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Windows XP Personal Trainer
Windows XP Personal Trainer

By CustomGuide Inc
Price: $29.95 USD
£19.95 GBP

Cover | Table of Contents | Colophon


Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Fundamentals
Prerequisites
  • Windows XP must be installed on the computer.
Welcome to Windows XP! If you're new to Windows, or to computers altogether, you're starting at the right chapter. This chapter covers the "bare-bones" basics about learning how to start your computer and load Windows XP. 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 and what those cryptic-looking keys are used for. Finally, you'll learn how to exit Windows XP 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 probably think they are. No matter what your previous experience with computers has been, this chapter assumes you're the most computer-illiterate person in the world and keeps everything as simple as possible. Actually, you're probably going to find that some of the lessons in this chapter are a little too easy. When you come across something you already know how to do, go ahead and skip the lesson (unless you're in a classroom of course—then go ahead and show everyone what a computer whiz you are!).
Ready? Did you take that deep breath? Then turn the page and let's get started!
Figure 1-1: TEST The Help and Support Center window.
Before we start pointing and clicking, it helps if you actually understand what exactly Windows XP is. Windows XP is an operating system. Okay, so what's an operating system? An operating system is a software program that controls and runs just about everything on your computer. Here's what an operating system does:
  • Controls Your Computer's Hardware
    Windows XP controls the different devices of your computer system. It's what makes your printer print, what makes graphics and text appear on your monitor, and what makes your mouse point and click. Actually, you make the mouse point and click, but Windows XP is what puts the mouse pointer on the screen and electronically connects it to your mouse.
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A Look at Windows XP and What's New
Figure 1-1: TEST The Help and Support Center window.
Before we start pointing and clicking, it helps if you actually understand what exactly Windows XP is. Windows XP is an operating system. Okay, so what's an operating system? An operating system is a software program that controls and runs just about everything on your computer. Here's what an operating system does:
  • Controls Your Computer's Hardware
    Windows XP controls the different devices of your computer system. It's what makes your printer print, what makes graphics and text appear on your monitor, and what makes your mouse point and click. Actually, you make the mouse point and click, but Windows XP is what puts the mouse pointer on the screen and electronically connects it to your mouse.
  • Runs Your Computer's Programs
    Windows XP is what runs all your programs. Without Windows XP, your word processor, Web browser (Internet), and games wouldn't work. Windows XP lets your programs "talk" to your hardware, so, for example, your word processor can print things to the printer.
  • Organizes Files
    Windows XP stores information in files and folders on your computer's local disk, just like you store files and folders in a filing cabinet.
Think of Windows XP as an orchestra conductor who makes sure all the parts of your computer—your hardware and programs—work together. Operating systems have been around for a long time; what makes Windows XP special is its ability to make computer operations easy. In the computer stone age (about 15 years ago), people had to type hard-to-remember, cryptic commands into their computer to make them do what they wanted. With Windows XP, all you have to do is point and click to do something.
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Starting and Logging On to Windows XP Home
Figure 1-2: The Welcome screen is the default log in screen.
Figure 1-3: The Log On to Windows XP dialog box appears if the Welcome screen has been turned off.
After taking off your jacket and grabbing a cup of coffee, you probably begin your day by turning on your computer and starting Windows XP. Windows XP should automatically start after you turn on your computer. This lesson also explains what you need to do next.
The default login screen is the Welcome screen, as shown in Figure 1-2.
  1. Click your account user name.
    If your account has a password, you will be prompted to enter it.
    If someone has turned off the Welcome screen, logging in will be a little different, as shown in Figure 1-3 .
  2. Enter your user name and password. If your account doesn't have a password, leave the text box blank.
    Remember that when you enter your password, Windows XP will display a series of ·······s to protect your password from prying eyes.
  3. Press Enter or click OK.
Windows XP logs in using your account settings.
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Starting and Logging On to Windows XP Professional
Figure 1-4: The Welcome to Windows XP dialog box.
Figure 1-5: The Welcome to Windows XP dialog box.
Logging on to a computer using Windows XP Professional is a little different because you are logging in to a network, not just a computer, so security needs to be tight.
The first screen is a defense against hackers or worms that might try to hack into your computer while you're not using it.
  1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete.
    The Welcome to Windows XPdialog box appears, as shown in Figure 1-5.
  2. Enter your user name and password.
    Remember that when you enter your password Windows XP will display a series of ·······s to protect your password from prying eyes.
  3. If necessary, click Options and click the Log on To list arrow to select the domain name that you want to log on to
    This setting probably won't ever change, but you should be aware that it is required to log in to the domain.
  4. Press Enter or click OK.
    Presto! You're logged on to Windows XP and are ready to get back to work.
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Understanding the Windows XP Screen
Figure 1-6: The major parts of the Windows XP screen. More items may appear on your computer, depending on how it is set up.
You might find the Windows XP screen a bit confusing and overwhelming the first time you see it. Nothing on the screen appears familiar to you—where do you even start? This lesson will help you become familiar with the main Windows XP screen, known as the desktop. There isn't a step-by-step exercise anywhere in this lesson—all you have to do is look at Figure 1-6 and then refer to Table 1-2 to see what everything you're looking at means. And, most of all, relax! This lesson is only meant to help you get acquainted with Windows XP—you don't have to memorize anything.
If you're upgrading to Windows XP from previous versions, you may be surprised at the lack of icons and features on the screen. Don't be alarmed: My Documents, My Computer, and other useful functions are still around, they've just been moved under the Start button.
Table 1-2: Major parts of the Windows XP screen
Item
Description
Desktop
This is the large background area of the Windows XP screen. You can customize the desktop by adding shortcuts to your favorite programs, documents, and printers. You can also change the appearance of the desktop to fit your mood and personality.
Recycle Bin
The Recycle Bin stores all the files you delete from your computer. You can use the Recycle Bin to retrieve files you've accidentally deleted. Create more disk space by emptying the Recycle Bin.
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A Look at the New Windows XP Start Menu
Figure 1-7: The new Windows XP Start menu.
You've probably already noticed that Windows XP's Start menu is drastically different than the Start menu in earlier versions. All the icons that were formerly stored on the desktop, such as My Computer and My Documents, are now on the Start menu, making it your single source for launching applications, finding documents, and changing computer settings.
The new Windows XP Start menu takes a lot of getting used to—especially if you're familiar with the Start menu in previous versions of Windows. Once again, there isn't a step-by-step exercise in this lesson—all you have to do is look at Figure 1-7 and then refer to Table 1-3 to see what everything in the new Windows XP Start menu does.
  1. Click the Start button.
    The Windows XP Start menu appears, as shown in Figure 1-7.
  2. Keep the Start menu open and refer to Table 1-3 to find out what's new in the Windows XP Start menu
The new Windows XP Start menu takes a lot of getting used to—especially if you're familiar with the Start menu used in earlier versions of Windows. Don't worry if you just can't get used to the new Windows XP Start menu—it's easy to change back to the classic Start menu that you're more familiar with—we'll cover that very topic in another chapter.
Table 1-3: Items in the Windows XP Start menu
Item
Description
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Using the Mouse: Pointing, Clicking, and Double-Clicking
Figure 1-8: Clicking and double-clicking with the mouse.
Figure 1-9: Click the Start button to open the Windows XP Start menu.
Figure 1-10: Double-click the Recycle Bin icon to open it and display its contents.
Just like you control your television set using a remote control, you control Windows XP by using the mouse and keyboard. A mouse is a palm-sized device that lets you point at, 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 shows you how to perform the two most basic mouse actions: clicking, and double-clicking.
  1. Rest your hand on top of the mouse, then move the mouse and watch as the arrow moves across the screen.
    The arrow (also called the cursor or pointer) follows the mouse as you move it across the desk or mouse pad.
    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.
  2. Move the mouse pointer until the tip of the pointer is over the Start button. Leave the pointer there for a few seconds.
    The message "Click here to begin" appears by the pointer after several seconds.
    Clicking means pressing and releasing the left mouse button once. 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.
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Using the Mouse: Clicking and Dragging
Figure 1-11: Clicking and dragging with the mouse.
Figure 1-12: Opening a game of Solitaire.
Figure 1-13: The Solitaire game.
You can move items around your computer screen by clicking and dragging them with the mouse. To click and drag something: (1) Move the mouse pointer over the object you want to move, then click and hold down the mouse button. (2) While you are still holding down the mouse button, move the mouse until the pointer is over the place you want to put the object. Then, (3) release the mouse button.
You may have trouble mastering click and drag right away. Don't get discouraged; this is a tricky task for beginners. Just keep practicing and you'll improve.
This will probably be the most entertaining lesson in the book, because your assignment is to master clicking and dragging by playing a game of Solitaire! Microsoft included Solitaire with Windows XP to help people improve their mouse skills. You've probably noticed that some people never stop practicing these skills with Solitaire. Here's how to open Solitaire:
  1. Click the Start button.
    Remember that the Start button is located in the bottom-left corner of your screen. The Windows XP Start menu appears.
  2. Point to the word All Programs.
    The All Programs menu pops out to the right.
  3. Point to the word Games.
    Another menu, the Games menu, pops out, as shown in Figure 1-12.
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Using the Mouse: Right-Clicking
Figure 1-14: Right-clicking with the mouse.
Figure 1-15: The shortcut menu for the Recycle Bin.
Figure 1-16: The shortcut menu for the clock.
Figure 1-17: The Local Disk (C:) Properties dialog box.
You already know that the left mouse button is the primary mouse button, used for clicking and double-clicking, and it's the mouse button you will use over 95 percent of the time when you work with Windows XP. So what's the right mouse button used for? 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 shortcut menu will appear with a list of commands related to the object or area you right-clicked.
Right mouse button shortcut menus are a great way to give commands to Windows XP because you don't have to wade through several levels of menus to do something.
  1. Move the pointer over the Recycle Bin icon and click the right mouse button.
    A shortcut menu appears with a list of commands related to the Recycle Bin, as shown in Figure 1-15.
    Right-click an object to open a shortcut menu of commands for the object.
  2. Point to and click the Empty Recycle Bin option on the shortcut menu with the left mouse button
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Using the Keyboard
Figure 1-18: A standard keyboard (your computer may have a slightly different layout than the one pictured here).
Figure 1-19: The Shut Down Windows XP dialog box.
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.
  1. Press and hold down the Alt key, press the F4 key, then release both keys
    Pressing these keys commands the current program to close. Since you're using the Windows XP Desktop, the Shut Down Windows XP dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 1-19.
    We're not ready to shut Windows XP down just yet. Follow the next step to back out of the Shut Down Windows XP dialog box without selecting anything.
  2. Press the Esc key
    Pressing Esc does the same thing as clicking the Cancel button. The Shut Down Windows dialog box disappears and you're back at the Windows desktop.
Table 1-6 describes the Alt and Esc keys you just used, as well as some of the other confusing keys on the keyboard.
Table 1-6: Special Keys and Their Functions
Key(s)
Description
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Exiting Windows and Turning Off Your Computer
Figure 1-20: The Shut Down Windows dialog box.
At the end of the day when you've finished using your computer, you need to shut down Windows before you turn your computer off. Shutting down gives Windows a chance to tidy up after itself, saving information in the computer's memory to the local disk, cleaning up temporary files, and verifying that you've saved any changes you made to any files you worked on.
Should I turn my computer off at all? One of the great computer debates is whether you should turn your computer off at all. Some people turn off their computer whenever they're finished with it, just like a television set. Others don't turn their computers off—ever. People who turn their computers off at night say that keeping the computer on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week wears out the computer's mechanical components and wastes electricity. Other people say that leaving your computer on keeps temperature fluctuations down, which is better for the computer's delicate internal components. Plus, most new computers enter a standby or hibernate mode after a period of time, so they don't really consume that much power. Which method is best? That's a decision you'll have to make on your own. Some people turn their home computer off when they finish using it and leave their office computer on 24 hours a day.
Whether or not you turn your computer off, you should always follow the next few steps when you shut down your computer.
  1. Save all your work and exit all your programs.
    Saving any files you've been working on is the most important step of all when you shut down your computer. You should also consider backing up any vital information if you have a tape backup, Zip drive, or other backup device. You can also save any important files to a disk.
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Chapter One Review

A Look at Windows XP and What's New

Be able to define an operating system.

Starting and Logging On to Windows XP Home

To Log On to Windows XP Home Using the Welcome Screen: Click your account user name. Enter your account password if prompted.
To Log On to Windows XP Home Without the Welcome Screen: Enter your user name and password. If your account doesn't have a password, leave the text box blank. Press Enter or click OK.

Starting and Logging On to Windows XP Professional

To Log On To Windows XP Professional: Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete. Enter your user name and password. Make sure you are logging in to the correct domain. Press Enter or click OK.

Understanding the Windows XP Screen

Be able to identify the main components of the Windows screen.

A Look at the New Windows XP Start Menu

Be able to identify the new components of the Windows XP Start menu.

Using the Mouse: Pointing, Clicking, and Double-Clicking

To Point: Move the mouse so that the pointer is over the object.
To Click: Point to the object and press and release the left mouse button.
To Double-click: Point to the object and click the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.

Using the Mouse: Clicking and Dragging

Point to the object you want to click and drag and click and hold down the mouse button. While you're still holding down the mouse button, drag the object to the desired location on the screen, and then release the mouse button.

Using the Mouse: Right-Clicking

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Chapter 2: Working with a Window
Prerequisites
  • Know how to start and shut down Windows.
  • Know how to use the mouse to click, double-click, drag and drop, and right-click.
No doubt about it: computers are sophisticated, complex machines. To make computers easier to use, Microsoft designed Windows to operate similar to how you work at the desk in your office. When you work at your desk, you spread everything out, grab a piece of paper, work on it for a while, and then shuffle another piece of paper on top of it. That's how Windows works, except instead of working with papers, you work with windows— boxes that contain programs and information.
You can shuffle these windows around the screen just like you shuffle papers on your desk—which is why the main Windows screen is called the desktop. Just like your desk, if you're working with a lot of things at the same time, the Windows desktop can become messy and it can be very difficult to find things.
This chapter explains how to manage the windows and programs on your screen. First, you'll learn how to open a window. Next, you'll discover the parts that constitute a window (which are A LOT different than the ones on your house). Then you'll learn how to change the size of a window—minimizing it to a tiny little button that appears only on the taskbar and maximizing it so that it fills the entire screen. You'll also learn how to "shuffle" windows around, sending some to the background and bringing others up to the forefront. Let's get started!
Figure 2-1: Click the Start button to open the menu, and then point to All Programs to access the programs.
Figure 2-2: Click or point to Accessories to open the menu, and then click WordPad to start the program.
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Starting a Program
Figure 2-1: Click the Start button to open the menu, and then point to All Programs to access the programs.
Figure 2-2: Click or point to Accessories to open the menu, and then click WordPad to start the program.
Figure 2-3: The WordPad program.
To do just about anything with your computer, you need to run a program. A program is a complex set of instructions that tells your computer how to do something. Your word processor is a program, and so is the Solitaire game that comes with Windows. The easiest way to start a program is by clicking the Windows Start button and then selecting the program from the All Programs menu. This lesson explains one of the most basic operations you can do with Windows: starting, or launching, a program.
  1. Click the Start button .
    The Start menu pops up.
  2. Click All Programs .
    A menu listing the different program categories pops up above the Start menu, as shown in Figure 2-1.
  3. Click the word Accessories .
    Another menu, the Accessories menu, shoots out to the side of the All Programs menu, as shown in Figure 2-2. The program you want to load, WordPad, is in the Accessories menu. Can you find it?
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Understanding the Parts of a Window
Figure 2-4: The parts of a typical program window.
Figure 2-5: The parts of a typical Windows XP window.
Windows contain buttons and menus to control the program and window. Because windows are used in most programs, you need to use these buttons, menus, and controls. Here's the good news: once you find your way around a window for one program, you'll be familiar with the windows for most programs since this window/menu/button concept appears in just about every Windows program.
There are no exercises or homework for you in this lesson—it's here to help you become familiar with the parts of a window. Just look at Figure 2-4 and then refer to Table 2-1 to identify what you're looking at.
Table 2-1: Parts of a window
Part
Description
Title bar
Displays the name of the program or window, and the name of the document or file that's being used.
Minimize button
Minimizes a window, hiding it from your screen but still running in your computer's memory, ready for quick use. You can minimize a program you're not using so that it is still running but is out of sight.
Maximize/Restore button
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Minimizing, Maximizing, and Restoring a Window
Figure 2-6: The Minimize, Maximize, and Restore buttons appear in the upper right corner of most windows.
Figure 2-7: A window in a restored state fills up only part of the screen.
Figure 2-8: A window in a maximized state fills up the entire screen.
Figure 2-9: A window in a minimized state appears only as an button on the taskbar.
One of the benefits of Windows XP is that it enables you to open and work with several programs at the same time. To make working with several programs at once easier, you can change the size of the windows. You can maximize, or enlarge, a window so it takes up the entire screen; minimize, or reduce, a window so that it only appears as a button in the Windows taskbar; or size a window somewhere in between. This lesson explains how to change the size of a window by maximizing, minimizing, and restoring.
First, let's look at how to maximize a window. Some programs, such as word processors and Web browsers, are easier to work with when they fill the entire screen. To enlarge a window to fill your computer screen, click the Maximize button.
  1. Click the WordPad window's Maximize button— the middle button in WordPad's title bar
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Closing a Window
Figure 2-10: Click the Close button on the window you want to close.
Figure 2-11: The window disappears from your screen.
When you're finished working with a window or program, you can close it to remove it from the screen and computer's memory. You can close any window or program by clicking its Close button, which appears in the upper-right corner of the window.
  1. Click the WordPad window's Close button .
    The WordPad program closes. Notice the WordPad button no longer appears in the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen.
    That's all there is to closing a window or program.
    If a program has more than one window open, you can close all of its open windows by holding down the Shift key when you click the Close button for any window.
    Since you're going to be working with the WordPad program in the next few lessons, you will need to open it again.
  2. Click the Start button .
    The Windows XP Start menu appears.
  3. Select All Programs Accessories WordPad from the Start menu.
    The WordPad program window reappears.
If a window happens to be minimized, you need to restore it by clicking its button on the taskbar before you can see and click the window's close button.
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Moving a Window
Figure 2-12: Moving a window to a new location on the screen.
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.
Here's how to move a window:
  1. Position the mouse pointer over the title bar of the WordPad program.
    Remember that the title bar is the colored bar at the very top of a window or program. It displays the name of the program or window.
  2. Click the title bar and move the mouse while still holding down the mouse button.
    Yep, it's that drag and drop stuff you learned earlier. An outline of the window follows your mouse as you drag the window, as shown in Figure 2-12, showing you where you are moving it.
  3. Release the mouse button to drop the window to a new location.
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Sizing a Window
Figure 2-13: Changing the size of a window.
If you've been following the lessons in this chapter, you should already know how to change the size of a window or program by minimizing, maximizing, and restoring it. This lesson explains how to fine-tune the size of a window to meet your own specific needs.
  1. Make sure the WordPad program appears as a window and doesn't fill the entire screen.
    A window can't be maximized (fill up the entire screen) or minimized (a button on the taskbar) if you want to manually size it.
  2. Position the mouse pointer over the right border of the WordPad window until it changes to a , as shown in Figure 2-13 .
    The two arrows point in the directions that you can drag the window's border, in this case, left or right. Had you positioned the pointer over the top or bottom of the window, the pointer would have changed to a , indicating that you could drag the top or bottom of the window up or down.
    Windows is very picky where you place the pointer, and sometimes it can be tricky finding the exact spot where the pointer changes. It's there—just move the pointer slowly over the border until you find it.
  3. Click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to the right 1 inch.
    Notice that the window stretches as you drag the mouse. When the window is the size you want, you can release the mouse button.
  4. Release the mouse button
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Switching Between Windows
Figure 2-14: You can only work in one window at a time. Notice that WordPad appears in front and has a darker blue title bar.
Figure 2-15: Click the Calculator window or its button on the taskbar so that it appears in front.
Figure 2-16: Pressing Alt + Tab lists all the windows that are currently open.
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.
When you're working with multiple programs, be careful not to accidentally run a second copy of the same program. This wastes memory and makes things confusing. For example, if you've been using the Calculator program and want to bring it back up, make sure you check the taskbar to see if it's already running (a Calculator button appears on the taskbar). If it is, use any of the methods you've learned in this lesson to switch to it. If a program is already running and you load it again from the Start menu, a second copy of the program opens and two buttons for the program will appear on the taskbar.
This lesson explains how to switch between your open windows. There are actually several ways to switch between windows, and we'll cover all of them in this lesson. First, make sure you have several windows open ...
  1. Make sure the WordPad program is still open
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Tiling and Cascading Windows
Figure 2-17: Right-click any empty area of the taskbar to display its shortcut menu.
Figure 2-18: Tiled windows allow you to view the contents of all your open windows at once.
Figure 2-19: Cascaded windows neatly overlap each other.
When you have several windows or programs open, you can have Windows automatically arrange them for you, instead of manually resizing and pushing them around yourself. Windows can organize your windows in two different ways by tiling and cascading. This lesson will show you both methods and how they work.
To demonstrate how to tile and cascade windows, we need to open yet another program.
  1. Make sure the WordPad and Calculator programs are running.
    These programs should still be running from the previous lesson. If they're not, open them by clicking the Start button and selecting them from the All Programs Accessories menu.
    The third window we'll load for this exercise is the My Pictures window.
  2. Click the Start button and select My Pictures from the menu.
    You can find My Pictures on the right side of the Start menu.
    You're ready to have Windows arrange your windows.
  3. Right-click an empty area on the taskbar.
    A shortcut menu appears where you right-click. Be careful and make sure you right-click an empty area of the taskbar, otherwise the wrong shortcut menu will appear. Your shortcut menu should look like the one in the margin, or in Figure 2-17.
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Chapter Two Review

Starting a Program

Start a program by clicking the Start button and selecting All Programs from the menu. Navigate through the list of programs by pointing to any menu or submenu. Once you find the program you want to run, click the name of the program.

Understanding the Parts of a Window

Be able to identify a window's title bar, menu, minimize, maximize, and close buttons.

Minimizing, Maximizing and Restoring a Window

Maximize a window so that it fills the entire screen by clicking its Maximize button, or by double-clicking its title bar .
Restore a window to its previous size by clicking its Restore button, or by double-clicking its title bar .
Minimize a window so that it only appears as an button on the taskbar by clicking the window's Minimize button.
Restore a minimized window by clicking its button on the taskbar.

Closing a Window

To Close a Window: Click its Close button, or select File Exit from the menu, or right-click the window's button on the taskbar and select Close from the shortcut menu, or press Alt + F4 .
To Close All Open Windows: Close all open windows by holding down the Shift key while you click the Close button of any window.

Moving a Window

Click and drag the window by its title bar. Release the mouse button to drop the window in the desired location on the screen.

Sizing a Window

Point at the window's borders or corners until the pointer changes to a double-arrow . Click and hold do