Windows XP

Windows Basic

Look around

Ø      When you click on start button, pop up will appear.  The picture at the top of pop up with its name to its right will show user account currently using. Pop up contains internet applications, my computer, all programs installed to the computer, also log off (to sign out from current user), and turn off computer.

Ø      Start button is within blue bar which is called “taskbar”.  It shows application’s status (what application is opened, which is activated <currently used>), language and time.

Using Mouse and Keyboard

Ø      Basic used of mouse: click (to select item), double click (to launch applications), right click (to show item’s pop up which contains commands of select file: open, print, rename, properties, etc. depends on its type), drag (hold down left button and move to destination.  This can be used to move, copy, files), wheel (to zoom in and out in some applications, scroll up and down).

Ø      Keyboard: Use to type.  Enter (to go to next line), Backspace (to remove backward <text before cursor>), Delete (Del) (to remove text after cursor), Ctrl, Alt, Shift (support function, must be used with other letter, except Shift which can be used alone to changed the letter between lowercase and capital letters), Window button (the button that contains windows’ logo – used to open start menu pop up).

Folder Component

Ø      Each folder window contains title bar which shows current folder’s name, and to its right, there are 3 buttons: minimize, maximize (restore down), close.  Menu bar (contains command pop up), tool bar (contains often used command), address bar (contains location), status bar (show status of select file).

Windows XP Major Program

Ø      In you start pop up: communication (network), entertainment (multimedia), system tools (organize window system), address book, calculator, notepad, paint, windows movie maker, wordpad, internet explorer, msn explorer, outlook express, windows media player, msn messenger.

Select Icons

Ø      Click to select an item.

Ø      If you want to select more than one, hold down CTRL key and click items.

Ø      Drag to select item.

Ø      To rename a file: click on its name or press F2 key.  To rename more than one file: select files, type in at one of the name and the rest will change following by numbers.

 

Create Shortcut

Ø      To move – drag item to where you want it to be.

Ø      To copy – hold down CTRL key and drag to where you want it to be.

Ø      To create shortcut – right drag to destination, it will appear pop up when you drop which contains command – copy, move, create shortcut.

Ø      Deleting shortcut does not affect the original item.

 

Customize Windows XP

Display Properties

Ø      To customize screen (right click on screen > display)

Ø      You can change themes, wallpaper, customize desktop, screen saver (screen while not using), appearance (color, fonts, similar to themes), settings (color setting, screen resolution).

Task bar

Ø      Customize taskbar and start menu (right click on taskbar space or start menu > taskbar manager, or go to control panel > taskbar and start menu.

Ø      User can set taskbar option which can be: lock taskbar, auto hide (hide when not in used).  User can also customize start menu to different view of its pop up.  User can set anything that will appear on the taskbar.

Start Menu

Ø      To customize program in start pop up

Ø      User can create new list, move, or delete

Folder Options

Ø      To customize folder(s) (select tools on menu bar > folder option or control panel > folder option)

Ø      User can set its option, for example: to show hidden folder(s), can select picture for folder (thumbnails view)

File Type

Ø      User can edit command on each item pop up, change icon.  User can also select default application to open each file type.

Customize Folder

Ø      To customize icon on folder’s tool bar.  User can select or remove command icon(s).

Change Logon Icon

Ø      Click on the picture on start pop up to change.  User can browse for more pictures.

Custom Sound Events

Ø      User can set sound using in windows.  For example: when log on, log off, windows start up, alert, etc.

 

Using Windows XP

 

Common Task

Ø      This contains task shortcut.  It is different, depends on a window that user opens such as pictures’ folder, music will result different command of common task.

Folder Command

Ø      On menu bar, there are several commands: file (to create new file, folder, etc.), edit (to cut, copy, paste, etc.), view (to change to different views), etc.

Windows Explorer

Ø      Show directories (folders) on the left and contents on the right.

Ø      Click + / - in front of each folder icon to show / hide sub items.

Ø      Using drag and drop to move, copy files.

Search

Ø      Put in destination, type of file you want to search

Ø      To type in, if you are not sure in your file name, you can use “*” or “?” to place what you do not remember.  For example: “a*” to search file name started with “a”, or “a??” to search file name started with a following by 2 other letters which can be “alt” or something that you do not remember.

Ø      User can also change search setting

Compression Folder

Ø      Compressed folder or zipped folder is to decrease folder’s size.  User can create compresses folder by right click on space on a window, then select new > compressed folder.  Put files in.

Ø      To unzip folder: select zipped folder, click extract all files, it will launch extraction wizard.  User can set the destination.

Recycle Bin

Ø      Contains file you want to delete

Ø      This bin does not permanently delete your files, you must empty your bin.

Ø      User can also set its properties.

Using Scanner

Ø      Connect your scanner, then scan icon will appear in my computer.

Ø      User can set scanning preference.

Ø      When using scanner, user can preview page before scan onto computer, and also select file type, destination.

Ø      Scanner also can be launch from specific application such as Paint.

Digital Camera

Ø      When it is connected, computer will automatically launch the wizard.  User can copy files from camera onto their computer, take a picture through the command of window (does not have to press shutter on camera).

Using CD-Rom

Ø      When CD is put into computer, system will pop up a dialogue.  Select the action (actions are different, depend on type of CD).  User can set default action.

Ø      To copy music file using Windows Media Player.  Select copy from CD, tick on song(s) you’d like to copy, then press copy music button on top.  If you have burner, you can create audio CD.  Select copy to CD or device (left).  Select album that you already copied to.  Then copy music.

Ø      CD-RW can be re-written, windows can erase or add files into CD.

 

Accessories

Text Editors

Ø      Notepad: to note something.  Font can use only one type for all file.

Ø      WordPad: can import picture, edit align of the page, fonts are set separately, can set margin, bullet, also create bitmap image (will launch Paint to create).

Ø      User can print with both applications.

Paint

Ø      User can open JPG file, crop file, scale, capture screen (press print screen button on keyboard > paste in paint).

Ø      User can draw shapes, also can connect to scanner or camera to get pictures.

Windows Movie Maker

Ø      To edit video: user can import video file, picture file, and audio file to use in a video.  User can change view to picture frame or timeline, zoom in and out.  To do transition between clip file, just drag the file over the previous file.  When you are done editing, save project, then save movie (set quality, description).  Then program will render the video, its render speed depends on length, and speed of your computer.

Ø      Option view: user can create duration of still image.

Magnifier

Ø      To zoom in working area, it will be a pop up window which can be moved anywhere.

Ø      User can set its settings such as if you want magnifier to follow your cursor or not.

Narrator

Ø      This application is used to read your text, information, data (in English).

Ø      Can set what to read, voice, speed, volume.

On-Screen Keyboard

Ø      In case you do not have keyboard or uncomfortable to use.  This will show your keyboard on screen.  You can set its character, anything just like your manual keyboard.

Ø      This can be used in any application.

Compatibility Wizard

Ø      To set application’s condition: some application cannot work on Windows XP but can use on Windows 98.  You can use this to set mode, display setting, etc.

System Restore

Ø      Sometimes when user install an application and not complete, there will be a trash file, and sometimes causing windows error.  Before this error occur, user can create restore point and when your system starts to occur, you can go back to the restore point.

Schedule Task

Ø      To set sort of alarm and launch application you set to open by those time.

Disk Checking

Ø      To check disk space and remove unwanted files, components (disk cleanup), organize files (disk defragmenter), checking error and fix problems (scan disk).

Character map

Ø      To show type face, key stroke of alphabet (how to put those unique characters into application by typing.

Ø      Can be copied and paste to any application.

 

Control Panel

Simple Tools

Ø      Date and time (set current date and time, time zone)

Ø      Display properties (themes, wallpaper, , screen saver, appearance, settings, etc.)

Ø      Folder option (to customize folders)

Ø      Fonts (to view font face, install, uninstall font(s))

Ø      Keyboard (setting properties: speed, delay, etc.)

Ø      Mouse (to set pointers, cursor face, etc.)

Ø      Power option (to set time automatically shut down, sleep, stand by, for hard disk, monitor, computer, etc.)

Printer

Ø      To show current printer install on computer, can be added or removed

Regional Settings

Ø      To set multiple languages, install other language fonts such as Japanese, Chinese (so users can view those languages especially from internet).

Ø      To set keyboard setting, how to switch language.

Add or Remove Program

Ø      Often used to remove application rather than add.

Ø      To remove unused software or windows components

User Accounts

Ø      To create, set an account in case you have more than one user in one computer.

Ø      Administer account will be normal, you can do anything.  Limit will limit user, some applications cannot be used and some files cannot be shared.

Sound and Audio Devices

Ø      To control volume of device, speaker, microphone (for recording).

Ø      Launch mixer

Text to Speech

Ø      To use this option to speak a type-in word, sentence.  User can choose voice to speak, set speed.

System Performance

Ø      Use when your window seems to run slow unusually.

Ø      To turn on and off some effects, to speed up your window.

Disk Management

Ø      To create partition, to format each drive, to delete.

MS – Dos Startup Disk

Ø      When your computer cannot boot up.

Ø      To create MS - Dos, format floppy disk, tick on “create an MS-DOS startup disk”.