THE DESKTOP

Opening programs from the Start menu

One of the most common uses of the Start menu is opening programs installed on your computer. To open a program shown in the left pane of the Start menu, click it. The program opens and the Start menu closes.

If you don't see the program you want to open, click All Programs at the bottom of the left pane. Instantly, the left pane displays a long list of programs in alphabetical order, followed by a list of folders:

Clicking one of the program icons launches the program, and the Start menu closes. So what's inside the folders? More programs. Click Accessories, for example, and a list of programs that are stored in that folder appears. Click any program to open it. To get back to the programs you saw when you first opened the Start menu, click Back near the bottom of the menu.

If you're ever unsure what a program does, move the pointer over its icon or name. A box appears that often contains a description of the program. For example, pointing to Calculator displays this message: "Performs basic arithmetic tasks with an on-screen calculator." This trick works for items in the right pane of the Start menu, too.

You might notice that over time, the lists of programs in your Start menu change. This happens for two reasons. First, when you install new programs, they get added to the All Programs list. Second, the Start menu detects which programs you use the most, and it places them in the left pane for quick access.

The Search box

The Search box is one of the most convenient ways to find things on your computer. The exact location of the items doesn't matter—the Search box will scour your programs and all of the folders in your personal folder (which includes Documents, Pictures, Music, Desktop, and other common locations). It will also search your email messages, saved instant messages, appointments, and contacts.

Personal Folder is a folder containing your most frequently used folders (such as Documents, Pictures, Music, Favorites, Contacts, and other folders that are specific to your user account).  The personal folder is labeled with the name you use to log on to your computer and is located at the top of the start menu.

To use the Search box, open the Start menu and start typing. You don't need to click inside the box first. As you type, the search results appear above the Search box in the left pane of the Start menu.

A program, file, or folder will appear as a search result if:

• Any word in its title matches or begins with your search term.
• Any text in the actual contents of the file—such as the text in a word-processing document—matches or begins with your search term.
• Any word in a property of the file, such as the author, matches or begins with your search term. (For more information about file properties, see View the properties for a file.)

Click any search result to open it. Or, click the Clear button to clear the search results and return to the main programs list. You can also click See all results to display the search results in a folder with more advanced options; or Search the Internet to open your web browser and search the Internet for your term. If your search produced no results, you can click Search Everywhere to search your entire computer.

Besides programs, files and folders, and communications, the Search box also looks through your Internet favorites and the history of websites you've visited. If any of these webpages include the search term, they appear under a heading called "Favorites and History."

What's in the right pane?

The right pane of the Start menu contains links to parts of Windows that you're likely to use frequently. Here they are, from top to bottom:

• Personal folder. Opens your personal folder, which is named for whoever is currently logged on to Windows. For example, if the current user is Molly Clark, the folder will be named Molly Clark. This folder, in turn, contains user-specific files, including the Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders.
• Documents. Opens the Documents folder, where you can store and open text files, spreadsheets, presentations, and other kinds of documents.
• Pictures. Opens the Pictures folder, where you can store and view digital pictures and graphics files.
• Music. Opens the Music folder, where you can store and play music and other audio files.
• Games. Opens the Games folder, where you can access all of the games on your computer.
• Search. Opens a window where you can search your computer using advanced options.
• Recent Items. Opens a list of files you've opened recently. Click one of the files in the list to open it.
• Computer. Opens a window where you can access disk drives, cameras, printers, scanners, and other hardware connected to your computer.
• Network. Opens a window where you can access the computers and devices on your network.
• Connect To. Opens a window where you can connect to a new network.
• Control Panel. Opens Control Panel, where you can customize the appearance and functionality of your computer, add or remove programs, set up network connections, and manage user accounts.
• Default Programs. Opens a window where you can choose which program you want Windows to use for activities like web browsing, editing pictures, sending email, and playing music and videos.
• Help and Support. Opens Windows Help and Support, where you can browse and search Help topics about using Windows and your computer. See Getting help.

Power button (left); Lock button (right)

At the bottom of the right pane are two buttons: the Power button and the Lock button. Click the Power button to turn off your computer, or click the Lock button to lock your computer without turning it off. Once locked, your computer cannot be used until you unlock it with your password.

Clicking the arrow next to the lock button displays a menu with additional options for switching users, logging off, restarting, or shutting down. For more information, see Log off from Windows and Turn off a computer: frequently asked questions.

Note

• The Switch User option does not appear on the Start menu in Windows Vista Starter.

Customize the Start menu

You can control which items appear in the Start menu. For example, you can add icons for your favorite programs to the Start menu for easy access, or remove programs from the list. You can also choose to hide or display certain items in the right pane. See Customize the Start menu.

Organizing the Start menu can make it easier to find your favorite programs and folders.

Note

• Some of the following steps do not apply if you're using the Classic Start menu.

To pin a program icon to the Start menu

If you use a program regularly, you can create a shortcut to it by pinning the program icon to the Start menu. Pinned program icons appear on the left side of the Start menu, above the horizontal line.

A shortcut is a link to any item accessible on your computer or on a network, such as a program, file, folder, disk drive, printer, or another computer.  You can put shortcuts in various areas, such as on the desktop, on the Start menu, or in specific folders.

·         Right-click the program icon you want to pin to the Start menu, and then click Pin to Start Menu.

Notes

·         To unpin a program icon, right-click it, and then click Unpin from Start Menu.

·         To change the order of a pinned item, drag the program icon to a new position in the list.

Removing a program icon from the Start menu doesn't remove it from the All Programs list or uninstall the program.

1. Click the Start button.
2. Right-click the program icon you want to remove from the Start menu, and then click Remove from this list.

The Start button is located on the taskbar. Although you can't remove the Start button from the taskbar, you can move the taskbar—and the Start button along with it.

1. Right-click an empty space on the taskbar. If Lock the Taskbar has a check mark beside it, click it to remove the check mark.
2. Click an empty space on the taskbar, and then hold down the mouse button as you drag the taskbar to one of the four edges of the desktop. When the taskbar is where you want it, release the mouse button.

Note

·         To lock the taskbar into place, right-click an empty space on the taskbar, and then click Lock the Taskbar so that the check mark reappears.

Clearing the Recent Items list does not delete the items from your computer.

1. Click the Start button .
2. Right-click Recent Items, and then click Clear Recent Items List.

Windows displays shortcuts on the Start menu for the programs you use most frequently. You can change the number of program shortcuts displayed.

1. Click the Start Menu tab, and then click Customize.
2. In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, in the Number of recent programs to display box, enter the number of programs you want to display on the Start menu, and then click OK.

You can add or remove items, such as Computer, Control Panel, and Pictures, that appear on the right side of the Start menu. You can also change some items so that they appear as links or menus.

1. Click the Start Menu tab, and then click Customize.
2. In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, select the options in the list that you want, and then click OK.

You can restore the Start menu to its original, default settings.

1. Click the Start Menu tab, and then click Customize.
2. In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, click Use Default Settings, and then click OK.

 To search for programs from the Start menu

·         Click the Start button, and then type a word or phrase in the Search box.

To add the Run command to the Start menu

1. Click the Start Menu tab, and then click Customize.
2. In the Customize Start Menu dialog box, scroll through the list of options to find the Run command check box, select it, and then click OK.

You're likely to use the middle section of the taskbar the most, so we'll discuss that first.

Keep track of your windows

If you open more than one program or document at a time, you can quickly start piling up windows on your desktop. Because windows often cover each other or take up the whole screen, it's sometimes hard to see what else is underneath or remember what you've already opened.

That's where the taskbar comes in handy. Whenever you open a program, folder, or document, Windows creates a button on the taskbar corresponding to that item. The button shows the icon and name of the item. In the picture below, two programs are open—Calculator and Minesweeper—and each has its own button on the taskbar.

Notice how the taskbar button for Minesweeper appears pressed in. That indicates that Minesweeper is the active window, meaning that it's in front of any other open windows and is ready for you to interact with.

To switch to another window, click its taskbar button. In our example, clicking the taskbar button for Calculator brings its window to the front:

Clicking taskbar buttons is only one of several ways to switch between windows. For more information, see Working with windows.

Minimize and restore windows

When a window is active (its taskbar button appears pressed down), clicking its taskbar button minimizes the window. That means that the window disappears from the desktop. Minimizing a window doesn't close it or delete its contents—it merely removes it from the desktop temporarily.

In the picture below, Calculator has been minimized, but not closed. You can tell it's still running because it has a button on the taskbar.

You can also minimize a window by clicking the Minimize button, in the upper-right corner of the window:

To restore a minimized window (make it show up again on the desktop), click its taskbar button. For more information about these buttons, see Working with windows.

How the taskbar groups similar items

As you open more windows, you'll see existing taskbar buttons shrink in width to let new buttons squeeze in. However, if the taskbar becomes too crowded with buttons, then the buttons for the same program will be grouped into a single button.

To see how this works, suppose you have three Paint pictures open on the desktop. If the taskbar has enough room, it displays the three Paint windows as separate buttons:

But if you have many programs and documents open, the taskbar collapses these three buttons into a single button that shows the name of the group (Paint) and the number of items in the group (3). Clicking the button displays a menu listing the files in the group:

Clicking one of the items in the menu activates its window so you can see it.

Tip

·         To close all of the items in the group, right-click the group's taskbar button, and then click Close Group.

See previews of your open windows

When you move your mouse pointer to a taskbar button, a small picture appears that shows you a miniature version of the corresponding window. This preview, also called a thumbnail, is especially useful if you can't identify a window by its title alone. And if one of your windows has video or animation playing, you'll see it playing in the preview.

When you move your mouse pointer to a taskbar button, a small picture appears that shows you a miniature version of the corresponding window. This preview, also called a thumbnail, is especially useful if you can't identify a window by its title alone. And if one of your windows has video or animation playing, you'll see it playing in the preview.

When you point to a grouped taskbar button, you'll see a stack of previews, but only the topmost preview will be visible.

Note

• Taskbar window previews won't work unless your computer is running Windows Aero, the premium visual experience of Windows Vista. Aero is not available in Windows Vista Starter or Windows Vista Home Basic.

The Quick Launch toolbar

To the immediate right of the Start button is the Quick Launch toolbar. As its name implies, it lets you launch (start) programs with a single click. For example, click the Internet Explorer icon to start Internet Explorer.

You can customize the Quick Launch toolbar by adding your favorite programs to it. Locate the program in the Start menu, right-click it, and then click Add to Quick Launch. (If you don't see this option, you can also drag the program's icon to the Quick Launch toolbar.) The program's icon now appears in the toolbar. To remove an icon from the Quick Launch toolbar, right-click it, click Delete, and then click Yes.

By default, the Quick Launch toolbar also contains two special buttons. Click the Show Desktop button to temporarily hide all open windows and show the desktop; click the button again to show all windows again. Click the Switch between windows button to switch between open windows using Windows Flip 3D. For more information, see Working with windows.

Notes

• If you don't see icons that you've added to the Quick Launch toolbar, and you see double chevrons instead, it means that the icons won't fit in the toolbar. You can click the double chevrons to access the hidden toolbar programs, but it's better to resize the toolbar to preserve one-click access to them.

To resize the Quick Launch toolbar

1.  
2.  

• If your computer isn't running Windows Aero, clicking the Switch between windows button won't open Flip 3D. Instead, you'll see the same window as you would if you pressed ALT+TAB on your keyboard.

The notification area

The notification area, on the far right side of the taskbar, includes a clock and a group of icons. It looks like this:

These icons communicate the status of something on your computer or provide access to certain settings. The set of icons you see depends on which programs or services you have installed and how your computer manufacturer set up your computer.

When you move your pointer to a particular icon, you will see that icon's name or the status of a setting. For example, pointing to the volume icon shows the current volume level of your computer. Pointing to the network icon displays information about whether you are connected to a network, the connection speed, and the signal strength.

Double-clicking an icon in the notification area usually opens the program or setting associated with it. For example, double-clicking the volume icon opens the volume controls. Double-clicking the network icon opens Network and Sharing Center.

Occasionally, an icon in the notification area will display a small pop-up window (called a notification) to notify you about something. For example, after adding a new hardware device to your computer, you might see this:

Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the notification to dismiss it. If you don't do anything, the notification will fade away on its own after a few seconds.

To reduce clutter, Windows hides icons in the notification area when you haven't used them in a while. If icons become hidden, click the Show hidden icons button to temporarily display the hidden icons.

Customize the taskbar

There are many ways to customize the taskbar to suit your preferences. For example, you can move the entire taskbar to the left, right, or top edge of the screen. You can make the taskbar larger, have Windows automatically hide it when you're not using it, and add toolbars to it.

Working with windows

In this article

• Parts of a window
• Moving a window
• Changing the size of a window
• Hiding a window
• Closing a window
• Switching between windows
• Arranging windows automatically
• Dialog boxes

Whenever you open a program, file, or folder, it appears on your screen in a box or frame called a window (that's where the Windows operating system gets its name). Because windows are everywhere in Windows, it's important to understand how to move them, change their size, or just make them go away.

Parts of a window

Although the contents of every window are different, all windows share some things in common. For one thing, windows always appear on the desktop—the main work area of your screen. In addition, most windows have the same basic parts:

• Title bar. Displays the name of the document and program (or the folder name if you're working in a folder).
• Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons. These buttons hide the window, enlarge it to fill the whole screen, and close it, respectively (more details on these shortly).
• Menu bar. Contains items that you can click to make choices in a program. Scroll bar. Lets you scroll the contents of the window to see information that is currently out of view.
• Borders and corners. You can drag these with your mouse pointer to change the size of the window.

Other windows might have additional buttons, boxes, or bars. But they'll usually have the basic parts, too.

Using menus, buttons, bars, and boxes

Menus, buttons, scroll bars, and check boxes are examples of controls that you operate with your mouse or keyboard. These controls allow you to select commands, change settings, or work with windows. This section describes how to recognize and use controls that you'll encounter frequently while using Windows.

Using menus

Most programs contain dozens or even hundreds of commands (actions) that you use to work the program. Many of these commands are organized under menus. Like a restaurant menu, a program menu shows you a list of choices. To keep the screen uncluttered, menus are hidden until you click their titles in the menu bar, located just underneath the title bar. For example, clicking "Image" in Paint's menu bar displays the Image menu:

To choose one of the commands listed in a menu, click it. Sometimes a dialog box appears, in which you can select further options. If a command is unavailable and cannot be clicked, it is shown in gray, like the Crop command in the picture.

Some menu items are not commands at all. Instead, they open other menus. In the following picture, pointing to "Zoom" opens a submenu. Pointing to "Custom" in the submenu would open yet another submenu.

A small windows that contains options for completing a task.  For example, the first time you save a file, a dialog box appears with options for naming the file and choosing which folder to save it in.

If you don't see the command you want, try looking at another menu. Move your mouse pointer along the menu bar and its menus open automatically; you don't need to click the menu bar again. To close a menu without selecting any commands, click the menu bar or any other part of the window.

Recognizing menus isn't always easy, because not all menu controls look alike or even appear on a menu bar. So how can you spot them? When you see an arrow next to a word or picture, you're probably looking at a menu control. Here are some examples:

Tips

• If a keyboard shortcut is available for a command, it is shown next to the command.

• You can operate menus using your keyboard instead of your mouse.

Using scroll bars

When a document, webpage, or picture exceeds the size of its window, scroll bars appear to allow you to see the information that is currently out of view. The following picture shows the parts of a scroll bar.

To operate a scroll bar:

• Click the up or down scroll arrows to scroll the window's contents up or down in small steps. Hold down the mouse button to scroll continuously.
• Click an empty area of a scroll bar above or below the scroll box to scroll up or down one page.
• Drag a scroll box up, down, left, or right to scroll the window in that direction.

Tip

• If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you can use it to scroll through documents and webpages. To scroll down, roll the wheel backward (toward you). To scroll up, roll the wheel forward (away from you).

Using command buttons

A command button performs a command (makes something happen) when you click it. You'll most often see them in dialog boxes, which are small windows that contain options for completing a task. For example, if you close a Paint picture without saving it first, you might see a dialog box like this:

To close the picture, you must first click either the Yes or No button. Clicking Yes saves the picture and any changes you've made, and clicking No deletes the picture and discards any changes you've made. Clicking Cancel dismisses the dialog box and returns you to the program.

Tip

• Pressing ENTER does the same thing as clicking a command button that is selected (outlined).

Outside of dialog boxes, command buttons vary in appearance, so it's sometimes difficult to know what's a button and what isn't. For example, command buttons often appear as small icons (pictures) without any text or rectangular frame. The picture below shows a variety of command buttons:

The most reliable way to determine if something is a command button is to rest your pointer on it. If it "lights up" and becomes framed with a rectangle, you've discovered a button. Most buttons will also display some text about their function when you point to them:

If a button changes into two parts when you point to it, you've discovered a split button. Clicking the main part of the button performs a command, whereas clicking the arrow opens a menu with more options.

Using option buttons

Option buttons allow you to make one choice among two or more options. They frequently appear in dialog boxes. The picture below shows three option buttons. The "Flip vertical" option is selected.

To select an option, click one of the buttons. Only one option can be selected.

Using check boxes

Check boxes allow you to select one or more independent options. Unlike option buttons, which restrict you to one choice, check boxes allow you to choose multiple options at the same time.

To operate check boxes:

• Click an empty square to select or "turn on" that option. A check mark will appear in the square, indicating that the option is selected.
• To turn off an option, clear (remove) its check mark by clicking it.
• Options that currently can't be selected or cleared are shown in gray.

Using sliders

A slider lets you adjust a setting along a range of values. It looks like this:

A slider along the bar shows the currently selected value. In the example shown above, the slider is positioned midway between Slow and Fast, indicating a medium pointer speed.

To operate a slider, drag the slider toward the value that you want.

Using text boxes

A text box allows you to type information, such as a search term or password. The picture below shows a dialog box containing a text box. We've entered "bear" into the text box.

A blinking vertical line called the cursor indicates where text that you type will appear. In the example, you can see the cursor after the "r" in "bear." You can easily move the cursor by clicking the new position. For example, to add a word before "bear," you would first move the cursor by clicking before the "b."

If you don't see a cursor in the text box, it means the text box isn't ready for your input. Click the box first, and then start typing.

Text boxes that require you to enter a password will usually hide your password as you type it, in case someone else is looking at your screen.

Using drop-down lists

Drop-down lists are similar to menus. Instead of clicking a command, though, you choose an option. When closed, a drop-down list shows only the currently selected option. The other available options are hidden until you click the control, as shown below:

To open a drop-down list, click it. To choose an option from the list, click the option.

Using list boxes

A list box displays a list of options that you can choose from. Unlike a drop-down list, some or all of the options are visible without having to open the list.

To choose an option from the list, click it. If the option you want isn't visible, use the scroll bar to scroll the list up or down. If the list box has a text box above it, you can type the name or value of the option instead.

Using tabs

In some dialog boxes, options are divided into two or more tabs. Only one tab, or set of options, can be viewed at a time.

The currently selected tab appears in front of the other tabs. To switch to a different tab, click the tab.

Moving a window

To move a window, point to its title bar with the mouse pointer. Then drag the window to the location that you want. (Dragging means pointing to an item, holding down the mouse button, moving the item with the pointer, and then releasing the mouse button.)

Changing the size of a window

• To make a window fill the entire screen, click its Maximize button or double-click the window's title bar.
• To return a maximized window to its former size, click its Restore button (this appears in place of the Maximize button). Or, double-click the window's title bar.
• To resize a window (make it smaller or bigger), point to any of the window's borders or corners. When the mouse pointer changes to a two-headed arrow (see picture below), drag the border or corner to shrink or enlarge the window.

• A window that is maximized cannot be resized. You must restore it to its previous size first.

Note

• Although most windows can be maximized and resized, there are some windows that are fixed in size, such as dialog boxes.
•  

Hiding a window

Hiding a window is called minimizing it. If you want to get a window out of the way temporarily without closing it, minimize it.

To minimize a window, click its Minimize button. The window disappears from the desktop and is visible only as a button on the taskbar, the long horizontal bar at the bottom of your screen.

To make a minimized window appear again on the desktop, click its taskbar button. The window appears exactly as it did before you minimized it. For more information about the taskbar, see The taskbar (overview).

Arranging windows automatically

Now that you know how to move and resize windows, you can arrange them however you like on your desktop. You can also have Windows automatically arrange them in one of three ways: cascading, vertically stacked, or side by side.

To choose one of these options, right-click an empty area of the taskbar, then click Cascade Windows, Show Windows Stacked, or Show Windows Side by Side.

Dialog boxes

A dialog box is a special type of window that asks you a question, allows you to select options to perform a task, or provides you with information. You'll often see dialog boxes when a program or Windows needs a response from you to continue.