FOUNDATIONS LEVEL
CREATED: July 11, 2016
ELAINE EVERETT
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WINDOWS XP: BACK TO BASICS
Windows XP is an operating system that is like the behind-the-scenes manager that takes care of
your basic computing tasks.
Logging In
When you start your computer, you will get the Novell
Login window.
 Type in your Username and Password.
 You will get a second Login window for your
User Group.
 Enter your user name (same as the Novell user
name) and your password.
 Be sure to click the box in front of “Change your
Windows password to match your Netware password” (This will
keep you from having to login on this window next time or at
least until you have to change your Novell password.)
Navigating the Desktop
Desktop:
The desktop is where your work starts and ends and has several
icons on it plus any that you have added. It is the background area
that is your computer “desk.”
Start Button:
The Start button is located in the lower left corner and displays the
Start Menu.
Start Menu:
In the Classic View your Start Menu looks very much like other
Windows versions. At the top is the name of the computer. New
Office Document allows you to launch any Office application loaded
on your computer. Open Office Document allows you to open a
document but it will default to “My Documents.” Programs allows
you to launch applications. Documents shows the most recently
accessed documents. Settings allows you to access the Control
Panel and Printers. There is also Search (Find), Help and Support,
Run and Shutdown.
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Taskbar:
The taskbar contains buttons for all open windows and programs. It tells you the time and
shows icons when other activities are going on like printing. You can switch among open
windows by clicking on the buttons in the taskbar. If you have many documents in the same
program on the taskbar, Windows XP will consolidate them in one group on the taskbar.
System Tray:
The system tray is part of the taskbar and displays the clock, and you can choose to
hide or display other inactive status icons. You can hover the mouse over the time to
display the current date. The system tray alerts you to events or suggests actions. For
example, when you are printing, you will see a printer icon and then a message of
completion. You can collapse the system tray in the Windows XP view. Click the arrow
button
icons.
to expand the status bar area. Click it again to hide the inactive
Quick Launch Toolbar:
The Quick Launch toolbar adds a group of commonly used applications. You can add
your own custom buttons to the Quick Launch toolbar by dragging the shortcuts to your
favorite program to the Quick Launch toolbar. Follow these steps:
 Open My Computer> the folder that contains the executable file that starts the
program.
 Drag the program file icon or shortcut icon to the desired position on the Quick
Launch toolbar.
 Release the mouse button.
 You can delete any of the buttons by right-clicking the button and click the Delete
command.
 Click Yes in the dialog box that asks you to confirm the deletion.
Customizing the Taskbar and Start Menu:
Windows XP enables you to customize the taskbar
and system tray.
 Right click in a blank part of the taskbar.
 Click on Properties.
 You will see the Taskbar and Start Menu
Properties dialog box.
 You may select or deselect boxes.
 Click on the Start Menu tab and you can set
Classic View or Windows XP views.
 When you are finished making changes, click
OK.
My Computer:
My Computer gives you access to the components of your computer
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system. On your desktop double click on My Computer. (Click Start> My Computer in Windows
XP view.)
You will see icons for each Drive available to
you as well as your documents folders.
3 ½ Floppy (A)
Hard Drive (C)
CD Drive (D)
Common Drive (G)
Home Drive (H) – has your login name
Shared Drive (S)
District Drive (O)
You will also see System Tasks, Other
Places, and Details on the left side. Here you
can minimize these boxes by clicking on the
toggle arrows.
Arranging Icons on the Desktop:
Moving Icons:
You can place the icons on your desktop in any area. You can drag the icon to the
location you want. You may choose to have Windows arrange the icons by following
these steps:
 Right click on a blank area of the
desktop
 Click Arrange Icon By
 Select your choice: Name, Size,
Type, or Modification Date.
 You can Select Auto Arrange and
Windows XP moves the icons to
the upper left corner and spaces
them equally.
 You can select Align to Grid and
Windows XP keeps icons aligned
to an underlying grid. If you want to place icons closer, you must uncheck this
command to turn off this feature.
Deleting / Renaming Icons:
If your desktop becomes too cluttered, you can delete icons. If you
delete a program shortcut icon, you are not deleting the program,
just the icon.
 Right click on the icon
 Select Delete
 Click Yes
 If you want to rename an icon, right click on the icon and
select Rename.
 Type the new name.
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Control Panel:
The Control Panel groups icons by task.
 Go to Start> Settings> Control Panel.
Display:
 Click on Display (or right click on the
desktop> Properties or click on
Appearance and Themes> Pick a
Task> Change the computer’s theme
in XP view.) This window is similar to other
Windows operating systems.
Themes: A collection of visual elements
that make your PC’s desktop look
appealing. Themes determine nearly every
element of your computer including the
window color and shape, icons,
backgrounds etc… Windows XP comes
with two themes.
Desktop: The work area can be customized
here. You can select a background and
icon background colors.
Screen Saver: You can select a new screen
saver and modify the settings.
Appearance: Allows you to change the color
scheme and font size of various window
parts. You can also change from Classic to
XP style.
Settings: You can change the color quality
and screen resolution. (The higher the
resolution, the smaller the items and fonts
appear on the desktop.) It is best to set the
resolution to 800 X 600 pixels when
connecting to older digital projectors or
creating web pages.
Mouse Properties:
Here you can change the button configuration (for
left handed users) and double-click speed.
You can also change the appearance of the
mouse pointers, and the scroll wheel on the
mouse.
Sound and Volume Properties:
 Right click on the volume icon in the System
Tray.
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Select Open Volume Control.
Here you can go to Options> Properties to select volume for Recording or Playback.
User Accounts:
Because your computer is used by more than one person i.e. Campus Tech, CTS,
students, other staff members, accounts will be set up for each person. The computer
can remember certain options for each person’s setup. Each user will have customized
desktops. These accounts will be preset for you when XP is installed. After you login on
the Novell window, you will see a list of the accounts. Click your account to log on.
When you are finished, you can log off by following these steps:
 Click Start
 Click Log Off
 Click Yes to show that you want to log off
Change from Classic View to Windows XP view.
1. To change Windows classic folders select
Taskbar and Start Menu in the control Panel. (Or
right click on the Taskbar> Properties> Start Menu.)
Note: Choosing the Classic View hides the default
task links in the left pane of Windows folders and
makes the Category view in the Control Panel
unavailable unless you click on Category View.
2. You also open Display in the Control Panel.
Select Themes and Appearance and select
Windows XP.
3. Open Folder Options in the Control Panel.
Select the General tab.
Under Tasks, deselect Use Windows Classic folders.
Play Music:
The default audio and video player on your computer is Windows Media
Player. You may get a window like the one shown the first time you play a
CD. Select play Audio CD and click OK. You will see a taskbar on the left,
your visualization in the middle, and play list on the right.
Play Video:
Windows Media Player will also allow you to
view video clips and animations. These could be
files sent to you, On-line videos, or files you have
created.
 To see the video on the entire screen, go to
View> Full Screen.
 Press the ESC key to return to normal view.
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Managing Windows
Open a Window:
To open a program window, start the program by going to Start> Programs or double clicking
on the program icon. To close the window, click on the Close Control in the upper-right corner
of the window.
Title Bar:
The top line of the program window is called the title bar and includes the name of the
document and program name. Below the title bar is the Menu bar where you can select
commands.
Changing Size and Moving Windows:
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You can click on the Minimize button to place it in the taskbar.
Click the Maximize button to fill the entire desktop with the window.
Put the mouse pointer on a boarder and drag the border to resize the window.
To move a window, put the mouse pointer on the title bar and drag to the location you
want.
To have XP arrange the windows:
 Right click a blank area of the taskbar to display the shortcut menu.
 Select a command to arrange windows:
1. Cascade Windows: overlap windows so that the title bars are displayed one
above the other
2. Tile Windows Horizontally: windows are placed one on top of each other
3. Tile Windows Vertically: windows are placed side by side
4. Minimize All Windows or Show the Desktop: place windows on the task bar
Scrolling:
There are 2 scroll bars: Vertical scroll bar which moves the window contents up or down and
Horizontal scroll bar which moves the contents right or left.
Folder and File Organization
Good file management is important to help with organization. Use short, descriptive names. You need
to set up a folder structure with subfolders.
Create Folders:
 Open My Documents. (You should save your files in My Documents to help with salvaging
your files in case your machine has severe problems and needs to be repaired.)
 Choose File> New from the menu bar.
 Type the name for the new folder.
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Moving Files and Folders
 Open the My Documents or My Computer window and locate the
folder that holds the files you want to copy or move.
 Select the files or folders you want to move or copy.
 Click Move this folder/file.
 Select the place where you want to move the folder.
 Click Move.
Saving a File:
The most important computer skill and one that may prevent headaches is
saving your work.
Where to Save:
 The first time you save a
document, click File> Save
As.
 Select a location for the file.
 You may need to Create
New Folder or Move Up One
Level to find a location for
saving.
File Names:
 Type a file name that is
relevant and short (8
characters is a good rule of
thumb).
 Do not use punctuation.
 Click Save.
 After you have saved and named a file, you can click File and select Save or use the
keyboard shortcut CTRL + S.
Renaming Files and Folders:
 Position the mouse pointer somewhere on the name.
 Click the mouse.
 Highlight the name and retype the name.
Or
 Right click on the file.
 Select Rename and type the new name.
Back Up Files:
The second most important computer skill is backing up your files.
 Open the original and click File> Save As.
 Select a different location for your file.
 Click Save. If you continue to work on the file, it is saving to the new file location.
Copy Files:
 Select the file you want to copy.
 Right click on the file.
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Choose Copy.
Open the folder where you want to copy the file.
Right click in a blank area.
Click Paste.
Delete Files:
 Select the File you want to delete.
 Right click on the file.
 Select Delete.
 Click Yes in the Are you sure dialog box.
 The file will go to the Recycle Bin if it is a file on your C Drive.
Use Search /Find:
The Search feature enables you to find all those files that you have
misplaced or cannot find.
 Click Start.
 Click Search.
 Click For Files or Folders…
 Select All Files and folders in the Search Companion window.
 Enter the name of the file. If you are not sure of the file or folder
name, enter the characters you’re sure of followed by the *
(wildcard character). You might enter a Key word or phrase and
enter it.
 Windows will search the main hard drive of your computer for
the file by default. To have Windows search a different drive on
your system, click the Look In drop-down button and click the
name of the drive in the pop-up menu.
Create Shortcuts:
You can add shortcut icons to have convenient access to your most
often used programs and folders.
 Right click in a blank area of the desktop to display the menu.
 Click New> Shortcut
 Toggle to the location of the file or application.
 Drag the file or application to the desktop and a shortcut will appear. Notice that it has a small
arrow in the left corner. This icon is not the program or file itself, but a link to the program or
file.
 The icon now appears on the desktop.
Opening a Document:
 Start the program you used to create the document.
 Click File> Open.
 Toggle to the location of the file.
 Double click on the file.
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Closing the document:
When you are finished with a document, close it to free up system resources.
 Go to File> Close (or Exit)
Creating a New Document:
 Open the program and usually a blank document will be displayed.
 If you want to create another new document, go to File> New.
Printing
Preview and Print a Document:
After you have finished a document, you
may wish to print.
 Before you print, you may want to
preview the way the page will print
by going to File> Print Preview.
 Go to File> Print or CTRL + P.
Selecting a Printer:
 Select your printer in the Name:
box.
 Decide the page range.
 Click the Properties button if you
want to change from Portrait to
Landscape.
Or
 On the File menu, click Page
Setup, and then click the Paper
Size tab.
 Under Orientation, click Portrait or Landscape.
 Select the number of copies.
 Check the Collate box if desired.
 Click OK.
Another option for printing is to drag your file to the
printer shortcut icon you may have placed on your
desktop. To create a printer shortcut on your desktop,
drag the printer from the Printers window in the Control
Panel to your desktop.
To view or cancel print Jobs:
 Click Start button and choose the Control
Panel.
 Click Printers and other Hardware.
 Click on the printer you want to view.
 Click See what’s printing.
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You may need to cancel all print jobs by clicking Printer> Cancel All Documents.
Click Yes to cancel the printing.
You can also Pause print jobs.
Formatting a Disk
Most of the diskettes you purchase today are preformatted. You may get a
disk that is not formatted or you may want to reformat a disk (erase it).
 Insert the diskette in the floppy drive.
 Open My Computer and right-click on the icon for the Floppy Drive
(A:).
 Select the Format command.
 Leave the default setting in the boxes.
 Under Format options select Quick Format if you are reformatting a
disk that contains files and folders that you no longer need. If you’re
formatting a brand new diskette, leave this check box empty.
 Click the start button.
 Click OK in the dialog box warning you that formatting erases all data.
 When the formatting is finished, click the OK button.
 Click the Close button.
Maintenance
Most computer problems are easily solved, and you will be surprised how disaster proof your PC is.
Common problems can be fixed usually by restarting your computer. If you are having problems, try
exiting all your programs. (Save your work first and frequently.) You can try Ctrl + Alt + Delete and
select tasks to end certain tasks. If all else fails, you may need to restart your machine.
 Go to Start> Shutdown and select Restart.
Sometimes when everything freezes, you will need to do a hard reboot.
 Press the power button until the computer shuts down.
 Wait 10 seconds and turn the computer back on with the power button.
Empty Recycle Bin:
 Right click on the Recycle Bin.
 Select Empty Recycle Bin.
 Click Yes in the window.
Clean Up Hard Disk:
You will need to periodically delete unnecessary files to free up disk space. When you delete a file on
the C Drive, Windows moves it to the Recycle Bin where you can retrieve it unless you have emptied
the Recycle Bin.
 Select the file(s) you want to delete.
 Right click on the file(s).
 Click Delete.
 Click Yes to confirm the deletion.
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You can undelete a file by double clicking on the Recycle Bin.
 Right click on the file you want to undelete.
 Click Restore.
 The file is moved back to the original location.
Check System Capacity:
 Click on Start> Help
and Support.
 Select Pick a Task>
Use Tools.
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Select My
Computer
Information> View general system information. (This will let you see the system information,
processor speed, and how much disk space is available.)
The other selections will give you information about hardware and software installed on the
computer.
Windows Task Manager:
Use the task manager to find information about programs.
 Right click on the taskbar.
 Choose Task Manager.
 You can see the tasks that are running and select End Task.
Cleanup the Hard Disk:
To keep your computer running properly, you need to do some routine maintenance tasks. To keep
the hard drive free of unneeded files, you need to clean up the drive using Disk Cleanup.
 Go to the Start menu> Settings.
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Select Control Panel.
Click Performance and Maintenance. (You may need
to switch to Category View on the left side of the
Control Panel window.)
Click Free Up Space On Your Hard Disk.
Or
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Go to Start menu.
Choose All Programs> Accessories> System Tools>
Disk Cleanup.
You will see how much disk space you will gain by cleaning
up your HD.
 On the Disk cleanup page, check the boxes for any
categories of files that you want to clean up.
 Click View Files.
 Click OK.
 Click Yes to begin the disk cleanup.
Defragment the Hard Disk:
Disk defragmentation is a simple procedure that can help the performance of your system. When a
file is saved to your hard disk, the file may be saved in one location or in several smaller pieces in
different locations. The defragmentation of
your hard disk re-organizes the hard drive.
 Go to the Start Menu> Control Panel.
 Click Performance and Maintenance
(You may need to switch to Category
View on the left side of the Control
Panel window.)> Rearrange Items On
Your Hard Disk To Make Programs
Run Faster.
Or
 Go to Start> All Programs>
Accessories> System Tools> Disk
Defragmenter.
 Select the disk you want to
defragment.
 Click Analyze
You will see a recommendation as to whether or
not you should defragment. Normally, if the
percentage of defragmentation is greater than 5%,
you should defragment the drive.
 Click Defragment or click Close.
Back Up and Restore Personal Files:
Keeping a good back-up system is the best
protection against hard disk failure.
 Start the Backup tool by going to Start>
Settings> Control Panel> Performance and
Maintenance.
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Click Back Up Your Data
In the Backup or Restore Wizard, click Next.
Select Backup Files and Settings.
Click Next.
Select Let Me Choose What to Back Up.
Click Next.
Locate the folder that contains the files you want in the Items to Back Up list.
Click Next.
Select the storage location by clicking on Browse.
Click Next.
Click Finish.
After the process has been completed, click Close.
Restore Personal Files:
 Check to make sure the media containing the backup
is in place.
 Start the Backup tool by going to Start> Settings>
Control Panel> Performance and Maintenance.
 Click Next.
 Select Restore Files and Settings.
 Click Next.
 In the What to Restore screen, in the Items to Restore list. Locate the item to restore, and
check the check box.
 Click Next.
 Click Finish.
Shut Down
When you are finished working with Windows, you can turn off your computer or log off so that
someone else can log on.
 Go to Start> Shut Down.
 Click on the Toggle Arrow to select your option.
 Click OK.
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Help and Support
A useful feature of Windows XP is
using the Help and Support Center.
 Go to Start> Help and
Support.
 Type in your key words in
the Search box and click on
the green arrow. The left
pane will list will list relevant
topics.
 Click on the topic you want,
and Windows will display the
information in the right pane.
 You can also use the Icons
in the menu bar.
 Once you have located a
topic, you can add it by
clicking on Add to Favorites.
Windows System Key Combinations
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F1: Help
CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu
ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs
ALT+F4: Quit program
CTRL+S: Save
CTRL+C: Copy
CTRL+V: Paste
CTRL+X: Cut
CTRL+Z: Undo the last command
CTRL+Y: Redo the last command
CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window
CTRL+P: Print
CTRL+B: Make a highlighted word bold
CTRL+U: Make a highlighted work underlined
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