NWA-PCUG Newsletter Article, March 2003
Windows XP for Beginners
Book excerpt: Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP
by Shelley O'Hara and Que Publishing
Brought to us by Amy Sorokas
amy.sorokas@pearsoned.com
(click to email author)


The excerpt below is a sample chapter from Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP from best-selling author Shelley O'Hara and Que Publishing. This chapter covers starting programs in Windows XP.

Chances are that if you are reading this document and as a member of PC User Group you are pretty familiar with running applications in the Windows environment, but think back to when you were first starting on a PC and how long it took you to realize that the "Alt" key in correlation with another key allowed you to accomplish what took multiple clicks with a mouse. You certainly know someone who has a hard enough time finding the power button, let alone identifying an application and navigating through its menus. These "absolute beginners" can find all of the info that they need in these friendly, hands-on books.

Note: Absolute Beginner's Guides by nature are graphically rich texts, including diagrams to guide the reader through each step of the process. Additionally, call-outs such as, tips, notes, and warnings, appear in the margins of the text. For the purposes of this article, these images and elements have been removed. To view the tips and graphics, click on "Sample Chapters" at: http://snurl.com/quebook

Starting Programs

    In this chapter
      Starting a Program from the Start Menu

      Starting a Program from a Shortcut Icon

      Switching Between Programs

      Trying Fancier Methods for Starting

      Working in a Program

      Exiting a Program

      Starting a Program from the Start Menu

Most of your time on the computer will be spent working in some type of program-a word processing program to type letters, a spreadsheet program to create budgets, a database to keep track of contacts, and so on. So one of the most important skills is learning how to start a program.

Because different people prefer different ways of working, Windows XP provides many options for starting programs. What's the best way? The way you like. Pick the one that is easiest for you.

When you install a new Windows program, that program's installation procedure sets up a program icon (and sometimes a program folder if the program includes several components. For example, a scanning program may include a program for executing the scan as well as a program for working with and saving the scanned document). These are listed within the Start menu.

The Start menu provides two methods for starting a program. If you recently used a program, you can select it from the left pane of the Start menu. If the program is not listed, you can display all programs and then select the program from the longer menu. This section covers both of these methods.

Starting a Recent Program

Follow these steps to start a recently used program:

    1. Click the Start button. The left pane displays the last several programs you used

    2. Click the program. That program is started, and you see the program window.

Listing All Programs

Follow these steps to view and select from a list of all programs:

    1. Click Start and then click All Programs. You see a list of all the program icons and program folders

    2. If necessary, click the program folder. Any items with an arrow next to them are program folders rather than icons. When you click the program folder, you see the program icons within that folder. For instance, if you click Accessories, you see the Accessory programs included with Windows XP. Follow this step until you see the icon for the program you want to start.

    3. Click the program icon to start the program. The program opens in its own window, and a taskbar button for the program appears in the taskbar.

Starting a Program from a Shortcut Icon
In addition to the Start menu, you can also start programs from shortcut icons. Some programs automatically create shortcut icons, placing them on the desktop.

To start a program from a shortcut icon, double-click the shortcut icon on the desktop. The program starts and is displayed in its own window. A taskbar button appears for the program.

Switching Between Programs
You often work with more than one type of program at the same time. Windows XP enables you to quickly switch from one program to another. For example, you might want to review sales figures in a worksheet while at the same time creating a sales report in a word processing program. Switching between programs enables you not only to view data from several sources but also to share data among programs.

As mentioned, when you start a program, a button for that program is displayed in the taskbar. To switch to another program, simply click the button for that program. That program becomes the active program.

Trying Fancier Methods for Starting
So far this chapter has covered the most common ways to start a program. As you become more proficient, you might experiment with other ways of starting as explained in the following scenarios:

    You can start a program from the actual program file (not the same as a shortcut icon although you do the same thing: double- click the icon to start the program). When you install a program, the installation program copies the program file(s) to your hard drive. These programs are most often stored in the Program Files folder. You can open this folder and double-click the program icon to start the program.

    You can start a program using the Run command on the Start menu. This command is often used to run installation programs or DOS programs.

    You can add a program to the Startup group. Windows XP automatically starts any programs in this special system folder each time you start Windows.

    You can assign a shortcut key to a program and press this key combination to start the program.

Working in a Program
When the program is started, you see the program window. A great thing about Windows XP is that all program windows share similar features. Learning to use one program helps you master key skills for almost all other programs. For example, most programs include a menu bar that works the same in all programs. This section covers some basic skills for working in programs.

Selecting Commands
The top line of the program window is called the title bar and includes the name of the document (or a generic name if the document has not been saved) and the program name.

Below the title bar, you see the menu bar. You use this to select commands. For instance, open the File menu and select the Save command to save a document. To use a menu, follow these steps:

    1. Click the menu name. The menu drops down and displays a list of commands.

    2. Click the command. Depending on the command you select, one of the following happens:

      * The command is executed. For instance, if you select File, Exit the program is closed.

      * You see a submenu. Any commands followed by an arrow display a submenu. Click the command in this menu to execute the selected command.

      * You see a dialog box prompting you for additional information about how to execute the command. For example, if you select File, Print, you see the Print dialog box. You can select options for printing such as the printer to use and the number of copies to print. See the upcoming section "Selecting Dialog Box Options."

You'll find that not only do the menus work the same in most programs, but also many programs include the same commands. For example, you can commonly find a File, Save command for saving documents. The Edit menu usually has commands for cutting text (Cut), copying text (Copy), and pasting cut or copied text (Paste). The Help menu provides access to online help; you can use the commands in this menu to look up help topics for the program.

Using the Keyboard to Select Commands
If you are a fast typist, you might prefer to keep your hands on the keyboard and use the keys to open and select a menu command. You can use the keyboard shortcuts, or you can select menu commands with the keyboard. Follow these steps to use the keyboard for opening menus:

    1. Press the Alt key. Notice that the program's menus now have an underlined letter. This is the letter you press to open the menu and select the command. For instance, press Alt and then look at File. To open this menu, press the F key.

    2. Press the key letter for the menu. You see a drop-down list of commands. Notice again that each command has one key letter underlined.

    3. Press the key letter for the command.

Selecting Dialog Box Options
As mentioned, when you select some commands, a dialog box appears prompting you for additional information. Like menus, dialog boxes work the same across most Windows programs. (This also includes commands in Windows itself.)

Dialog boxes vary from command to command and from program to program. But they do include like features that you select in the same way:

    * Tabs-If the dialog box has many options, they may be divided into tabs or pages. Click the tab you want to view from the page of options. For example, if you select View, Options in WordPad, you see the Options dialog box with several. Click the tab you want.

    * Check boxes-Some options can be turned on or off, and these are controlled with check. If a box is checked, the option is on. If the box is unchecked, the option is off. You can click within the box to toggle between on and off. With check boxes, you can select as many options in a group as you want.

    * Option buttons-When you can select just one option in a group of options, you see radio or option buttons rather than check boxes. The button that is darkened is the one that is selected. You can select another option by clicking its option button.

    * List boxes-For some options, you can select from a list. Sometimes the list is displayed, and you can click the item in the list that you want to select. You can also scroll through the list to view other options.

    * Drop-down list boxes-To conserve space, some list boxes are condensed and only the current option is displayed. You can display and select from other options by clicking the down arrow next to the option and then clicking the new option you want to select. For instance, you can click Color in the Font dialog box and then select from a palette of colors.

    * Text boxes-For some items, you can enter text. For instance, you can enter the name of a file when you save a document. To enter something in a text box, click in the box and select the current entry. Then type your new entry.

    * Spin boxes-For values (numbers), programs commonly use a spin box. In this type of box, you can type the value or use the arrows to increase or decrease the value.

    * Command buttons-Most dialog boxes include a confirm and cancel button. The confirm button is usually OK, but it may vary. For instance, when printing a document, you click the Print button to carry out the command. To cancel the options and command, click the Cancel button.

Using Right-Click Shortcut Menus
Because each person prefers a different style for performing certain tasks, Windows programs provide many ways to perform these common tasks. For instance, I like to use the keyboard because I am a fast typist and don't like to take my hands away from the keyboard to use the mouse. Beginners often use the menu commands because they are easier to figure out than toolbar buttons. Long-time computer users often use keyboard shortcuts because originally (wayyyyy back) programs were not menu-driven.

So yet another method for selecting commands is using the shortcut menu. To display this menu, right-click on the area you want to modify. For instance, right-click on some text to display a text shortcut menu in a word processing program. Right-click on a picture to display picture commands. You can even use the right-click within Windows: right-click the desktop to display desktop commands; right-click the taskbar to display taskbar commands.

The commands you see vary depending on what you right-click. To select a command from a shortcut menu, click its name. To close the shortcut menu without making a selection, press Esc or click with the left mouse button outside of the menu area.

Using the Toolbar
In addition to using the menus and keyboard shortcuts, you can also use toolbar buttons to select commands. Most Windows programs include toolbar(s), which are displayed right under the menu bar. The buttons vary depending on the program, but most of them are similar.

The following list gives you some insight on how to work with toolbars:

    * Toolbar buttons are shortcuts to commands. You can click the button instead of selecting the command. For instance, click the Save button to save a document (same as selecting File, Save).

    * If you aren't sure what a toolbar does, hover the mouse pointer over the edge of the toolbar. A ScreenTip (the button name) should appear.

    * Some programs have more than one toolbar. Usually the standard toolbar includes buttons for common commands (Save, Open, New, and so on). The program may also include a toolbar with formatting options (usually called the Formatting toolbar or the Format bar). This toolbar includes buttons that let you quickly make formatting changes such as making text bold, changing the font, and so on.

If you see a down arrow next to a command, you can click this arrow to display a drop-down list of choices. Then click the option you want to select. For instance, you can click the down arrow next to the Font button to display a list of available fonts. From the list, click the one you want to use.

If you don't use the toolbar and want more room for the document to be displayed, turn off the toolbar. You can also select to display more than one toolbar in some programs such as Word for Windows. Look in the View menu for a Toolbar or Toolbars command. Any toolbars that are checked are displayed. The command is a toggle: select the command to uncheck and hide the toolbar. To display the toolbar, select it again so that there is a check next to it.

Exiting a Program
When you finish working in a program, close it to free system memory. (Your system memory is the working area of the computer where data and programs are stored temporarily while you are working within the program and on a document.) Too many open programs can tax your system's memory and slow the computer's processes. You can use one of several methods to close a program:

    1. Click File and then click the Exit command. The program closes.

    2. Click the Close button for the program window.

    3. Press Alt+F4. The program is closed.

The Absolute Minimum
This chapter explains not only how to start programs but also how to work with common program features such as menu bars and toolbars. In summary, keep these points in mind:

You can start a program using the Start menu or a shortcut icon.

The menu bar enables you to select commands. Click the menu name to display the menu and then click the command you want. You may be prompted to select additional options for the command in a dialog box. Make your selections and click the command button (usually OK).

Other methods for selecting commands include keyboard shortcuts, shortcut menus, and toolbars.

When you are finished working in a program, save your work and then exit the program. You can exit using the File, Exit command or by clicking the program window's Close button.

Copyright (c) 2003 by Que Publishing. Author, Shelley O'Hara. Reproduced with permission. Article reproduction coordinated by Steve Bass, Pasadena IBM Users Group. Excerpted from: Absolute Beginners Guide to Microsoft Windows XP, Shelley O'Hara, ISBN: 0- 7897-2856-7, US $18.95. For More Information or to Order Absolute Beginner's Guide to Microsoft Windows XP or any other Que books visit http://www.quepublishing.com.

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