Toshiba Satellite 1410 1415 Manual

							141
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 4: Creating a new document
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
4Double-click the My New Doc icon.
The operating system opens the new document in 
Notepad—the text editor built into the operating system.
Sample Notepad window
Notice that when the document opens, there is a new 
button on the taskbar that reads My New Doc.txt- 
Notepad (the name may be too long to fit into the taskbar 
space but, if you point to the name, the complete name is 
visible). By displaying buttons like this one, the taskbar 
helps you keep track of the programs and files you 
currently have open.
To learn more about Notepad, open the Help menu by 
pressing 
F1. For now, leave Notepad open and go on to the 
next lesson. 
						

							142
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 5: Creating a new folder
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
Lesson 5: Creating a new folder
DEFINITION: A folder is an area where you can store documents 
and other types of files. It is analogous to a file folder stored in a 
file cabinet. In this case, a disk drive in the computer is the file 
cabinet.
The operating system stores documents and programs in 
folders. It even stores other folders in folders. In this lesson, 
you will create a folder in which to store your new document.
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 Folder.
The operating system creates an icon on the desktop 
called New Folder with the icon name highlighted.
3Type a name for the folder, such as My Folder, then 
press 
Enter.
4Close the Notepad document you just created by clicking 
the Close button on the right side of the Notepad title bar.
The operating system displays the document as an icon 
on the desktop.
5Click the document icon and drag it toward your New 
Folder icon. Position the document icon over the New 
Folder icon until it changes color, then release the 
primary button.
The outline of the document icon moves across the 
desktop and disappears into the folder.
6To see your document, double-click the folder icon.
A window opens and displays the contents of the folder. 
						

							143
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 6: Starting programs
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
7Close the window by clicking its Close button and 
continue with the next lesson to learn how to start 
programs.
Lesson 6: Starting programs
Usually, you will know which program you want to use for a 
particular task. 
This lesson teaches you how to launch programs from the 
Start menu, using two of the programs that are built into the 
operating system: Paint and Windows
® Explorer.
1Click Start, then All Programs.
2Point to Accessories, then click Paint.
The operating system opens Paint—a basic drawing 
program.
Sample Paint window 
						

							144
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 6: Starting programs
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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. 
						

							145
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding windows
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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
Start buttonSystem tray 
						

							146
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding windows
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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. 
						

							147
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 7: Resizing, repositioning, and hiding windows
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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 Down 
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 Down button in the top-right corner of 
the Paint window.
Paint returns to its previous size and location. Notice that 
the Restore Down 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. 
						

							148
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 8: Closing programs
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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. 
						

							149
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 9: Creating shortcuts
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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. 
						

							150
Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 9: Creating shortcuts
5.375 x 8.375 ver 2.4.0
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.