European Computer Driving Licence

Module 2 – Using the Computer and Managing Files

Chapter 2.1 – The Desktop

Switching On

Z Make sure that the floppy disk drive is emptyZ Press the Power switch on the front of the system unitZ You may also need to switch on the monitorZ If working on a network, you will need to type in a user

name and password (for security reasons the password will not display)

Z After a short period, the Windows desktop will appear

The Windows Desktop

Icons

Taskbar

Start button

System Tray

Desktop Icons

A directory/folder icon

Double-click on one of these to open the folder and select a file

A file icon Double-click on this to open the file in the application that created it, eg Word

An application icon

Double-click on this to launch the application

Recycle bin If you delete a file, it is stored here. You can retrieve it later if you change your mind

Printer icon You will learn more about printing later in this module

Taskbar

Z The most important part of the taskbar is the Start button – click on this to access all programs, documents and computer settings

Z Quick launch toolbar shows icons for frequently used programs

Z The main part of the taskbar will show which programs are currently running – each button represents a program

Z In the bottom right hand corner is the System Tray – if you hover your mouse over the time, today’s date will appear!

……..……………Main taskbar area………………….

Start button

Quick launch toolbar System Tray

Using the mouse

Z Depending on where the mouse pointer is on screen, a different icon appears

This is the general pointer and means that the computer is ready to do something

The hourglass shows that the computer is busy, so you should wait until it goes back to normal

When the pointer changes to a two-headed arrow you can resize a window

Mouse clicksZ Left click - this means press the

left mouse button once. Clicking once selects an item.

Z Double click - this means press the left mouse button twice quickly. Double-clicking is used to launch a program from the Desktop

Z Right click – this means press the right mouse button once. This opens a pop-up menu. Left click on a menu item to perform that action.

Z Drag - Click on the item, hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse – as soon as you release the mouse button, the item will move to its new positionSingle click –

press this button once

Double click – press this button twice

Right click – press this button once, a pop-up menu appears

The Start Button

Z Use the Start button to start an application

Z Move the mouse pointer over it and click once

The Start menu appearsZ If your chosen application doesn’t

appear in the Start menu, click on All Programs

Z Move the mouse pointer to your required application and click once

The application will start!

The Parts of a Window

Title bar

Status Bar

Menu bar

Minimise, maximise & close buttons

What They All MeanTitle bar This shows the name of the program.

Menu bar Has labels which when clicked on produce drop down menus with options to choose from

Status bar Gives information about the current status of the program you are working in

Minimise icon Clicking on this makes the window disappear but a button appears on the taskbar. To restore the window, click once on the taskbar button.

Maximise button Clicking on this makes the window fill the screen.

Restore button Click on the restore icon will restore a maximised window to its previous size

Close button Click this once to close a window.

Moving and Resizing a Window

Z To move a window, click on the title bar and drag the window to its new position

Z To resize a window, move the mouse pointer to any of the borders – a two-headed arrow will appear – drag to make the window bigger or smaller

Scroll Bars

Z If a window is too small to display the full contents, scroll bars will appear

Z To move to the top of the window, click on the up arrow

Z To move to the bottom of the window, click on the down arrow

Z To move quickly up or down, drag the scroll bar

Z You can also scroll from left to right if a window isn’t wide enough

Click here to scroll up

Drag the scrollbar up and down to move quickly

Click here to scroll down

Working with more than one window

Z If you have two windows on screen, you can switch between them by clicking anywhere inside each window

Z Or you can click on the taskbar buttons

Z To display 2 windows side by side, right click on the taskbar and select Tile Windows Horizontally or Tile Windows Vertically

Switching off your computer

Z Close all open programsZ Click on the Start buttonZ Click on Turn Off ComputerZ Click on the Turn off iconZ Most modern computers will

switch themselves off automatically

Z Handy Hint: Alt + F4 will also bring up the Turn Off Computer Dialogue box!

Restarting your computer

Z Click on the Start buttonZ Click on Turn Off ComputerZ In the dialogue box that

appears, click on Restart Z Click on OK

Z Handy Hint: PressingCtrl + Alt + Delete twice in quick succession will do the same job on a stand-alone PC!