by Ron Person
It's important that you know the name and function of each graphical element in a Windows screen, because each element causes some effect when clicked.
Figure 3.1 shows a Windows desktop containing multiple application windows. The figure identifies the parts of a typical Windows 98 screen.
FIG. 3.1 To run Windows effectively you need to know the elements in the Windows screen.
You can place shortcut icons on the desktop that point to program or document files. Clicking an icon starts the program or opens the document in the appropriate application. By modifying the shortcut's properties, you can control how the program's window opens.
Clicking a shortcut icon that points to a folder will open the folder into a window. A folder shortcut also acts as conduit to the actual folder. For example, dragging a file from the Windows Explorer and dropping it onto a folder shortcut places that file into the folder the shortcut points to.
The Windows Desktop covers the entire screen and lies under all icons, windows, and objects. It is the container for shortcut icons, taskbar, desktop toolbars, and program windows. When the desktop displays active content such as a Web site or Channel bars, it is known as the Active Desktop.
The Windows desktop becomes the Active Desktop when it displays active content such as Web components or links to Web data or an active channel. It can contain hyperlinks that open programs, documents, or Web sites. It also can display information that frequently updates through an Internet or intranet connection.
The My Computer shortcut gives you access to all the resources in your computer, hard drives, CD-ROMs, Control Panel, printers, and so forth. The My Computer window displays the same resources as the left pane of the Windows Explorer.
If you are connected to a network, click Network Neighborhood to open an Explorer Window displaying all your network resources. You can connect or disconnect from network drives, find computers on the network, or use network resources such as shared folders and files.
Click Start to display a menu of programs, documents, and Windows tools. All Windows features are available through Start or from one of its submenus. Start is displayed at the left end of a horizontal taskbar or the top of a vertical taskbar.
The taskbar is easily accessed to show you all programs currently open and running. Click a program button in the taskbar to activate the Window containing that program. The taskbar is movable and can be relocated or resized to anywhere onscreen. You can hide the taskbar so that it displays only when the pointer touches the screen edge containing the taskbar.
The channel guide is displayed both on the Active Desktop and in Internet Explorer. It gives you easy access to specialized Web sites that can send information to your browser at predefined times. Web sites that use a channel include a navigation map that enables you to find information more quickly.
Desktop toolbars give you quick access to frequently used programs, documents, folders, and hyperlinks; clicking a button on a toolbar opens that program, document, folder, or Web site. Toolbars are more accessible than desktop shortcuts because you can move and resize them as well as hide them against the side of a screen. When you move the mouse pointer against that side of the screen, the toolbar is displayed, ready for use.
Shortcut menus display menus that contain the most appropriate actions for the item on which you right-click. This is a real time-saving feature.
Resources in Windows such as the desktop, printers, shortcut icons, disks, folders, and so forth have associated property sheets. These property sheets display fixed and changeable characteristics (properties) about the item. Display property sheets through a menu selection or by right-clicking the item and then clicking Properties.
Nearly all actions in Windows and Windows programs can be controlled with the mouse. Most people, after they become familiar with Windows, use a combination of mouse actions, reserving a few keystroke combinations for frequently repeated commands.
CAUTION: Windows 98 can be configured to use the web style single-click with a mouse rather than the classic style double-click to complete some Windows actions. Learn about these two styles in the following sections.
Dragging with a mouse selects multiple text characters or moves graphic objects such as windows. Dragging is the same whether you have single- or double-click selected. Place the mouse pointer over a movable object, such as a file icon; then press and hold down the left mouse button. Continue holding the button down as you move the mouse. The object will move with the mouse pointer. When you have positioned the object where you want it, release the mouse button to drop the object.
TIP: Select multiple items on the desktop by clicking on the desktop and dragging the selection rectangle that displays so that it surrounds the items. Release to select all objects within the rectangle.
Most objects in Windows and Windows programs have a shortcut menu associated with them. This shortcut menu contains frequently used commands appropriate to the selected item. For example, the shortcut menu that displays when you right-click selected text includes the commands Cut, Copy, and Paste.
In some situations, such as dragging a file onto the desktop, you can drag using the right mouse button. When you release the right mouse button, a shortcut menu will display that gives you the choices of Move Here, Copy Here, and Create Shortcut(s) Here.
TIP: Hold the Shift key down as you right-click a file or folder to get a menu listing every available command.
When Windows is configured in classic style, a single-click selects an item, such as a file, folder, or shortcut, and a double-click activates it. You can select adjacent (contiguous) items by clicking the first file in a list and then holding the Shift key as you click the last file you want selected. All files between the first click and Shift+click are selected. To select multiple nonadjacent files, click the first file; then hold the Ctrl key down as you click additional files in the same folder. Ctrl+click a selected file to deselect it.
Changing Windows 98 to use a web style of navigation makes the mouse work on the desktop or in Windows and Internet Explorer as it does on web pages. A single click activates an item. For example, a single-click on a desktop icon opens the icon's program or document.
NOTE: If you have just switched to the web style, you might find yourself occasionally opening more files and folders than you want. What you might find occurring while in web style is that you open a folder in the Explorer's right pane the old way, with a double-click, only to find that you've activated a program or document. What has happened is that the first click opened the folder and the second click activated a file or program.
To select a single desktop item, or a file or folder in Explorer, move the pointer over the item and pause. The focus, highlighting, will move to that item.
To select multiple adjacent items on the desktop or in the Explorer, move the pointer over the first item and pause until it is selected. Do not click. Hold down the Shift key and move the pointer smoothly until it is over the last item you want selected; then pause. All items between the first and last will be selected.
To select nonadjacent items on the desktop or in Explorer, move the pointer over the first item and pause until it is selected. Do not click. Hold down the Ctrl key and smoothly move the pointer over the next item to select and pause until that item is selected (see Figure 3.2). Continue the process of holding the Ctrl key, moving and pausing until each nonadjacent item is selected.
FIG. 3.2 Select nonadjacent items by pausing the pointer over items as you hold down Ctrl.
Activate or run multiple selected items by right-clicking one of the items and selecting Open or another appropriate command from the shortcut menu.
Microsoft's Intellipoint mouse was released coincidentally with the release of Office 97. This new mouse has a small wheel between the left and right mouse buttons. Rolling the wheel with your index finger enables you to scroll without using scroll bars, pan in any direction, zoom documents using different magnifications, expand/collapse outlines, and drill down or up in worksheet data. The features available depend on the program.
CAUTION: Only programs designed to work with the Intellipoint mouse take advantage of its features.
Holding down the Intellipoint mouse's wheel button, located between the mouse buttons, in combination with the Ctrl or Shift keys gives you access to additional features and commands, listed in Table 3.1.
| Roll wheel | Scroll up in a window by rolling the wheel forward. Scroll down in a window by rolling the wheel down. |
| Drag wheel | Pan any direction in a window by holding down the wheel button as you move the mouse in any direction. The entire document moves in any direction. |
| Ctrl+wheel roll | Zoom a document to greater or lesser magnification by holding down the Ctrl key as you roll the wheel forward or backward. |
| Shift+wheel roll | Expand or collapse data structures like outlines or worksheet drill-downs by holding down the Shift key as you roll the wheel forward or backward. |
Table 3.2 shows the keyboard shortcuts that can save you time as you become proficient in Windows. A few of these keystrokes, such as F1 for Help, Alt+Tab to switch between applications, and F2 to edit selected text should be part of everyone's skill set. Some keyboards, such as the Microsoft Natural Keyboard, include a Windows and an application key that give quick access to certain predefined functions.
| Topic | Description | Key Combination |
| Close, Program | Exit active program | Alt+F4 |
| Close, Document Window | Close the active document window | Ctrl+F4 |
| Help | Display Windows Help | Windows+F1 |
| Help | Display Help for the selected item in a dialog box | F1 |
| Menu, Document's System | Display document system menu to control program window | Alt+hyphen |
| Menu, Program | Activate menu bar | F10 |
| Menu, Program's System | Display program system menu to control program window | Alt+Spacebar |
| Menu, Select Menu | Select from the active menu bar the menu containing the underlined letter | Alt+underlined letter |
| Menu, Shortcut | Display shortcut menu for selected item | Shift+F10 or Application key |
| Menu, Start | Display Start menu | Ctrl+Esc or Windows |
| Command, Cut | Cut selected item | Ctrl+X |
| Command, Copy | Copy selected item | Ctrl+C |
| Command, Paste | Paste item from Clipboard at current insertion point | Ctrl+V |
| Command, Delete | Delete selected item | Delete key |
| Command, Delete | Delete selected item from desktop without Recycle Bin | Shift+Delete |
| Command, Find: All Files | Displays Find: All Files dialog box when desktop active | F3 or Windows+F |
| Command, Find: Computer | Displays Find: Computer dialog box when desktop active | Ctrl+Windows+F |
| Command, Minimize | Minimize all windows | Windows+M |
| Command, Minimize or Restore | Minimize or restore all windows | Windows+D |
| Command, Properties | Display Properties of selected item on desktop | Alt+Enter |
| Command, Refresh | Refresh all window contents | F5 |
| Command, Rename | Rename selected item | F2 |
| Command, Run | Display Run dialog box | Windows+R |
| Command, Select All | Selects all items when Desktop active | Ctrl+A |
| Command, System Properties | Display System Properties dialog box | Windows+Break |
| Command, Undo | Undo last effect of last command | Ctrl+Z |
| Command, Undo Minimize | Undo minimizing all windows | Shift+Windows+M |
| Switch, Document Window | Activate the next document window | Ctrl+F6 |
| Switch, Program Window | Activate the next application window | Alt+Tab |
| Switch, Program | Activate Taskbar and cycle through buttons | Windows+Tab |
The Windows system of graphical menus and dialog boxes reduces the learning curve and increases skill retention. Menus are displayed in the same location in all programs, and they display groups of commands by functional category. Dialog boxes present a unified way of defining an object's properties or modifying a command's operation. The operating techniques for menus and dialog boxes are the same for all Windows applications.
The menu bar, located directly under the title bar of a program, displays the menu names. Windows programs use the same menu headings for common functions (such as File, Edit, Window, and Help), which makes it easier for you to learn new applications. To open a menu, click its name with the left mouse button, or press Alt and then the underlined letter in the menu name.
Menu items, also known as commands, are displayed on each menu. Point to any menu item to select it. Click to activate the menu item or type the letter underlined in the submenu item name. If there is an arrow to the side of the menu item, a submenu will open. Click the menu item to keep the submenu open or move over the submenu item and click to activate that command. Menu items followed by an ellipsis (...) will display a dialog box giving you additional options.
Most programs designed for Windows 95 and Windows 98 have a few dialog boxes in common. The two most frequently used common dialog boxes are Save As and Open. Figure 3.3 shows an Open dialog box from WordPad. The Save As dialog box is very similar.
Navigating and managing files and folders within the work area of the Open or Save As dialog box is identical to working within an Explorer window. For example, you can drag and drop files or folders, use Ctrl+drag to copy, rename files or folders, right-click for an appropriate shortcut menu, and so forth.
FIG. 3.3 Save As and Open dialog boxes, common to many programs, have many features built in.
Navigating between folders, as well as moving or copying files between folders, uses the same techniques in the common Open and Save As dialog boxes as the techniques used in Explorer windows. Table 3.3 lists the methods of manipulating folders.
| Change drives or folders | Click Look In list |
| Open a folder | Activate folder |
| Go up a folder | Click Up One Level button or press Backspace |
| Create a new folder | Click Create New Folder button |
| Rename file or folder | Select, F2 |
| Move file or folder | Drag |
| Copy file or folder | Ctrl+drag |
| Create shortcut | Right drag, Create Shortcut(s) Here |
TIP: While in a common Save As or Open dialog box, press F4 to display the Save In or Look In lists. Press F5 to refresh the file and folder contents of the dialog boxes.
Within the Open or Save As dialog box, you can create a new folder in the currently displayed folder by clicking the Create New Folder button at the top of the dialog box. The folder will be displayed with its name selected. Type a new name over the selection and press Enter.
Rename a file or folder by selecting it and then pressing F2. Edit the name; then press Enter. To delete files or folders, select those you want to delete; then press Delete. Respond Yes when prompted if you want to send the file or folder to the Recycle Bin.
Use the controls in dialog boxes to change properties or the effect of a command. Figure 3.4 shows the Font dialog box from WordPad. Figure 3.5 shows the Word 6 tab from the Options dialog box in WordPad.
FIG. 3.4 Changing selections in a dialog box changes properties or the effect of a command.
FIG. 3.5 You can select one option button from a group, but you can select any number of check boxes.
Using the Mouse in Dialog Boxes
In the majority of cases it seems that only one or two items are changed in a dialog box. In that case a mouse is efficient for selecting the control and clicking OK. Table 3.4 shows mouse actions in a dialog box.
| Control Type | Effect | Mouse Action |
| Check box | Change check box | Click |
| Option buttons | Select one from group | Click to select and clear others |
| Edit Box | Edit text or number | Click and drag to select, type |
| Scrolling List | Scrolls list, then selects | Click or drag scroll bar, click item in list |
| Drop-down list | Select from drop-down list | Click down arrow, click item in list |
| Command button | Choose command button | Click |
Using the Keyboard in Dialog Boxes
If you need to change many settings in a dialog box or using a mouse is not possible, use one of these keyboard methods. If it's too much to remember all these keystrokes, just remember Ctrl+Tab to move between tabs in a dialog box and Alt+underlined letter to select or clear a control. Table 3.5 shows keystrokes for operating a dialog box.
| Effect | Keystroke |
| Move to next control | Tab |
| Move to previous control | Shift+Tab |
| Select next tab | Ctrl+Tab |
| Select previous tab | Shift+Ctrl+Tab |
| Effect | Keystroke |
| Acts the same as a click on the current control | Spacebar |
| Choose active button | Enter |
| Cancel dialog box | Esc |
| Select or clear control | Alt+underlined letter |
TIP: You can Cut, Copy, and Paste between dialog boxes or between dialog boxes and applications. Select the text; then press Ctrl+X to cut or Ctrl+C to copy. Press Ctrl+V to insert text from the Clipboard.
The taskbar's shortcut menu enables you to quickly arrange windows on the desktop. Right-click a gray area of the taskbar; then click one of the following commands to arrange all open windows: Cascade Windows Arrange windows in an overlapping cascade from top to bottom, left to right.
Tile Windows Horizontally Arrange windows in horizontal strips across the full screen width. Screen height is divided evenly between windows. Tile Windows Vertically Arrange windows in vertical strips from screen top to bottom. Screen width is divided evenly between windows.
Undo Tile Restore all windows to their previous locations. Quickly clear the desktop of windows by right-clicking a gray area of the taskbar and then clicking Minimize All Windows.
To quickly arrange your desktop so you can work in two program windows that evenly divide the screen, right-click a gray area of the taskbar; then click Minimize All Windows. Now display only the two programs in which you want to work by clicking their buttons in the taskbar. Finally, right-click a gray area of the taskbar; then click Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically.
Move a window by dragging its title. Change the size of windows by dragging a window's edge or corner.
Move a desktop icon by dragging the icon. When you manually move desktop icons, they might not exactly align. If you want to align them, right-click the desktop; then click Arrange Icons. From the submenu, click one of the choices for how you want them aligned on the desk: by Name, by Type, by Size, or by Date. If you want desktop icons to automatically align themselves whenever they are moved, click Auto Arrange on the submenu.
Nearly every item on the Windows desktop or within a program's contents has associated properties. Properties are characteristics inherent to an item. A property sheet for each item enables you to view and change properties. To display an item's property sheet, right-click an item; then click Properties on the shortcut menu. A property sheet similar to the Display Properties sheet in Figure 3.6 displays. Change properties by selecting, editing, or clearing entries and then clicking OK.
FIG. 3.6 Property sheets enable you to view and change an item's properties.
The Start menu is the starting place for many of the tasks that you want to accomplish in Windows. You can open the Start menu at any time, from within any program, with one mouse click. From the Start menu, you can start programs, open recently used documents, customize the look and feel of Windows, find files and folders, get Help, and shut down your computer.
TROUBLESHOOTING:The windows of some programs written for older versions of Windows covers the taskbar so it is difficult to switch between applications or click the Start button. Even when you can't see the taskbar, you can switch between applications by holding down the Alt key and pressing Tab. A bar is displayed with icons for each application. Press Tab until the application you want is selected; then release both keys.
To simultaneously display the taskbar and open the Start menu, press Ctrl+Esc.
To start a program using the Start menu, click Start. Point to Programs. The Program menu then is displayed to the right. Point to the program that you want to start, as shown in Figure 3.7, and click. You can keep any of these menus open by clicking once on the menu. If you do not do this, the menu will close when the pointer moves outside the menu.
If the program you want to start is not displayed in the Start menu, point to an appropriate folder on the Start menu to see the programs within the folder.
TIP: If you have moved the taskbar, you might not see the taskbar and Start button at the bottom of your screen. If you see a gray line at one edge of the screen, move the pointer to that edge to display the taskbar.
FIG. 3.7 Open the menu that contains the program that you want to start and then click the program.
When you open a program, a button for the program appears in the taskbar. These buttons tell you which programs are open. Quickly activate the window for one of these programs by clicking on its button.
Clicking the Documents command on the Start menu displays your most recently opened documents. When you choose this command, the Documents submenu is displayed with a listing of the files that you have worked on recently. To open a document in this list, simply click on it. Windows then automatically starts the associated application, if it is not already running, and opens the document.
After a while, the listing in the Documents menu can become quite long and contain documents that you no longer are working with. To clear the list, right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose Properties. Select the Start Menu Programs tab on the Taskbar Properties dialog box; then click the Clear button.
The taskbar resides at an edge of the screen, usually the bottom, and displays all programs currently open and running. Switch between programs by clicking a program button on the taskbar.
TIP: Press Alt+Tab to cycle between programs without using the mouse or taskbar.
Toolbars give you quick access to applications and other resources. They reside on the taskbar. There are four default toolbars, but you can create your own custom toolbars that contain buttons for programs, files, folder, and hyperlinks. Figure 3.8 shows the four built-in toolbars.
FIG. 3.8 The taskbar and built-in toolbars are displayed in this order: Quick Launch, Taskbar, Desktop, Address and Links.
To display a built-in toolbar, right-click in a gray area of the taskbar or a toolbar, click Toolbars, and then click the name of the toolbar. To remove a toolbar, right-click the toolbar title; then click Close. You cannot close the taskbar. The different toolbars are described in Table 3.6.
| Toolbar | Description |
| Address | Displays hyperlinks you enter to web or local items |
| Link | Displays hyperlinks to web sites: Best of the Web, Microsoft, Product News, Today's Links, and Web Gallery |
| Desktop | Displays a button for each item on the desktop |
| Quick Launch | Shows Desktop, displays Channels, launches Internet Explorer, Mail |
TIP: A quick way to open a window onto a folder is to click Start, Run. When the Run dialog box is displayed, type the path of the folder in the Open edit box and click OK.
Windows enables you to run more than one program at the same time. Each program is displayed in its own window or as an item on the taskbar. The term active is used to describe the window that receives input. This is usually the topmost program window. The active window's title bar will be a different color than that of inactive windows.
Figure 3.9 shows two program windows. The active window contains multiple documents. The taskbar at the bottom of the screen displays the programs that are running. The button for the active program is highlighted on the taskbar.
Document windows containing contents larger than the window display scroll bars. A vertical scroll bar displays along the right edge and a horizontal scroll bar along the bottom edge.
In most programs you can move through document contents using the mouse with the actions shown in Table 3.7.
FIG. 3.9 This active program window contains multiple document windows.
| Movement | Mouse Action |
| Scroll by smallest increments | Click arrowheads at ends of scrollbar |
| Scroll by screenful | Click in scrollbar |
| Scroll to edge of document | Drag thumb in scroll bar to appropriate end of scrollbar |
| Movement | Keystroke |
| Scroll by up/down by line | up/down arrow key |
| Scroll left/right by character | right/left arrow key |
| Scroll left/right by word | Ctrl+right/left arrow key |
| Scroll to beginning of line | Home |
| Scroll to end of line | End |
| Scroll up/down by screenful | Page Up/Page Down |
Select text by dragging across the text. Select words by double-clicking the word.
Select objects by clicking on them. On the Windows desktop and in most programs you can select multiple items by clicking on the first object and then holding Shift or Ctrl as you click other objects.
Select multiple adjacent objects on the desktop by dragging the pointer diagonally across the objects you want to select. A selection rectangle is displayed as you drag. Objects within or touching the selection rectangle will be selected when you release the mouse button.
Select text with the keyboard by holding down the Shift key as you move. Select words by holding the Shift and Ctrl key as you press an arrow key.
Edit text with a mouse by clicking within text to position the insertion point and then typing. Replace text by selecting it and then typing.
Edit text with the keyboard by moving the insertion point to where you want to insert text and then typing. Replace text by selecting it and then typing. Delete selected text by pressing the Delete key.
Use menu commands or mouse actions to copy or move selected items. Cut a selected item from its current location by clicking Edit, Cut (Ctrl+X). Copy a selected item by clicking Edit, Copy (Ctrl+C). Paste the cut or copied item by moving the insertion point where you want the item and then clicking Edit, Paste (Ctrl+V).
To move a selected item using the mouse, drag the selected item to its new location; then release. To copy a selected item, hold down the Ctrl key as you drag the item.
Activate a document window by clicking on a portion of the window. If you cannot see the inactive window to click on it, then click Window, and click on the document name you want active. In some programs you can cycle between document windows by pressing Ctrl+F6.
Close a document window by first activating the document and then clicking File, Close or clicking the Close button for the document window. If the document has been modified since the last time it was saved, you will be prompted if you want to save the document. If you click Yes, the document will be saved with its current name.
Most Windows applications use the same procedure for quitting. To quit a Windows application, follow these steps:
If the application contains documents that you have modified since the last time that you saved them, the application prompts you to save your changes before the application quits.
The Active Desktop in Windows 98 can change the way you work and think. Instead of working from a Windows desktop containing static folders and icons, you can work from the Webtop, a desktop that displays dynamic information changing to meet your needs. The Active Desktop can show you static or changing information from your local PC, your network, or the web.
The Active Desktop is one of the most important aspects of the Webtop metaphor. In Windows 95 the desktop displays static information such as shortcut icons to start programs or open folders as well as a picture or pattern as a background. The Active Desktop that is available in Windows 98 makes your desktop a display and work area for constantly changing information. For example, your Active Desktop can contain live web pages, ActiveX components, and Java applets. This enables you to see changes to information that might be important to your work and life, such as currency or stock market changes as well as local weather or news bulletins specific to your interests.
You can turn the Active Desktop on or off and customize it to fit your needs. You can use any HTML page as your Active Desktop. This means your Active Desktop can display information such as the following:
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