From TechHelp

This article is meant to provide users a brief overview of the basics of using Microsoft Windows XP. It is in no way an exhaustive article and should be written to provide basic skills for new users to computers or to the Microsoft Windows XP operating system.

Contents 1 Login Screen 2 Start Menu & Taskbar 3 Terminology 4 File Management 4.1 My Computer 4.2 Network Drives 4.3 My Documents 4.4 Shared Documents 4.5 Folders 5 Files

[edit] Login Screen

Recognizing that some computers are used by many people Microsoft Windows XP allows multiple accounts on one computer. When the computer is turned on and the operating system boots up the user will see a Windows XP login screen. To login to the computer, simply click the appropriate user account and type in the password (if applicable). If you do not have a user account see your technology administrator or help desk to set a user account for you. When you have successfully logged in to the computer your personal settings for your account will load.

[edit] Start Menu & Taskbar

To begin using the programs and files on the computer it is best to begin at the Start button in the lower left corner. This is known as the Start Menu. When you click upon this button a list of frequently or recently used programs appears along with some other options. To access a list of programs or software on the computer click All Programs

[edit] Terminology

Application

A program or piece of software designed to perform a specific task. Common examples include word processing applications (Microsoft Word), spreadsheets (Microsoft Excel), or mind mapping applications (Inspiration or Kidspiration).

Browser

A browser is software that allows users to access and display sites and pages on the Internet. Browsers are also known as Internet or web browsers. There are a wide variety of web browers, however, by default Microsoft Windows XP comes bundled with Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Ctrl+Alt+Del

Refers to the action of simultaneously pressing the Control (Ctrl), Alternate (Alt), and Delete (Del) key on the keyboard to Logout, Restart or Shutdown a Window-based computer.

File Format

Any document, spreadsheet, database, picture, video, audio, etc. that is used on a computer is stored as a type of file. Each type of file is stored in different format. That said, similar types of files can also be stored as different file formats. You can identify the file format by looking at the name and extension of the file (i.e. - picture.jpg). In this example, the picture file is stored in the JPEG format. However, there are many different picture formats that computers and software use (i.e. - .gif, .tiff, .bmp)

Right Click

The action of pressing the right button located on the mouse. This will bring up a quick list of commands relating to the object being clicked upon. Commands available may vary in different software applications and computers.

Main Menus

Most software applications provide a main menu that is a list of menus located at the top of the application window. the most commonly used menus are File, Edit, View, Tools and Window. A right click placed upon this menu area will bring up a list of Toolbars that can be added to the window.

Maximize

Working with in a window you can maximize the size of the window to fill the screen. Click on the rectangle icon located in the upper right hand corner of the application or file window.

Minimize

When working with a file or application it is common to need to refer to another file or web browser for more information. Using the minimize icon (the "underscore" icon) in the upper right hand corner will minimize the window to the taskbar.

Toolbar

Toolbars provide additional tools, represented by icons, that are easily accessible in the application window. Toolbars are added by users to access tools that are used often, otherwise the same tools are accessible through the main menus.

[edit] File Management

The effective use of a computer relies on how the user interacts with it. Effective use stems from the ability of a user to store files and information in meaningful ways. Microsoft Windows XP helps users to organize their information in a hierarchical structure. Not unlike a physical file cabinet, files on a computer are sorted in folders. Folders may contain other folders or files that relate to the title of that folder.

Drives > Folders > Files

[edit] My Computer

Opening My Computer you will see all disk drives available to you. These includes local computer drives (hard drive (C:), floppy disk, CD-ROM, DVD, Zip drives as well as portable media drives) and network drives (shared network drives).

[edit] Network Drives

If you are logeed in to a computer on a network (at work or school for instance) you may have access to several network drives. These drives allow users to access and share files with a large number of people without having to use the same computer. Typically, if you are logging into a network you will have a network drive available to you. If you are unsure if you have access to network drives, check with the network administrator.

[edit] My Documents

This folder is where your local files may be stored. When you log into your account you will be able to access these files. Other users will cannot access this folder unless sharing is turned on (by default it is not).

[edit] Shared Documents

The Shared Documents folder allows users of the same computer to access files without having to log in as another user. If you plan to share a file with other users of the same computer, it is a good idea to save it in the Shared Documents folder.

[edit] Folders

By default any folder that you create or is created by the computer looks like this. These icons in general mean that there is more information within the folder. You may find folders that are created by applications such as iTunes or Smartboard software.

[edit] Files

People often compare a computers file structure to a filing cabinet. If you were to continue to with this analogy you'd find that files were the individual pieces of paper that are stored in your hanging file. Just as different paper has a certain characteristic, such as college ruled, graph paper, and card stock, computer files had specific characteristics as well. These characteristics are related to the kind of program the file was created with.