Section 1.1. Launching Word

1.1. Launching Word

The first time you launch Word after installation, the program asks you to confirm your name and initials. This isn't Microsoft's nefarious plan to pin you down: Word uses this information to identify documents that you create and modify. Word uses your initials to mark your edits when you review and add comments to Word documents that other people send to you (Section 16.3).

You have three primary ways to fire up Word, so use whichever method you find quickest:

• Start menu . The Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen gives you access to all programs on your PCWord included. To start Word, choose Start All Programs Microsoft Office Microsoft Office Word.

• Quick Launch toolbar . The Quick Launch toolbar at the bottom of your screen (just to the right of the Start menu) is a great place to start programs you use frequently. Microsoft modestly assumes that you'll be using Word a lot, so it usually installs the Word icon in the Quick Launch toolbar. To start using Word, just click the W icon, and voil !

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  Tip: When you don't see the Quick Launch toolbar, here's how to display it: On the bar at the bottom of your screen, right-click an empty spot. From the menu that pops up, choose Toolbars Quick Launch. When youre done, icons for some of your programs appear in the bottom bar. A single click fires up the program.

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• Opening a Word document . Once you've created some Word documents, this method is fastest of all, since you don't have to start Word as a separate step. Just open an existing Word document, and Word starts itself. Try going to Start My Recent Documents, and then, from the list of files, choose a Word document. You can also double-click the documents icon on the desktop or wherever it lives on your PC.

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Tip: If you need to get familiar with the Start menu, Quick Launch toolbar, and other Windows features, then pick up a copy of Windows XP: The Missing Manual , Second Edition or Windows Vista: The Missing Manual .

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So, what happens once you've got Word's motor running? If you're a newcomer, you're probably just staring with curiosity . If you're familiar with previous versions of Word, though, you may be doing a double take (Figure 1-1). In Word 2007, Microsoft combined all the old menus and toolbars into a new feature called the ribbon. Click one of the tabs above the ribbon, and you see the command buttons change below. The ribbon commands are organized into groups, with the name of each group listed at the bottom. (See Figure 1-1 for more detail on the ribbon.)