Toshiba Satellite 2430 2435 Manual

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Chapter 5
Getting to Know the 
Windows
®
 XP Operating 
System
This chapter introduces the Windows® XP operating system 
by guiding you through a few basic tasks.
If you have used a Windows
® operating system before, you 
will find the Windows® XP operating system familiar. 
Whether you have used a Windows®operating system or not, 
the skill and confidence you will gain from this chapter will 
more than offset the short amount of time spent going 
through these lessons. 
As you explore your computer’s operating system further, 
you will often discover alternative ways of accomplishing a 
particular task.
For more detailed information on your operating system, 
refer to the Microsoft
® Windows® XP operating system 
documentation that came with your computer.
HINT: The illustrated examples in this guide may appear slightly 
different from the screens displayed by your system. However, the 
differences are not significant and do not indicate any change in 
the functionality of your system. 
						

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Lesson 1: Exploring the desktop
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Lesson 1: Exploring the desktop
The desktop is the launching pad for everything you can do in 
the Windows® XP operating system. You use its features to 
start programs, find documents, set up system components, 
and perform most other computing tasks.
Finding your way around the desktop
Your computer’s desktop includes several standard features: 
icons, Start button, shortcut tray, taskbar, system tray, and 
background pattern.
Sample Desktop
Icons
An icon represents a folder, file, or program that can be 
quickly activated by double-clicking on it.
Icons
Start buttonTa s k b a r
System tray 
						

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Lesson 1: Exploring the desktop
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You can create a new desktop icon for any folder, file, or 
program by dragging the element’s icon from its location in a 
window to the desktop area.
The icons initially displayed on your system desktop include:
Toshiba Access—Opens a window with links to software 
updates, services and support, and other important benefits.
Recycle Bin—Holds files you’ve deleted using the Windows 
Explorer. You may retrieve these files until you empty the 
Recycle Bin.
Your desktop may contain other icons depending on your 
configuration. See Windows
® XP online Help and Support 
for more specific information on each icon and how to use it.
Start button
You use the Start button to:
❖Start programs 
❖Access Microsoft® Windows® XP operating system 
update information 
❖Open recently accessed documents 
❖Adjust system settings 
❖Search for files 
❖Access Windows Help and Support Center
❖Run programs 
❖Suspend system activity and shut down the computer 
For more information on starting programs, see “Lesson 6: 
Starting programs” on page 121.
Taskbar
Each time you open a program, a button associated with that 
program appears on the taskbar. With some programs, a 
button appears on the taskbar for each document or window  
						

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Lesson 1: Exploring the desktop
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you open. You can use these buttons to quickly switch 
between the programs or windows.
To make a program or window the active one, click the 
program’s or window’s button on the taskbar.
System tray
The System tray displays icons of tasks or programs that run 
continuously in the background. To learn more about each 
task, position the cursor over the icon for a few moments and 
a short description of the task appears.
Typical tasks in the System tray are Current time, Power 
usage mode, and speaker volume.
To activate a specific task, double-click the appropriate 
System tray icon.
Windows® XP file system 
All files on your computer are organized for accessibility 
using a hierarchal file system.
Programs, documents, and other data are held in files. These 
files can be grouped together in folders, and folders can be 
grouped inside other folders for convenient organizing. All 
the files and folders reside in your computer on a storage 
device, such as a disk drive. 
You can think of your computer storage system in terms of 
office equipment. You have a file cabinet (device), that 
contains folders, and each folder may contain documents. 
Your office may have more than one file cabinet, just as your 
computer may have more than one disk drive.
Computers can be connected together to form a network, so 
that programs, documents and other data can be quickly and 
easily shared between computers.
You can use the My Computer feature on the Start menu to 
access any file in the Windows
® file system. 
						

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Getting to Know the Windows ® XP Operating System
Lesson 2: Using the TouchPad and control buttons together
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For more information, read the Microsoft documentation that 
comes with your computer.
Lesson 2: Using the TouchPad and control 
buttons together 
The “Getting Started” chapter introduced you to the 
TouchPad, which is your basic tool for moving around the 
screen. This lesson lets you practice using the TouchPad and 
control buttons in tandem. 
1Using the TouchPad, move the pointer to the Start 
button, then click the primary button (usually the left) to 
open the Start menu.
NOTE: In this guide, the term “click” refers to the primary button, 
which is usually the left-hand button. You can also double-tap the 
touch pad surface to perform the same function. Instructions 
requiring the secondary button specifically mention that button. 
For example, “click the secondary button.”
2Click an empty area of the desktop to close the Start 
menu. 
						

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3With the pointer in an empty area of the desktop, click 
the secondary button (the right-hand button) to open the 
desktop shortcut menu.
As the name implies, shortcut menus provide quick 
access to many operating system features.
Sample desktop shortcut menu
4Click an empty area to close the shortcut menu.
5Use the TouchPad to move the pointer to the Start 
button. Click Start, and select My Computer.
The My Computer window appears.
Sample My Computer window
6Now click the Close button in the upper-right corner of 
this window.
The operating system closes the My Computer window. 
						

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NOTE: If the taskbar is locked, you need to unlock it. To unlock the 
taskbar, place the cursor on the taskbar and click the secondary 
button. Uncheck “Lock the Taskbar.”
7Click an empty area of the taskbar at the bottom of the 
screen and, while holding down the primary button, use 
the TouchPad to drag the pointer to the right edge of the 
desktop, then release the primary button. (This process is 
known as “clicking and dragging.”)
The taskbar moves from the bottom to the right edge of 
the desktop.
Sample desktop with the taskbar on the right
HINT: You can move the taskbar to any of the desktop’s four edges.
8Click the taskbar once again and drag it back to the 
bottom of the desktop.
Taskbar 
						

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Lesson 3: Learning about the Internet
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Lesson 3: Learning about the Internet
This lesson demonstrates how to access a Web page from a 
window and from the taskbar. 
The lesson assumes you have an account with an Internet 
Service Provider (ISP).
Opening a Web page from a window
The most common way to open a Web page is by typing a 
Web address in the address line of the Web browser itself. But 
you can also type a Web address in the My Computer 
window.
1Click Start, then double-click My Computer.
The My Computer window appears.
2On the View menu, point to To o l b a r s, then click 
Address Bar if it is not checked.
The operating system displays the address bar. It 
indicates that you are in “My Computer.” You can also 
type a Web address in the address line.
Sample My Computer window 
						

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Lesson 4: Creating a new document
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Lesson 4: Creating a new document
This lesson teaches you how to create a text file without 
having to first open a program.
1Move the pointer to an empty area of the desktop, then 
click the secondary button.
The operating system displays a shortcut menu of 
commands applicable to the desktop.
2Click New, then click Text Document.
The operating system creates an icon on the desktop 
called New Text Document with the icon name 
highlighted.
3To give your document a meaningful name, type 
My New 
Doc.txt
 and press Enter.
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 
						

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Lesson 5: Creating a new folder
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Notice that when the document opens, there is a new 
button on the taskbar that reads My New Doc- 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, click Help or open the 
Help menu by pressing 
F1. For now, leave Notepad open 
and go on to the next lesson.
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 pointer 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.