C. Liquid Crystal Display

5. False. While some Portable Storage Devices are larger than others, generally they are small and easy to transport.


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Starting and Logging On to Windows ............. 23

The Windows Desktop ...................................... 24

Getting Familiar with the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface) ................................. 25

Using the Mouse ...................................... 25 Point ......................................................... 25 Click ......................................................... 25 Click and drag .......................................... 26 Right-click ................................................ 27 Using the Keyboard ................................. 27 Use a keystroke combination .................. 27 Special keys and their functions .............. 28

Understanding the Parts of a Window ............. 29

Using Window Sizing Buttons .......................... 31 Maximize a window .................................. 31 Restore a maximized window .................. 31 Minimize a window ................................... 31 Restore a minimized window ................... 32

Moving, Resizing, and Switching Between Windows ............................................................. 33

Move a window ........................................ 33 Resize a window ...................................... 33 Switching windows using Taskbar buttons ................................................................. 33 Flip 3D...................................................... 34 Jump to a window .................................... 34

Turning Off Your Computer .............................. 36 Shut down your computer ........................ 36 Use sleep mode ....................................... 36

Welcome to the Windows operating system! If

you’re new to Windows, or to computers

altogether, you’re starting at the right place.

This chapter covers the “bare-bones” basics

about learning how to start your computer and

load Windows. You’ll learn how to operate the

mouse by clicking, double-clicking, clicking

and dragging, and right-clicking. You’ll also

learn about your computer’s keyboard.

Finally, you’ll learn how to exit Windows and

shut down your computer.

Before we start, take a deep breath and relax.

You may find this difficult to believe, but

computers aren’t nearly as difficult and

complicated as you might think they are. This

chapter keeps everything as simple as

possible, so you’ll be able to follow along no

matter what your previous computer

experience. Actually, you may find that some

of the lessons in this chapter are a little too

easy. When you come across something you

already know, go ahead and skip the lesson.

Ready? Then turn the page and let’s get

started!

1


Starting and Logging On to Windows

After taking off your jacket and grabbing a cup of coffee,

you probably begin your day by turning on your

computer. This lesson explains what you need to do when

the Welcome screen appears.

1. If prompted, press <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete>.

This keystroke combination is a security measure that

can be turned on or off, so you may not need it to

start using your computer.

The Welcome screen appears with the names of

active accounts on the computer.

2. Click your account.

If required, a text box for the password appears.

3. Enter your password and press <Enter>.

Presto! You’re logged on to Windows and are ready

to get to work.

Tip: Remember that when you enter your

password, Windows will display to protect

your password from prying eyes.

Tips

Your log in process will be different if the <Ctrl>

+ <Alt> + <Delete> or Welcome screens are not

turned on.

Figure 1-1: The Welcome screen.

Introduction to the Windows Operating System


The Windows Desktop When you log on to your computer, the screen shown

below appears. Called the desktop, this screen serves as a

surface for your work. When you open programs or

folders, they appear on the desktop. You can also store

items on the desktop, such as files, folders, and gadgets,

and arrange them however you want.

Recycle Bin: The Recycle Bin stores all the files you delete

from your computer. The deleted files remain there and can

be retrieved until you empty the Recycle Bin.

Notification area: This portion of the taskbar contains various

notification icons related to Windows and your computer.

Action Center, Network and Volume icons appear in the

notification area by default, but you can customize this area

as needed.

Desktop: This is the large background area of the Windows

screen. You can customize the appearance of the desktop

with themes and slideshows, and you can even add

Windows Gadgets to the desktop for easy access.

Taskbar: The taskbar appears at the bottom of your screen.

Whenever you open a program, document, or folder, a button

for that window appears on the taskbar. You can use these

buttons to quickly view and switch between windows and you

can also pin frequently used items to the taskbar.

Show Desktop button: Click this button to minimize all

windows and display the desktop. Point to this button to

temporarily minimize all windows for a quick peek at

the desktop.

Start button: The Start button opens the Start menu, where

you search for files and programs, and open programs and

documents. You can also use the Start menu to find files and

change Windows settings.



Getting Familiar with the Windows GUI (Graphical User Interface)

Using the Mouse

Just like you control your television set using a remote

control, you control Windows by using the mouse. A

mouse is a palm-sized device that lets you point to, select,

and move objects on your computer screen. The mouse is

linked to the pointer on your computer screen—when you

move the mouse on your desk, the pointer moves on the

computer screen. Think of the mouse as an electronic

extension of your hand. This lesson will show you how to

perform the most basic mouse actions.

Point

Pointing is the most basic action you can do with the

mouse. To point to something, simply place the mouse

pointer over it by moving the mouse.

Move the mouse so that the pointer hovers above the

object.

A screen tip appears with a description of the object.

Click

Clicking means pressing and releasing the left mouse

button. The mouse makes a clicking noise whenever you

press and release one of its buttons, hence the term

“clicking”. The next steps will show you how to open the

Start menu by clicking it. Also, Table 1-1: Click When

You Want To… describes different times when you will

need to click.

1. Point to the object.

2. Press and release the left mouse button.

Tip: Most mice have two buttons. You will

use the left mouse button whenever you see

the words click or double-click. The right

mouse button has its own purpose, which

we’ll discuss in an upcoming lesson.

Figure 1-2: A screen tip appears when an object is pointed at with the mouse pointer.

Table 1-1: Click When You Want To…

Select something.

Open a menu.

Press a button on a toolbar or a control in a dialog box.

Move to the area or field you want in a program or dialog box.


“Click”

Click Press and release the left mouse button.


Double-click

Double-clicking means pressing and releasing the mouse

button twice in rapid succession. You will usually open an

object, such as a file or folder, by double-clicking it. See

Table 1-2: Double-click When You Want To… to find out

when you will need to double-click.

Point to the object and click the mouse button twice

in rapid succession.

Tip: A lot of people have problems the first time

they try double-clicking. If your double-click

doesn’t seem to work, it’s probably because

you’re either not holding the mouse steady, or

you’re not clicking fast enough. If you press the

mouse button too hard, you may accidentally slide

the mouse and your double-click won’t register.

Click and drag

You can move items around your computer screen by

clicking and dragging them with the mouse. See Table

1-3: Things You Can Click and Drag to learn about items

you can click and drag.

Point to the object and click. While holding down the

mouse button, drag the object to the desired location

on the screen. Release the mouse button.

Table 1-2: Double-click When You Want To…

Open a file.

Open a folder.

Display the properties or settings for an object (in certain

programs).

Table 1-3: Things You Can Click and Drag

Do this… By doing this…

Move a window to

a new location on

the screen.

Drag the window by its title bar and drop

it in a new location on the screen.

Move a file to a

new folder.

Drag the file and drop it in the desired

folder.

Change the size of

a window.

Drag the borders or corners of the

window.

Scroll a window to

see something

located off-screen.

Drag the scroll box (the little elevator)

up or down the scroll bar and drop it in a

new location.

Move just about

anything on your

computer’s

screen.

Point to the object, click, and hold down

the mouse button, drag the object to a

new place, and then release the mouse

button.


Double-click Quickly press and release the left mouse button twice, in rapid succession.

“Click” “Click”

Click

Place the pointer over an object and press and hold down the left mouse button.

Drag While you are still holding down the button, move the mouse to where you want to place the object and then release the mouse button.


Right-click

Right-clicking means pressing and releasing the right

mouse button. Whenever you right-click something, it

brings up a shortcut menu that lists everything you can do

to the object. Whenever you’re unsure or curious about

what you can do with an object, point to it and click it

with the right mouse button. A contextual menu will

appear with a list of commands related to the object or

area you right-clicked.

1. Point to the object and click the right mouse button.

A contextual menu of commands that are related to

the object appears.

2. Select a command from the contextual menu with the

left mouse button.

The selected command is issued.

Tip: To close the contextual menu without

selecting a command, click anywhere outside the

contextual menu.

Using the Keyboard

Now that you’ve mastered the mouse, it’s time to move

on to the other device that you use to control your

computer: the keyboard. The keyboard may seem more

familiar and easy to use than the mouse at first, but don’t

be fooled! Computer keyboards sneak in some extra keys

that are very useful. This lesson explains what these extra

keys on the keyboard are and when to use them.

Tips

Check the menus of programs for shortcuts. An

underlined letter in a menu usually means that

pressing the <Alt> key in combination with the

underlined key will have the same effect as clicking

that menu item.

Use a keystroke shortcut

Keystroke shortcuts are alternative ways to give

commands. In many cases, they are much faster and

easier to use than clicking a button or selecting commands

from a menu. For example, the keystroke commands to

copy, cut, and paste are great time savers.

Press and hold down the first key, press the second

key, then release both keys.

The command is given.


Right-click Press and release the right mouse button.

“Click”


Special keys and their functions

Refer to Table 1-4: Special Keys and Their Functions for

descriptions of some special keys.

Table 1-4: Special Keys and Their Functions

Windows logo key

Press to open the Start menu, and use with other keys to issue commands. Windows 7 has many

timesaving and user-friendly commands that use this key.

Alt

The <Alt> key doesn’t do anything by itself—it needs another key to make things happen. For example,

pressing the <Tab> key while holding down the <Alt> key switches between any programs that are

currently running.

Ctrl

Just like the <Alt> key, the <Ctrl> key doesn’t do anything by itself—you need to press another key

along with it to make things happen. For example, pressing the <X> key while holding down the <Ctrl>

key cuts whatever is selected.

F1

The <F1> key is the Help key for most programs. Pressing it displays helpful information about what

you’re doing and answers your questions about the program.

Esc

The <Esc> (Escape) key is the “Wait, I’ve changed my mind!” key. Its function is the same as clicking

Cancel in a dialog box. For example, if you click something and an unfamiliar dialog box appears, you

can close it by pressing the <Esc> key.

Enter

The <Enter> key is the “Carry out my orders” key. Its function is the same as clicking OK in a dialog

box. For example, after you’ve typed the name of a program you want to run in a dialog box, press

<Enter> to run the program. The <Enter> key also adds new lines and starts new paragraphs if you’re

entering text.

Tab

When you’re in a dialog box, pressing the <Tab> key moves to the next field. When you’re using a word

processor, the <Tab> key works just like you’d think it would: it jumps to the nearest tab stop whenever

you press it.

Arrow Keys

The arrow keys move your computer’s cursor on the screen.

Delete

Nothing surprising here. The <Delete> key deletes or erases whatever you select—files, text, or

graphical objects. If you’re working with text, the <Delete> key erases characters to the right of the

insertion point.

Backspace

Use the <Backspace> key to fix your typing mistakes—it erases characters to the left of the insertion

point.



Understanding the Parts of a Window

Most windows have the same basic parts, whether they

are displaying a program, file, or folder.

To open a program window, click the Start button,

select All Programs, and click the program you want

to open.

To open Windows Explorer, click the Windows

Explorer button on the taskbar or press < > + <E>.

Take a look at the diagrams below for an overview of

these windows.

Title bar: Displays the name of the program or window,

and the name of the document or file that’s being used. Ribbon: Controls what the program does. The commands

displayed on the Ribbon change from program to program, but

the Ribbon’s location doesn’t—it’s always perched at the top of

a window, right below the title bar.

Minimize button: Hides the window from your screen but

still runs it in your computer’s memory, ready for quick use.

You can minimize a window you’re not using so that it is

still running but is hidden in the taskbar.

Border: Click and drag a border or corner of a window to

change its size.

Maximize/Restore button: Depending on the size of the

window, this button toggles between maximize and restore. Zoom controls: Click and drag the zoom slider to zoom in or

out of the document area.

Close button: Closes the window or program when you’re

finished working with it, removing it from the screen and

the computer’s memory.

Status bar: Displays information about the document, window,

or program being used.


Parts of a program window


Back/Forward buttons: Jump back/forward to locations

you have previously visited. Border: Click and drag a border or corner of a window to

change its size.

Address bar: As you navigate, the file path is shown in the

Address bar. Each location in the path is a link; click the

link to open it in the window.

Details pane: Displays common properties associated with the

selected drive, library, folder, or file.

Folder list: Displays the contents of the selected drive,

library, or folder. Double-click an item to open it. Navigation pane: Displays the drives, libraries, and folders on

your computer. Click the tiny arrow to the left of an item to

expand it, and then click the drive/folder you want to view.

Scroll bar: There are both vertical and horizontal scroll

bars; use them to move around in the window and view

more information.

Command bar: Here you can access common commands

related to the selected drive, library, folder, or file. Options

change according to the item that is selected.

Parts of the Windows Explorer window



Using Window Sizing Buttons

One of the benefits of Windows is that it enables you to

open and work with several windows at the same time. To

make this easier, you can change the size of the windows.

You can maximize, or enlarge, a window so it takes up the

entire screen; or minimize, or reduce, a window so that it

only appears as a button on the taskbar. This lesson

explains how to change the size of a window by

maximizing, minimizing, and restoring.

Maximize a window

Maximizing a window enlarges the window so that it fills

the entire screen.

Click the Maximize button on the title bar.

The window fills the computer screen.

Tip: If the Maximize button is not available, the

window is already maximized.

Other Ways to Maximize a Window:

Double-click the title bar or press < > + <>.

Restore a maximized window

You can change a maximized window back to its original

size by clicking the Restore button. The Restore button

appears in place of the Maximize button whenever a

window is already in a maximized state.

Click the Restore Down button on the title bar.

The maximized window returns to its original size.

Tip: If the Restore Down button is not available,

the window is not in its maximized state.

Other Ways to Restore a Maximized Window:

Double-click the title bar or press < > + <>.

Minimize a window

You can tuck windows away—keeping them running and

ready for use, yet out of view—by minimizing them.

Click the Minimize button on the title bar.

The window shrinks to a button located on the

taskbar. The window is still open and running—it’s

just hidden from view, ready for future use.

Other Ways to Minimize a Window:

Press < > + <>.

Table 1-5: Window buttons

Maximize

Minimize

Restore Down

Figure 1-3: A maximized window fills the entire screen.

Figure 1-4: A window restored to its original size.



Restore a minimized window

It’s easy to display a minimized program or window when

you’re ready to use it again.

Click the window’s button on the taskbar.

The window appears on the screen.



Moving, Resizing, and Switching Between Windows

You can have several programs or windows open and

running simultaneously, but you can only work in one

window at a time. The window you’re working with is

called the active window and always appears on top of

any other windows that you have open. If you think about

it, you do the same thing at your desk. When you want to

work on a piece of paper, you place it on top of

everything else.

This lesson explains how to move a window and change

the size of a window by clicking and dragging. It will also

show you how to manage multiple windows so you can

get to the window you want more quickly.

Move a window

If you have several programs or windows open, you may

find that one window covers the other windows or other

items on your screen. When this happens, you can simply

move a window to a new location on the screen, just like

you would move a report or folder to a different location

on your desk.

1. Click and drag the window by its title bar.

2. Release the mouse button to drop the window in the

desired location on the screen.

Other Ways to Move a Window: To quickly snap a window to the left or right side

of your screen, press < > + <> or < > +

<>.

Tip: A window cannot be moved if it is in a

maximized or minimized state.

Resize a window

Manually resizing a window enables you to modify a

window’s size to meet your needs.

1. Hover the mouse pointer over the window’s borders

or corners until the pointer changes to a double-

headed arrow ( ).

2. Click and hold down the mouse button and drag the

border or corner until the window reaches the desired

size.

Switching windows using Taskbar buttons

All open windows are represented by taskbar buttons.

Switching between windows by clicking its taskbar button

is fast and easy.

Figure 1-5: To resize a window, click and drag its borders or corners.



Click the window’s taskbar button to make it active.

The window becomes the active window.

Other Ways to Activate a Window: Click any part of the window you want to make

active.

Tip: If several windows of the same type are

open, Windows will group them into one taskbar

button to conserve space. For example, if you

have several WordPad documents open, a Live

Preview thumbnail-sized window appears when

you click on or point to the WordPad taskbar

button.

Flip 3D

Flip 3D is a great way to quickly preview all your open

windows. Flip through the stack of windows until the

window you want to make active appears on top.

1. Press the < > + <Tab>.

Flip 3D opens and the windows are shown in a stack.

2. Hold down the < > and press <Tab> to cycle

through the windows.

A preview of the window appears as you cycle

through the stack.

Other Ways to Cycle through Flip 3D: After starting Flip 3D, press the < > key while

rotating the mouse wheel.

3. Release < > to make the window in front of the

stack active. Or, click a window in the stack to make

it active.

Flip 3D closes and the window is displayed as the

active window on the desktop.

Tips

To keep Flip 3D open without holding down the

Windows logo key, press <Ctrl> + < > + <Tab>.

Use Tab, the mouse wheel, or arrow keys to cycle

through windows. Press <Esc> to close Flip 3D.

Jump to a window

You can also jump to another open window using <Alt> +

<Tab>. This method displays a list and thumbnails of the

open windows on your computer.

1. Press <Alt> + <Tab>.

A list of the open windows appears. Each window is

represented by a thumbnail preview.

Figure 1-6: Working with taskbar buttons.

Multiple open windows grouped into one taskbar button have a “stacked” appearance.

Click a window thumbnail to open the window.

Introduction to the Windows Operating System Introduction to the Windows Operating System


2. Hold down the <Alt > key: press <Tab> to cycle

forward through the windows; <Shift> + <Tab> to

cycle backward.

3. Release the <Alt > key to make the selected window

active.

The selected window is displayed as the active

window on the desktop.

Tips

Press <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Tab> to keep the list open

and use <Tab>, the mouse wheel, or the arrow keys

to cycle through the windows. Press <Enter> to

make the selected window active, press <Esc> to

close without changing windows.

<Alt> + <Tab> and Flip 3D are especially useful

when you use programs that fill the entire computer

screen. When you can’t see the taskbar or any part of

another window, these methods are the only way you

can switch between programs and windows.

Figure 1-7: Pressing <Alt> + <Tab> displays thumbnails of all open windows.



Turning Off Your Computer When you’ve finished using your computer, it’s important

to turn it off properly. This ensures that files are saved

correctly and your computer stays secure. It also makes

the process of restarting the computer faster.

Shut down your computer

When you shut down your computer, all programs and

windows are closed, along with Windows. The power to

your computer and display are turned off as well.

1. Click the Start button and click the Shut down

button in the right pane of the Start menu.

Windows automatically closes any files or programs

that are open, and shuts off the power and display.

Power will be restored and Windows will restart

when you press the Power button on your computer.

Tip: Make sure all of your files are saved before

you shut down.

Use sleep mode

Sleep mode is an alternative to shutting down. In sleep

mode, the computer continues to run at a very low power

so you can leave all of your programs and windows open

and immediately pick up where you left off when you

return to your computer.

1. Click the Start button and click the Shut down

button list arrow in the lower-right corner of the

Start menu.

A menu of options appears. Refer to Table 1-6: Power

Modes for more information on the available power

modes.

2. Select Sleep from the menu.

The computer enters sleep mode. When in sleep

mode, your computer is in a very low power setting

that allows you to leave programs and files open.

Tip: Make sure all of your files are saved before

you use sleep mode.

3. Press the power button on your computer to wake

it up.

The computer display appears as it did before you put

your computer into sleep mode.

Figure 1-8: The Shutdown button menu in the right pane of the Start menu.

Table 1-6: Power Modes

Switch

User

Allows you to work with several accounts on

the computer at the same time.

Log Off This option appears only if your computer is

connected to a network. This option closes all

your programs and disconnects your computer

from the network, preparing your computer to

be used by someone else

Lock Locks the computer so your password is

required to unlock it.

Restart Shuts down all programs and windows, shuts

down the computer, and restarts it again. Try

this if your computer is acting up.

Sleep This is the default power setting. Keeps all

programs and files open on your desktop so you

can jump in where you left off.

Hibernate Hibernate goes one step further than sleep,

allowing you to keep programs and documents

open while shutting off power completely.

Hibernate saves your desktop status to the hard

disk which allows power to be turned off.

Shut Down Select this option to turn your computer off. It

saves your Windows settings and saves any

information stored in memory to the local disk.



Tips

Microsoft recommends that you always put your

computer in sleep mode when you are finished using

it. Use Shut Down for when you are installing new

hardware or a device that does not connect to a

USB port.

You may have to log in to your account from the

Welcome screen upon waking up the computer. This

is a security measure.



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Quiz Questions

6. What does the <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete> screen do? A. It's a defense against hackers or worms that might try to hack into your computer while you're not using it. B. Restarts your computer. C. Logs into a guest user account. D. Opens the Network Security dialog box.

7. You will always have to enter a password when logging on to Windows. (True or False?)

8. You can store many items on your Windows desktop, like files, folders, and gadgets. (True or False?)

9. What happens when you point at an object? A. The object is selected. B. A screen tip with a description of the object appears. C. The object is opened. D. The object is deleted.

10. A keystroke shortcut is: A. A way to lock your computer to prevent unauthorized access. B. Using the keyboard in conjunction with the mouse. C. A type of hopscotch. D. Pressing two or more keys at the same time, like pressing <Shift> with <Tab>.

11. The area that displays the program or folder name and is found at the top of a window is called the: A. Windows bar B. Title bar C. Program bar D. Very-top-of-the-window bar

12. You start your favorite word processing program to type a letter, but the program appears in a window that's too small

to use. How can you maximize the window so it fills the entire screen? A. Click the Maximize button located in the right side of the window's title bar. B. Select Window > Full Screen from the menu. C. Click the program's button on the taskbar. D. Click the window's title bar.

13. You can restore a minimized window by clicking its button on the taskbar. (True or False?)

14. Which of the following won't allow you to switch between windows? A. Use <Alt> + <Tab> to scroll through a list of open windows.


B. Click the program's button on the taskbar. C. Click the window icon in the notification area. D. Use Flip 3D to preview open windows.

15. How do you move a window on the Windows desktop? A. Select the window and use the keyboard arrow buttons to move the window. B. Select File > Move from the menu. C. You can't move a window. D. Click and drag the window by its top border to a new location on the screen.

16. To change the size of a window, click and drag by the window's borders or corners. (True or False?)

17. Which of these statements is false? A. When you click the Shut down button in the Start menu, the computer enters sleep mode. B. When you click the Shut down button in the Start menu, the computer shuts down. C. When you shut down the computer, all your windows and programs are closed, and power to the display and

computer is turned off. D. When your computer is asleep, it runs in a low power mode so that windows and programs remain open until you

wake up the computer.

Quiz Answers

6. A. The <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete> screen is a defense against hackers or worms that might try to access your

computer while you're not using it.

7. False. Depending on your settings a password may not be required to log on to Windows.

8. True. Files, folders, and gadgets can all be stored on your Windows desktop.

9. Most of the time, a description is revealed when you point at an object.

10. D. A keystroke shortcut is when you press two or more keys at the same time.

11. B. The Title bar appears at the top of a window and displays the name of the program or folder.

12. A. Clicking the window's Maximize button will maximize the window so it fills the entire screen.

13. True. Clicking the taskbar button of an open window restores the minimized window.

14. C. Clicking the window icon in the notification area is not a way to switch between windows.

15. D. To move a window, click and drag the window by its top border to a new location on the screen.

16. True. You must click and drag by the window's borders or corners to change the size of a window.

17. A. When you click the Shut down button in the Start menu, the computer shuts down. You must click the list arrow

and select Sleep to enter sleep mode.


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Understanding What’s in Your Computer ....... 42 Icons ........................................................ 42 Drives, folders, and files .......................... 42 Memory units ........................................... 43

Opening Drives, Folders and Files .................. 44 View an item’s properties ......................... 44

Understanding the Windows Explorer Window ............................................................................. 45

Using Windows Explorer to Navigate Your Computer ............................................................ 46

Address bar ............................................. 46 Favorites .................................................. 46 Back and Forward buttons ....................... 47

Folder and File Basics ...................................... 48 Create a new folder ................................. 48 Rename a folder or file ............................ 48 Delete a folder or file ................................ 49 Restore a deleted folder or file ................ 49

Using and Creating Libraries ........................... 50 Open a library .......................................... 50 Create a new library ................................. 50

Modifying and Deleting Libraries ..................... 51 Add a folder to a library............................ 51 Remove a folder from a library ................ 51 Delete a library ......................................... 52

Selecting Multiple Folders and Files ............... 53 Select multiple items ................................ 53 Select all .................................................. 53

Copying and Moving Folders and Files .......... 54 Copy or move by clicking and dragging ... 55

Changing Window Layout and Views .............. 56

Sorting and Filtering Items ............................... 57 Sort files ................................................... 57 Filter files ................................................. 57

Using Search ...................................................... 59 Windows Explorer .................................... 59 Search filters ............................................ 59

When you work at a desk, unless you make an

effort to stay organized, all your papers and

files begin to pile up and become

disorganized. It takes a little more time, but

the same phenomenon occurs when working

with your PC—the files you create using your

computer start to become cluttered, and are

harder and harder to find.

In this chapter, you’ll take your first steps into

the Windows basics and enter the world of file

management. You’ll learn how Windows

stores information in files and folders, just like

a file cabinet does. You’ll find that you will

need to clean and organize your files and

folders from time to time, just like you would

the contents of a file cabinet. This chapter

explains how to organize your computer by

creating folders to store related information,

how to move and copy files between folders,

how to delete and rename files and folders,

and how to retrieve a deleted file if you

change your mind.

2


Start menu ............................................... 59

Working with Compressed Folders ................. 61 Create a compressed folder .................... 61 Work with compressed folder files ........... 61


Understanding What’s in Your Computer

Icons

Everything in the computer is represented by its own

picture, or icon.

A different icon represents each item, as shown in Table

2-1: Common Icons. For example, the icons for disk

drives on your computer look similar, but have details that

distinguish them from each other. Folder icons almost

always look like little manila folders.

Files have more variety, because a different icon is used

for each file type. This makes it easy for you to tell the

difference between documents, photos, and spreadsheets

for example.

Drives, folders, and files

To see what’s in a file cabinet, you simply open a drawer.

You can view the information stored on your computer’s

disk drives in much the same way—by opening the disk

drive you want to access. The contents of your computer

can basically be categorized into three types of items:

Drives are like “drawers” that contain the folders on

your computer. A disk drive is the part of the

computer that reads and writes information to a disk,

whether it is a permanent hard disk like the one

inside your computer, or a removable compact disc

(CD). There are three main types of disk drives that

are used to store information, as shown in the table

below.

Table 2-2: Common Computer Drives

Drive type Drive Letter Description

Local Disk

C Local disks, or hard disks, hide permanently inside your computer. Your computer’s hard disk is

its main filing cabinet—where it stores its programs and files.

CD-ROM, DVD,

or BD-ROM

D or above Compact discs, or CD-ROMs, are like the audio discs you play in your stereo. CD-ROMs are

cheap and can typically store 650 MB of information, which is why they’re used to install

software for games and programs with a lot of multimedia.

DVDs are similar to CDs, but they can hold six times more data. DVDs are the most common

storage device for movies and are often used to install programs and games.

Blue-ray Discs (BD) are like DVDs, but with enormous capacity. BDs can store up to six times

more information than a DVD (over 20 GB) and are typically used for high-definition video and

games.

Other Drives

D or above There are also other types of drives, including network drives, removable drives, and external

drives. Network drives are drives that are available through the servers on a company’s network.

They have an almost unlimited storage size. Removable storage drives include CD and DVD

drives, and USB flash drives. External hard drives are like having another computer of storage

space: 100 GB or more.

Table 2-1: Common Icons

Drive

Drives are the devices that store folders and files.

Drives of different types have icons that indicate

the type of drive; for example, the hard disk drive

for your computer is indicated by the Windows

logo.

Folder

Folders are used to organize and contain files and

are stored on drives. Folder views with large icons

allow you to see if a folder contains other folders

or files

File

Files are the items that you actually work with

when you use your computer. Whether it is a

program or a document, the icon that represents a

file indicates its type.

Working with Folders and Files


Folders contain other folders and files. Folders allow

you to keep related information in the same place. If

anything happens to a folder—if it is moved or

deleted, for example—everything contained in the

folder goes with it.

Files are the “meat” of your computer: drives and

folders exist to store files. Files cannot contain other

files or folders. Table 2-3: Common Types of Files

displays some of the common types of files you will

encounter.

There are two parts to every file: the file name and the file

extension. The file name distinguishes the file from other

files. Typically, you give the file its name.

The file extension tells Windows what type of file it is.

Windows uses this information to determine which type

of icon is used for the file, and it also tells Windows

which program to use to open the file. The file extension

is assigned to the file by the program in which the file was

created. For example, Notepad always adds the file

extension “.txt” to its files, so when you double-click a

.txt file, Windows knows it has to open the file in

Notepad.

Tips

By default, Windows 7 does not display file

extensions. This can be changed by modifying

Windows folder settings.

Memory units

Just as liquids are measured in quarts and gallons,

computers save their information in units called bytes.

Computers use the metric system, so 1,000 bytes make up

a kilobyte and 1,000,000 (one million) bytes make up a

megabyte. Table 2-4: How Memory is Measured lists

memory units for computers.

Table 2-4: How Memory is Measured

Byte A byte is equivalent to a single character, such as the letter “J” or number “8”. A single character

Kilobyte

(K or KB)

A kilobyte is about 1,000 bytes (1,024 to be exact). A kilobyte is equivalent to a page

of double-spaced typing.

1,024 bytes

Megabyte

(MB)

A megabyte (MB) is about one million bytes. A megabyte is equivalent to an

average-length novel.

1,048,576 bytes

Gigabyte

(GB)

A gigabyte (GB) is about one billion bytes. A gigabyte is equivalent to the text in

several encyclopedia sets.

1,073,741,824 bytes

Terabyte

(TB)

A terabyte (TB) is about one trillion bytes. A terabyte is equivalent to the text in a

library.

1,099,511,627,776 bytes

Table 2-3: Common Types of Files

Application

(.exe)

Application or executable (.exe) files are the

programs that run on your computer. When

you open a program, you are opening an

executable file.

Rich Text

Format

(.rtf)

WordPad creates files of this type: this file

type can hold basic formatting properties and

objects like graphics: it’s not as advanced as a

Microsoft Word (.doc) file, but it’s not as

simple as a Notepad (.txt) file.

JPEG

Most photographs are JPEGs.

Shortcut

Shortcuts point to files and folders elsewhere

on your computer so that you can quickly

open that file, folder, or program without

having to go to its actual location. All of the

programs in the Start menu and some of the

items on your desktop are actually shortcuts

that point to files located elsewhere on your

computer.



Opening Drives, Folders, and Files

To work with items in your computer, you need to open

the drives, folders, and files where the data you want to

work with is stored.

Open drives, folders and files

Since drives, folders, and files are located in different

levels of your computer’s hierarchy, accessing each of

them is a little different:

Drives: Click the Start button and select Computer

from the menu. Double-click a drive to open it.

Drives are places where data can be stored. This data

is organized into folders and files. All the drives

available on your computer are shown in the

Computer window, so you can access any folder or

file on your computer from this location.

Other Ways to Open Computer: Press < > + <E> or click the Windows Explorer

button on the taskbar and click Computer in the

Navigation pane.

Folders: Click the Start button and select the folder

you want to open from the menu.

The folder window appears, displaying the folders

and files saved in the folder.

Other Ways to Open a Folder: Click the Windows Explorer button on the

taskbar and select a drive and/or folder in the

Navigation pane.

Files: Open the folder where the file is located and

then double-click the file icon.

The file is displayed in a compatible program.

View an item’s properties

If you need to know the nitty-gritty details about an item,

take a look at its properties. Properties contain

information such as the size of the item and where it is

saved on the computer.

Right-click the item and select Properties from the

contextual menu.

The Properties dialog box appears.

Other Ways to View an Item’s Properties: Select the item and click the Properties button on

the Command bar.

Figure 2-1: The hierarchy of storing information on a computer.

Figure 2-2: The Properties dialog box for the Local Disk

drive.


1.) A computer stores information on disks.

2.) Information on a disk is organized and grouped into folders.

3.) A folder may contain several files and subfolders.


Understanding the Windows Explorer Window

When you open a folder or library in Windows, Windows

Explorer appears. Windows Explorer makes it easy to

view and work with the drives, folders, and files on your

computer.

Click the Start button and select All Programs

Accessories Windows Explorer from the menu.

The Windows Explorer window appears.

Other Way to Open Windows Explorer: Click the Windows Explorer button on the

taskbar or press < > + <E>.

Back/Forward buttons: Jump back/forward to locations

you have previously visited. Details pane: Displays common properties associated with the

selected drive, library, folder, or file.

Address bar: As you navigate, the file path is shown in the

Address bar. Each location in the path is a link; click the

link to open it in the window.

Navigation pane: Displays the drives, libraries, and folders on

your computer. Click the tiny arrow to the left of an item to

expand it, and then click the drive/folder you want to view.

Folder list: Displays the contents of the selected drive,

library, or folder. Double-click an item to open it. Command bar: Here you can access common commands

related to the selected drive, library, folder, or file. Options

change according to the item that is selected.



Using Windows Explorer to Navigate Your Computer

The process of opening drives and folders to find the file

you want to work with is called navigating. A path is the

sequence of drives and folders that are opened as you

navigate. The path includes the drive, followed by folders,

and the name of the file.

There are several controls that make it easy to navigate to

other locations on your computer.

Address bar

The Address bar is a great tool for navigation. Each

location in the path is a link; click the link to open its

location.

Tips

To open a common folder, such as Desktop or

Documents, simply type its name in the Address bar.

Favorites

Use the Favorites section in the Navigation pane to store

your most commonly used folders and searches. Windows

7 includes three favorite locations by default:

Desktop: Displays a list of shortcuts to the files and

programs you have saved to the desktop.

Downloads: Displays a list of files that you have

downloaded or saved from the Internet.

Recent Places: Displays a list of shortcuts to recently

used files, folders, and programs.

To… Do this...

Open a location on the

file path…

…click its link in the Address bar.

Jump to a location’s

subfolders…

…click its list arrow and select a

folder from the list.

To view the file path

without links...

…click an empty area of the

Address bar or press <Alt> + <D>.

Figure 2-3: Use the Address Bar to navigate along

locations in the path.

Figure 2-4: Favorites provides shortcuts to folders that are used most often.


Click the arrow to the right of a link to view the folders in the location.

Click the tiny arrow to expand or collapse the selected folder.


Back and Forward buttons

As you navigate your computer, Windows keeps track of

the locations you have visited. Move back or forward in

this list using the Back and Forward buttons.

Click the Back or Forward button.

The contents of the location one step behind or ahead

on the path are displayed.

Tip: Click the Forward button list arrow to

open a list of recently visited locations.

Figure 2-5: Use the Back and Forward buttons to return to

locations you visited while navigating.

Click the Forward button list arrow to see a list of recent locations.



Folder and File Basics This lesson covers several simple, yet important, tasks in

file management.

Create a new folder

Folders allow you to group related information together.

Here’s how to create a new folder in Windows 7:

1. Open the location where you want to create the new

folder.

2. Click the New Folder button on the command bar.

Other Ways to Create a New Folder: Right-click any empty area in the window and

select New Folder from the contextual menu.

Or, press <Ctrl> + <Shift> + <N>.

3. Type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

The folder is created.

Rename a folder or file

You might want to rename a folder or file to distinguish it

from other copies of the same file or to change the name

to something that better identifies its contents.

1. Select the folder or file you want to rename.

2. Click the Organize button on the command bar and

select Rename from the menu.

The name of the item becomes highlighted,

indicating you can change the name.

Other Ways to Rename a Folder or File: Right-click the folder or file and select Rename

from the contextual menu. Or, click the file while

it is highlighted.

3. Type a new name for the folder or file and press

<Enter>.

The name of the item is changed.

Trap: If you change the name of a folder, the path

for anything contained in that folder also changes.

For example, a shortcut to an item contained in

the folder will no longer work.

Figure 2-6: Enter a name for the folder or file after it is created, or after selecting the Rename command.



Delete a folder or file

If you are certain you no longer need a folder or file, you

can delete it.

1. Select the folder or file you want to delete.


select Delete from the menu.

Other Ways to Delete: Select the folder or file and press <Delete>, or

right-click and select Delete from the contextual

menu.

3. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

The folder or file is sent to the Recycle Bin.

Tip: If you click No, the folder or file is not

deleted and the dialog box closes.

Trap: Before you delete a folder, make sure it

doesn’t contain any important files. If you aren’t

familiar with the contents of a folder, you

shouldn’t delete it.

Restore a deleted folder or file

Just like a wastebasket, the Recycle Bin stores all of the

folders and files you have deleted. If you change your

mind about a deleted folder or file, it’s easy to find and

retrieve it.

1. Double-click the Recycle Bin on the Desktop.

The Recycle Bin opens and displays all the files you

have recently deleted.

2. Select the file you want to restore and click the

Restore this item button on the command bar.

The item is removed from the Recycle Bin and

restored to its original location.

Other Ways to Restore a Folder or File: Right-click the folder or file in the Recycle Bin

and select Restore from the contextual menu.

Figure 2-7: Before a folder or file is deleted, you must

confirm the deletion.

Figure 2-8: Restoring an item from the Recycle Bin.



Using and Creating Libraries A library is a virtual folder that gathers files from the

locations you specify and displays these files as a single

collection. For example, you could specify that the

Documents library contain all .doc files from the My

Documents and Important Documents folders.

Open a library

Open a library just like you would any other folder.

1. Click the Windows Explorer button on the taskbar.

The Libraries window appears. Four libraries have

been created by default in Windows 7: Documents,

Music, Pictures, and Videos.

2. Double-click the library you want to view.

The contents of the library appear.

Other Ways to Open a Library: Click the Start button and select a library from

the Start menu, or open any Windows Explorer

window, click Libraries in the Navigation pane,

and double-click the library you want to view.

Create a new library

You can create a new library that contains only the folders

you specify.


The Libraries window appears.

2. Click the New Library button on the command bar.

A new library icon appears.

Other Ways to Create a New Library: Right-click Libraries in the Navigation pane or

an empty area in the Libraries window and select

New Library from the contextual menu.

3. Type a name for the library and press <Enter>.

The new library is created.

Figure 2-9: A library is a compilation of files from folders

you specify.

Figure 2-10: The Libraries window.


Folder A Folder B

Pictures Library


Modifying and Deleting Libraries

You don’t always have to create a new library. Save time

by modifying an existing library’s criteria instead.

Add a folder to a library

Libraries gather their content from the folders you specify.

You can include up to 50 folders in one library.

1. Open the library to which you want to add a folder.

2. Click the Locations link in the Library pane.

The Library Locations window appears.

3. Click Add.

The Include Folder window appears. Here you need

to find and select the folder you want to include.

4. Navigate to and select the folder you want to include.

5. Click Include folder.

The folder is now included in the library.

Tip: A network folder must be added to the index

or made available offline before it can be included

in a library.

Other Ways to Add a Folder to a Library: Open or select the folder you want to add, click

the Include in Library button on the command

bar, and select the library you want to add it to.

Remove a folder from a library

If you delete an individual item from a library, it will also

be deleted from its original location. To remove an item

from a library without deleting it from its original

location, you have to remove the folder containing the

item.

1. Open the library containing the folder you wish to

remove.

2. Click the Locations link in the Library pane.

The Library Locations window appears.

3. Click the folder you want to remove, and click

Remove.

4. Click OK.

Figure 2-11: The Documents Library open in Windows Explorer.

Figure 2-12: The Library Locations window.


Locations link


Delete a library

If you decide you no longer need a library, delete it.


The Libraries window appears.

2. Right-click the library you want to delete, and select

Delete from the contextual menu that appears.

The library is moved to the Recycle Bin.

Tip: Because libraries do not actually contain

files, deleting a library does not delete the files

that are stored there.

Working with Files and Folders


Selecting Multiple Folders and Files

Before you can do anything with a folder or file, you must

first select it.

Select multiple items

There are several ways to select multiple items:

Click and drag a rectangle around the items you want

to select.

This works best for items that are next to each other,

especially if an icon view is being used.

Click the first item you want to select, press and hold

down the <Shift> key, and click the last item you

want to select.

This works best for items in a list or Details view

because of how items are arranged.

If the items aren’t next to each other, you can select

non-adjacent items by pressing and holding the

<Ctrl> key and clicking the items you want to select.

This method works in any view.

Select all

If you want to work with all of the items in a folder, you

can select all of them at once.

Click the Organize button on the command bar and

select Select All from the menu.

Other Ways to Select All: Press <Ctrl> + <A>.

Tips

Files and folders can be selected at the same time.

If folders and files are grouped or stacked, click the

group heading or the stack to select all the folders

and files in the group or stack.

Figure 2-13: Click and drag to select multiple files.

Figure 2-14: When you want to select a group of adjacent files, use the <Shift> key.

Figure 2-15: Use the <Ctrl> key when you want to select non-adjacent files.



Copying and Moving Folders and Files

You probably don’t reorganize the folders in your file

cabinet very often—and you probably won’t need to

move or copy the folders on your computer very often,

either. When you find you do need to move or copy a

folder or file, the process is very similar to copying,

cutting and pasting text in a program.

Copy and paste a folder or file

1. Select the folder or file, click the Organize button on

the command bar, and select Copy from the menu.

Other Ways to Copy: Right-click the folder or file and select Copy from

the contextual menu, or click the folder or file and

press <Ctrl> + <C>.

2. Open the location where you want to copy the folder

or file, then click the Organize button and select

Paste from the menu.

Other Ways to Paste: Right-click an empty area in the location where

you want to paste the item and select Paste from

the contextual menu. or press <Ctrl> + <V>.

Move a folder or file

1. Select the folder or file, click the Organize button on

the command bar and select Cut from the menu.

Other Ways to Cut: Right-click the folder or file and select Cut from

the contextual menu, or click the folder or file and

press <Ctrl> + <X>.

2. Open the location where you want to copy the folder

or file, then click the Organize button and select

Paste from the menu.

Other Ways to Paste: Right-click an empty area in the location where

you want to paste the item and select Paste from

the contextual menu or press <Ctrl> + <V>.

Figure 2-16: Click and drag a folder or file to move it to

another location. To copy a folder or file, press and hold the <Ctrl> key while dragging.

Figure 2-17: This dialog box appears if you try to copy or

move a folder or file into a location where a folder or file of that name is already saved. Choose an option or click Cancel to continue.



Copy or move by clicking and dragging

Click and drag the folder or file to the desired

location. Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag

to copy the folder or file.

Tip: You can click and drag to a location in the

Navigation pane, or open another window for the

location to which you want to move or copy the

item(s).



Changing Window Layout and Views

As you work with files and folders on your computer, you

may find that you want to change how information is

displayed in Windows Explorer. This lesson will show

you how to change the appearance of a window and its

contents.

Layout

Changing the layout of the window allows you to choose

how much information is displayed in the window.


select Layout from the menu.

A submenu appears with the following options:

Menu bar: Displays the menu bar found in

previous versions of Windows.

Details pane: (Open by default) Displays detailed

information about the selected item.

Preview pane: Displays a preview of the selected

file.

Navigation pane: (Open by default) Displays the

contents of your computer in hierarchical view.

Library pane: (Open by default in Library

folders) Displays options for arranging the

information in a library.

2. Select the layout option you want to use.

The window changes accordingly.

Views

You can change how the contents of a folder are displayed

using the Views button on the command bar.

1. Click the Views button list arrow on the command

bar.

A list of views appears. See Table 2-5: Window

Views for a brief description of each view.

Tip: Click and drag the View slider to see a live

preview of each view.

2. Select the view you want to use.

The contents of the window change to reflect the

selected view.

Figure 2-18: A window with all four panes displayed.

Table 2-5: Window Views

Icons The Medium, Large, and

Extra Large icon views are

great for looking at images

because the file’s icon is a

thumbnail preview of the

image.

List Files and folders are

displayed as small icons in

a list. This view allows you

to see the most files at a

time.

Details Displays information about

every file and folder, such

as its name, size, type, and

when it was last modified.

Tiles Files and folders are

displayed as icons, but with

more information. The type

and size of a file is

displayed to the right of the

icon.


Details Pane Preview Pane

Navigation Pane Library Pane Views button


Sorting and Filtering Items If you ever need to find an item, such as a file that’s

buried deep inside a folder, you can quickly sort a folder’s

contents by clicking one of its column headings. For

example, clicking the “Date modified” column heading

sorts the file list by the date each file was last modified or

saved.

Sort files

By default, files are sorted alphabetically by name in

ascending order. You can also sort your files by size,

type, or date modified.

First, switch to Details view.

1. Click the View button list arrow on the Command

Bar and select Details.

The file list is displayed in Details view, and column

headings now appear above the file list.

2. Click the column heading you want to sort by.

The file list is arranged accordingly.

Other Ways to Sort: Right-click an empty area in the file list, select

Sort by from the contextual menu, and select an

option.

Tip: Click the column heading again to toggle

between ascending and descending order.

Filter files

By applying a filter to a folder you can display only the

files that meet your criteria and hide the files that do not.

For example, you could apply a filter that would only

display files that were modified yesterday.

First, you need to switch to Details view.

1. Click the View button list arrow on the Command

Bar and select Details.

The file list is displayed in Details view, and column

headings now appear above the file list.

2. Point to the column heading you want to filter by

and click the list arrow that appears.

A list of filtering options appears. Filtering options

will vary depending on which column heading is

selected.

Figure 2-19: Column headings only appear in Details view.

Figure 2-20: You can filter by more than one property.



3. Click the check box next to the property, or

properties, that you want to filter the file list by.

The file list is rearranged accordingly and a

checkmark appears next to the column heading that is

being filtered.

Tips

To remove a filter, follow the same steps you used to

apply it.



Using Search It’s just as easy to misplace a folder or file on your

computer as it is to misplace your car keys—maybe even

easier. The Search feature is a powerful solution for

finding your lost folders and files.

Windows Explorer

If you have an idea regarding where the folder or file

you’re looking for is located, use the Search box in

Windows Explorer. The Search box appears at the top of

every Windows Explorer window and searches the

contents, including subfolders, of that window for the text

that you type. If a file’s name, content, tags, or other

properties match the searched text, it will appear in the

search results.

1. Open the folder or library where the file you’re

looking for is located.

2. Type a keyword for the file in the Search box.

As you type, items that match the keyword become

highlighted.

Tip: Once the file you want appears, you can stop

typing: there is no need to press <Enter> to

submit your search text.

Search filters

You can quickly refine your searches in Windows 7 with

Search Filters. Use a search filter to display only those

files that meet the criteria you specify.

1. Click in the Search box.

A list of search filters appears.

Tip: The filters available will vary depending on

the contents of the folder.

2. Click the filter you want to use, and then specify the

filter criteria.

The contents of the folder are filtered.

Start menu

The Search box in the Start menu can also be used to

perform a search. Searching from the Start menu finds

files, folders, e-mails, and programs.

1. Click the Start button.

An insertion point appears in the Search box at the

bottom of the Start menu.

Figure 2-21: Search results appear highlighted.


Search box

Filter options


2. Type a keyword in the Search box.

As you type, items that match the keyword appear in

the Start menu.

Tip: Once the item you want appears, you can

stop typing: there is no need to press <Enter> to

submit your search text.

Tips

To clear a search, click the Close button ( ) in the

Search box.

Use the Preview pane to preview your search results

without having to open the actual file. Click the

Preview Pane button on the command bar to display

the Preview pane.

Now you can save your searches and return to them

later. Click the Save search button on the command

bar, enter a name for the search, and click Save.

Figure 2-22: Use the Preview pane to preview search results without having to open the actual file.


Preview Pane button


Working with Compressed Folders

You can reduce the size of a folder and its contents by

using a compressed, or zipped, folder. Working with a

compressed folder and its contents is just like working

with a regular folder.

Create a compressed folder

Compressed folders require less memory, which makes

them easier to transfer and share with other computers.

1. Right-click an empty area on the desktop or in a

folder window and select New Compressed

(zipped) Folder from the contextual menu.

The compressed folder is created.

2. Type a name for the folder.

3. Click and drag items into the compressed folder.

A copy of the item appears inside the zipped folder.

Other Ways to Create a Compressed Folder: Right-click an existing folder or file (or select

multiple folders and files) and select Send To

Compressed (zipped) Folder from the contextual

menu.

Work with compressed folder files

If you open a file directly from the compressed folder, it

will open in read-only format. If you want to work with

and make changes to a file, you need to extract it.

1. Double-click the compressed folder and click the

Extract all files button on the command bar.

The Extract Compressed (Zipped) Folders dialog box

appears.

Other Ways to Extract Files: Click and drag the folders or files out of the

compressed folder. Or, right-click the compressed

folder and select Extract All from the contextual

menu.

2. Click the Browse button and specify where you

would like the extracted files to be located and click

Extract.

The files are extracted to the specified location.

Tips

Extracting a file returns the file to its original size.

Figure 2-23: A zipped folder in the Practice folder.

Figure 2-24: Extracting files from a compressed folder.


A compressed folder has a zipper on the folder icon.


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Quiz Questions

18. Which of the following computer devices does not store information? A. Hard disk drive B. Discus disks C. Network drive D. Removable disks

19. How much text is equal to a byte? A. A single character B. A novel C. A library D. An encyclopedia set

20. Do this to display the contents of a drive, folder or file: A. Right-click the item. B. Triple-click the item. C. Click the drive or folder while holding down the Alt key. D. Double-click the item.

21. To view an item's properties, right-click the item and select Properties from the contextual menu. (True or False?)

22. Windows Explorer automatically appears when you open a folder or another location on your computer. (True or

False?)

23. You can create a new folder using the <Ctrl> + <N> shortcut. (True or False?)

24. The process for renaming and deleting a folder is the same for a file. (True or False?)

25. Delete a folder or file by clicking it, pressing the Delete key, and confirming the deletion. (True or False?)

26. Which of these will NOT select multiple files or folders? A. Click and drag a rectangle around any adjacent files you want to select. B. Click the first file you want to select, press and hold down the Shift key and click the last file you want to select. C. Hold down the <Ctrl> key and click the files you want to select. D. Click the Organize button and select Select Multiple Files, and then click the files you want to select.

27. If you hold down the <Ctrl> key while clicking and dragging a folder, what happens? A. The folder is copied to where it is dropped. B. The folder is moved to where it is dropped.


C. The folder is deleted. D. The Organize button is clicked.

28. Which of the following methods is incorrect? A. To copy a file, press and hold down the <Ctrl> key as you click and drag the file to a new location. B. To move a file, click the Organize button and select Move from the menu. C. To copy a file, click the Organize button and select Copy from the menu. D. To move a file, right-click the file and select Cut from the contextual menu.

29. The menu bar appears in windows by default in Windows Vista. (True or False?)

30. Which of these is not a view you can use in a window? A. Picture B. List C. Details D. Tiles

31. You can filter only by one property. (True or False?)

32. You must be in Details view in order to sort or filter items. (True or False?)

33. The compression ratio is the same for all file types. (True or False?)

34. Which of the following is NOT true? A. When a file is moved into a compressed folder, a compressed version of the file is made and the original file is

not effected. B. Compressed files are damanged after being extracted. C. A compressed folder icon is marked with a zipper. D. A compressed folder has a .zip file extension.

Quiz Answers

18. B. The discus is more suited for track and field than a computer.

19. A. A byte is equal to a single character.

20. D. Double-click an item to open it and display its contents.

21. True. You can view any item's properties by right-clicking and selecting Properties.

22. True. Windows Explorer automatically appears when you view the locations on your computer. You don’t need to

launch it from the Accessories folder to browse your computer.

23. False. You can't create a new folder using a keystroke shortcut, but you can right-click a window and select New >

Folder to create a new folder.

24. True. If you know how to rename and delete a folder, you know how to rename and delete a file.

25. True.

26. D. Select Multiple Files is not a command under the Organize button.


27. A. A folder is copied if the <Ctrl> key is pressed when the folder is clicked and dragged. The same is true with a file.

28. B. The command to move a file under the Organize button is Cut, not Move.

29. False. If you want to use menus in windows, you must change the layout so that the menu bar is displayed.

30. A. Picture is not a view you can use, but there are several sizes of Icon views you can apply.

31. False. You can filter by several properties; simply click each property you want to filter by.

32. True. You must be in Details view before you can sort or filter items.

33. False. The amount a file can be compressed varies with each file.

34. B. Compressed files are NOT damanged after being extracted. They are quite safe and stable.


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Types of Software .............................................. 66

Installing a Program .......................................... 67 Installing programs from a disk ................ 67 Installing programs from the internet ....... 68

Opening a Program ........................................... 69

Understanding the Program Window .............. 70

Understanding the Ribbon ............................... 71 Tabs ......................................................... 71 Groups ..................................................... 71 Buttons ..................................................... 71

Using Dialog Boxes ........................................... 72

Formatting Text .................................................. 74 Changing the font type and size .............. 74 Using bold, italics, and underline ............. 74 Changing paragraph alignment ............... 75

Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text ................. 76

Getting Help ....................................................... 78

Printing a File ..................................................... 79

Up until now, we’ve only been focusing on

how to use the Windows operating system. In

this chapter, you’ll learn about installing and

working with programs. This chapter explains

how to control programs using ribbons,

menus, and toolbars. You’ll also learn what a

dialog box is (you’ll see a lot of them in

Windows), and how to fill one out.

Next, we’ll get more specific. Every program

is different, but the procedure for doing things

in all programs is the same. This chapter

explains these basic generic chores. You’ll

learn how to enter, edit, and delete text; how

to open, save, and print a file; and how to get

help when you need it. Once you’ve learned

these basic skills you can apply them to just

about every other program running in

Windows. This is one of the longest chapters

about the Windows operating system, so we

have a lot of ground to cover. Let’s get

started…

3


Types of Software Software is a computer program that provides instructions

for telling a computer what to do and how to do it. When

people use a desktop or laptop computer, quite often it’s

to work on a project. A project could include creating a

spreadsheet or presentation, text and image editing or any

number of other tasks commonly associated with the

“workplace”. We also use our computers to listen to music

and/or view videos, play games, or surf the internet.

This lesson will give you a brief overview of the types of

software that are most commonly used with the Windows

operating system. It’s also important to note that the

Windows operating system is also considered software.

It’s what allows your hardware to communicate with all

the different programs that are installed on your PC.

Business applications: Many jobs require the

employee to work on a computer. There are many

different types of software used in the workplace.

Common programs include Microsoft Word (text

editing), Microsoft Excel (spreadsheets), and

Microsoft PowerPoint (giving presentations).

Media applications: Like business applications there

are many different media applications. Common

media applications include Adobe Photoshop (image

editing), Windows Media Player, and iTunes

(listening to and viewing music and video).

Games: There are literally thousands of games to

choose from for play on your PC. Everything from

sports games like golf or baseball to 1st person

shooter games. The Windows operating system

comes with games pre-installed such as

Minesweeper, Solitaire, and Hearts along with many

others.

Internet applications: If you own a computer you

will most likely spend some of your time “surfing the

web”. There are several different applications used

for this task. Common internet browsers include

Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, and

Google Chrome.

Figure 3-1: Examples of types of software.

Working with Programs


Installing a Program Though the Windows operating system comes with many

programs pre-installed, you will undoubtedly have to

install other programs to accomplish certain tasks. There

are 2 commonly used methods for installing new

programs onto your computer. This lesson will familiarize

you with both methods.

Installing programs from a disk

1. Insert the Program Disk into the disk drive on your

computer. You may be prompted to enter an

administrator password. Type your password to

confirm.

A dialog box appears presenting you with several

options.

2. Click the Run Autoplay.exe file for your new

software.

The User Account Control dialog box appears asking

you if you want to allow the software to make

changes to your computer.

3. Click Yes.

An Install Wizard dialog box appears.

4. Follow the step by step instructions presented to you

in the Install Wizard dialog box.

You will be prompted to make decisions about where

you’d like to have the application installed on your

computer. Whether or not you would like a program

shortcut installed on to your computers desktop.

Would you like certain add-ons that come with your

new software installed? All software is different so

these options will vary significantly from program to

program but the process will be quite similar.

5. When you have completed choosing your install

options click Finish.

Most software will require a system restart for the

new program to be available for use.

6. Click the Windows Start button.

7. Click the Shut Down list arrow and select the

Restart option from the menu.

Your computer shuts down and restarts. Your new

software is now installed and ready to use.

Tip: Remember to eject the Program Disk from

your disk drive.

Figure 3-2: The AutoPlay dialog box.



Installing programs from the internet

1. Type the URL for the software you want to install

into your internet browser Address Bar.

2. Browse the site until you find a link or button to the

software you would like to install.

Most websites have a download page where you can

choose from different software options. Make sure

you trust the publisher of the software and the site

you are downloading your software from.

3. Click the Link/Button for the software you want to

install.

For most software installed from an internet

download, you will be prompted to do 1 of 2 things:

Open or Run the file now for immediate installation.

Save the file for installation at a later time.

4. Click the Open/Run file now option.

The User Account Control dialog box appears asking

you if you want to allow the software to make

changes to your computer.

5. Click Yes.

An Install Wizard dialog box appears.

6. Follow the step by step instructions presented to you

in the Install Wizard dialog box.

You will be prompted to make decisions about where

you’d like to have the application installed on your

computer. Whether or not you would like a program

shortcut installed on to your computers desktop.

Would you like certain add-ons that come with your

new software installed? All software is different so

these options will vary significantly from program to

program but the process will be quite similar.

7. When you have completed choosing your install

options, click Finish.

Most software will require a system restart for the

new program to be available for use.

8. Click the Windows Start button.

9. Click the Shut Down list arrow from the menu and

select the Restart option.

Your computer shuts down and restarts. Your new

software is now installed and ready to use.

Figure 3-3: Downloading the Microsoft Messenger program from the internet.



Opening a Program In order to work with a program, you have to open—or

launch—it first.

1. Click the Start button.

The Start menu appears.

2. Click All Programs.

The All Programs menu appears, listing all of the

programs that are installed on your computer.

3. Click the name of the program you want to open.

Tip: You may have to open several subfolders in

order to find the program you’re looking for.

Other Ways to Open a Program: The left-hand side of the Start menu contains a list

of recently used/pinned programs. If the program

you want to open appears in this list, click it to

open it.

You can also use a keystroke to start programs by

the order in which they are pinned on the taskbar.

Press < > + <1-9>, with the number

corresponding to the position of the pinned icon

on the taskbar.

Figure 3-4: Opening a program using the Windows start

menu.



Understanding a Program Window

All Microsoft program windows have the same basic

parts. This lesson will help you become familiar with the

most common parts of a program window.

Title bar: Displays the name of the program and the name

of the document or file that’s being used. Ribbon: Controls what the program does. The commands

displayed on the Ribbon change from program to program, but

the Ribbon’s location doesn’t—it’s always perched at the top of

a window, right below the title bar.

Minimize button: Hides the window from your screen but

still runs it in your computer’s memory, ready for quick use.

You can minimize a window you’re not using so that it is

still running but is hidden in the taskbar.

Border: Click and drag a border or corner of a window to

change its size.

Maximize/Restore button: Depending on the size of the

window, this button toggles between maximize and restore. Zoom controls: Click and drag the zoom slider to zoom in or

out of the document area.

Close button: Closes the window or program when you’re

finished working with it, removing it from the screen and

the computer’s memory.

Status bar: Displays information about the document, window,

or program being used.



Understanding the Ribbon Many of the programs included with the Windows

operating system provide easy access to commands via

the ribbon. The ribbon keeps commands visible while you

work instead of hiding them under menus or toolbars.

The ribbon is made up of three basic components:

Tabs

Commands are organized into tabs on the ribbon. Each

tab contains a different set of commands. There are two

different types of tabs:

Command tabs: These tabs appear by default

whenever you open a program.

Program tabs: If you switch to a different authoring

mode or view, such as Print Preview, program tabs

replace the default command tabs that appear on the

ribbon.

Groups

The commands found on each tab are organized into

groups of related commands. For example, the Font group

contains commands used for formatting fonts.

Buttons

One way to issue a command is by clicking its button on

the ribbon. Buttons are the smallest element of the ribbon

and change color when clicked.

Tips

The ribbon shrinks or expands depending on your

screen resolution and the size of the program

window.

You can hide the ribbon so that only tab names

appear, giving you more room in the program

window. To do this, double-click the currently

displayed command tab. To display the ribbon again,

click any tab.

Figure 3-5: The ribbon as shown in WordPad.

Figure 3-6: Hiding the ribbon gives you more room in the program window.


Command tab

Program tab

Group Button


Using Dialog Boxes Some commands are more complicated than others. For

example, saving a file is a simple process—all you have

to do is click the Program Button and select Save from the

menu, or click the Save button on the Quick Access

Toolbar. Other commands are more complex.

Whenever you want to do something relatively

complicated in Windows, you need to fill out a dialog

box. Filling out a dialog box is not much different from

filling out a paper form.

See Table 3-1: Command Controls for a description

of the various tools you will come across and how to

use them.

Other Ways to Select a Dialog Box Control: Press <Tab> to move to the next control in the

dialog box or <Shift> + <Tab> to move to the

previous control until you arrive at the desired

control. Press <Enter> to choose the control.

Table 3-1: Command Controls for a Dialog Box

Scroll bars Click on the arrow buttons on either end of the scroll bar to move a small amount at a time. Click and

hold the arrow buttons to scroll continuously. Click and drag on the scroll box to move quickly through

a document. In addition, some input devices (such as a mouse) will have a wheel that you can turn to

scroll up and down a page.

Command buttons When a dialog box appears, you will often need to click a command button to close it or continue to the

next dialog box.

Text boxes Simply type the information directly into the text box at the insertion point. If there is no

insertion point visible, click in the box first.

Drop-down list Click the arrow button in a drop-down list to display a list of options. Use the scroll bar or

the arrow keys to move up and down through the options and click on your selection.

List boxes A list box is similar to a drop-down menu, but the list box displays several options. Again, use the scroll

bar or the arrow keys to move up and down through the options that are not displayed and click to make

a selection.

Figure 3-7: An example of a dialog box and its wide

variety of controls.



Table 3-1: Command Controls for a Dialog Box

Option button Select an option by clicking one of the buttons. A marker will appear in the button once it has been

selected. Only one option button may be selected.

Check box Unlike option buttons, several check boxes may be selected. Select options by clicking in one or more

of the boxes. A check will appear in the box once it has been selected.

Sliders Click the slider control and drag it left and right (or up and down) to select from a range of options.

Tabs Tabs are separate pages that overlap one another. Click on a tab display its page in front of the rest.



Formatting Text When working with text in a program you will have many

options to consider. Such considerations may include

what font type and size? Should it be bold, italicized or

underlined? Do you want your text right, center or left

aligned? Text formatting options will vary from program

to program but the procedures for applying these options

will be generally the same. In this lesson we will use

Microsoft Word for applying our formatting options.

Changing the font type and size

1. Enter a name into your Word document. Type Plain

Jane.

2. Click and drag using your mouse pointer to select the

text you just entered.

3. Click the Font list arrow in the Font group under the

Home tab on the ribbon and select Arial.

The selected text changes to Arial font. Now let’s

change the font size.

4. Click the Font Size list arrow in the Font group on

the ribbon and select 24.

The selected text is enlarged to 24 point.

Using bold, italics, and underline

With our text still selected from the earlier portion of the

lesson let’s add some formatting to make our text more

prominent.

1. Click the Bold button in the Font group on the

ribbon.

The text is now bold.

2. Click the Italics button in the Font group on the

ribbon.

The text is now italicized along with being bold.

Lastly let’s underline the text.

3. Click the Underline button in the Font group on the

ribbon.

The text is now underlined along with being bold and

italicized. If you want to remove some or all of the

formatting repeat any of the earlier steps.

4. Click the Italics button in the Font group on the

ribbon.

The text is no longer italicized but the bold and

underlined formatting still remains.

Table 3-2: Examples of Font Types and Sizes

Common Font Types Common Font Sizes

Arial 8 Point

Comic Sans MS 10 Point

Courier New 12 Point

Times New Roman 14 Point



Changing paragraph alignment

This part of the lesson moves on to paragraph formatting

and explains how to justify paragraphs or align them to

the left, right, or center of a page. These are common

formatting tasks for all word processing programs.

1. Place the insertion point anywhere in the line, Plain

Jane, and then click the Align Text Right button in

the Paragraph group on the Ribbon.

The text is aligned along the right side of the window.

2. Now let’s add center alignment formatting to our

paragraph. Click and drag using your mouse pointer

to select the text Plain Jane, then click the Center

button in the Paragraph group on the ribbon.

The selected paragraph is centered on the page.

3. Press the <End> key to move to the end of the

current line, then press <Enter> on your keyboard.

Notice the new paragraph will be centered like the

one above it. That’s because when you press <Enter>,

the new paragraph “inherits” the formatting from the

paragraph above it.

4. Select the paragraphs again, and click the Align Left

button in the Paragraph group on the ribbon.

The selected paragraph is again aligned to the left.

5. Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar to save

your work.

Figure 3-8: Text with the Align Text Right formatting in

Microsoft Word.



Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text

By now, you should already know how to select text in a

document. Once text is selected, you can move it to

another place in the document by cutting it and then

pasting it elsewhere. Cutting and pasting text is one of the

more common tasks you will use in your programs.

Anything you cut is placed in a temporary storage area

called the Windows Clipboard. The Clipboard is available

to any Windows program, so you can cut and paste text

between different programs. The same process can be

used for pictures, files, and even folders and their content.

1. Select the entire subject line.

Remember how to select text? Point to the beginning

or end of the text you want to select, hold down the

left mouse button, drag the cursor across the text, and

release the mouse button.

Now you can cut the selected text to the Windows

clipboard.

2. Click the Cut button in the Clipboard group under

the Home tab on the Ribbon

The selected text, the subject line, disappears from

WordPad and is placed on the Windows Clipboard,

ready to be moved to a new location.

NOTE: The Windows Clipboard can only hold one

piece of information at a time. Every time you cut

or copy something to the Clipboard, it replaces the

previous information.

3. Move the insertion point to the blank line

immediately below North Shore Travel:

This is where you want to paste the line you cut.

4. Click the Paste button on the Ribbon.

Poof! The cut text, the subject line, appears at the

insertion point.

Copying information is very similar to cutting

information. Both commands put your selected

information on the Clipboard where you can then

paste it to a new location. The only difference

between the two commands is that the Cut command

deletes selected information when it copies it to the

clipboard, while the Copy command copies the

selected information to the clipboard without deleting

it.

Figure 3-9: Cutting and pasting text in the WordPad

program.


1. Select the text or object you want to cut and click the Cut button on the ribbon. The text or object is removed or “cut” from its original location.

2. Move the insertion point to where you want to place the cut text or object.

3. Click the Paste button on the ribbon to paste the cut text or object.


5. Select the entire document by holding down the

<Ctrl> key and clicking the pointer in the left

margin.

Now you can copy the selected text to the clipboard.

6. Click the Copy button on the Ribbon.

Nothing appears to happen, but the selected text has

been copied to the clipboard.

One of the great things about Windows is that it

allows you to share information between programs.

For example, the information that you just copied to

the Windows clipboard from WordPad can be pasted

into another Windows program.

To see how this works, you will need to open another

Windows program—the Notepad.

7. Click the Start button and select All Programs

Accessories Notepad.

The Notepad program appears. Notepad doesn’t have

a toolbar like WordPad does, so you will have to

access the Paste command through the menu.

8. Select Edit Paste from the Notepad menu.

The document you copied from the WordPad

program is pasted into the Notepad program. You

won’t be using the Notepad program anymore in this

chapter, so you can close it.

9. Click the Notepad program’s Close button.

A dialog box appears, asking if you want to save the

changes you made to the Notepad file. You don’t

need to save any changes, so you can safely click No.

10. Click No.

You should save the changes you’ve made to your

WordPad document.

11. Click the Save button on WordPad’s Standard toolbar

to save the changes you’ve made to the document.

WordPad saves your recent changes.



Getting Help When you don’t know how to do something in Windows

or a Windows based program, don’t despair—most

programs come with a built-in help feature. Help is one of

the greatest—and sadly, one of the least used—features of

most Windows programs. There is often more information

about how to use a program under the Help feature than

there is in the program manual! Many people actually

learn how to use entire programs by simply using the

Help feature of the program when they don’t know how to

do something.

Help allows you to try new, exciting things in programs

all by yourself. It simply cannot be stressed how

important and useful the Help feature is. There are several

ways you can get help in Windows—we’ll look at them in

the next couple of lessons.

For this lesson, imagine that you’ve been working on a

project and you are not sure how to save the changes as a

new version of the document.

1. Make sure the WordPad program is active and press

the <F1> key.

The Windows Help and Support window appears.

The easiest way to get help is to type a keyword or

words into the Search Help field near the top of the

window.

2. Type Saving in the Search Help field and press

<Enter> on your keyboard.

A list appears with several results on the topic

“Saving”.

3. Click the first link; Save a file.

The topics on how to save a file appear.

4. Click the second link To save a new version of an

existing file (Save as) option.

Detailed instructions on how to save a new version of

your document appear.

That’s it! – You have learned the basics for using the

Help feature for programs that run on the Windows

operating system.

Figure 3-10: Windows Help and Support dialog box.



Printing a File This lesson will show you how to send whatever you’re

working on to the printer. Printing is one of the easiest

things to do in Windows.

1. Select File Print from the menu.

The Print dialog box appears. The Print dialog box

may differ depending on the program you’re using,

but it should usually contain the options listed in the

Print Dialog Box Options table.

2. Click OK.

Windows sends the document to the printer.

Table 3-3: Print Dialog Box Options

Print Options Description

Name Used to select what printer to send your file to when it prints (if you are connected to more than one

printer). The currently selected printer is displayed.

Properties Displays a dialog box with options available to your specific printer such as printing on both sides

of the page, selecting the paper size you want to use, printing in color or black and white, etc.

Page Range Allows you to specify what pages you want to print. There are several options:

All: Prints the entire document.

Selection: Prints only the text you have selected (before selecting the print command).

Pages: Prints only the pages of the file you specify. Select a range of pages with a hyphen (for

example: 5-8) and separate single pages with a comma (for example: 3,7).

Number of Copies Specifies the number of copies you want to print.



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Quiz Questions

35. Which of the following are common types of software? A. Business applications. B. Games. C. Internet applications. D. All of the above.

36. Which of the following is a common way to install a program on your PC? A. Soldering a transistor onto your motherboard. B. Downloading a program from the Internet. C. Installing a new hard drive on your PC. D. None of the above.

37. How do you access the All Programs menu? A. Click the Start button and select Programs > All Programs from the menu. B. Click the Start button and select All Programs. C. Right-click the taskbar and select All Programs. D. Right-click the desktop and select All Programs.

38. The area that displays the name of the program and the name of the file that is being used is called the: A. Windows bar B. Title bar C. Program bar D. Very-top-of-the-window bar

39. The ribbon can be hidden so that only tab names appear. (True or False?)

40. How do you enter information into a text box? A. Click the box and it will fill in automatically. B. Press <Ctrl> + <E>. C. Click the tabs until the information appears. D. Type text in it with the keyboard.

41. If you copy text from a document the copied text is placed in a temporary storage area call the Clipboard. (True or

False?)

42. What is the keystroke shortcut for opening the Help window in a Windows based program? A. <F1> B. CTRL + H C. <F12> D. ALT + SHIFT + H

43. You can only print 1 copy of a document in Windows. (True or False?)


Quiz Answers

35. D. All of the above.

36. B. Downloading a program from the Internet.

37. B. Click the Start button and select All Programs to access the All Programs menu.

38. B. The Title bar appears at the top of every program window and displays the name of the program and the file you are

working on.

39. True. Double-click the currently displayed tab to hide the ribbon, then click any tab to view it once again.

40. D. Enter information into a text box by typing text with the keyboard.

41. True. Anything you copy, or cut, is placed in the Windows Clipboard.

42. A. Pressing the <F1> key opens the Help window in a Windows based program.

43. False. You can print many copies of a document if you want.


CCoonnnneeccttiinngg ttoo

tthhee IInntteerrnneett

Introduction to Networks and the Internet ...... 84 How networking works ............................. 84 How the internet works ............................ 84 Intranets and extranets ............................ 84

Dial-Up Connections ......................................... 85 Setting up a dial-up connection ............... 85 Connect automatically in Internet Explorer ................................................................. 86

Broadband Connections ................................... 87 Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) .................. 87 Cable Internet access .............................. 88

Mobile Broadband Connections ...................... 89

Connecting to a Wireless Network .................. 90 Locating a wireless network .................... 90 Connecting to a wireless network ............ 91

Using Windows to Diagnose and Repair a Connection ......................................................... 92

Understanding Parts of the Browser Window 94

Information Security and Virus Protection ..... 95 Firewalls and antivirus software .............. 95 Downloading Microsoft Security Essentials ................................................................. 95

Browsing the Web ............................................. 97 Searching the Internet ............................. 97 Navigating the Internet............................. 98

Downloading and Uploading Basics ............... 99 Downloading a file from the Internet ........ 99 Uploading a file to the Internet ................. 99

Introduction to E-mail ..................................... 100 Understanding e-mail terms and concepts ............................................................... 100 What is spam or junk mail? .................... 100 Setting up an e-mail account ................. 100

Composing and Sending an E-mail Message101

Using Attachments .......................................... 103 Add an attachment ................................. 103 Open an attachment .............................. 103

Reading, Replying, Forwarding and Deleting an E-mail ................................................................ 104

So you feel like you’ve mastered the inner

workings of your computer. You know how to

navigate the folder and file system. You even

know the different ways you can customize

the appearance of your computer. But now

you’re ready to get into the good stuff! You

want to know how you can get onto the

Internet and see what the hype is all about.

You want to e-mail your friends and family

and share your pictures and videos. To do that,

you’re going to need to find a way to connect

to the Internet.

In this chapter you will learn about the

different ways you can connect to the Internet

using your phone, cable, or even your cell

phone provider. You’ll also learn how you can

get away from your desk and access the

Internet wirelessly from your laptop. Finally,

you’ll learn about some ways to troubleshoot

your Internet connection should something go

wrong.

4


Receiving and reading a message ........ 104 Reply to a message ............................... 104 Forward a message ............................... 104 Delete a message .................................. 105

Chatrooms, Webcams, and Social Media ..... 106 Online etiquette ...................................... 106 Using a webcam .................................... 106


Introduction to Networks and the Internet

What exactly is a network? A network is a connected

collection of computers, printers, and other devices. When

the network is created, computers and devices can

communicate with each other and share information and

resources such as files and printers.

How networking works

A network router (or a switch or a hub) connects

computers together to create a network. Computers can

connect to the router in one of two ways: they can be

connected to the router using Ethernet cables, or they can

be connected wirelessly.

The router links the computers together so they can share

information. The router can also connect to a modem to

provide an Internet connection to all the computers on the

network

How the internet works

The internet is really a very large network with thousands

of devices (e.g. computers, smartphones, iPads, satelites,

radios, cellphone towers) connected to eachother. The

internet is so huge that it is sometimes referred to as the

world wide web, because it literally can be accessed from

anywhere in the world.

Because the internet is so massive, there are dedicated

computers, called servers, which store all the information

you see on the internet and are constantly running.

The devices you’re most familiar with, like your

computer or smartphone, are called clients. Client devices

are like observers in the network, they can scope out the

internet and pick and choose small chunks to view. This

will be better understood when we discuss browsing the

internet in another lesson.

Satellites and cellphone towers are apart of the internet as

well and play an important role, they extend the reach of

the internet, making the term world wide web more

meaningful. These towers and satellites are called nodes.

Intranets and extranets

Any business or organization may wish to network their

devices in order to improve production, however using

the internet would mean a possible information security

risk. An intranet is a generic term for a collection of

private networks within an organization. An extranet is a

computer network which allows controlled access from

outside users, meaning people who have access privilege

can join the network from anywhere in the world.

Figure 4-1: A network router connects two or more

computers wirelessly or with an Ethernet cable.

Figure 4-2: The Internet is a very large network spanning the entire globe.

Connecting to the Internet


Dial-Up Connections Dial-up is one of the oldest ways to connect to the

Internet. It uses your telephone line to connect to the

Internet. While most users have replaced dial-up

connections with high-speed broadband connections,

dial-up connections are still popular in remote or rural

areas where broadband is unavailable.

You will need the following items in order to use a dial-up

connection:

An Internet Service Provider: An Internet Service

Provider (ISP) is a lot like a phone company. Instead

of letting you make telephone calls to other people,

an ISP lets your computer connect to the Internet.

Just like your telephone company, ISPs charge for

their services. Some popular dial-up services include

NetZero and EarthLink.

A Web Browser: A Web browser is a program that

lets your computer interact with the World Wide Web.

Windows comes with a built-in Web browser—

Internet Explorer.

A modem: A modem is like a telephone for your

computer. It lets your computer talk to other

computers on the Internet. Your ISP provides this

when you sign up for service.

Setting up a dial-up connection

1. Click the Start button and select Control Panel from

the menu.

The Control Panel appears.

2. Click the Network and Internet category.

The Network and Internet window appears.

3. Click the Network and Sharing Center category.

The Network and Sharing Center window appears.

4. Click the Set up a new connection or network link.

The Set up a Connection or Network Wizard begins.

5. Click Set up a dial-up connection and click Next.

Windows detects your modem and the Create a Dial-

up Connection window appears.

6. Enter the Dial-up phone number, User name, and

Password provided by your ISP and click Create.

Your dial-up connection is created.

Figure 4-3: The Set Up a Connection or Network Wizard.

Figure 4-4: The Create a Dial-up Connection window.


Click this check box to have Windows automatically enter your password for you.


Connect automatically in Internet Explorer

Once your dial-up connection is created, you can setup

your computer to dial your ISP automatically whenever

you open Internet Explorer.

1. Click the Internet Explorer button on the taskbar.

The Internet Explorer window appears.

2. Click Tools on the Command bar and select Internet

Options from the menu.

The Internet Options dialog box appears.

3. Click the Connections tab.

The Connections options appear.

4. Click the name of your dial-up Internet connection

listed under the Dial-up and Virtual Private Network

settings

The name of your connection is now highlighted.

5. Click the Always dial my default connection option

and click Set default.

The name of your dial-up connection appears to the

left of the Set default button.

6. Click OK.

Internet Explorer will now automatically dial your

default connection whenever you start the program.

Tips

Setting up automatic dial-up connections may differ

among Web browsers. See the Web browser’s help

menu to set up automatic dialing.

Figure 4-5: The Connections tab in Internet Options with

default connection set.



Broadband Connections Broadband connections are one of the most popular ways

to connect to the Internet. The advantage to using

broadband is that it allows larger chunks of data to be

transmitted at a time. The result is a connection that is

many times faster than dial-up connections.

There are three things you’ll need to connect to the

Internet with a broadband connection:

An Internet Service Provider (ISP): An Internet

Service Provider lets your computer connect to the

Internet. Your broadband ISP is typically also your

cable television provider or your landline telephone

provider.

A Web Browser: A Web browser such as Internet

Explorer.

A Cable or DSL Modem or Other Connection: A

cable or DSL modem lets your computer talk to other

computers on the Internet. Most ISPs provide your

modem for a nominal fee.

We will now review the two most popular types of

broadband connections: digital subscriber line (DSL) and

cable.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet Access

A digital subscriber line (DSL) uses your local telephone

network to transmit digital data at broadband speeds. Your

ISP provides you with the equipment and landline

connection you need to connect your computer to the

Internet. Some ISPs also send out a technician to

complete the installation for you.

1. Connect the DSL modem to the telephone line and

power outlet.

Your DSL modem powers up and attempt to

synchronize with the ISP. You should notice a

flashing light on your DSL modem. Once

synchronization is complete, the light will

stop flashing.

2. Plug an Ethernet or Cat5e cable into your computer

and the DSL modem.

This completes your computer’s physical connection

to the Internet.

3. Closely follow any other instructions provided by

your ISP.

Your computer now has an Internet connection.

Figure 4-6: A DSL or cable modem connects to your computer through an Ethernet cable.



Cable Internet Access

Cable Internet uses a cable modem to connect to your

existing cable television line. You can typically get cable

Internet access through your local cable provider.

1. Connect your cable modem to the cable outlet and

power outlet.

Your cable modem will power up and attempt to

synchronize with the ISP. You should notice a

flashing light on your cable modem. Once

synchronization is complete, the light will stop

flashing.

2. Plug an Ethernet or Cat5e cable into your computer

and the cable modem.

This completes your computer’s physical connection

to the Internet.

3. Closely follow any other instructions provided by

your ISP.

Your computer now has an Internet connection.

Tips

Keep your ISP’s technical support phone number

close at hand in case you have problems with your

Internet connection. If your Internet connection fails,

you won’t be able to look the phone number

up online.

Once your broadband connection is established,

Windows 7 will automatically connect to it the next

time you start up your computer.



Mobile Broadband Connections

Mobile broadband is a new technological development. It

allows you to use your mobile phone provider, like

Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint, to connect to the Internet

wirelessly at broadband speeds. The speed of these

networks varies, depending on the type of technology

used in these networks.

Mobile broadband is an excellent option for business

travelers and laptop users who need high-speed Internet

access on the go. However, mobile broadband should not

be an alternative to your DSL or cable broadband

connection for two main reasons:

Coverage: Mobile broadband coverage depends on

the coverage area of the service provider, as is the

case with mobile phones. You probably won’t get

dependable coverage in remote or rural areas.

Coverage and connection speeds in cities may also

vary widely.

Usage Caps: Mobile broadband carriers typically cap

your usage rates on a monthly basis. When you go

above and beyond your limit, expect to be charged

fees by your carrier.

There are several types of devices that one can use to

connect their computer to the Internet:

PC Data Cards: Also known as ExpressCards, these

devices are connected to your computer via the

ExpressCard slot on the side of your laptop.

USB Modems: These are external modems that plug

into any USB slot on your computer.

USB Sticks: Like the USB modems, these devices

plug into your USB port.

Some newer laptops can even be customized to have the

mobile broadband functionality built-in, eliminating the

need for a separate piece of hardware.

Installing mobile broadband on your computer will vary

among the providers, but it most likely involves plugging

in the device and following onscreen instructions.

1. Plug the mobile broadband device into your

computer.

Once plugged in, your computer will detect the

device and begin to install the device software.

2. Install the software for your broadband device.

Follow the instructions provided. When it’s finished,

open your browser to begin using the Web.

Table 4-1: A Comparison of U.S. Mobile Broadband (3G) Providers

Carrier Avg.

Download

Speed

Avg.

Upload

Speed

Max.

Download

Speed

Max.

Upload

Speed

AT&T 755kb/s 484kb/s 1.3Mb/s 1.2Mb/s

Sprint 1.4Mb/s 800kb/s 3.1Mb/s 1.8Mb/s

T-

Mobile

n/a n/a 1.0Mb/s n/a

Verizon 1.4Mb/s 800kb/s 3.1Mb/s 1.8Mb/s

Figure 4-7: A mobile broadband card

Table 4-2: Usage Caps for a Typical Mobile Broadband Plan

File type Size of 1 file Files allowed per month

E-mail 3 KB 1,700,000

Digital Photo 500 KB 10,000

Music (1 Song) 3 MB 1,667

Movie 700 MB 7



Connecting to a Wireless Network

There may come a time when you want to free yourself

from the wires and cables of your physical connection and

browse the Internet away from your desk. Laptop users in

particular have the freedom to access the Internet where

wireless—or Wi-Fi—networks are available, such as

airport terminals or coffee shops. Other users have

wireless networks set up in their homes. In this lesson,

you will learn how to connect to a wireless router in order

to access the Internet.

You will need three things to connect to a wireless

network:

An Internet connection: A broadband connection is

required to get the most out of your wireless network.

A wireless router: A wireless router provides a

bridge between your computer and the modem.

A wireless networking card: Many laptop

computers have a wireless networking card built-in.

Few desktop computers have wireless networking

cards, but you can purchase and install them to make

wireless networks available.

Locating a wireless network

Windows makes finding a wireless network easy. If you

have a wireless networking card, Windows automatically

searches for available networks in your vicinity.


the menu.


2. Click the Network and Internet category.

The Network and Internet window appears.

3. Click the Network and Sharing Center category.

The Network and Sharing Center appears.

4. Click the Connect to a network link.

A list of available wireless networks appears under

the Wireless Network Connection section.

Other Ways to Locate a Wireless Network: Click the Internet Access icon located in the

notification area of the Windows taskbar.

Figure 4-8: The Network and Sharing Center.

Figure 4-9: Windows lists the available wireless network connections.


Internet Access icon


Connecting to a wireless network

Now that you have located all of the available wireless

networks in your area, you may connect to one.

1. Click the name of the wireless network to which you

want to connect.

The Connect button appears

Tip: The number of green bars next to the

network name indicates the signal strength. The

more green bars, the stronger and more reliable

the signal.

2. Click Connect.

If the network is secure, you will be prompted to

enter the network security key.

Tip: If you want your computer to sign-in to the

network automatically, click the Connect

automatically check box.

3. Enter the security key or password and click OK.

You are now connected to the wireless network.

Tip: If you don’t know the network security key,

contact the network administrator.

Trap: Whenever possible, it is advisable to

connect only to security-enabled networks.

Unsecure wireless networks are vulnerable to

eavesdropping. Table 4-3: Wireless Network

Security Type explains the differences between

the types of security used on wireless networks.

Table 4-3: Wireless Network Security Type

Unsecured Unsecured wireless networks do not protect information you send to or receive from the wireless router. As a

result, these networks are vulnerable to eavesdropping. Other users can browse through your folders and files

when you’re connected. Any data you transmit, including passwords, e-mails, and chats, can be captured.

WEP WEP, or Wired Equivalent Privacy, was the first form of data encryption available for wireless networks. It

provides very limited protection for your data. There are several known vulnerabilities to WEP, making it easy

to crack. Connecting to WEP-protected networks may be as risky as connecting to an unsecured network.

WPA WPA, or Wi-Fi Protected Access, was an interim replacement for the WEP protocol. WPA uses an intermediate

level of encryption to protect your data. While some flaws have been found in the encryption method, WPA is

still a good alternative to unsecured networks.

WPA2 WPA2 is the most advanced form of encryption available on wireless networks. WPA2 provides government

grade security by using the AES encryption algorithm. Whenever possible, it is advised to sign in to these types

of networks as they provide the greatest guarantee of data security.

Figure 4-10: Connect to your network of choice.

Figure 4-11: Enter the network security key.


Select this option to have your computer connect to this network automatically whenever it is within range.


Using Windows to Diagnose and Repair a Connection

Windows 7 is generally very intuitive when it comes to

setting up Internet connections, but if you are having

trouble, use the troubleshooter in Windows 7 to help

diagnose and fix the problem.


the menu.


2. Click the View network status and tasks link under

the Network and Internet category.

The Network and Sharing Center window appears.

3. Click the Troubleshoot problems link near the

bottom of the window.

The Troubleshoot problems – Network and Internet

window appears.

A list of network and printing items you can

troubleshoot appears.

Other Ways to Start the Network and Internet

Troubleshooter:

Right-click the Internet Access icon ( or ) in

the notification area of the taskbar and select

Troubleshoot problems from the contextual

menu.

4. Select Internet Connections from the menu.

The Internet Connections troubleshooter begins.

5. Click Next.

Windows 7 attempts to detect problems with your

Internet connection. When complete, Windows asks

you which issue it should troubleshoot.

6. Click Troubleshoot my connection to the Internet.

Windows 7 will attempt to connect to the Microsoft

website (http://www.microsoft.com). If Windows

succeeds, the troubleshooter will indicate that

“Troubleshooting couldn’t identify the problem.”

If Windows 7 is unsuccessful, it will try to identify

potential problems and provide you with some

possible solutions.

Figure 4-12: Select the item you wish to troubleshoot in

the Troubleshoot problems – Network and Internet window.

Figure 4-13: Completed Internet Connections

Troubleshooter window showing results of the troubleshooter.



7. Follow the troubleshooter’s instructions.

Windows will try to detect a configuration error on

your computer and ask questions to solve the

problem.

When you’re finished, close the troubleshooter

window.

8. Click Close the troubleshooter.

You are now connected to the Internet.

If Windows can’t fix your problem, the problem may

lie outside your computer. See Table 4-4: Common

Internet Connection Problems for common problems

and their solutions.

Table 4-4: Common Internet Connection Problems

Dia

l-u

p

Can’t connect Make sure you are dialing the correct number.

Make sure you are dialing any outbound access numbers, such as 9.

Make sure the phone number is not busy.

Check the phone line by plugging a phone into the phone line and checking for a dial tone.

Make sure the phone line is plugged into both the wall and the modem correctly.

Disconnecting Call waiting can disrupt dial-up connections. Try disabling it and dialing again.

Make sure your modem is working properly. Check the information that came with the modem or

contact the manufacturer.

ISPs will sometimes automatically disconnect if you leave your connection idle for long periods of

time. Try again.

Make sure no one picked up the phone while you were online.

Bro

ad

ban

d

(Cab

le/D

SL

)

Can’t connect Make sure that your cable or DSL modem is turned on.

Make sure that the Ethernet, or Cat5e, cable is plugged into the modem and computer correctly.

Some broadband connections can be fixed by unplugging the modem’s power cable, waiting for all

of the lights on the modem to turn off, waiting at least ten seconds after that, and then powering the

modem back up.

Call your ISP and ask if its service is working properly.

Ensure that you have an ISP user account and access.

Some cable and DSL ISPs use Media Access Control address (MAC address) filtering. If you’re

using a new device, your ISP may need to add your new device to its list of approved devices. Your

ISP can walk you through the process of finding your MAC address.

Wir

eles

s

Can’t find or connect Make sure that the wireless networking card in your computer is turned on. Some laptops have a

switch on the front or side of the computer to turn the card on and off.

Make sure that you are close enough to the router or wireless access point. You may also need to

connect an external antenna to your wireless network adapter to enhance your reception of the signal.

If possible, make sure that the wireless router is turned on. If it is turned on, try resetting the wireless

router and trying again.

Make sure that you entered the correct network security key, or password, when you were prompted.

The router or access point may be busy. Too much traffic from too many sources can disrupt

connectivity. If possible, try turning off other computers that use the router as an access point.



Understanding Parts of the Browser Window

Any computer or device connected to the internet needs a

program called a browser. A browser is a program which

allows you to browse the internet, just as you would

browse articles and ads in a magazine.

Table 4-5: The Browser Window

Browser Window: This can be moved, resized, or

hidden just as you would expect from any other window. Home, Favorites & Tools: Click to either jump to your

homepage, access your favorites, or customize browser

options.

Address Bar: Displays the web address of current

webpage. If you know a specific address for a website,

type it in here.

Minimize, Maximize, Restore & Close: Click to show,

resize, hide, or exit the browser window.

History Arrow: Displays a list of recently visited sites. Vertical Scroll Bar: Click to scroll up or down in a webpage.

Refresh Page: Click to reload the page. Page Content: Displays your current webpage, website, or

home screen.

Stop Loading: Stops the browser from loading the

webpage. Back & Forward Navigation: Click to navigate forward or

backward to sites you’ve already visited.

Current Tab: The active tab displaying the title of the

page you currently have open.

New Tab: Click to create a new page where you can

browse to a different website.



Information Security and Virus Protection

It is important to protect your computer while you are

connected to the internet. There are many ways your

computer could become infected, including clicking

suspicious links, downloading “free” software, or

publishing your information online.

This lesson will show you where you can get free virus

protection software, if your computer isn’t already

equipped, and how to stay safe while online.

Firewalls and antivirus software

A computer firewall checks incoming data from the

internet and either blocks it or allows it to download.

Firewalls protect your computer even when you aren’t

using your computer. Some viruses are programmed to act

like software updates which can download automatically.

If your firewall is up to date, these malicious programs

will be blocked before they can infect your computer.

Antivirus software acts like an antibiotic. It looks for

viruses which may have already infected your computer

and eliminates them. Again, if your antivirus software is

up to date, your computer should be safe from these

viruses. A simple scan of your hard-disc with your

antivirus program will inform you if your computer is at

risk, or if a virus has been eliminated.

Downloading Microsoft Security Essentials



2. Click in the address field in the Internet Explorer

browser window and type “Microsoft security

essentials” and press <Enter>.

Internet Explorer searches the web and displays the

results.

Tip: You could type microsoft.com directly in

your address bar, however since the home screen

is subject to change periodically we’ll find the

page we’re looking for by doing a web search.

3. Select the first link in the search results.

You are directed to Microsoft’s Security Essentials

download page.

Trap: Check the web address of the link to be sure

you’re navigating to windows.microsoft.com.

Figure 4-14: Windows Firewall protects your computer

from all incoming data by limiting what can be downloaded.

Figure 4-15: Antivirus software finds and eliminates

viruses or malware which may already be on your computer.



4. Select your operating system version by selecting it

from the drop-down list and click Download.

A pop-up window appears asking you if you want to

save this file.

5. Click Save File.

Your browser downloads the program to your

Downloads folder.

6. Click the Windows Explorer icon on your Taskbar.

A new Explorer window appears. Navigate to your

downloads folder through the Navigation Pane.

7. Click Downloads in the Navigation Pane.

Your Downloads folder opens and the “mseinstall”

application appears.

8. Double-click the mseinstall application to open it.

A dialog box appears and asks you if you are aware

of the program’s origin and wish to open it. This

feature is a part of the User Account Control, which

makes it easy to recognize programs that may pose a

risk to your machine.

9. Click Yes.

The Microsoft Security Essentials installation

window appears.

Install the software by following the steps in the

wizard.



Browsing the Web Just as you would browse through the library, in search of

that next great read, so too will you browse the web

looking for topics of interest. In fact, if you’ve ever asked

a librarian for help finding a book, they’d give you

instructions and a keyword to find what you’re looking

for; it’s the same on the internet. You’ll find what you’re

looking for online by searching for a word or phrase, or

by typing a question.

In this lesson we’ll explore the different methods you will

use to navigate the World Wide Web.

Searching the Internet

In order to search the web you will need to use a search

engine. A search engine scans the internet for websites for

your search criteria and returns the most popular results.



2. Click in the Address field and type

“www.google.com” and press <Enter>.

Google is a powerful search engine which you can

use as a starting point.

3. Click in the search field and type a question, such as

“What is gravity?” and press <Enter>.

Your browser searches the web for your question and

retrieves the results. Notice that there are literally

millions of results for this question. You could spend

years just following each link. Let’s try narrowing

our search results.

4. Type “What is Earth’s gravity?” in the search field

and press <Enter>.

Tip: You will need to clear your previous search

in the search field in order to search for something

new.

Your browser returns the results, this time we have

reduced the number of results significantly just by

being more specific in our search.

Let’s try searching for something specific using key

words.

5. Type “earth gravity what” in the search field and

press <Enter>.

Notice that we didn’t ask a question, though the

results of the search are very similar.

Figure 4-16: The Google Search Engine finds what you’re

looking for by displaying links to webpages which have already been useful to others who have searched for similar criteria.

Figure 4-17: Rephrasing your search criteria as a list of

keywords can make your search more dynamic.



Tip: When you use a search engine, it scans the

Internet based on important words, or keywords.

It also keeps an index of words it finds and where

it found them so that the next time you search for

something similar, it can return the results to you

even faster.

Navigating the Internet

Once you’ve searched the internet for a question or

keyword, try clicking on one of the links to being

navigating the Internet.

1. Click the first search result link to open it.

The website opens and displays the page with the

content you searched for.

Let’s try navigating the Internet using your browser’s

navigation buttons.

2. Click the Back button in your browser window.

You return to the page you were just on.

3. Click the Forward button in your browser window.

You go back to page you just visited. Figure 4-18: The Back and Forward buttons appear in the upper left corner of your browser window.



Downloading and Uploading Basics

You may have heard the terms download or upload used

in a conversation and wondered if they had anything to do

with lifting weights. Many people tend to confuse the

computer terms download and upload. Here are some

definitions to help clear things up.

The term download refers to pulling files from the

Internet and saving them onto your local computer. This

might typically include saving a photo, music file, or

video found on the internet to your computer.

The term upload is the opposite of downloading - moving

files from your local computer and moving them to the

Internet. A typical example might include uploading a

photo on your computer to a website. On the web you'll

often be prompted with buttons to choose or browse for

files on your computer.

Downloading a file from the Internet

When you download a file, you transfer its data from the

Internet to your computer. It is common to download files

such as programs, updates, games, demos, music, or

picture files.

There are some risks you should be aware of, however.

When you transfer a file from an online source, you never

really know exactly what will happen when it’s on your

machine. To be safe, only download files from trusted

websites.

Uploading a file to the Internet

Since uploading files can often be a clumsy process let’s

try an example of a typical upload. In this example we’re

presented with a browse button.

1. To initiate an upload, click the browse button.

A dialog window appears with contents of your local

machine displayed. You will need to search for the

file you wish to upload.

2. Select the file you wish to upload and click Open.

The file path for the file you’ve selected appears in

the browse box and a button appears that says

Upload.

3. Click the Upload button.

After a moment your file is uploaded to the Internet.

Figure 4-19: One way to download an image or picture use the right-click pop-up menu.

Figure 4-20: The Browse button will allow you to search for a file on your local computer to upload a file or photo.



Introduction to E-mail You’ve heard the term, but what does it mean? An e-mail

is a digital clone of what you might post someone via

your mailbox. In fact, many of the terms we use when

talking about e-mailing are the same as their material

counterparts. For example, you’d compose a letter both

online and with pen and paper.

Understanding e-mail terms and concepts

What does it mean to send an e-mail? Does it mean

throwing a letter you’ve written at your computer? How

about posting your computer to your friend in Alaska?

Well just as you would use the postal service to send a

written letter, you use the internet to post a digital letter.

Take a look at the table to the right, “Common E-mailing

Terms,” for some common e-mailing terms.

What is spam or junk mail?

Spam, or junk mail are messages or advertisement

schemes which are sent to numerous recipients by e-mail.

Clicking on links in spam e-mails may direct you to

websites designed to extract your personal information by

offering you seemingly wonderful incentives such as free

merchandise or free money. The trouble with spam is that

it is sent by an automated mailing computer. There

usually isn’t a face behind the e-mail, and your responses

to spam will likely never be read. It’s better to just delete

spam or junk mail when you receive it; it’s best not to

even reveal your e-mail address to someone or

somewhere where it might get misused.

Setting up an e-mail account

First, you’ll need to find an e-mail service provider, such

as yahoo.com, google.com or zoho.com. Next you’ll need

to sign up with them by following their on screen

instructions. You’ll be asked to verify your name, home

address, possibly a telephone number, and your age.

Don’t worry, this type of information will not be shared.

Second, you’ll be asked to create a login or username and

be asked to create a password. Your username will be a

unique identification for both your account as well as

your e-mail address. Your password should be long

enough and complicated enough so that no one can guess

it and access your account. A good password should have

at least a few letters and numbers in it. An example of a

good password would be: hq49t6xB1z3sF4. A bad

example would be: pass

Once you’ve created your account, created your username

and password, you’ll be able to log into your account

from any computer connected to the internet.

Table 4-6: Common E-mailing Terms

Inbox This is where new messages

will appear. Click on a

message to view its

contents.

E-mail Address Your unique digital address,

typically your username

followed by your provider’s

domain name.

Contact A name of a person and their

e-mail address along with

any relevant contact

information.

Address Book A digital file of your

online contacts.

Send Press the Send button when

you’ve written your message

and supplied your

recipient’s e-mail address.



Composing and Sending an E-mail Message

This lesson explains how to perform the most basic e-mail

task of all: how to compose and send an e-mail message

using your e-mail service. For this example we’ll be using

Outlook Web App to compose and send an e-mail

message.

1. From the Inbox, click the New button on the toolbar

and select Message.

An Untitled – Message window appears.

Other Ways to Create a New Message: With other e-mail providers you may have to click

a button called Compose or Compose New.

2. Click in the To field.

You can now type in your recipient’s e-mail address.

Tip: If you don’t know anyone’s e-mail address

on hand, try sending an e-mail to yourself.

Other Ways to Enter e-Mail Recipients: You can store names and e-mail addresses in your

address book, to access them click the To button

and select your recipients.

3. Type your e-mail address in the To field.

If you desire to enter multiple recipients, you may do

so by separating each address with a semi-colon.

See the table below, Ways to Address an E-mail

Message for a description of each field.

4. Click in the Subject field and type a subject of the

e-mail.

The Subject field lets your recipients know what the

message is about.

5. Click inside the body area of the message window

and type your message.

Ask yourself the following questions before sending:

Have you entered the correct e-mail address(es) in

the To field?

Have you entered an appropriate subject in the

Subject field?

Did you read through your message to make sure

it’s correct?

If you answered “Yes” to all of the above

questions…

Figure 4-21: The Untitled – Message window.

Figure 4-22: When you’re ready to send the message, click the Send button.

Composing and Sending E-mail

Send button


6. Click the Send button.

Your message is released into cyberspace and on its

way to the specified recipient(s).

Table 4-7: Ways to Address an E-mail Message

To Sends the message to the recipient you

specify.

Carbon Copy

(Cc)

Sends a copy of the message to a recipient

who is not directly involved, but who

might be interested in the message.

Blind Carbon

Copy (Bcc)

Sends a copy of the message to a recipient

without any other recipients knowing. This

option is useful when you are sending a

message to many recipients at once.

To display the Bcc field, click the Options

tab on the Ribbon and click the Bcc button

in the Show Fields group.

Composing and Sending E-mail


Using Attachments If you need to send a small file along with your email you

can do so in the form of an attachment. An attachment

should generally be smaller than 10 megabytes and could

either be a compressed (zipped) folder or an individual

file, such as a digital photograph.

Add an attachment

To add an attachment, first you must have a file or

compressed (zipped) folder to work with. You may also

attach more than one file at a time.

1. Click the Compose button to compose a new e-mail

message.

The Open dialog box appears.

2. Click the Attach File button.

A dialog box appears with the contents of your local

computer displayed. The steps should be familiar

because they are the same as uploading a file.

3. Select the file you wish to add and click <Enter>.

After a brief upload process, your attachment appears

in your message window.

4. Click the Send button to send your attachment along

with your message.

Open an attachment

If you have received an e-mail with an attachment, it’s

easy to open it.

1. Click or double-click the message to open it.

The attachment should appear in line with the

message text.

Tip: You may wish to View or Preview the

attached file before you download it. Depending

on your e-mail provider, you may do so by

clicking the View or Preview link.

2. Click the Download button.

A window appears with the option to open the file in

an appropriate program, or to save the file to your

local drive.

3. Click the Save File radio button and click OK.

The attachment is saved to your Downloads folder.

Figure 4-23: When a message contains an attachment, the name of the attached file appears in the Attached field.



Reading, Replying, Forwarding and Deleting an E-mail

Receiving and reading a message

When messages arrive in your Inbox, you can read them.

Any new, unread messages appear in bold and may have

a special icon ( ) associated with them.

Click or double-click the message that you want to

read.

Once a message has been read, its icon will change

and its subject line will no longer appear in bold.

Reply to a message

Replying to an e-mail is like answering a letter; it

acknowledges that you received the message and allows

you to respond.

1. Click or double-click a message in your Inbox to

open it.

2. Click the Reply or Reply All button (if available).

A new message window appears for your reply

message.

Reply: Sends your reply to the author of the

message only.

Reply All: Sends your reply to the author of the

message and everyone else who received the

message.

3. Type your reply and click the Send button.

Forward a message

Forwarding a message sends the message on to someone

else.


open it.

2. Click the Forward button.

3. In the To field, enter the e-mail address(es) of the

person(s) to whom you want to forward the message.

4. Type any comments you wish to add to the message

and click the Send button.

Trap: All attachments and message options are

included when you forward a message.

Figure 4-24: Use the buttons in the Respond group on the

Ribbon to reply to or forward a message.

Figure 4-25: When you reply to a message, the Name

and Subject fields are filled in for you automatically. All you have to do is type your reply and click Send.


Reply Reply All

Forward


Delete a message

When you’re finished with a message, it’s a good idea to

delete it. Deleting messages as soon as you’re done with

them keeps your Inbox organized and free from clutter.

The Delete button may appear differently for your

e-mail provider.


open it.

2. Press the Delete button.

The message is removed from your Inbox and placed

in the Deleted Items folder.

Other Ways to Delete a Message: Select the message and click the Delete button.

Or, select the message’s check box (if available)

and click the Delete button.

Chapter Name


Chatrooms, Webcams, and Social Media

Online etiquette

Very often online communication should mimic face-to-

face communication, but unfortunately this is often not

the case.

In a face-to-face situation, would you:

Make mean-spirited, insensitive comments without

concern for the feelings of others?

Reveal personal details to a room of complete

strangers?

Show unflattering pictures of friends provided with

damaging commentary?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may

need a course in online communication etiquette — and

perhaps real-life etiquette as well.

Follow these tips for online etiquette to avoid some grief

in both your professional and personal life:

Keep personal conversations about you, your family,

or your company private.

Keep your social plans to yourself. Don’t share

information that may reveal your exact location or

when you’ll be gone from home.

Don’t share photos of your kids to the entire world.

There are predators that use these avenues to find

their prey. Keep family photos private if possible.

Keep financial information and your passwords

private. Don’t reveal clues to make it easy for

someone to guess your password hints.

Using a webcam

There are many options for using your webcam (if you

have one) on the Internet as well. Some services require

you to download special software which connects a

webserver to your webcam, others run software online.

If you plan to connect with someone through your

webcam, make sure your computer’s speakers are far

away from your computer’s microphone to reduce

feedback; you may need to plug ear-phones into your ear-

phone jack.

To connect with your webcam, your software (e.g. Instant

Messenger or Skype) will allow you to enable or disable

video mode. See more about this option in your software

help section.

Figure 4-26: Here are some popular social networking

websites for sharing photos, day to day activities, or basic profiles.



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Quiz Questions

44. The Internet could be considered a network. (True or False?)

45. An ISP is: A. An Internet Service Provider, a device inside your computer that connects to the Internet. B. An Internet Service Provider, a company that charges you to connect to the Internet. C. An Information Sending Protocol, an encrypted language that is used to access the Internet. D. An Information Sending Protocol, a device that determines whether your computer uses Dial-up or Broadband

access.

46. The two types of broadband Internet connections are: A. DSL and cable B. Dial-up and cable C. DSL and satellite D. ISP and dial-up

47. Mobile broadband is an excellent alternative to DSL and cable broadband for anyone who wants to access the Internet

from anywhere. (True or False?)

48. Which of the following do you need to locate a wireless network? A. A satellite dish B. A wireless router C. A wireless networking card D. A government-issued guidebook listing all available wireless Internet connections.

49. Windows will always automatically connect you to the closest wireless network available. (True or False?)

50. Which of these is false? A. If your computer is not connecting to the Internet, make sure your cables are connected and all your devices are

turned on. B. The troubleshooter in Windows 7 can detect and fix problems with your Internet connection. C. The Windows 7 troubleshooter can fix problems with many different types of connections, such as HomeGroup,

and shared folders, D. Your ISP provides a troubleshooter for help when you have connection problems.

51. A computer firewall is a physical wall constructed from cement to protect your computer should your house start on

fire. (True or False?)

52. Which of the following is NOT a common E-mailing term? A. Inbox. B. Contact. C. Envelope. D. Address Book.


53. Generally speaking, what’s the largest a file should be when attaching it to an e-mail? A. 10 megabytes. B. 10 gigabytes. C. 20 megabytes. D. 1 terabyte.

Quiz Answers

44. True. A network is a connected collection of computers, printers, and other devices. The Internet is just a really, really

big network.

45. B. ISP stands for Internet Service Provider. It is a company, like a phone company, that charges you to connect to the

Internet.

46. A. The two types of broadband Internet connections are DSL and cable.

47. False. While mobile broadband is convenient for people who need to access the Internet on the go, it is not a good

alternative for typical users due to inconsistent coverage areas and usage caps.

48. C. A wireless networking card is needed to locate wireless networks in your vicinity.

49. False. Windows will only automatically connect you to those wireless networks for which you asked for an automatic

connection.

50. D. Your ISP does not provide a troubleshooter for your connection problems. However, you may call your ISP if the

Windows 7 troubleshooter and other problem-solving methods don’t work.

51. False. A computer firewall protects your computer from all incoming data by limiting what can be downloaded.

52. C. Envelope in not a common E-mailing term.

53. A. Generally speaking, an e-mail attachment should be 10 megabytes or smaller.