BRIEF INTRODUCTION
Your computer desktop is a show window of functional
and manageable screen, keeping it arranged and organized
increases your work productivity and efficiency.
Photo’s credit to: https://www.pngfuel.com/free-
png/rgoyl/download
A. PARTS OF YOUR DESKTOP SCREEN
It is important for you to be familiar with your computer desktop, after the
installation has been done, your desktop as the starting point of the important things
to be done in your computer works. Let’s take a look on this image below and the
labels provided on the screen.
Icons Desktop
Photo reference:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Images+Windows+7+desktop&rlz=1C1CHWL_enPH923PH923&tbm=isch&source=iu
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Notification Area
Start Button Task Bar
Icons – the small pictures representing an object, program, folder or shortcut.
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Desktop – it is the workplace on your computer screen.
Start Button – it provides access to the Windows programs, documents, control
panel and other information on your computer, it is generally located on the lower
left corner of your desktop.
Taskbar – it is located on the lower part of your desktop which give quick access
to the programs, common tools and active window.
Notification Area – this portion usually located on the lower right of your desktop
showing icons of current date and time.
B. GETTING FAMILIAR ON YOUR DESKTOP ICONS
Your desktop is composed of different kinds of icons, these are representation
of a file, a program, a folder or shortcuts of those items from a certain location in your
computer. Let’s be familiar with these icons and you can perform well your works
because of your familiarity to these pictured objects.
Recycle Bin Icon – it contains the deleted files and folder/s, these
contents remain in the computer’s memory until such time that you
emptied the content of this bin.
My Computer Icon - is a folder that contains a shortcut to Windows
Explorer, commonly used to store and sort documents, pictures,
music and video files, as well as the partitions of hard drives and
the transfer of input/output devices’ information connected to it.
Shortcut Icon – is a representation of a file or folder that is located
in the computer’s my documents, data file documents or other
locations that contain this shortcut.
Folder Icon – is a container wherein contents is either a file or files,
or another folder of different files. When you double-click this folder
you are opening the window of that folder.
Program Icon – is representing an installed program in your
computer, for example the Word is an application program that
allow you to type text and numeric documents; if you double-click
this icon it will launch the program this icon represents.
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File Icon – is representing a particular file, when you double-click
this icon the file will be opened in the program it was created, such
file has been saved on the desktop.
Internet Explorer Icon – is the icon that launches the internet
explorer browser and opening your computer to the world wide web.
C. THINGS TO BE DONE ON YOUR DESKTOP
1. Opening an Icon into a Window
Opening an Icon can be done in just few strokes, such icon when it is opened
becomes a Window.
An Icon to a Window
- Double-click your mouse pointer to an icon
- That icon will increase in size and become a window
2. Moving an Icon
- Point and press your mouse to an icon
- Move the mouse on the mouse pad and you will see that the icon moves from
on place to another on your desktop
3. Create a New Folder
In creating a New Folder require a little effort on your desktop and some mouse
strokes you can create a folder for your file/s.
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- Right-click your mouse button on your
desktop and a drop-down menu will
pop on your screen.
- Click New and another menu will
appear choose Folder
- Type a name to your new
folder…example: sample folder
4. Minimize, Maximize/Restore and Close a Window
The upper right side of your open Window contains three buttons: the minus
(-) button, the small double rectangle button, and the X button, these will be explained
to you on how these works in your tasks.
Photo Reference:
https://www.google.com/search?q=Image+of+Minimize%2C+maximize+and+Close+Button+in+Window%3F&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiskoiUtZDuA
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Minimize Button – this is the minus sign (-) on the upper part of your
window represents a Minimize Button, point and click this minimize
button and the window will disappear on your screen. Your window is
still active you just hide it for the meantime.
Maximize or Restore Button - increases or decreases the size of your
window, maximize means your window will fit entirely into a full sized
screen on your monitor, pressing again this button decreases the size of
this button and will not attain its full-sized screen.
Close Button – is a button that will end the activity of that particular
window: if that window is a folder it will return as an icon; if that window
is a program…say Calculator, it will end its computational activity; if that
window is a file…it will close the file you are working on and may request
for your to Save your File.
D. THE START BUTTON
The Start Button or start menu allow the users a quick way to do
common tasks such as launching the programs, accessories, control
panels, folders and other tasks available in its pop-up display. It is located
on the lower left side of the Windows desktop; besides on its right side is
the taskbar.
Opening the Start Button
Point the mouse on the Start Button and the pop-up menu will be
displayed on the screen.
Selecting a Program in the Start Button
Click the mouse on the content of the pop-up menu and the program
will be launched by the windows system.
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Parts of the Start Button
The Start Button
Photo reference: http://hhh.gavilan.edu/jmaringer/PDFFiles/Win7_StartMenu.pdf
- Search box – a rectangular pane located at the bottom of the menu intended
for typing item needed to be searched for programs, files and folders.
- All programs – this portion displays all the programs on the computer system
that is available, some are folders and sub-folders.
- Start button - allow the users a quick way to do common tasks such as in
launching programs, accessories, control panels and personal folders other
tasks available on its pop-up display.
- Computer – this menu opens a window that can show the disk drives, printers
and other hardware that is connected to the computer.
- Control panel – is a window that contains a customize view of system and
security, network and internet, hardware and sound, programs, user accounts,
appearance and personalization, clock language and region and ease of
access.
- Shutdown – this menu allow you to restart or shutdown the computer.
E. PARTS OF A WINDOW
A window is a part of computer display screen in Windows and managed by
the windows manager in a graphical user interface (GUI) view. It can be a folder with
files on it, or a program that is opened to be used to work on a particular task. It is
important that you understand the parts of this window for you to make your activity
be done successfully.
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The Window and Its Parts
Photo reference: https://www.google.com/search?q=parts+of+a+windows+window&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwipt8Xq55DuAhXSNaYKHaVGBbMQ2-
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Control menu button – is located on the upper left side of the window and
common to all windows, it is used to resize, move, minimize maximize and
close the window.
Menu bar – is a list of drop-down menus for specific application which include
opening the file, formatting, editing, interacting with application, viewing, saving
and printing.
Toolbar – is a button or a set of icons used to perform specific tasks on the
program such as editing commands, formatting commands, saving, printing
and other program interface.
Workspace – is the work area for you to type information which can be a
document file, a presentation, a spreadsheet or other application in creating
your meaningful activities.
Minimize Button - this is the minus sign (-) on the upper part of your window
represents a Minimize Button, point and click this minimize button and the
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window will disappear on your screen. Your window is still active you just hide
it for the meantime.
Maximize/Restore Button - increases or decreases the size of your window,
maximize means your window will fit entirely into a full-sized screen on your
monitor, pressing again this button decreases the size of this button and will
not attain its full-sized screen.
Close Button – is a button that will end the activity of that particular window: if
that window is a folder it will return as an icon; if that window is a program…say
Calculator, it will end its computational activity; if that window is a file…it will
close the file you are working on and may request for your to save your File.
Taskbar - it is located on the lower part of your desktop which give quick access
to the programs, common tools and active window.
Quick launch toolbar – it is located within the taskbar or below the desktop to
quickly access the program of that toolbar.
Scroll bar – it is located on the side or bottom of the window to control up or
down, left or right the window’s frame of the document by dragging the scroll
box.
F. RESTARTING YOUR COMPUTER
Why do we have to Restart the computer?
When we run an application and the activity will not continue or failure to
respond to what we are doing is the time that we intend to restart our computer. There
are ways to follow in restarting your computer.
Another technical issue why we do the restarting is to clear the Random Access
Memory (RAM) or cache memory. RAM is a temporary storage for the applications
and the programs running at the particular time, there may be a situation that failure
to respond might occur so restarting the computer will be a better solution for this task.
Procedure for Restarting the Computer
- Using the Ctrl + Alt + Delete keys to reset/restart
the computer.
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- Using the Start Button choose Shut Down Restart
Photo reference: https://www.google.com/search?q=Restarting+Windows+7&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwiL6_XJz5DuAhUqzIsBHQp-B9oQ2-
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G. SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER
When to Shut Down your Computer
Procedure for Shutting Down the Computer
- Click the Start Button with your mouse Shutdown
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