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Exploring Your Computer’s Features

Exploring the desktop

 

 

 

NOTE

 

If you place the cursor over an icon, a popup description of the file

 

 

contents appears.

 

 

 

Your desktop may contain other icons depending on your configuration. See Windows® online Help for more specific information on each icon and how to use it.

Start button

You use the Start button to:

Start programs

Open documents

Adjust system settings

Find files

Access Windows® Help and Support

Suspend system activity and shut down the computer

NOTE

Whenever a procedure in this User’s Guide instructs you to click

 

Start, it means that you should click the Start button.

 

 

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 you open. You can use these buttons to quickly switch between the programs or windows.

To make a program or window the currently active one, click the associated Taskbar button.

Notification Area

The Notification Area displays icons of tasks or programs that run continuously in the background and displays notifications. 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 Notification Area are Current time, Power usage mode, Mouse properties, and speaker volume.

To activate a specific task, double-click the appropriate Notification Area icon.