Left Mouse Clicks
On a Windows PC the mouse has 2 buttons, left and right (reversible through Settings-Control Panel-Mouse if needed for left-handers):
Left-Clicking selects (one click to highlight a file or item or to execute a hyperlink) double-click to open a folder or to run an application.
If you click something wrongly, just click off it over another of the desktop or press 'Esc'.
Right Mouse Clicks
Right-Clicking gives you access to other options for whatever you are clicking over. Try Right-Clicking on the Desktop background, on a Desktop Icon, over a file, over a folder and examine the options. Some are very useful (eg 'SendTo..'/'Rename'). Usually if you have a virus scanner installed, right clicking over a file or folder offers the chance to scan it for infections.
The Desktop
This is the main bit of the screen, a backgound with pictures on it called 'Icons'. Each icon represents either a shortcut to a program or an area of your computer disk which when double clicked will open its respective function or folder.
Common Icons already on the desktop are:
My Computer - Opens the top level folder showing all drives and folders present on your machine
My Documents - opens a older where you may keep your work
Network Neighbourhood - if your machine is linked to others on a network, other machines may be found here
Recycle Bin - deleted items get stored here and can be finally deleted or restored to their original place
You may find other Icons present, depending on what software you have installed of if someone has dragged files to the desktop to create shortcuts. Common examples include:
Internet Explorer or Netscape - for browsing the Web
Outlook Express - an eMail program
You can customise how you desktop looks by:
dragging the taskbar to another edge of the screen
moving icons around
right clicking on the background, selecting properties and changing background, wallpaper, colour schemes etc.
The Start Button
This is normally at the bottom left of your screen and when clicked on presents most of the various menu options below (going upwards):
Shutdown - the way to tuck up your computer properly
Run - presents a 'command line' where you can enter paths to executeable programs (usually only used to start installing new software)
Help - opens a searchable database of files to help you with using Windows
Find - opens a dialogue where you can look for files
Settings - leads to menus where you can change things in the Control Panel or taskbar
Documents - displays a list of the most recently used files
Favourites - displays the list of favourites established by your Web Browser
Programs - leads to your installed software
Other items depend upon your setup.
The Taskbar
The bar at the bottom of your desktop (athough it is dragable to any edge of the screen) contains buttons of any open windows or programs on your PC. Clicking on any of these toggles between opening and minimising the folder or program window.
WIndows
These open when a respective file or folder is double-clicked. They can be resized by selecting and dragging the edges and can be maximised by double-clicking on the title bar along the top.
Each window should also contain a menu (labels from left to right such as 'File', 'Edit', 'View'. These lead to menus specific to the folder or program open.
Shortcuts
Instead of using the mouse to click on some options, sometimes you can use a 'Shortcut'. This is a combination of key presses which is the equivalent of calling a certain menu option. Fairly universal examples can be viewed here: Windows Shortcuts.
The Keyboard
Based on the Qwerty typewriter keys but far more functional. Keys to get to know from top left across are:
Esc - Escapes a selction
F1 - F12 - Function keys, often used in certain programs as shortcuts.
Delete - erases whatever is highlighted or text to the right of the cursor
Backspace - erases text before the cursor
Number keys
Tab key - jumps the cursor a pre-defined number of spaces or into the next box or cell
Enter - or 'Return', carage return and also can replace the second click of the mouse
Shift keys (one of each side) - when pressed in combination with other keys, exploit the character printed above the main label of the key
Ctrl - used as a key to combine for Windows Shortcuts
Fn - ditto (sometimes coloured to be used in combination with similar coloured keys)
Alt - ditto
Space Bar
Direction Keys (Page Up, Page Down etc) - useful to avoid scrolling on long or wide pages
File Structure
Knowing where things are is the key to good organisation. There are many places a file can reside and thousands of files so some structure is necessary.
If you start Windows Explorer (Start-Programs-Explorer or 'Winkey+e') this will show two windows.
The left 'pane' shows a 'File Tree' which displays the hierarchy of files on your PC. Starting with 'Desktop', showing whatever is present on your desktop below.
A '+' sign next to a folder indicated that it can be clicked on to see more folder inside. A '-' sign simply indicates that you can see those folders displayed beneath already.
Whichever folder is highlighted in the tree will display its contents in the right 'pane'.
This 'hierarchy' means that files ae kept in folders, which in turn are kept in folders and so on. The 'top level' of the hierarchy is 'Desktop'. It is like the stem of the plant. Each folder or file is like a branch.
Folders within folders are called 'sub-folders'.
If you turn on your 'Address Bar' (View-Toolbars-Address Bar) each folder you open will display its 'file path name' in the box. This is a textual representation of where the folder actually is:
C:\Program Files\Accessories means you are looking in the Accessories folder which is inside the Program Files folder which is on the C:\ drive.
The hierachical structure is central to all computers, including the Internet. The Address you type in a browser simply directs it to look for a particular document or place. You can type in a local address (on your computer eg. C:\My Documents\Accounts\julybudget.xls), a network address (on the network eg. \\myserver\userfiles\accounts\julybudget.xls), or an Internet address (eg. www.mybusiness.com/intranet/accounts/julybudget.xls).
Note the traditional use of forward slashes (/)for the Internet and backward slashes (\) for local and network addresses.
My Computer
This folder shows you what is on your machine.
It usually contains the following top-level folders:
3½ Floppy (A:) - the floppy disk drive (takes standard 1.44 MB disks
(C:) - the second disk drive (usually your hard disk) on your system
(D:) - the third disk drive (Usually a CDROM/ DVD)
Extra disk drives are labelled with other letters. For historical reasons, there is usually no (B:) Drive.
Printers - a folder containing information about any printers your machine prints to
Control panel - a folder containing configurable options to adjust and modify
Dial-Up Networking - a folder containing setup details of every dial-up connection (eg Internet ISP account) you have setup.
Toolbar Buttons
View-Toolbar-Standard Buttons.
When this is selected, your buttons should appear at the top of your window.
Holding the mouse above a button should display its function if pressed.
Back - moves back to the last 'window' opened
Forward - the opposite
Up - takes you up a level in the file hierarchy
Cut - 'cuts' whatever is selected ready for moving
Copy - whatever is selected will stay where it is but will be copied wherever you paste it
Paste - inserts whatever is cut or copied wherever it is told to by the mouse
Undo - undoes the last action
Delete - if used on file or folder, sends it to the Recycle Bin.
Properties - displays information about the selected file
Views - four settings to set how you view items in a window.
Other Window Controls
Wherever you see a button with an 'X' on it, you will either delete something or close it.
The top right of most windows has one of these buttons, together with one to dock the window to the taskbar (minimize) and one to make it full screen (maximise).
It is possible to resize most windows by moving the pointer over the edge, left-clicking and holding and dragging.
The bottom right corner allows both horizontal and vertical adjustments simultaneously.
Windows Key
This appears on post 1995 keyboards (usually has a 'Window' logo on it). It is useful for certain Shortcuts and on its own also brings up the Start Menu.