Conventions used in this document: Keyboard keys that must be pressed will be shown as Enter or Ctrl. Controls to be activated with the mouse will be shown as Start button > Settings > System > About. Tips will be shown in this format. The Table of Contents is interactive. Click on any topic to go directly to that section of the document. You can return to the table of contents at any time by holding down the Ctrl key while you press and release the Home key (Ctrl + Home). Table of Contents DESKTOP CONTROLS... 3 CUSTOMIZE PROGRAM CONTROLS... 3 Start Screen and Window Taskbar... 3 Desktop... 4 ARRANGE CONTROLS... 5 Start Screen... 5 Rearrange Controls... 5 Create a Group... 6 Rename a Group... 6 Resize Tiles... 7 Windows Taskbar... 7 Desktop... 7 Remove a Control... 7 OPENING PROGRAMS... 8 PROGRAM WINDOWS... 8 Windowed View... 8 Multi-tasking... 10 Give a Window the Focus... 11 Task View... 11 Select an Active Icon... 12 SELECTING A PROGRAM... 13 TYPES OF PROGRAMS AVAILABLE... 13 General Program Groups... 13 Word Processors... 13 E-mail... 13 Microsoft... 13 Other Manufacturers... 14 Page 1 Revised 7/3/18
Office Suites... 14 Graphics... 14 Games... 14 Internet Browsers... 15 And More... 15 Utility Programs Already Installed with Windows... 15 This PC... 15 Recycle Bin... 16 Settings... 17 Task Manager... 19 Task Oriented Programs Already Installed with Windows... 19 Tips... 19 Windows Edge... 21 WordPad... 21 Paint... 23 Microsoft Solitaire Collection... 23 Weather... 25 Microsoft Store... 25 Page 2 Revised 7/3/18
In the last lesson, you were introduced to the Windows Desktop and familiarized with its interface. In this lesson, we will learn how to use the controls on the Desktop to open programs and apps installed on your computer. The demonstrations will be done using the mouse to activate the controls. If you are using a touch screen, substitute Tap the control with your Finger or Stylus, for the words Click or Activate. If you have the option of either touch or mouse, I recommend mouse as it is much quicker. Selecting a control on the desktop with the mouse means pointing the cursor on the screen at the control until it highlights or otherwise indicates it is selected. Activate means either a click or double-click with the left mouse button. A right-click will always display an alternative menu for the control you are pointing at. There are a few controls that still require a double-click for activation. If you encounter a control that does not activate with a click try a double-click. You will quickly learn which controls require a double-click. Desktop Controls Before we actually learn how to work with a program, we need to understand how to manage and activate the desktop controls we learned about in the last class. Refer to the notes for Computer Basics if you need to refresh your memory on where the controls are located on the desktop. You can customize some of the control areas and specify which controls will appear in an area. Customize Program Controls The All Apps menu (Desktop Interface) and All Apps page (Tablet Mode) will automatically display a control for every program you have access to on your computer. Windows 10 will manage the placement of all controls on the All Apps menu and you cannot customize the All Apps menu. You can, however, customize which program controls appear on the Start Screen, Windows Taskbar, and Desktop. Adding or removing a control does not affect the control on the All Apps menu. The program will still be listed on the All Apps menu and its control will remain available for use. The All Apps menu can be frustrating as it requires that you search the entire menu to locate the program you want to open. If you customize the Start Screen, Windows Taskbar, and/or Desktop you will have quick and easy access to the programs you use most frequently. Start Screen and Window Taskbar You can place a copy of any control displayed on the All Apps menu on the Start Screen or Windows Taskbar and you can also remove any unwanted controls. Creating a copy of a program control is called Pinning and removing a control is called Unpinning. Pin Program Controls Action Pin to the Start Screen How to Do Go to All Apps, locate the control you want to pin and right-click. Activate the Pin to Start option. The control will immediately appear on the Start Screen. Page 3 Revised 7/3/18
Pin Program Controls Action Pin to the Window s Taskbar How to Do Go to All Apps, locate the control you want to pin and right-click. Activate the More > Pin to Taskbar option. The control will immediately appear on the Windows Taskbar. The Open file location option will not be available for a control that will open an app. Desktop Only controls for programs can be placed on the Desktop. Apps are limited to placement on the Start Screen and Windows Taskbar only. Many programs will offer the option to place desktop icon on the desktop when the program is initially installed on your computer. Add a Desktop Icon Action Add to the Desktop How to Do Go to All Apps, locate the program control you want to place on the desktop and right-click. Use More > Open file location to open This PC with the correct control highlighted. Page 4 Revised 7/3/18
Add a Desktop Icon Action How to Do Right-click the highlighted control and then activate Send to > Desktop (create shortcut). The icon will display on the Desktop immediately. Arrange Controls Start Screen REARRANGE CONTROLS You can move any program or app tile on the Start Screen by using click and drag. Click and hold the left mouse button down while pointing at the tile you want to move. Move the tile to a new location and release the mouse button to drop it in the place you want. The other tiles will rearrange themselves to make a location you can drop the tile in. Page 5 Revised 7/3/18
CREATE A GROUP You can also create a new group on the Start Screen by moving a tile into a new area of the screen. A blue bar will appear when you are in an area that a new group can be created. Release the mouse button to drop the tile and create the group. RENAME A GROUP You can name or rename any group. Point the cursor above the group you want to rename and click on the and click outside the text box to lock the name in. control. Type in the name you want Page 6 Revised 7/3/18
RESIZE TILES Right-click on any tile to display the alternative menu. Point the cursor at the Resize option to cascade out the size options. Select the size you want from the available options. Options will be different depending on the type of control. Windows Taskbar Taskbar icons can also be dragged and dropped into a new location. Other icons will make room for the moved icon. Desktop Desktop icons can also be rearranged with drag and drop. The other desktop icons will not move automatically to make room for the new icon. Remove a Control You can remove a control from the Start Screen, Windows Taskbar, or Desktop at any time. Removing the control does not uninstall the associated program. The program can still be opened from the All Apps menu. You can also remove any controls that were loaded during the installation of Windows 10. To remove a control from the Start Screen, Windows Taskbar, or Desktop right-click the control to be removed and select either the Unpin From or Delete option from the alternative menu. Page 7 Revised 7/3/18
Opening Programs Virtually every control you activate from the Windows Desktop will open up an individual window on the desktop. This includes every program, app, setting, or area of the computer that you may open. The window that opens will contain all of the information and the controls needed to manage the program, app, and etc. that you activated. If you activate a second program, app, and etc., a second window will be opened that contains all the controls and information needed to manage the second window. Opening multiple windows at the same time is called multi-tasking. For example, you might open a program to listen to music while you read your e-mail. The information and the controls in each window will be tailored to help you manage the program you opened. If you have multiple windows open each with its own program, you will only be able to use one program at a time. You will have to switch to the window you want to use by giving that window the focus. The window with the focus will become the top window on the screen and all other windows will be grayed out in the background. Program Windows A window is the container for a program that is opened for use on the screen. A window is a rectangular entity that is separate from all other programs and the desktop. Within the window is contained all of the features and controls you need to manipulate the program. Windows 10, the operating system, was named for the windows it uses to display its programs. The convention is to capitalize the Windows operating system and use lower case for a program window, which I will follow in this discussion. A program is a set of instructions that will help you accomplish a task on the computer. These instructions are designed to be displayed in a window. Within the window will be a number of controls that you will use to activate specific instructions designed to help accomplish the programs task. You will also have a workspace to display the actions being taken in the program. Each program you open by activating a control on the desktop will be displayed in its own window. The computing world uses 2 names, program and app, to describe basically the same thing. Programs were first developed for computers and apps were later developed for tablets and smartphones. Programs and apps are technically different but, to you the user, they are very similar. I am going to use the term program to indicate both a program and an app from this point on. Windowed View When a program or area of the computer is activated it will open in windowed view. Windowed view means that the program is enclosed in its own rectangular window. Within the border of the window is everything you need to work with the specific program or area of the computer. The Windows Taskbar will also still be visible at the bottom of the screen. The window will open when activated in either maximized view or partial screen view. Page 8 Revised 7/3/18
Windowed View Examples View Maximized View - The window takes up the entire screen except for the Windows taskbar. Example Partial View The window only takes up part of the screen. The Windows taskbar and part of the desktop are visible. Page 9 Revised 7/3/18
Windowed View Examples View Full Screen View This view is not available unless specifically added in the program. Its use is largely limited to Video, Graphics, and Reading Programs. The key feature is that the Windows Taskbar and program controls are no longer in view so that you can concentrate fully on the media being presented. Example Multi-tasking Multi-tasking is opening multiple windows at the same time on the desktop and working with the open programs. You can open as many programs as you can handle as long as the computer doesn t complain by slowing down. Modern computers, less than 3 years old, should have no problem. Each program opened will be available on the desktop. Each window can be displayed in maximized, minimized, or partial window view. Page 10 Revised 7/3/18
Each open window will show an icon on the Windows Taskbar with a blue highlight below the icon indicating an active window. GIVE A WINDOW THE FOCUS Only one window can be worked with at a time. To work with a particular program you must select it, give it the focus, and make it the main window. The window with the focus will be brought to the foreground of the screen and all other windows will be moved to the background. Once a window has the focus you can work within the program. To work with another program, you must first give it the focus. You do not have to close or leave the window you are in. Simply select the window you want to work in and give it the focus. The computer will handle the action and display the correct window in the foreground on the screen. TASK VIEW You can use the Task View window to view all of your open windows and select any single window to give it the focus. Activate the Task View button located to the left of the Desktop Icons on the Windows Taskbar to open the Task View window. The Task View window will show you a representation of every window you currently have open. Click on any window shown to give it the focus. Page 11 Revised 7/3/18
SELECT AN ACTIVE ICON You can also give the focus to any open window by selecting its icon on the Windows Taskbar. When you point at an active taskbar icon it will display a thumbnail of the program above the icon. Some programs are capable of having more than one window open at a time. If a program is open to multiple windows a thumbnail will be displayed for each window. Click on any thumbnail to give that window the focus. Single Thumbnail Multiple Thumbnails Page 12 Revised 7/3/18
Selecting a Program There are a number of programs available to you on your computer. Windows 10 includes a number of programs that you can use to learn the basics with. There are also utility programs that help you manage how Windows works and to navigate the computer. There are also programs available that you can add to the computer to help you do more advanced tasks. Purchasing and installing a different program on your computer is discussed in the Using a Computer, Intermediate Level class. You can view the notes on this subject at Add and Remove programs and Apps. Programs are created to help you handle tasks. There can be many different programs that accomplish the same general task. You want to select the best program for the task at hand. Types of Programs Available I will attempt to list for you the programs that are already installed on your computer by Windows 10 that you may want to use. This list will not include every program available to you. General Program Groups WORD PROCESSORS Many programs can be available that are designed to accomplish the same general tasks. The programs can be made by the same or different manufacturers and can differ in the number of features available in each program. One example is a program called a Word Processor that is designed to help you create and manipulate a document. Word processing is a process is inherent to computing and is used by every computer user. Every time you type anything into the computer you are using word processing. In addition to simply typing there are a multitude of additional features that can be added to a document. At its simplest, word processing involves selecting a control on the screen called a Text Box and typing some information into the text box. Examples are Search, Password, and Form text boxes. Many manufacturers make and sell their version of a Word Processor that incorporates many additional features that lets you create your own custom documents. The price and availability of a version will depend largely on the number of features offered and where the program is to be used. E-MAIL When you create an e-mail, you are using a word processor. The Write or Compose areas of your email are a limited feature version of a word processor. They are usually offered free when you sign up for e-mail with a provider and are available whenever you sign into your e-mail. They will have limited controls available for formatting the text in your e-mail and for addressing and sending the e-mail. MICROSOFT Microsoft makes 3 different word processors that differ in their features and price. Your choice of using either of them will depend on the complexity of the document you want to create. NotePad NotePad is a free program included free with your installation of Windows that can only type text and has no formatting options available. It is used primarily by computer programmers and others that need a document that has no additional hidden characters included in the document Page 13 Revised 7/3/18
WordPad WordPad is a word processor with limited features and is included free with your installation of Windows. It has formatting features available that can alter the appearance of the text in your document. It will also let you insert a limited number of objects into your document such as pictures. It is excellent for training purposes and for those that do not need a full range of features. Microsoft Word or Office 365 Word is a full featured word processor and is not free. It includes almost every feature that can be used in a document. A short list of features is: A full range of options to customize Word. Formatting options including Styles The ability to insert a wide range of objects including pictures, videos, shapes, tables, links, headers and footers, art, and symbols. Design features that customize a document with one-click. Full featured page layouts References including table of contents, footnotes, bibliography, captions, and more. Mail Merge that will automatically handle sending out a mass mailing with content tailored for the recipient. Sharing a document with others so that multiple people can work on the same document. And much more With Word you can create professional looking documents and will never be lacking for features. OTHER MANUFACTURERS Other manufacturers also produce full featured version of a word processor. They will differ in both features and price. There are also free versions available like LibreOffice that are highly used and trusted. OFFICE SUITES Programs that are designed for office work in the home or workplace are often offered as a combination of different programs in the same package. The suite often includes a Word Processor, Spreadsheet, and Presentation programs at a minimum. Additional programs may be included depending on the version. If you work at home you will probably need an Office Suite. GRAPHICS Graphics programs let you view and manipulate graphic (picture) files. They also run the gamut from limited to full-featured versions. If you want to manipulate your photos the same as a professional then a good graphics program will give you that capability. GAMES Games is a huge category with its own sub-categories. You can even play solo or with another person online. There is so much more out there than solitaire including: Arcade Games Page 14 Revised 7/3/18
Puzzles including Crossword, Jig-saw, Sudoku, and more. Card and Board games Fantasy Role Playing Shoot-em-ups Casino simulations Strategy Social And so much more INTERNET BROWSERS Your internet browser is also a program and you can use any of the internet browsers available to view the internet. Each browser has its own special layout and may include some unique features. You can have more than one browser installed on your computer. I suggest you try the others and pick the one that suits you best. Microsoft Edge is included with Windows and you can install the others. Links are available to the safe download locations at my Downloads webpage. AND MORE In addition to the general categories there are many other programs designed for more unique pursuits. These include but are certainly not limited to: Sewing and Crafting. Financial including budgeting and taxes. Landscaping and Designing Genealogy Banking and the Stock Market Collecting Personal Training Basically, any hobby or interest you can think of. Utility Programs Already Installed with Windows Utility programs help you control the settings of the computer or access locations on the computer. THIS PC This PC is a program that will let you access the storage locations on your computer. With This PC you can manage the storage of your personal files on the computer. You can open This PC with Start button > All Apps > Windows System > This PC or activate the icon on the Windows Taskbar. Page 15 Revised 7/3/18
A detailed discussion of how to use This PC can be found at Navigate the Computer. RECYCLE BIN The Recycle Bin is a version of This PC that will let you manage the contents of the Recycle Bin. Files you delete from the computer will be sent to the Recycle Bin before they are totally removed from the computer. This gives you a chance to restore files that you may have deleted accidentally. Recycle Bin can be opened with the Desktop Icon. Page 16 Revised 7/3/18
A detailed discussion of how to use Recycle Bin can be found at Manage Files. SETTINGS Settings is the new program that lets you change the settings of the computer and customize how it works for you. Settings can be opened with Start button > Settings >. Page 17 Revised 7/3/18
A detailed discussion of how to use Settings can be found at New Windows Settings App. Page 18 Revised 7/3/18
TASK MANAGER Task Manager provides a number of option including closing an active program that is malfunctioning and controlling which programs are activated on startup. You can open Task Manager by activating the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + Delete. More information is available on how to use Task Manager at Use Task Manager. Use this site for information only and ignore any ads or downloads. Task Oriented Programs Already Installed with Windows Non-utility programs are those that help you accomplish a task or offer information. Programs can run the gamut from Games to serious Office Programs. There are literally hundreds of thousands if not millions of different programs available. If you have an interest there is probably a program available that will help you with that interest. TIPS Tips is an app that offers you tips and tricks on how to take advantage of Windows 10. It introduces new features and explains how they work. It can be opened at Start button > All Apps > Tips. Just click on the various subjects to view the content. Page 19 Revised 7/3/18
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WINDOWS EDGE Windows Edge is the new Internet Browser created by Microsoft and introduced with Windows 10. It has replaced Internet Explorer as the recommended browser for the home user. A detailed discussion of how to use Windows Edge can be found at Microsoft Edge Browser. We will be discussing Microsoft Edge and the Internet in the last class. WORDPAD WordPad is a basic version of a Word Processor. A Word Processor will help you create a document with options for formatting the contents. I use the advanced version of a Word Processor called Microsoft Word to produce all of the notes you are viewing. You can open WordPad with Start button > All Apps > Windows Accessories > WordPad. Page 21 Revised 7/3/18
A detailed discussion of how to use WordPad can be found at Microsoft WordPad. We will be learning the basics on how to use WordPad in the next class. Page 22 Revised 7/3/18
PAINT Paint is a basic graphics program that will let you view graphics (pictures) and has some editing features. You can also draw on the screen and create your own image. I also use an advanced graphics program called Paint Shop Pro to produce all of the graphics you can view in the notes you are reading. You can open Paint with Start button > All Apps > Windows Accessories > Paint. We will also be discussing the basics of how to use the Paint program in the next class. MICROSOFT SOLITAIRE COLLECTION This is the new version of solitaire. It offers more variations of solitaire and an online component. You can open Microsoft Solitaire Collection with Start button > All Apps > Microsoft Solitaire Collection. Solitaire is an intuitive program. Click on any of the controls in the window to display the various game options. The 5 tiles listed in the Games category will each open a different solitaire game. Click and Drag the cards to place them in new locations. Page 23 Revised 7/3/18
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WEATHER Weather is an information program that will report weather statistics for a specified location. MICROSOFT STORE The Microsoft Store will let you install authorized apps on your computer. You can also purchase Music and Movies online for use on your computer. Page 25 Revised 7/3/18
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