Part 3. USING MICROSOFT WINDOWS XP

Microsoft Windows XP is a piece of software called an operating system . An operating system does what its name implies it operates your computer system, working in the background every time you turn on your PC.

Equally important, Windows is what you see when you first turn on your computer, after everything turns on and boots up. The desktop that fills your screen is part of Windows, as is the taskbar at the bottom of the screen and the big menu that pops up when you click the Start button.

EXPLORING THE WINDOWS DESKTOP

POINTING AND CLICKING

To use Windows efficiently , you must master a few simple operations, all of which you perform with your mouse. The most common mouse operation is pointing and clicking . Simply move the mouse so the cursor is pointing to the object you want to select, and then click the left mouse button once.

Position the cursor over the icon or button.

Click the left mouse button.

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Click to Select

Pointing and clicking is an effective way to select icons, menu items, directories, and files.

DOUBLE-CLICKING

If you're using Windows XP's default operating mode, you'll need to double-click an item to activate an operation. This involves pointing at something onscreen with the cursor and then clicking the left mouse button twice in rapid succession. For example, to open a program, simply double-click a specific icon.

Position the cursor over the icon or button.

Click the left mouse button twice in rapid succession.

RIGHT-CLICKING

When you select an item and then click the right mouse button, you'll often see a pop-up menu. This menu, when available, contains commands that directly relate to the selected object. Refer to your individual programs to see whether and how they use the right mouse button.

Position the cursor over the icon or button.

Click the right mouse button.

DRAGGING AND DROPPING

Dragging is a variation of clicking. To drag an object, point at it with the cursor and then press and hold down the left mouse button. Move the mouse without releasing the mouse button, and drag the object to a new location. When you're done moving the object, release the mouse button to drop the object onto the new location.

Position the cursor over the icon or button.

Click and hold the left mouse button.

Drag the icon or button to a new position.

Release the mouse button.

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Moving Files

You can use dragging and dropping to move files from one folder to another or to delete files by dragging them onto the Recycle Bin icon.

HOVERING

When you position the cursor over an item without clicking, you're hovering over that item. Many operations require you to hover your cursor and then perform some other action.

Position the cursor over the icon or button without clicking.

Read the ToolTip text.

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ToolTips

When you hover your cursor over a cursor or menu item, Windows displays a ToolTip that tells you a little about the selected item.

MOVING A WINDOW

Every software program you launch (as explained later in this chapter in the task "Opening a Program") is displayed in a separate onscreen window. To move a window, click the window's title bar and drag the window anywhere on the desktop. When you release the mouse button, the window stays where you put it.