European Computer Driving
Licence
Module 2 – Using the Computer and Managing Files
Chapter 2.1 – The Desktop
10/21/2011
Mrs Amal Zahran
1
Module 2
Using the Computer &
Managing Files
‫ أمل زهران‬: ‫األستاذة‬
‫ماجستير في نظم المعلومات الحاسوبية‬
7/1/2016
Mrs Amal Zahran
2
Switching On
Z
Z
Z
Z
Make sure that the floppy disk drive is empty
Press the Power switch on the front of the system unit
You may also need to switch on the monitor
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
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The Windows Desktop
Icons
System
Tray
Start
button
Taskbar
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Desktop Icons
A directory/folder Double-click on one of these to open the
icon
folder and select a file
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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
Mrs Amal Zahran
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Start
button
Taskbar
……..……………Main taskbar area………………….
Quick launch toolbar
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
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System Tray
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!
Mrs Amal Zahran
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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
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Mouse clicks
Z 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
Single click –
press this
button once
Double click –
press this
button twice
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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
position
Right click –
press this
button once, a
pop-up menu
appears
Mrs Amal Zahran
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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 appears
Z 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!
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The Parts of a Window
Title bar
Minimise, maximise & close buttons
Menu bar
Status Bar
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What They All Mean
Title 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.
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Moving and Resizing a Window
Z To move a window, click on
the title bar and drag the
window to its new position
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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
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12
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
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Click here to scroll up
Drag the scrollbar up
and down to move
quickly
Click here to scroll down
13
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
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Switching off your computer
Z
Z
Z
Z
Z
Close all open programs
Click on the Start button
Click on Turn Off Computer
Click on the Turn off icon
Most modern computers will
switch themselves off
automatically
Z Handy Hint: Alt + F4 will
also bring up the Turn Off
Computer Dialogue box!
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Restarting your computer
Z Click on the Start button
Z Click on Turn Off Computer
Z In the dialogue box that
appears, click on Restart
Z Click on OK
Z Handy Hint: Pressing
Ctrl + Alt + Delete twice in
quick succession will do the
same job on a stand-alone
PC!
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