Windows 95 tutorial (fwd)
F. Pennell
fpennell at u.washington.edu
Fri Aug 9 11:25:19 PDT 1996
This is a pretty long posting but I thought that some of you might be
interested! Francie Pennell
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: 09 Aug 96 14:01:21 EDT
From: Jamal Mazrui <74444.1076 at CompuServe.COM>
To: BlindCopyReceiver: ;
Subject: Windows 95 tutorial
I've been searching for an etext, copyable tutorial on Windows 95
to help screen reader users (including myself) learn this
operating system. Although written primarily for sighted readers,
a chapter from "The Secret Guide to Computers" provides some
useful information and guidance. It is available in print and on
disk for $15. The author said I could post any part of it
provided I included the following text at the beginning.
----------
Most of this material comes from the 22nd edition of The Secret
Guide to Computers, copyright 1996 by Russ Walter and reprinted
with permission. Get FREE LITERATURE about the complete Guide by
phoning Russ at 617-666-2666, 24 hours (he's almost always in);
or send a postcard to him at 22 Ashland Street (Floor 2),
Somerville, MA 02144-3202.
Then send us a copy of your reprint.
You may give ___ or sell ___ the reprints to anybody. Go
distribute them on paper, on disk, or electronically by phone.
The Guide's being distributed by thousands of teachers,
consultants, and stores and translated to other languages. Join
those folks! Add your own comments, call yourself a co-author,
and become famous! It's free!
----------
Most new computers come with Windows 95. This chapter explains
how to use it.
Windows 95 was invented in 1995 by Microsoft and remained
popular in 1995 and 1996. For 1997, Microsoft is developing an
improvement called Windows 97.
Though this chapter discusses Windows 95, most info in this
chapter will work even if you're using Windows 97, which is
similar.
Acquiring Windows 95
If your computer is modern, it already has Windows 95 on it, so
you can skip ahead to the next topic (called ``Turn on'').
Cost If you have an old computer that lacks Windows 95, you can
buy Windows 95 for $179.95.
If your computer lacks Windows 95 but includes an older, decent
version of Windows (Windows 3.0 or 3.1 or 3.11 or OS/2 version
2), you can upgrade to Windows 95 by getting the Windows 95
upgrade, which costs just $89.95.
The upgrade comes in two versions. If you have a CD-ROM drive,
buy the CD-ROM version, which comes on a single CD-ROM disk. If
you don't have a CD-ROM drive, you must buy the floppy-disk
version instead, which lacks some features and comes on a pile of
thirteen 1.44M floppy disks.
Hardware requirements To run Windows 95, you need a hard drive,
a VGA graphics video card, at least 4M of RAM, and a modern CPU
(a 386, 486, or Pentium).
If your RAM is just 4M, or your CPU is just a 386, Windows 95
runs so slowly that you'll continually curse it. To run Windows
95 pleasantly, you need at least 8M of RAM and a fast CPU (a 486
or
Pentium). Some Windows 95 programs want even more RAM: 16M!
You should also buy a mouse. Without a mouse, you must use
awkward keystrokes that are hard to remember.
Since Windows 95 tries to use color to grab your attention, you
should buy a color monitor.
To use the best version of the upgrade, get a CD-ROM drive.
Installation procedure Here's how to put Windows 95 onto a
computer having a CD-ROM drive and Windows 3.1:
Turn on the computer without any floppy in drive A. If the
computer says ``C:\>'', type ``win'' (and press ENTER).
The computer says ``Program Manager''. Choose Run from the File
menu (by clicking the word File, then clicking the word Run).
The computer says ``Command Line''. Put the Windows 95 CD-ROM
disk into the CD-ROM drive. If your computer is normal, the
CD-ROM drive is called ``drive D'' and you should type this:
d:setup
(If your CD-ROM drive is called ``drive E'' instead, type
``e:setup''; if your CD-ROM drive is called ``drive K'' instead,
type ``k:setup''.) At the end of typing the setup line, press the
ENTER key.
The computer says ``Windows 95 Setup''. Press ENTER.
The computer says ``Software License Agreement''. Click the Yes
button.
The computer says ``Windows 95 Setup Wizard''. Press ENTER four
times.
The computer says ``User Information''. In the Name box, type
your name (unless it's been typed for you already). Click in the
Company box, where you then type the name of your company (unless
it's been typed for you already or you have no company). When the
entire screen looks correct (and the Name and Company boxes
finally show your correct name and company), press ENTER.
The computer says ``Product Identification''. The CD-ROM disk
comes in a small square cardboard sleeve, whose backside sports
an orange sticker revealing a 10-digit code number (called the
``CD Key number''); type that number (including the hyphen) and
press ENTER.
The computer says ``Analyzing Your Computer''. If your computer
stands alone (instead of being wired to another computer in an
office network), press ENTER.
If your computer contains a modem, the computer says ``Get
Connected''. Click the Microsoft Network box and the Microsoft
Fax box. Press ENTER.
The computer says ``Windows Components''. Press ENTER three
times.
The computer says ``Insert Disk''. Grab a blank formatted disk,
scribble ``Windows 95 Startup Disk'' on its label, and put it in
drive A. Press ENTER.
The computer says, ``Please remove the disk.'' Remove the disk
from drive A, then press ENTER.
The computer says, ``Remove any disks from their drives.'' Remove
the CD-ROM disk from the CD-ROM drive, then press ENTER.
The computer automatically reboots. It says ``Starting Windows
95'' then says ``Getting ready to run Windows 95 for the first
time''.
If the computer says ``The Start menu will be easier
for you to use if you reduce the number of program groups you
currently have'', press ENTER.
The computer says ``Time Zone''. The computer can handle dozens
of time zones worldwide, such as Pacific Time, Mountain Time,
Arizona Time (which is like Mountain Time but without daylight
savings), Central Time, Mexico City & Tegucigalpa & Saskatchewan
Time (like Central Time but without daylight savings), Eastern
Time, and Indiana & Lima & Bogota Time (like Eastern Time but
without daylight savings). The computer assumes you're in the
Pacific time zone; if you live elsewhere, press the right-arrow
key (or left-arrow) several times, until your time zone is
chosen. Press ENTER.
If you have a modem, here's what
happens next:
The computer says ``Inbox Setup Wizard''. Press ENTER two more
times. The computer says ``Location Information''. If you're not
in the USA, press right-arrow (or left-arrow) several times until
your country is chosen. Press the TAB key, then type your area
code (or foreign-city code). If you use an office phone requiring
you to press 9 for an outside line, press TAB then 9. If your
phone is so old-fashioned that it lacks touch-tone dialing, click
the ``Pulse dialing'' button. Press ENTER twice. If your modem is
external, turn it on. Press ENTER four times. Type your phone
number (to be used for sending faxes) and press ENTER.
Finally, the computer says ``Welcome
to Windows 95''. Press ENTER.
Click the Start button (at the
screen's bottom left corner). Click the Shut Down icon. Press
ENTER. The computer eventually says, ``It's now safe to turn off
your computer.'' Turn off the computer, so you can start fresh.
Turn on
When Windows 95 is in your computer, here's how to start using
it.
Turn on the computer, without any disks in the floppy drives.
The computer says ``Starting Windows 95''. Then it says
``Microsoft Windows 95''.
Welcome to Windows Setup
If the computer says ``Welcome to Windows Setup'' (because this
is the first time the computer is being used, and Windows was put
onto the computer by the manufacturer), do this:
Press the ENTER key. The computer says ``User Information''. Type
your name (so your name appears in the Name box). If you work for
a company, then press the TAB key and type the company's name, so
it appears in the Company box.
Press the ENTER key. The computer says ``License of Windows 95''.
Press the ENTER key. The computer says ``License Agreement''.
Press the TAB key (so a dot appears next to ``I accept the
agreement''.)
Press the ENTER key. The computer says ``Certificate of
Authenticity''. Find the Windows 95 instruction manual that came
with the computer; on the manual's front cover, you see a
Certificate of Authenticity; on that certificate, you see a
Product ID number above the bar code; type that number.
Press the ENTER key three times. The computer restarts, says
``Starting Windows 95'' again, and says ``Microsoft Windows 95''
again.
Then the computer says ``Add Printer Wizard''. Press ENTER. You
see an alphabetical list of printer manufacturers. Press the
down-arrow key several times, until YOUR printer's manufacturer
is highlighted (white letters on a blue background). Press the
TAB key. Press the down-arrow key several times, until YOUR
printer's name is highlighted. Turn the printer on (by flipping
its power switch). Press ENTER four times. The computer will make
the printer print a page (to prove to you that the printer is
working). Press the TAB key several times, until the word ``Yes''
is highlighted; then press ENTER.
The computer says ``Time Zone''. The computer can handle dozens
of time zones worldwide, such as Pacific Time, Mountain Time,
Arizona Time (which is like Mountain Time but without daylight
savings), Central Time, Mexico City & Tegucigalpa & Saskatchewan
Time (like Central Time but without daylight savings), Eastern
Time, and Indiana & Lima & Bogotra Time (like Eastern Time but
without daylight savings). The computer assumes you're in the
Pacific time zone; if you live elsewhere, press the right-arrow
key (or left-arrow) several times, until your time zone is
chosen. Press ENTER twice.
Saying ``Start''
Eventually, the screen's bottom left corner says ``Start''.
Later welcomes
If the computer says ``Welcome to Windows 95'', do this: while
holding down the Alt key, tap the F4 key. If the computer says
``Thank You for Purchasing a Quantex!'' (because you bought a
Quantex computer), do this again: while holding down the Alt key,
tap the F4 key.
Position the mouse
Look at the computer's mouse. The mouse's tail is a cable that
runs from the mouse to the computer. The area where the tail
meets the mouse is called the mouse's behind.
The mouse's underside ___ its belly ___ has a hole in it, and a
ball in the hole.
Put the mouse on your desk and directly in front of your right
arm. Make the mouse lie flat (so its ball rubs against the desk).
Make the mouse face you so you don't see its behind.
Move the arrow
Move the
mouse across your desk. As you move the mouse, remember to keep
it flat and facing you.
On the
screen, you'll see an arrow, which is called the mouse pointer.
As you move the mouse, the arrow moves also. If you move the
mouse to the left, the arrow moves to the left. If you move the
mouse to the right, the arrow moves to the right. If you move the
mouse toward you, the arrow moves down. If you move the mouse
away from you, the arrow moves up.
Practice
moving the arrow by moving the mouse. Remember to keep the mouse
facing you at all times.
If you want
to move the arrow far and your desk is small, move the mouse
until it reaches the desk's edge; then lift the mouse off the
desk, lay the mouse gently on the middle of the desk, and rub the
mouse across the desk in the same direction as before.
Click on Start
The most
important part of the arrow is its tip, which is called the hot
spot. Move the arrow so its hot spot (tip) is in the middle of
the word ``Start''. When you do that, you're pointing at the word
``Start''.
On the top
of the mouse, you'll see 2 or 3 rectangular buttons you can
press. The main button is the one on the left. Tapping it is
called clicking. So to click, tap the left button.
While you're
pointing at the word ``Start'', click (by tapping the left
button). That's called clicking ``Start''.
When you
click ``Start'', you'll see this Start menu:
Programs
Documents
Settings
Find
Help
Run
Shut Down
Shut Down
On that
Start menu, the bottom choice says ``Shut Down''. Whenever you
finish using Windows 95, click ``Shut Down'' (by pointing at
``Shut Down'' and then tapping the left mouse button).
Practice
that now! Click ``Shut
Down''.
Then the computer will ask, ``Are you sure?'' Press the ENTER
key.
Wait while the computer tidies up the information on your hard
disk.
Finally the computer will say, ``It's now safe to turn off your
computer''. Turn off the computer.
Accessories menu
Make the Start menu appear on the screen.
In that menu, notice that the word ``Programs'' has the symbol
``'' next to it. That symbol means that if you choose
``Programs'' from the Start menu, you'll see another menu.
Try it: point at the word ``Programs''. You'll see this
Programs menu:
Accessories
StartUp
Microsoft Exchange
MS-DOS Prompt
The Microsoft Network
Windows Explorer
If you bought extra programs, the menu mentions them too.
From that menu, choose ``Accessories'', by pointing at it.
You'll see this Accessories menu:
Fax
Games
Multimedia
System Tools
Calculator
HyperTerminal
Notepad
Paint
Phone Dialer
WordPad
CALCULATOR
The accessories menu includes a
``Calculator''. To use the calculator, get the accessories menu
onto the screen and then click ``Calculator''. You'll see the
Calculator window, containing a picture of a pocket calculator.
How to calculate
To compute 42+5, click the
calculator's 4 key (by using the mouse to point at the 4 key and
then clicking), then click 2, then +, then 5, then =. The
calculator will show the answer, 47.
Instead of using the mouse, you can
do that calculation a different way, by using the computer's
keyboard. Try it! On the computer's keyboard, tap the 4 key, then
the 2 key, then (while holding down the SHIFT key) the + key,
then 5, then =. The calculator will show 47.
Try fancier calculations, by
pressing these calculator buttons:
Button Meaning
+ plus
- minus
* times
/ divided by
= total
.. decimal point
C clear
Back backspace
Standard versus scientific
You can choose two kinds of
calculators. A standard calculator is small and cute: it does
just arithmetic. A scientific calculator is big and imposing: it
includes extra buttons, so you can do advanced math.
The first time you (or your
colleagues) ask for the calculator, the computer shows a standard
calculator (small and cute). If you want the calculator to be
scientific instead, choose Scientific from the View menu. (To do
that, click the word ``View'', then click the word
``Scientific''.) Then you'll see extra buttons, such as these:
Button Meaning
PI pi (which is 3.14159265359)
x^2 squared
x^3 cubed
n! factorial
For example, if you click the PI
button, the computer will say 3.14159265359. If you click the 7
button and then say ``squared'' (by pressing the x^2 button), the
computer will multiply 7 by itself and say 49 (which is called
``7 squared''). If you click the 7 button and then say ``cubed''
(by pressing the x^3 button), the computer will do ``7 times 7
times 7'' and say 343 (which is called ``7 cubed''). If you click
the 7 button and then say ``factorial'' (by pressing the n!
button), the computer will multiply together all the numbers up
to 7 (1 times 2 times 3 times 4 times 5 times 6 times 7) and say
5040 (which is called ``7 factorial'').
The scientific calculator also
contains buttons that help you handle big exponents, logarithms,
trigonometry, statistics, hexadecimal numbers, and
assembly-language programming. If you're adventurous, just go
push buttons and see what happens: no matter which button you
press, the computer won't blow up!
After making the calculator be scientific, you can make it
become standard again by choosing Standard from the View menu.
Close
In the Calculator window's top right corner, a square button
has an X on it. That's called the X button (or the close button).
When you finish using the Calculator window, click that button.
It closes the Calculator window, so the Calculator window
disappears.
WORDPAD
When you buy Windows 95, you get a word-processing program
free! That word-processing program is called WordPad. It's one of
the Windows accessories. To use it, get the accessories menu onto
the screen and then click ``WordPad''. You'll see the WordPad
window.
In the window's top right corner, you see the X button. Next to
the X button is the resize button. Clicking the resize button
changes the window's size.
Try clicking the resize button: see the window's size change!
Try clicking the resize button again: see the window's size
change again!
If the window is small, clicking the resize button makes the
window become huge so it consumes the whole screen. If the window
is huge and consumes the whole screen, clicking the resize button
makes the window become small.
If the window consumes the whole screen, the window is said to
be maximized. If the window is smaller, the window is said to be
restored to a small size.
Click the resize button if necessary, so that the WordPad
window consumes the whole screen (and is maximized).
Now that the WordPad window consumes the whole screen, you can
easily do word processing: you can easily type words and
sentences. Try it! Type whatever sentences you wish to make up.
For example, try typing a memo to your friends, or a story, or a
poem. Be creative! Whatever you type is called a document.
Use the keyboard
The following hints will help you type. . . .
To capitalize a letter of the alphabet, type that letter while
holding down the SHIFT key. (One SHIFT key is next to the Z key;
the other SHIFT key is next to the ? key. Each SHIFT key has an
up-arrow on it.)
To capitalize a whole passage, tap the CAPS LOCK key, then type
the passage. The computer will automatically capitalize the
passage as you type it. When you finish typing the passage, tap
the CAPS LOCK key again: that tells the computer
to stop capitalizing.
If you make a mistake,
press the BACKSPACE key. That makes the computer erase the last
character you typed. (The BACKSPACE key is in the top right
corner of the keyboard's main section. It's to the right of the +
key, and it has a left-arrow on it.)
To erase the last two
characters you typed, press the BACKSPACE key twice.
If you're typing near
the screen's right edge, and you type a word that's too long to
fit on the screen, the computer will automatically move the word
to the line below.
When you finish a
paragraph, press the ENTER key. That makes the computer move to
the line underneath so you can start typing the next paragraph.
If you want to
double-space between the paragraphs, press the ENTER key twice.
If you want to indent a
line (such as the first line of a paragraph), begin the line by
pressing the TAB key. The computer will indent the line a half
inch.
To make a phrase toward
the right, press the TAB key several times before typing the
phrase. To move a phrase down, press the ENTER key several times
before typing the phrase.
Alt You can type these alternative symbols:
For example, here's how to type the symbol n, whose code number
is 164. Hold down the Alt key; and while you keep holding down
the Alt key, type 164 by using the numeric keypad (the number
keys on the far right side of the keyboard). When you finish
typing 164, lift your finger from the Alt key, and you'll see n
on your screen! Try it!
Windows copied that chart from DOS. But Windows goes beyond DOS
by letting you also use this fancier chart:
For example, here's how to type the symbol a, whose code number
is 0227: while holding down the Alt key, type 0227 on
the numeric keypad.
Scroll arrows
If your document contains too many lines to fit on the screen,
the screen will show just part of the document, accompanied by
two arrows at the screen's right edge: a scroll-up arrow ( ) and
a scroll-down arrow ( ).
To see a higher part of your document, click the scroll-up
arrow ( ).
To see a lower part of your document, click the scroll-down
arrow ( ).
Insert characters
To insert extra characters anywhere in your document, click
where you want the extra characters to appear (by moving the
mouse's pointer there and then pressing the mouse's button). Then
type the extra characters.
For example, suppose you typed the word ``fat'' and want to
change it to ``fault''. Click between the ``a'' and the ``t'',
then type ``ul''.
(When you're using Windows, notice that you click between
letters, not on letters.)
As you type the extra characters, the screen's other characters
move out of the way to make room for the extra characters.
While you're inserting the extra characters, you can erase
nearby mistakes by pressing the BACKSPACE key or DELETE key. The
BACKSPACE key erases the character that's before the mouse's
pointer. The DELETE key erases the character that's after the
mouse's pointer.
Split a paragraph
Here's how to split a long paragraph in half, to form two short
paragraphs.
Decide which word should begin the second short paragraph.
Click the left edge of that word's first letter.
Press the BACKSPACE key (to erase the space before that word),
then press the ENTER key. Now you've split the long paragraph in
two!
If you want to double-space between the two short paragraphs,
press the ENTER key again. If you want to indent the second
paragraph, press the TAB key.
Combine paragraphs
After typing two paragraphs, here's how to combine them, to
form a single paragraph that's longer.
Click at the end of the first paragraph. Press the DELETE key
several times, to delete unwanted ENTERs and TABs. Now you've
combined the two paragraphs into one!
Then press the SPACE bar (to insert a space between the two
sentences).
Movement keys
To move to different parts of your document, you can use your
mouse. To move faster, press these keys instead:
Key you press Where pointer
moves
right-arrow right to the
next character
left-arrow left to the
previous character
down-arrow down to the line
below
up-arrow up to the line
above
END right to the end
of the line
HOME left to
beginning of the line
PAGE DOWN down to the next
screenful
PAGE UP up to the
previous screenful
Here's what happens if you press the movement keys while
holding down the Ctrl key:
Keys you pressWhere the pointer will move
Ctrl with right-arrowright (to the next word or punctuation
symbol)
Ctrl with left-arrowleft (to the beginning of a word or
punctuation)
Ctrl with down-arrowdown to the next paragraph
Ctrl with up-arrowup to the beginning of a paragraph
Ctrl with PAGE DOWNdown to the last word on the screen
Ctrl with PAGE UPup to the first word on the screen
Ctrl with END down to the end of the document
Ctrl with HOMEup to the beginning of the document
Buttons
Near the top of the screen, you see these buttons:
Here is each button's name:
If you forget a button's name, try this trick: point at the
button (by using the mouse but without clicking), then wait a
second. Underneath the button, you'll see the button's name; and
at the screen's bottom left corner, you'll see a short
explanation of what the button does.
To use a button, press it by clicking it with the mouse. Here
are the details. . . .
Underline Here's how to underline a phrase (like this). Push in
the Underline button (which says U on it) by clicking it. Then
type the phrase you want underlined. Then pop the Underline
button back out (by clicking it again).
Bold Here's how to make a phrase be bold (like this). Push in
the Bold button (which says B on it) by clicking it. Then type
the phrase you want emboldened. Then pop the Bold button back out
(by clicking it again).
Here's how to make a phrase be bold and underlined (like this).
Push in the Bold and Underline buttons (by clicking them both).
Then type the phrase. Then pop those buttons back out (by
clicking them again).
Italic Here's how to italicize a phrase (like this). Push in
the Italic button (which says I on it) by clicking it. Then type
the phrase you want italicized. Then pop the Italic button back
out (by clicking it again).
Color Here's how to change a phrase's color. Click the Color
button. You'll see a list of 15 colors (plus ``White'' and
``Automatic''). Click the color you want. Then type the phrase
you want colorized. Then click the Color button again and click
``Black''.
Alignment While typing a line, you can click one of these
alignment buttons: Center, Align Left, or Align Right.
Clicking the Center button makes the line be centered,
like this line
Clicking the Align Right button makes the line be at the right
margin,
like this line
Clicking the Align Left button makes the line be at the left
margin,
like this line
Clicking one of those buttons affects not just the line you're
typing but also all other lines in the same paragraph. When you
click one of those buttons, you're pushing the button in; that
button pops back out when you push a different alignment button
instead.
When you start typing a new document, the computer assumes you
want the document to be aligned left, so the computer pushes the
Align Left button in. If you want a different alignment, push a
different alignment button instead.
Clicking an alignment button affects the entire paragraph
you're typing, but the paragraphs you typed earlier remain
unaffected. To change the alignment of a paragraph you typed
earlier, click in the middle of that paragraph and then click the
alignment button you wish.
When you start typing a new paragraph, the computer gives the
new paragraph the same alignment as the paragraph above, unless
you say differently (by pressing one of the alignment buttons).
Here's how to create a centered title. Press the ENTER key
twice (to leave a big blank space above the title). Then press
the Center button (so the title will be centered) and the Bold
button (so the title will be bold), type the words you want to be
in the title, and press the ENTER key afterwards.
Congratulations: you've created a centered title! Next, make the
paragraph underneath the title be normal: make that paragraph be
uncentered (click the Align Left button) and make it be unbolded
(click the Bold button, so the Bold button pops back out).
Bullets While you're typing a paragraph, you can push in the
Bullets button (by clicking it). That makes the computer indent
the entire paragraph and also put a bullet (the symbol ) to the
left of the paragraph's first line. That's called a bulleted
paragraph. After you've typed a bulleted paragraph, any new
paragraphs you type underneath will be
bulleted also ___ until you request an unbulleted paragraph (by
popping the Bullet button back out).
Font Size
Left of the Bold button, the screen also shows a box containing
the number 10. That's called the Font Size box. The 10 in it
means the characters you're typing are 10 points high.
If you change that number to 20, the characters will be twice
as high (and also twice as wide). To change the number to 20,
click in the Font Size box, then type 20 and press ENTER. Try it!
Afterwards, whatever characters you type will be 20 points high.
(The characters you typed earlier remain unaffected.)
You can make the font size be 10 or 20 or any other size you
like. For best results, pick a number from 8 to 72. (If you pick
a number smaller than 8 or bigger than 72, the result is ugly.)
The number can end in .5; for example, you can pick 8 or 8.5 or 9
or 9.5 or 10.
Font
At the screen's left edge, you see a box saying ``Times New
Roman''. That's called the Font box. Next to that box is the
symbol ; click it.
You'll see the Font menu, which is a list of fonts in
alphabetical order. (To see the rest of the list, press the
up-arrow or down-arrow keys.)
Click whichever font you want. To avoid hassles, choose a font
that has a ``TT'' in front of it. (The ``TT'' means its a True
Type font. For most purposes the best fonts are:
Delete all
Here's how to delete the entire document, so you can start
over. While holding down the Ctrl key, press the A key (which
means ``all''). All of the document turns black. Then press the
DELETE key. All of the document disappears, so you can start
over!
Select
Here's how to change a phrase you typed previously.
Point at the phrase's beginning. Then
hold down the mouse's left button; and while you keep holding
down that button, move to the phrase's end.
(Moving the mouse while holding down
the left button is called dragging. You're dragging from the
phrase's beginning to the phrase's end.)
The phrase that you dragged across
turns black. Turning the phrase black is called selecting the
phrase.
Then say what to do to the phrase.
For example, choose one of these activities:
To underline the phrase, push in the Underline button.
To make the phrase be bold, push in the Bold button.
To italicize the phrase, push in the Italic button.
To prevent the phrase from being underlined, bold, or italicized,
pop those buttons back out.
To change how the phrase's paragraphs are aligned, click one of
the alignment buttons.
To change the phrase's point size, click the Font Size box then
type the size and press ENTER.
To change the phrase's font, choose the font you want from the
Font menu.
To delete the phrase, press the DELETE key.
To replace the phrase, just type whatever words you want the
phrase to become.
To move a phrase to a new location,
just ``select the phrase, and then drag from the phrase's middle
to the new location.'' Here are the details:
First, select the phrase you want to move, so the phrase turns
black. Then take your finger off the mouse's button. Move the
mouse's pointer to the phrase's middle (so you see an arrow).
Finally, hold down the mouse's button; and while you keep holding
down the mouse's button, drag to wherever you want the phrase to
move. (Drag anywhere you wish in the document, or drag to the end
of the document, but don't try to drag past the document's end.)
At the end of the drag, lift your finger from the mouse's button;
then the phrase moves where you wished!
Extra buttons
Near the screen's top left corner, you see these extra buttons:
Here's how to use them. . . .
Save Here's how to save the document (copy it onto the hard
disk). Click the Save button. Then invent a name for the
document. The name can be short (such as ``Joe'') or long (such
as ``Stupidest Memo of 1997''). At the end of the name, press the
ENTER key. Then the computer will copy the document onto the
disk.
If you change your mind afterwards, edit the document some
more: when you finish that editing, save it by clicking the Save
button again. If you're typing a long document, click the Save
button about every 10 minutes, so that if an accident happens
you'll lose at most 10 minutes of work.
Print To print the document onto paper, click the Print button
and then press ENTER.
Print Preview If you're wondering what a page will look like
but don't want to waste a sheet of paper to find out, click the
Print Preview button. The computer will show you a mock-up of
what the entire page will look like: you'll see the entire page,
shrunk to fit on the screen. Since the entire page is shrunk to
fit on the screen, the page and its characters look too tiny for
you to read the words easily, but you'll be able to see the
page's overall appearance: how much of the page is filled up,
which parts of the page are blank, and whether the info on the
page is centered. When you finish admiring that mock-up, click
the word ``Close''.
Finishing When you finish working on a document, you can click
the New button or the Open button. If you click the New button
and then press ENTER, the computer will let you start typing a
new document. If instead you click the Open button, the computer
will show you a list of the documents you saved earlier; click
the document you want, then press ENTER, which makes the computer
put the document onto the screen and let you edit it.
When you finish using WordPad, click the X button (at the
screen's top right corner). That closes the WordPad window, so
the WordPad window disappears.
Before the computer obeys the New button, Open button, or X
button, the computer checks whether you saved your document. If
you didn't save your document, the computer asks, ``Save
changes?'' If you click ``Yes'', the computer copies your
document's most recent version to the hard disk; if you click
``No'' instead, the computer ignores and forgets your most recent
editing.
PAINT
To paint pictures, get
the accessories menu onto the screen and the click ``Paint''.
You'll see the Paint window.
Make sure the Paint
window consumes the whole screen. (If it doesn't consume the
whole screen yet, maximize the window by clicking the resize
button, which is next to the X button.)
Move the mouse pointer
to the screen's middle. Then drag (move the mouse while holding
down the mouse's left button). As you drag, you'll be drawing a
squiggle.
For example, try drawing
a smile. To do that, put the mouse pointer where you want the
smile to begin (at the smile's top left corner), then depress the
mouse's left button while you draw the smile. When you finish
drawing the smile, lift the mouse's button. Then draw the rest of
the face!
When you draw, you're
normally drawing in black. At the screen's bottom, you see 28
colors: red, yellow, green, etc. To draw in one of those colors
instead of in black, click the color you want.
Near the screen's top
left corner, you see these buttons:
Free-Form Select Select
Eraser Fill With
Color
Pick Color Magnifier
Pencil Brush
Airbrush Text
Line Curve
Rectangle Polygon
Ellipse Rounded
Rectangle
To use a button, push it
in by clicking it. When you start using Paint, the computer
assumes you want to use the Pencil, so it pushes the Pencil
button in. If you want to use a different tool, click a different
button instead. Here are the most popular choices. . . .
Brush
To draw a fatter
squiggle, click the Brush button. Then put the mouse pointer in
the screen's middle, where you want the squiggle to begin, and
drag! Try it now!
Line
To draw a line that's
perfectly straight, click the Line button. Then put the mouse
pointer where you want the line to begin, and drag to where you
want the line to end. Try it now!
Rectangle
To draw a rectangle
whose sides are perfectly straight, click the Rectangle button.
Then put the mouse pointer where you
want the rectangle's top left corner to be, and drag to where you
want the rectangle's opposite corner.
Airbrush
To vandalize your
drawing by using a can of spray paint, click the Airbrush button.
Then put the mouse pointer where you want to begin spraying, and
drag!
Eraser
To erase a mistake,
click the Eraser button. Then drag across the part of your
drawing you want to erase. The part you drag across will become
white.
Ctrl key
While holding down the
Ctrl key, you can tap the S, P, N, or O key. Here are the
details. . . .
To save your painting
(copy it onto the hard disk), press Ctrl with S. Then type
whatever name you want the painting to have, and press ENTER.
Afterwards, if you edit your document further, save that editing
by pressing Ctrl with S again.
To print your painting
onto paper, press Ctrl with P. Then press ENTER. If your printer
can't print colors, it will substitute shades of gray.
To start working on a
new painting, press Ctrl with N.
To open a painting (use
a painting that you saved earlier), press Ctrl with the letter O.
The computer will show you a list of the paintings you saved
earlier; click the painting you want, then press ENTER, which
makes the computer put the painting onto the screen and let you
edit it.
X button
When you finish using
Paint, click the X button (at the screen's top right corner).
That closes the Paint window, so the Paint window disappears.
Did you save?
Before the computer
obeys Ctrl N, Ctrl O, or the X button, the computer checks
whether you saved your painting. If you didn't save your
painting, the computer asks, ``Save changes?'' If you click
``Yes'', the computer copies your painting's most recent version
to the hard disk; if you click ``No'' instead, the computer
ignores and forgets your most recent drawing efforts.
TIME
While you're using Windows 95, the screen's bottom right corner
is a box that shows the time, like this:
+-------+
|10:45PM|
+-------+
If you move the mouse's arrow there, the date will flash on the
screen briefly.
Double-click
To get more details about the time and date, double-click that
time box. To double-click the box, move the arrow to the box,
then tap the mouse's left button twice quickly, so the taps are
less than .4 seconds apart.
While tapping the left button twice, make sure the mouse
remains still. Don't let the mouse jiggle, not even a smidgin!
While double-clicking, your desk should be like Christmas Eve,
where ``not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse''.
Double-clicking is also called opening. Double-clicking the
time box is called ``opening the time box''.
Double-clicking the time box makes the computer show you a
calendar for the entire month, with today's date highlighted in
blue. You'll also see the face of a traditional clock, with an
hour hand, minute hand, and second hand that all move. You'll see
the time zone, such as ``Eastern Daylight Time''.
Reset
If the calendar, clock, or time zone are wrong, here's how to
reset them.
To change the year, click the (or ) symbol that's next to
the year. To change the month, click the symbol that's next to
the month, then click the correct month. To change the date,
click the correct date.
To change the time, click the part of the time that you want to
change (the hours, minutes, seconds, or AM/PM), then click the
or symbol nearby. To change the time zone, click ``Time Zone'',
then press the keyboard's right-arrow key (or left-arrow key)
several times, until your time zone is chosen, then click ``Date
& Time''. To see immediately the results of changing the time or
the time zone, click ``Apply''.
Finish
When you finish using that clock/calendar window, click ``OK''.
MY COMPUTER
When you're using Windows 95, the screen's top left corner
usually shows an icon (little picture) entitled ``My Computer''.
Right-click My Computer
To discover secrets about your
computer, right-click the ``My Computer'' icon. (That means click
it by using the rightmost button instead of the left button.)
You'll see a shortcut menu. The
menu's bottom choice is ``Properties''. Click the word
``Properties'' (by using the left mouse button).
You'll see a message about your
computer's properties. For example, on one of my computers the
message says ___
System:
Microsoft Windows 95
4.00.950a
Registered to:
Russ Walter
The Secret Guide to Computers
32295-OEM-0005556-34353
Computer:
Quantex Microsystems, Inc.
Pentium(r)
16.0MB RAM
That means I'm using just Windows 95 (not Windows 97), I'm using
version 4.00.950a (which came out in January 1996 and is better
than version 4.00.950, which came out in August 1995), the
computer is registered to me & my company, the computer was
manufactured by Quantex Microsystems, the computer's CPU chip is
a Pentium (which is a registered trademark of Intel), and the
computer contains 16 megabytes of RAM chips.
What message does your computer show? When you finish admiring
the message, click ``OK''.
Double-click My Computer
To see different secrets about your
computer, double-click the My Computer icon. You'll see the My
Computer window.
That window contains an icon for
each disk drive. For example, if your computer has a floppy drive
called ``A:'', a hard drive called ``C:'', and a CD-ROM drive
called ``D:'', you'll see a ``Floppy A:'' icon, a ``C:'' icon,
and a ``D:'' icon.
The window also contains a Control
Panel icon and a Printers icon.
Manipulate your hard disk
To find out about your hard disk,
click the ``C:'' icon, which is in the My Computer window. The
window's bottom right corner will tell you how many of the disk's
megabytes remain unused.
To find out more about your hard
disk, right-click the ``C:'' icon (so you see a shortcut menu),
then choose ``Properties'' from that menu (by clicking
``Properties''). You'll see a pie chart showing the disk's total
capacity, how much of it is used up, and how much of it is still
unused (free). When you finish admiring that chart, click ``OK''.
If you double-click the ``C:'' icon,
you'll see the C window, which lists files that are on the hard
disk. Make sure the C window consumes the whole screen. (If it
doesn't consume the whole screen yet, maximize the C window by
clicking the resize button, which is next to the X button.) If
the hard disk contains more files than can fit on the screen,
view the remaining files by pressing the and buttons, which
are at the screen's right edge.
For each file, you see the file's
name and a tiny picture (icon) representing the file.
If the file's a document, its icon looks like a notepad (or else
a page whose top right corner is bent).
If the file's a program, its icon looks like a window.
If the file's a folder containing other files, its icon looks
like a yellow manila folder.
If you double-click that icon, a new window shows you what files
are in the folder.
(When you finish admiring the new window, close it by clicking
its X button.)
If the file's a document or program,
and you click its icon, the screen's bottom will show you how
many bytes are in the file. Double-clicking a program's icon will
make the computer try to run the program; don't do that unless
you've read instructions about how to run the program
successfully! Double-clicking a document's icon will make the
computer try to use that document: the computer will try to run
the program that created the document, but sometimes the computer
can't correctly deduce which program created the document.
View menu While you're viewing
icons, you can change their appearance by clicking the word
``View'', which gives a View menu. From that menu, choose either
Large Icons (to make the icons as large & lovely as when you
bought the computer), Small Icons (to make the icons small, so
you fit more of them on the screen), List (to make the icons
small and organized so you begin by reading down the left
column), or Details (to make each icon small and accompanied by a
comment showing the file's size and the date when the file was
last modified). Usually you'll be happiest if you choose
``List''.
New folder To create a new folder,
click ``File'' (which is at the screen's top left corner), so you
see the File menu. From that menu, choose ``New'', then click
``Folder''.
A new folder will appear. Type a
name for it (and press ENTER).
Close the C window When you finish
examining the files that are on hard disk C, close the C window
by clicking its X button.
Manipulate your floppy disks
To analyze a floppy disk that contains info, put the floppy
disk into drive A. Then double-click the ``Floppy A:'' icon,
which is in the My Computer Window. You'll see the A window,
which lists the files that are on the floppy disk.
Make sure the A window consumes the whole screen. (If it
doesn't consume the whole screen yet, maximize the A window by
clicking the resize button, which is next to the X button.)
If the floppy disk contains more
files than can fit on the screen, view the remaining files by
pressing the and buttons, which are at the screen's right
edge.
For each file, you see the file's
name and an icon representing the file. When you finish examining
them, close the A window by clicking its X button.
Format a floppy disk If you buy a
new floppy disk that doesn't contain any info yet, that disk must
be formatted. Probably the disk's been formatted for you by the
disk's manufacturer; but if the disk hasn't been formatted yet,
you must format it yourself. Warning: formatting a disk erases
any info that was on the disk.
To format a floppy disk, put the
disk into drive A. In the My Computer window, right-click the
``Floppy A:'' icon. Left-click ``Format'', then ``Start'', then
``Close'', then ``Close'' again.
Duplicate a floppy disk If you have
a 3?-inch 1.44M floppy disk that contains info, and you have a
3?-inch 1.44M floppy disk that's blank, here's how to copy all
info from the first disk to the second so the second becomes an
exact duplicate of the first.
Put the first disk (which contains
info) into drive A. In the My Computer window, right-click the
``Floppy A:'' icon. Click ``Copy Disk'' and press ENTER. When the
computer tells you, put the blank disk into drive A (after
removing the other disk) and press ENTER. The computer will say
``Copy completed successfully''. Click ``Close''.
Close
When you finish using the My
Computer window, close it by clicking its X button.
FILE'S SHORTCUT MENU
When you turn on the computer, Windows 95 makes screen show the
Start button, the My Computer icon, the Recycle Bin icon, and
several other icons. For example, if you've created documents by
using WordPad or Paint, the screen shows icons for those
documents (unless your computer was set up in an unusual way).
If you're interested in a file, make that file's icon appear on
the screen. If the file's a document created by WordPad or Paint,
its icon is probably on the screen already. If the file you're
interested in does not have an icon on the screen yet, make the
icon appear by double-clicking the My Computer Icon, then
double-clicking the ``C:'' icon (if the file's on the hard disk)
or the ``Floppy A:'' icon (if the file's on a floppy disk in
drive A). If the file's in a folder, make the file's icon appear
by double-clicking the folder's icon.
Once the file's icon is on the screen, right-click on the
file's icon. You'll see the file's shortcut menu, which offers
these choices:
Open
Send To
Cut
Copy
Rename
Properties
(For some kinds of files, the shortcut menu offers extra choices
also.)
Here's what each choice means. . . .
Properties
If you choose ``Properties'', the computer tells you the file's
name, the folder it's in, the file's size, the file's MS-DOS
name, the date when the file was last modified, the date when the
file was last used (accessed), and other info about the file.
When you finish admiring that info, click ``OK''.
Rename
If you choose ``Rename'', the computer lets you change the
file's name. Type a new name (and press ENTER).
Open
If you choose ``Open'', the computer
opens the file, so it does the same thing as if you
double-clicked the file's icon:
If the file's a folder, the computer opens the folder and shows
what's inside.
If the file's a program, the computer runs the program.
If the file's a document, the computer uses the document
(by running the program that created the document).
Send To
If you choose ``Send To'' and the
file's on the hard disk, the computer lets you send a copy of the
file to a floppy disk. After choosing ``Send To'', put the floppy
disk into drive A. Then click the ``Floppy A:'' icon.
Exception: on some computers (such
as the one I bought from Quantex), ``Floppy A:'' is not one of
the choices. To fix that error and make ``Floppy A:'' become one
of the choices, do this:
Close all windows (by clicking their X buttons). Double-click the
My Computer icon, then the ``C:'' icon, then the Windows icon,
then the SendTo icon. From the File menu, choose New, then
Shortcut. Put a floppy disk into drive A. On the keyboard, type
``a:'' (and then press the ENTER key twice). Close all windows
(by clicking their X buttons).
Copy
If you choose ``Copy'', the computer
lets you copy the file anywhere you wish!
After choosing ``Copy'', right-click
where you want the copy of the file to appear. For example, you
can:
right-click on a blank place next to the file (so the copy's icon
will appear next to the original's icon),
or right-click on a folder's icon (so the copy will be inserted
into that folder),
or open a new window & right-click on a blank place in that
window,
or right-click on a blank place that's not in any window.
Then click ``Paste''. The copy will appear.
Each copy takes up space on the disk. For example, if the
original file is 1 megabyte long, the copy will be 1 megabyte
long also, so the original file plus its copy will consume a
total of 2 megabytes.
Paste Shortcut If you click ``Paste Shortcut'' instead of
``Paste'', the copy will not consume a megabyte; it will consume
just a few bytes telling the computer to refer to the original
file for details. In that case, the copy is called a shortcut.
The shortcut's icon has a bent arrow on it, to emphasize that the
shortcut just points back to the original file.
If a file's icon is hard to get to (because the file's in a
folder that's in another folder that's in another folder), create
a shortcut to it by doing this: right-click the file's icon, then
choose ``Copy'', then close all windows (by clicking their X
boxes), then right-click on a blank place in the middle of the
screen, then click ``Paste Shortcut''. A shortcut to the file's
icon will appear where you clicked. To access the file, just
click the shortcut's icon.
Copy from floppy disk to hard disk Here's how to copy a file
from a floppy disk to your hard disk.
Put the floppy disk into drive A. In the My Computer window,
double-click the ``3? Floppy (A:)'' icon. Right-click the icon of
the file you want to copy. Click ``Copy''.
Close the ``Floppy A:'' window (by clicking its X box).
Double-click the ``C:'' icon.
Which of the hard disk's folders do you want to copy the file
to? Either right-click that folder's icon, or right-click on a
blank place in that folder's window.
Then click ``Paste''.
Cut
If you choose ``Cut'', the computer lets you make the file
vanish from its current location and reappear in a new location.
After choosing ``Cut'', right-click at the place where you want
the file to reappear, then click ``Paste''.
DELETING FILES
Here's how to delete a
file: click its icon, then press the DELETE key, then the ENTER
key.
Try it!
Go ahead: try that
procedure! To be safe, delete a file that's unimportant, such as
a short, junky document you created by using WordPad or Paint.
Deleted immediately?
If you use that
procedure to delete a file from a floppy disk, the computer
deletes the file immediately. But if you try to delete a file
from the hard disk instead, the computer does not delete the file
immediately; instead, the computer moves the file to the Recycle
Bin, which holds hard-disk files you said to delete.
Peek in the Recycle Bin
To discover what's in
the Recycle Bin, double-click the Recycle Bin icon. (It's at the
screen's left edge.) You'll see the Recycle Bin window, which
shows a list of files you said to delete. (If you don't see a
file list, the Recycle Bin is empty.)
To see lots of info
about the files in the Recycle Bin, make sure the Recycle Bin
window is maximized (so it consumes the whole screen), and make
sure you're seeing the Details view (by clicking ``View'' then
``Details'').
To see even more details
about a certain file, right-click the file's icon and then click
``Properties''. When you finish admiring the details, click
``OK''.
Restore or delete? If
you change your mind and do not want to delete a certain file,
right-click the file's icon and then click ``Restore''. That
makes the computer pull the file out of the Recycle Bin and put
the file back to its original location on the hard disk.
If, on the other hand,
you really do want to delete a certain file, click the file's
icon and then press the DELETE key; then press ENTER. The file
will disappear.
To delete all files from
the Recycle Bin, click ``File'' and then ``Empty Recycle Bin'';
then press the ENTER key. Everything in the Recycle Bin will
disappear.
Close When you finish
admiring the Recycle Bin window, click its X box.
Avoid the Recycle Bin
You've learned that to
delete a file, the usual procedure is to click the file's icon,
then tap the DELETE key, then tap the ENTER key. If the file was
on the hard disk, that procedure moves the file into the Recycle
Bin.
Notice that the procedure involves tapping the DELETE key. If,
while you're tapping the DELETE key, you hold down the SHIFT key,
the computer deletes the file immediately instead of moving it to
the Recycle Bin.
TRICKS
These tricks will make
you a pro.
System tools
To improve the way your
computer acts do this: double-click the My Computer icon, then
right-click the ``C:'' icon, then click ``Properties'', then
click ``Tools''.
ScanDisk To make sure
your hard disk contains no errors, click ``Check Now''.
The click either
``Standard'' or ``Thorough''. If you click ``Standard'', the
computer will give your hard disk a standard checkup, which takes
about 20 seconds. If you click ``Thorough'', the computer will
give your hard disk a more thorough checkup, which takes about 20
minutes. (Those times are just approximate. The exact times
depend on how fast your computer & hard drive are and how much
info's on your hard disk.)
After clicking
``Standard'' or ``Thorough'', press ENTER. The computer will
check your drive for errors, by using a program called ScanDisk.
If the computer says
``ScanDisk found data in lost file fragments'', click ``Discard''
and then ``OK''.
When the computer
finishes checking your drive, it will say ``ScanDisk Results''.
(If you're lucky and there are no errors, the computer will also
say ``ScanDisk did not find any errors on this drive.'') The
computer will also tell you how many bytes are on the disk. When
you finish reading those messages, press ENTER twice.
Defrag To make your hard
disk run faster, click ``Defragment Now''. If the computer gives
you a choice between ``Start'', ``Select Drive'', ``Advanced'',
and ``Exit'', click ``Start''.
That makes the computer
rearrange the info on your hard disk to let the computer access
it faster. For example, if one of your hard disk's files is
fragmented (split into several fragments that are scattered
across the disk), the computer will try to defragment (defrag)
the file to make it consist of a single big chunk that the
computer can access faster.
When the computer
finishes rearranging your hard disk's files, the computer will
say ``Defragmentation of drive C is complete.'' Press ENTER.
Close When you finish
using the system tools, close the window by clicking its X box.
Then close the My Computer window by clicking its X box also.
Start menu
When you click the Start
button (at the screen's bottom right corner), you see the Start
menu:
Programs
Documents
Settings
Find
Help
Run
Shut Down
You've already learned about ``Programs'' and ``Shut Down''.
Let's examine the other choices.
Documents If you choose ``Documents'', the computer shows you
the Document menu, which is a list of the last 15 documents you
used. (If your computer is new and you haven't used 15 documents
yet, the list is shorter.) The list is in alphabetical order.
To use one of those documents, click it. Then the computer runs
the program that created the document, and the computer lets you
use the document. When you finish using the document, close its
window (by clicking its X box).
Suppose you delete one of those 15 documents (by
double-clicking My Computer, then double-clicking ``C:'', then
clicking the document's icon, then pressing the DELETE key). Even
though you've deleted the document, it remains mentioned in the
Document menu. So although the Document menu lists the last 15
documents you mentioned, those 15 documents don't necessarily
still exist!
Find To use a file that's on your hard disk, the traditional
method is to double-click the My Computer icon, then double-click
the ``C:'', then double-click any folders that the file is in
(until the file's icon appears), then double-click the file's
icon. To use that procedure, you must double-click many times
(especially if the file is buried in a folder that's in another
folder that's in other folders), and that procedure works just if
you already know which folders the file is in. Such hunting for
your buried treasure can be hard work!
Here's a faster way to unearth the file. . . .
From the Start menu, choose ``Find''. Then click ``Files or
Folders''. You'll see the Find Files window.
Then type the file's name ___ or whatever part of the name you
can remember. For example, if you want to search for a file that
might be called ``Lovers'' or ``My Love'' or ``To My Lovely'',
just type ``Love''. At the end of your typing, press ENTER.
The computer will search your entire hard drive for any files
having that name. It will show you a list of all such files. To
see the list fully, maximize the Find Files window by clicking
its resize button (which is next to the X button), so the window
consumes the whole screen.
If no file in that list interests you, close the window by
clicking the X box.
If one of those files does interest you, double-click it. Then
the computer will start using it.
If the file's a program, the computer will run the program. If
the file's a document, the computer will run the program that
created it. If the file's a folder, the computer will show you
what's in the folder.
Run Here's a faster way to tell the computer to run WordPad:
from the Start menu, choose ``Run''; then type ``wordpad'' and
press ENTER.
To run Paint instead of WordPad, type ``mspaint'' instead of
``wordpad''. To run the Calculator, type ``calc'' instead.
When you buy a program. It typically comes on a floppy disk.
The instructions for copying it onto your hard disk might say to
run a program called ``install'' or ``setup''. To obey such
instructions, put the floppy disk into drive A, then choose
``Run'' from the Start menu, then type ``a:install'' or
``a:setup'' (whichever they told you to type) and press ENTER.
Settings To change the
way your computer acts, do this: from the Start menu, choose
``Settings'', then click ``Control Panel''. You'll see the
Control Panel window, which contains these 18 icons:
Accessibility Options, Add New Hardware, Add/Remove Programs,
Date/Time, Display, Fonts, Keyboard, Mail and Fax, Microsoft Mail
Postoffice, Modems, Mouse, Multimedia, Network, Passwords,
Printers, Regional Settings, Sounds, and System. (If your
computer is fancy, you'll also see Internet and Joystick icons.)
For your first experiment, double-click the Mouse icon. You'll
see the Mouse Properties window. To modify the mouse's motion,
click ``Motion''. Then if you put a _ in the ``Show pointer
trails'' box (by clicking it), you'll see a trail of mouse
pointers whenever you move the mouse. To lengthen the trail and
make it more obvious, drag the slider toward the right, to the
``Long'' position.
The long trail helps you notice the mouse pointer more easily.
It's useful when you're giving a presentation to a group of
people and want to make sure they always notice where the mouse
is moving. It's also useful if you're on a laptop computer whose
screen is ``passive matrix'', which is too slow to show mouse
motions well.
If you change your mind, stop the trails by clicking the ``Show
pointer trails'' box again, so the check mark disappears.
When you finish experimenting with pointer trails, close the
Mouse Properties window by clicking ``OK''.
You can experiment by double-clicking any of the other icons in
the Control Panel window, but be careful! If you tell the
computer to use hardware you don't own, Windows 95 will stop
working! Before changing a setting, make a note to yourself of
what the setting was, so you can get back to it! Be especially
cautious about playing with the Display icon, since if you make a
wrong choice your screen will be unreadable!
When you finish playing with the Control Panel window, close it
by clicking its X box.
Help For further help in learning how to use Windows 95, choose
``Help'' from the Start menu. Then click either ``Contents'' or
``Index''.
If you choose ``Contents'', the computer shows a list of the
major topics. Double-click the topic you want help about. (If you
then see a list of subtopics, double-click the subtopic you want
help about.)
If you choose ``Index'', the computer tries to show an
alphabetical index of all Windows 95 topics. You see just the
index's beginning; to see the index section about the topic you
wish, type the first few letters of the topic's name. When you
see your desired topic, double-click it.
When you finish using help, close the help window by clicking
its X box. (If you don't see an X box, click ``Exit'' and then
click ``Exit Tour''.)
Play a music CD
Up until 1980, music came on records
or tapes. Nowadays, music comes on compact discs instead. If
you've gone to a music store and bought a compact disc containing
music, you can shove that disk into your computer's CD-ROM drive
while Windows 95 is running. The computer will play the compact
disc as background music, while you continue your work.
Volume To adjust the music's volume,
turn the volume knob, which is typically on the front of the
right speaker. (For some old systems, the volume knob is on the
computer's back wall instead, below where the speaker's cable
enters the computer.)
On some systems, the screen's bottom
right corner shows a Volume icon (which looks like a blaring
loadspeaker and is next to the time). If you click that icon,
you'll see a slider. Using the mouse, drag the slider up (to
raise the volume) or down (to lower it).
CD Player button While the music
plays, a CD Player button appears at the screen's bottom next to
the Start button. On that button, you see which track (song)
you're playing and how many minutes & seconds of that track have
elapsed.
To control the music, click the CD
Player button. You'll see the CD Player window. In that window,
click the | button to pause in the middle of a song, _ to stop
back at the beginning of track 1, to resume playing, | to
skip ahead to the next track, | to hop back to the beginning of
the current track. Press the button awhile to go fast-forward,
to reverse. Click to eject the disk from the drive (so you can
insert a different disk instead). When you tire of listening to
your CD collection, click eject ( ) and click the window's X
button.
Keyboard
A traditional keyboard contains 101
keys. If your keyboard is designed especially for Windows 95, it
contains 3 extra keys near the SPACE bar, so you get 104 keys
altogether.
Two of those extra keys are the
Windows keys: each shows a flying window. If you press either of
the Windows keys, the Start menu appears. So pressing either of
those keys has the same effect as if your mouse clicked the Start
button. You can press either of the Windows keys: those two keys
serve the same purpose as each other, except that one is nearer
your left hand, the other is nearer your right. Your keyboard has
two SHIFT keys, two Ctrl keys, two Alt keys, and two Windows
keys.
The other extra key, called the menu
key, shows an arrow pointing at a menu. If you press the menu
key, a shortcut menu appears. For example, if you click an icon
and then press the menu key, that icon's shortcut menu appears.
Property window Here are four ways
to make an icon's property window appear. . . .
Right-click method: right-click the icon (so the
icon's shortcut menu appears), then click ``Properties''
Menu-key method: click the icon, press the
menu key (so the icon's
shortcut menu appears), then
either click ``Properties''
or press the R key (which is
the code for ``Properties'')
Alt-double method: while holding down the Alt
key, double-click the icon
Alt-enter method: click the icon; then while
holding down the Alt key, tap the ENTER key
Use whichever method you wish! My
favorites are the right-click method (which feels the most
natural) and the Alt-double method (which is usually the
fastest).
Alt F4 Try this experiment: while
holding down the Alt key, tap the F4 key.
If a window is open, that makes the
computer click the window's X box, so the
window closes. (If two windows are open, here's how to close
both: while holding down the Alt key, tap the F4 key twice. If
several windows are open, here's how to close them all: while
holding down the Alt and SHIFT keys, tap the F4 key.)
If no windows are open, Alt with F4 makes the computer choose
Shut Down from the Start menu.
Problem: someday your mouse stops working (because the mouse is
broken or the computer gets too confused to handle the mouse). To
get out of that mess, press Alt F4 several times (to close your
windows and shut down the computer). Then try again to turn the
computer on.
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