Windows Manual
copyright 1996, 2001 by Tracy Marks
Boston area Windows Training, Tutoring and Consulting

LESSON ONE: Orientation and Navigation

A. Using Your Mouse

In Windows, you can use your mouse in six different ways:

POINTING: Move your mouse, and point to an item on your screen.

POINTING AND HOLDING: Start to click, but hold your mouse down
for a second or two rather than release the click (a common method for
selecting menu items from a list of choices).

CLICKING: Point to an object on your screen, hold your mouse still, and
click the left side of your mouse once. Usually, clicking selects an object,
on your screen (highlighting it) or opens a menu or window.

DOUBLE CLICKING: Hold your mouse still, and double click (click twice
in quick succession) the left side of your mouse. Double clicking is most
often used to open a program or file or expand a folder (directory) of files
so that you can see its contents.

RIGHT CLICKING: Hold your mouse still, and right click (click the right
side of your mouse). By right clicking, you normally access menus which
provide you with regarding a variety of additional options.

DRAGGING: Position your mouse on an object, hold down the left side
of the mouse, and drag the object.

NOTE: Your mouse can be customized so that its cursor moves at a speed
that is comfortable for you, and so that it responds to your rhythm of double
clicking. In Lesson 1E, you will learn how to change your mouse settings
within My Computer, Control Panel.

PRACTICE EXERCISE:
1. Practice pointing at icons and selecting them by clicking on them once.
    Notice how their name is highlighted when they are selected.
2. Practice dragging your icons around your screen. 
3. Right click on a blank space on your desktop. Then by pointing and
    holding, choose line up icons.

B. Your Desktop

The DESKTOP, your Windows workspace, appears as a colored background
or picture (wallpaper), and contains ICONS which open programs, files and
directories of files. The icons which are visible depend upon choices you made
at installation, but will always include MY COMPUTER (gateway to your
computer's drives) and RECYCLE BIN (a temporary "trashcan" for storing
files you intend to delete).

Double clicking these icons will open the programs or files they represent.
Right clicking them will open a pop-up menu with a variety of options. Right
clicking the desktop will also open a pop-up menu - with icon-related options
such as arrange and line up icons. By dragging these icons, you can move
them elsewhere and arrange them as you wish.

PRACTICE EXERCISE:
1. Note the arrangement of icons on your desktop. Then right click the
   desktop, and choose different options for arranging icons.
2. Drag the icons back to their original location.
3. Right click MY COMPUTER just to view its pop-up menu. Click
    an empty area on your screen to close the pop-up menu.
4. Double click on the MY COMPUTER icon to open its window.



SCREEN SHOT: Large icon view of MY COMPUTER, with toolbar.
(This Windows user is giving her computer hard drives women's names!)

NEXT: Using Windows - Title Bar, Menu Bar, Navigation      continue

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