Toshiba Satellite 1405 S Manual

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 6: Starting programs
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3To open the second program:
❖Click Start, then click All Programs.
❖Point to Accessories, then click Windows Explorer.
The operating system opens Windows
® Explorer, which 
provides access to all your computer’s resources. For 
example, it lets you see all the files in a particular folder 
on the computer’s hard disk.
Sample Windows
® Explorer window
Notice the taskbar now has two buttons on it—one for 
Paint and one for Windows
® Explorer. 
4Click the Paint button on the taskbar.
The operating system displays the Paint program.
The operating system places the active window on top of 
other windows on the desktop unless you have selected a 
different display option. You can move back and forth 
between the two programs by clicking each button 
alternately. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding windows
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Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding 
windows
If you have followed the lessons in this chapter, you now 
have a screen with several program windows open. You can 
organize these windows by resizing and repositioning them 
so that you can see more than one window at a time. You can 
also hide windows by removing them from the desktop 
without actually closing your document or program.
This lesson introduces several ways to adjust the size, shape, 
and position of windows open on the desktop.
Sample Windows
® Explorer window open on the desktop
Close button
Maximize button
Minimize button
Taskbar 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding windows
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Using the taskbar
If you have applications open on the desktop, you can 
rearrange them by pointing to the applications’ button on the 
taskbar through use of the TouchPad and clicking the 
secondary button. You have these options:
❖Move windows
❖Size windows
❖Minimize all windows — display only the taskbar 
buttons
❖Maximize windows
❖Close windows
Choose your option depending on how you wish to set up 
your desktop.
Minimizing and maximizing windows
1To make the Explorer window the active window, click 
the Windows  Explorer button on the taskbar.
The operating system highlights the Windows
® Explorer 
title bar to show that Windows® Explorer is the active 
window. 
2Click the Minimize button at the top-right of the 
Explorer window to hide the window.
Windows
® Explorer disappears from the desktop. 
However, it is still open, as you can see from the taskbar.
HINT: Minimizing program windows is a good way to clean up the 
desktop without actually closing programs.
3Click the Maximize button in the top-right corner of the 
Paint window. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding windows
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The Paint window expands to fill the screen, hiding 
everything except the taskbar. Notice that the Maximize 
button has changed. It is now called the Restore button.
HINT: Maximizing a program is a good way to work when you are 
only using that program and do not want any distractions on the 
screen.
Resizing and moving windows
1Click the Restore button in the top-right corner of the 
Paint window.
Paint returns to its previous size and location. Notice that 
the Restore button has changed back into the Maximize 
button.
For the next few steps assume that you want to be able to 
see both Paint and Windows
® Explorer at the same time.
2Move the cursor to the right-hand edge of the Paint 
window.
The cursor changes to a two-headed arrow.
3Click and drag the edge of the window until it takes up 
just less than half the width of the desktop.
4Click the title bar of the Paint window and drag it to the 
left side of the desktop.
You can move any window by clicking its title bar and 
dragging it.
5Click My Documents on the taskbar.
6Repeat steps 3 and 4 to change the size and position of 
Windows
® Explorer, placing it on the right side of the 
desktop. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 8: Closing programs
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Now that the windows are side by side, you can see how 
you could refer to one window while working in the 
other.
Resizing and moving windows allows you to rearrange the 
desktop to suit your needs. Experiment with different sizes 
and placements of windows to find the best arrangement for 
your work.
At this point you have two programs open on the desktop. 
The next lesson shows you how to close them.
Lesson 8: Closing programs 
Once you are finished working with a document or program, 
it is a good idea to close it. While you can run several 
programs at the same time, having a large number of 
programs and documents open simultaneously can slow 
down your computer. 
This lesson teaches you how to close the programs you 
opened earlier in this tutorial. 
To close the programs:
1Click the Close button at the top-right of the Explorer 
window.
That is all there is to it. Windows
® Explorer closes, 
removing the Explorer button from the taskbar as well.
2Close Paint and the My Computer window (assuming it 
is still open) by clicking the Close buttons for each 
program.
HINT: Always save your work before you close a program. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 9: Creating shortcuts
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Lesson 9: Creating shortcuts
By adding shortcuts to your desktop, you can open programs 
or files with the click of a button. You will probably want to 
create shortcuts for the programs you use most frequently. 
This lesson explains how to create shortcuts using two 
operating system accessories, Calculator and Character Map, 
as examples.
Creating a shortcut to the Calculator
Use this method when you know the name and location of the 
program file to which you would like to create a shortcut.
1Move the cursor to an empty area of the desktop, then 
click the secondary button.
The operating system displays the desktop shortcut 
menu.
2Click New, then click Shortcut.
The operating system displays the Create Shortcut 
window.
Sample Create Shortcut window
3In the Command line box, type 
c:\windows\system32\calc.exe 
and click Next.
The operating system prompts you to select a name for 
the shortcut. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 9: Creating shortcuts
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4Ty p e  Calculator and click Finish.
The operating system displays the new shortcut on your 
desktop.
Creating a shortcut to the Character Map
Use this method when you don’t know the name and location 
of the program file.
1Click Start, then click Search.
Sample Search option on the Start menu
The operating system displays the Search Results 
window. 
						

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Lesson 9: Creating shortcuts
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Sample Search Results window
HINT: Search also allows you to perform searches on the Internet.
2Click All files and folders.
3Ty p e  
char in the text box labeled: In all or part of the file 
name.
The operating system displays a list of all the files with 
“char” in their names.
4Click the Character Map file with the secondary button 
and drag and drop it on the desktop.
5In the desktop shortcut menu, click Create Shortcuts 
here. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 10: Changing the screen saver
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A shortcut to the Character Map appears on your desktop.
NOTE: Shortcut icons can be recognized by an arrow in the lower- 
left corner of the icon. Deleting the icon will not affect the program 
itself.
Clicking a shortcut icon opens the program or folder 
immediately. You can place as many shortcuts on your 
desktop as you find useful.
HINT: The Character Map is a useful tool when you want to add a 
special character to a document.
Lesson 10: Changing the screen saver
You can personalize the background area of your desktop 
with pictures, patterns, or colors. The background is 
considered a “property” of your desktop. This lesson will not 
only teach you how to change the background, but will also 
introduce you to properties.
The Windows
® XP operating system treats all windows, 
icons, programs, drives, etc. as self-contained objects, each 
with its own set of properties (such as size, position on-
screen, and color). Many of these properties can be 
customized to meet your particular needs and tastes.
DEFINITION: An object is an independent block of data, text, or 
graphics that was created by an individual application. 
This lesson introduces object properties by showing you how 
to change one of the properties of the desktop—the screen 
saver. This is a continuously changing pattern that appears on 
the screen during pauses in your work. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 10: Changing the screen saver
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1Move the cursor to an empty area of the desktop, then 
click the secondary button.
The operating system displays the desktop shortcut 
menu.
2Click Properties.
The operating system displays the Display Properties 
window.
Sample Display Properties window
3Click the Screen Saver tab.
4Click the arrow beside the current option—probably 
“(None)” —to open the screen saver list box.
5Scroll through the screen saver options by clicking the 
scroll arrows in the list box.
6Try a screen saver pattern by clicking a name in the list 
box.
The operating system displays your selection in the 
monitor above the list box. Try several patterns.
7To apply a pattern to your desktop, click Apply.