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Learning the Basics
Starting a program
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Starting a program
The easiest way to start a program is to click the name of the
file that contains the information you want to work on. To
find the file, use My Computer or Windows® Explorer.
If you prefer to open the program first, you have four options:
❖Double-click the icon for the program on your desktop
❖Use the Start menu
❖Use Windows® Explorer or My Computer to locate the
program file
❖Use the Run dialog box
The Windows® XP operating system’s tutorial chapter gives
step-by-step instructions for starting a program from the Start
menu. See “Lesson 6: Starting programs” on page 138.
Saving your work
Before you turn off the computer, save your work to the hard
disk drive or a diskette. This is one of the most important
rules of computing.
NOTE: Save your data even when you are using the Stand By
command, in case the battery discharges before you return to
work. Your computer can be configured to warn you when the
battery is running low, see “Setting battery alarms” on page 121.
Many programs offer a feature that saves documents at
regular intervals, such as every 15 minutes. Check your
programs’ documentation to see whether they have an
automatic save feature.