Getting Started with Windows 7

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1 Getting Started with Windows 7 You ll notice that Windows 7 is organized similarly to Windows XP or Windows Vista. If you haven t used it before, take a few moments to go through this guide; it ll make your life a little easier. Navigation Instead of a button that says Start, you will have a button with the Microsoft logo: This button fills the same function as the older button. The contents of your start menu are pretty much the same as in Windows XP o Programs List: Click on All Programs to bring up your programs list. Note that the list pops up above the All Programs button, not to the right of it o Shut Down: Click on the words Shut down to turn the computer off. Click on the next to Shut down to log off, restart, or put the computer to sleep o Documents, Pictures: These items are libraries which take the place of the My Documents and My Pictures folders o Computer: This takes the place of the My Computer menu item from Windows XP o Control Panel: The same as in Windows XP o Devices and Printers: Produces a list of devices connected to your computer, including printers You can rearrange and organize program buttons on the taskbar so they appear in the order you prefer. To rearrange the order of program buttons on the taskbar, just drag a button from its current position to a different position on the taskbar. Click on StartGetting Started to see more helpful hints on using Windows 7. Showing the Desktop The Show desktop button has been moved the opposite end of the taskbar from the Start button, making it easier to click or point to the button without accidentally opening the Start menu. In addition to clicking the Show desktop button to get to the desktop, you can temporarily view or peek at the desktop by just pointing to the Show desktop button. When you point to the Show desktop button at the end of the taskbar, any open windows fade from view, revealing the desktop. To make the windows reappear, move the mouse away from the Show desktop button.

2 Libraries In previous versions of Windows, managing your files meant organizing them in different folders and subfolders. In this version of Windows, you can also use libraries to organize and access files regardless of where they're stored. A library gathers files from different locations and displays them as a single collection, without moving them from where they're stored. Here are some things you can do with libraries: Create a new library: There are four default libraries (Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos), but you can create new libraries for other collections Arrange items by folder, date, and other properties: Items in a library can be arranged in different ways using the Arrange by menu, located in the library pane (above the file list) in any open library. For example, you can arrange your Music library by Artist to quickly find a song by a particular artist Include or remove a folder: Libraries gather content from included folders, or library locations Change the default save location: The default save location determines where an item is stored when it's copied, moved, or saved to the library Personalization You can add a personal touch to your computer by changing the computer's theme, color, sounds, desktop background, screen saver, font size, and user account picture. You can also select specific gadgets for your desktop. Themes A theme includes a desktop background, a screen saver, a window border color, sounds, and sometimes icons and mouse pointers. You can choose from several Aero themes. Use the whole theme or create your own customized theme by changing the pictures, colors, and sounds individually. You can add more themes to your collection from the Personalization Gallery on the Windows website. Aero Aero is the premium visual experience of this version of Windows. It features a transparent glass design with subtle window animations, a new Start menu, a new taskbar, and new window border colors.

3 Sounds You can change the sounds your computer makes when, for example, you receive an e mail message, start Windows, or shut down the computer. Desktop background The desktop background, also called wallpaper, is a picture, color, or design on the desktop. It provides a backdrop to your open windows. You can choose one picture to be your desktop background or you can display a slide show of pictures. Screen saver A screen saver is a picture or animation that appears on the screen when you haven't used the mouse or keyboard for a set period of time. You can choose from a variety of Windows screen savers. Font size You can make the text, icons, and other items on your screen larger by increasing the dots per inch (DPI) scale. You can also decrease the DPI scale to make text and other items on your screen smaller, to fit more on the screen. User account picture A user account picture helps identify your account on a computer. The picture is displayed on the Welcome screen and on the Start menu. You can change your user account picture to one of the pictures included with Windows, or you can use your own. Desktop gadgets Desktop gadgets are customizable miniprograms that can display information, such as continuously updated headlines or a picture slide show, without having to open a new window. Look under StartDesktop Gadgets Gallery to see available gadgets. Searches Windows provides several ways to find files and folders. There isn't one best way to search you can use different methods for different situations. Use the search box on the Start menu You can use the search box on the Start menu to find files, folders, programs, and e mail messages stored on your computer. To find an item using the Start menu:

4 Click the Start button, and then type a word or part of a word in the search box. Use the search box in a folder or library You're often likely to be looking for a file that you know is in a particular folder or library, such as Documents or Pictures. Browsing for the file might mean looking through hundreds of files and subfolders. To save time and effort, use the search box at the top of the open window. The search box in a folder or library The search box filters the current view based on text that you type. The search looks for text in the file name and contents; and in the file properties, such as in tags. In a library, the search includes all folders included in the library as well as subfolders within those folders. To search for a file or folder by using the search box: Type a word or part of a word in the search box. As you type, the contents of the folder or library are filtered to reflect each successive character you type. When you see the file that you want, stop typing. For example, suppose your Documents library looks like this: Now, suppose that you're looking for your invoice files, so you type "invoice" in the search box. As you type, the view is automatically filtered and you see something like this: You can also use other techniques in the search box to quickly narrow down a search. For example, if you're searching for a file based on one or more if its properties (such as a tag or the date the file was last modified), you can use search filters to specify the property in your search. Or, you can type keywords in the search box to narrow down your results even further.

5 Expand a search beyond a specific library or folder If you can't find what you're looking for in a specific library or folder, you can expand the search to include different locations. 1. Type a word in the search box. 2. Scroll to the bottom of the list of search results. Under Search again in, do one of the following: Click Libraries to search across every library. Click Computer to search across your entire computer. This is the way to search for files that aren't indexed (such as system or program files). However, be aware that the search will be slower. Click Custom to search specific locations. Click Internet to search online, using your default web browser and your default search provider. Get More Help Still have questions? Take a look at our Tech Help site at help/, kitsdesk@katz.pitt.edu, or call the Katz IT Help Desk at Additionally, Microsoft s Windows 7 Help & How to site has a wide array of videos and guides available. Check it out here: US/windows7/help.