Introducing Windows 7
Objectives
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Start Windows and view the desktop
Use pointing devices
Use the Start button
Use the taskbar
Work with windows
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Objectives
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Use menus, toolbars, and panes
Use dialog boxes
Use Windows Help and Support
Shut down the computer
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Microsoft Windows 7 is an operating
system program that controls:
◦ the operation of computer
◦ programs you run on your computer
 Programs, also known as applications, are taskoriented software that help you to accomplish
tasks such as word processing or using a
spreadsheet
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Microsoft Windows has a Graphical User
Interface (GUI, pronounced “gooey”)
◦ you interact with the computer through the
use of graphics, icons (small meaningful
pictures), and other meaningful words,
symbols, and windows
◦ contains Windows, rectangular frames that
contain file contents, a program, or icons
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Windows 7 provides two distinct GUI
experiences
◦ Basic experience for entry-level systems or
◦ Windows Aero which is more visually
dynamic for high-level systems
 provides expanded visual effects, such as glasslike
interface elements that you can see through, subtle
window animations, window colors, and live
thumbnails that you can display on the taskbar
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The desktop is the graphical background on
screen that represents a desk, containing
windows, icons, files and programs
The taskbar is the horizontal bar at the bottom of
the screen that allows you to start and switch
among open programs
The Start button is on the left end of the taskbar,
and is used to start programs, find and open
files, access Windows Help and Support, and
more
Next to the Start button are taskbar-pinned
programs which are used to quickly start your
internet browser, Windows Explorer, and
Windows Media Player
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The Notification area (also known as the system
tray) is on the right end of the taskbar, and
displays the time, date, program related icons
and the Show the desktop button (the blank
button next to the time and date)
◦ note: If you upgraded your computer to Windows 7 from
a previous version of Windows, your desktop might
contain additional desktop icons, toolbars, and other
elements, such as miniprograms called Gadgets
◦ Gadgets provide easy access to frequently used tool and
information such as new headlines
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Turn on your computer
◦ Windows automatically starts and displays a security promptthe Welcome screen or the desktop, or a logon screen where
you must enter a password
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Passwords are used to maintain security on a
shared or networked computer
◦ you can set up your computer to require users to log on
with a username and password- specify a username and
password when installing Windows 7
◦ click the Control Panel, User Accounts and Family
Safety, then click Change your Windows password and
choose either “Click Change your password or Create a
password for your account” and follow the instructions
◦ if you have forgotten your password, you can click
Reset password on the Welcome screen to start the
Forgotten Password Wizard and follow the instructions
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A pointing device is hardware connected to or built into
the computer you use to position the mouse pointer is a
small symbol that indicates the pointer’s position on
the desktop
The most common pointing devices are a mouse for
desktop computers and a touch pad for laptop or
notebook computers
When you move the mouse on a flat surface or place
your finger on the touch pad and drag, the pointer
moves across the screen in the same direction
The shape of the pointer changes to indicate different
activities
If your mouse has a scroll wheel you can roll the wheel
backward or forward to scroll through windows
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A typical mouse
has two buttons,
although yours
may differ:
◦ Left button: used to
select text or click
icons
◦ Right button: used to
open a shortcut menu
Typical mouse
Shortcut menu
Screen Tip
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Basic mouse pointer shapes include
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Windows integrates with the Internet and allows
you to choose to single-click an item to select it
(Web style) instead of double-clicking (Classic
style)
◦ click the Start button on the taskbar, then click Control
Panel
◦ in the Control Panel, click Appearance and
Personalization, then click Specify single- or
double to open
◦ single-click to open an item (point to select) or Doubleclick to open an item (single-click to select) option
button, then click OK
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The key to getting started with the Windows
desktop is learning how to use the Start button on
the task bar
Clicking the Start button on the taskbar displays
the Start menu which is a list of commands that
allows you to start a program, open a document,
change a Windows setting, find a file, or display
support information
Windows 7 allows you to search the Start menu to
find installed programs and other Windows items
such as the Control Panel programs for configuring
your computer, documents, music, Web sites you
have visited, contacts, e-mail, and appointments
◦ to search the Start menu, click in the Search box on the
Start menu and then start typing the search text you want;
the Start menu filters out items to show you possible
results
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The Start button on the taskbar opens a list of commands
that allow you to:
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Start a program
Open a document
Change a Windows setting
Find a file
Display Help and Support
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Start menu commands
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The taskbar is the horizontal bar at the bottom of
the desktop and includes the Start button on the
left end, program buttons and open window
buttons in the middle, and the notification area on
the right end
The taskbar allows you to start programs and
switch among currently running programs and
open windows
When you start a program or open a window, a
corresponding button appears on the taskbar and if
the task bar becomes too crowded the buttons
associated with the same program automatically
group together into a single button
Resting the pointer over a taskbar button, Windows
Aero displays a live thumbnail, showing the content
of that window
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Windows Aero provides two other ways
to manage windows:
◦ Windows Flip 3D creates a view of open
windows in a three-dimensional stack on your
desktop
◦ Windows Flip allows you to flip through open
windows (using [Alt][Tab]), providing a live
thumbnail of each window
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Live thumbnail
Windows Flip 3D
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Similar to the Start menu, the taskbar allows you
to pin programs or files to it for easy one-click
access
After a program is pinned to the taskbar, you
can right-click the taskbar button to display a
jump list of recently opened files for the
program
The taskbar also provides several options for
arranging open windows
The taskbar is locked by default, so it cannot be
accidentally resized or moved but can be
unlocked by right-clicking a blank area on the
taskbar, then clicking Lock the taskbar on the
shortcut menu to deselect the option
The taskbar can be moved by dragging it to any
edge
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One of the powerful things about the Windows
operating system is that you can open and work
with more than one window or program at once
You can identify a window by the name on the
title bar at the top of the program window or in
the Address bar of a Windows Explorer window
which you use to navigate to different locations
on your computer
Each window is surrounded by a border that you
can drag to resize or move the window; and
buttons to maximize or minimize it
You can click the Show desktop button (the blank
button) at the right end of the taskbar to
minimize all windows
In Windows Aero point to the Show desktop
button to make all open windows transparent
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You can organize the desktop in
several ways:
◦ Click the appropriate button in the
upper-right corner of the window. To
make it:
 an icon on the taskbar, click the Minimize
button
 fill the screen, click the Maximize button
 closed, click the Close button
◦ To move a window, position the mouse
pointer over the title bar, click the left
mouse button, then drag the window to
the new location
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Window controls in the Control Panel
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Scroll bars appear at the right and bottom edges
of the window when you cannot see all of the
items available in the window
◦ the vertical scroll bar moves your view up and down
through a window; the horizontal scroll bar moves your
view from left to right
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There are several ways you can use the scroll
bars:
◦ use the scroll arrows when you need to scroll just a little
ways
◦ when you need to scroll more quickly you can use the
scroll bar on either side of the scroll box, which appears
in the middle of the scroll bars, or dragging the scroll
box moves you even more quickly to a new part of the
windows
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A menu is a list of commands that you use to
accomplish certain tasks
A command is a directive that provides access to
a program’s features
Each Windows program has its own set of
menus, which are usually located on a menu bar
To access the commands in a menu, you click
the name of the menu
A toolbar contains the most commonly used
commands and also contains buttons that
display menus, selection options, or perform
commands
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Some buttons have arrows next to them; clicking
the button itself causes a default action whereas
clicking the arrow next to the button opens a
menu
A pane is a frame within a window, from which
you can access commands and navigation
controls or display information
On a menu, a check mark identifies a currently
selected feature, meaning the feature is enabled,
or turned on
To disable, or turn off a feature, you click the
command again to remove the check mark
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Organize button in the Libraries window
View menu open with the status bar visible
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If you have difficulty using a mouse, or typing,
have slightly impaired vision, or are deaf you
can adjust the appearance and behavior of
Windows 7 to make you computer easier for you
to use
The Accessibility wizard takes you step-by-step
through a series of instructional windows to
help you configure Windows for your vision,
hearing, and mobility needs
You can also save your setting in a file that you
can use on another computer
To open the Accessibility Wizard, click the Start
button on the taskbar, click Control Panel, click
Ease of Access, then click Ease of Access Center
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A dialog box is a window that contains options
for completing a task
Dialog boxes:
◦ open when you choose a menu option that is followed
by an ellipsis (…) indicating you must supply more
information before the program can carry out the
command; or when you open a program in the Control
Panel
◦ may contain tabs at the top that separate commands
into related categories
◦ can be closed by clicking OK to accept all of your
changes, or by clicking Cancel to not make any changes
◦ you can also access a dialog box from the notification
area on the taskbar
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Dialog box elements
Mouse Properties dialog box
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Typical items in a dialog box
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Microsoft Help and Support is a complete
resource of information, training, and support to
help you learn and use Windows 7
Help and Support is like a book stored on your
computer, with additional links to the Internet,
complete with search features, and a table of
contents to make finding information easier
If you have an Internet connection you can get
online help from a support professional at
Microsoft or other users, join a newsgroup or
invite a friend to chat with you, view your screen,
and work on your computer to provide remote
support
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Windows Help and Support
Help topic
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If you need additional help and have an
Internet connection, you can use Windows
Help and Support to get online help from a
support professional at Microsoft
To get help, in Windows Help and Support,
click the Ask button on the toolbar at the top
of the Windows Help and Support window,
click Windows Remote Assistance under Ask a
person for help, and follow the step-by-step
instructions
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When you finish working on your computer, you
need to make sure to turn off, or shut down,
your computer properly
◦ shutting down the computer involves several
steps
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saving and closing all open files
closing all open windows
exiting all running programs
shutting down Windows
turning off the computer
◦ Shutting down your computer makes sure
Windows and all its related programs are
properly closed, this avoids potential problems
starting and working with Windows in the
future
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Shut down options
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Shut down menu
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When many users share a computer, each user
should have his or her own Windows identity to:
◦ keep files completely private
◦ customize Windows preferences
◦ give identities unique user names and passwords
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To set up user accounts, do so during the
Windows 7 installation, or using User Accounts
in the Control Panel to add a new user
When Windows starts, a user account must be
selected and the correct password entered
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When you are done using the computer, yet you
want to leave it on for another person to use,
you can choose the Switch user or Log off
command from the Start menu
The Switch user command allows you to switch
between users quickly without having to save
your current settings, so you can switch back
and continue working
The Log off command saves your current
settings and exits you from Windows
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Microsoft Windows 7 is an operating system
program
Passwords are used to maintain security on a
shared or networked computer
A pointing device is hardware connected to or
built into the computer you use to position the
mouse
Windows integrates with the Internet, allowing
you to choose to single-click an item to select it
instead of double-clicking
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Clicking the Start button on the taskbar displays
the Start menu which is a list of commands that
allows you to start a program, open a document,
change a Windows setting, find a file, or display
support information
A dialog box is a window that contains options
for completing a task
Microsoft Help and Support is a complete
resource of information, training, and support to
help you learn and use Windows 7
Shutting down your computer makes sure
Windows and all its related programs are
properly closed
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