Windows 10 Operating System Lesson # 3

Windows 10 Operating System Lesson # 3

Desktop, Task Bar

Turn Computer K or L on and log in

Refer to instructions in Lesson 1.

The Desktop

The Desktop is the first screen that appears after the computer boots. It can be customized in many ways that would require several lessons. We will not deal with all of them here. We will just cover a few basics, such as aligning icons to a grid and placing a shortcut on the Desktop.

First you should understand that the Desktop is a folder.

·  Click on the Start button and then on File Explorer.

·  In the left navigation panel, under This PC, RIGHT click on Desktop.

·  At the bottom of the menu that appears, click on Properties.

·  Note that the Desktop you clicked on was a link. The folder itself folder is located in the folder C:\User\Computer Group (or \CG) and you could navigate to it that way.

·  If the File Explorer window covers the entire screen, click on the middle of the three buttons at top left () to reduce the window.

·  Point to the Title Bar, hold the LEFT mouse button and drag the window to the right, so that you can see the Desktop icons.

·  Compare what is in the folder with what you see on the Desktop.

There are several items on the Desktop that do not appear in the C:\User\Computer Group (or \CG)\Desktop folder. They are shortcuts to other objects. They were placed there after the system was configured.

·  Close all windows.

·  RIGHT click on the Desktop.

·  Note that in the Lab we set the option to Align icons to grid as it is not the default setting. (You should also set it that way on your home computer.)

·  Click on Show Desktop icons to remove the checkmark. Note that the Desktop is now completely clear.

·  RIGHT click on an empty space on the Desktop, point to View again, and replace the checkmark.

The same icons should be visible now as before.

·  RIGHT click on an empty space on the Desktop again.

·  Click on Personalize and examine the various options.

Several of the options are worth exploring.

·  Click on Background - You can choose a solid color, a preinstalled picture or a picture or slide show of your own choice.

·  Click on Lock Screen – By default when Windows 10 boots a preinstalled image appears on the screen until you take some action, such as clicking a mouse button. You can customize this by selecting a picture or a slideshow.

Creating a Shortcut

·  Click on Start, click on File Explorer and navigate to This PC\C:\Users\Public.

·  If the File Explorer window covers the entire screen, click on the middle of the three buttons at top right () to reduce it.

·  In the right main panel, RIGHT click on the folder Favorites. Note the many options available.

·  In the menu that appears click on Create shortcut.

·  On the bottom of the screen find the last entry Favorites - Shortcut and LEFT drag it to an empty space on the Desktop (you want to move the shortcut out of the folder, not to copy it).

·  In the left Navigation Panel, make sure that the Favorites and Public folders are still in its correct location in the This PC\C:\Users folder and close the File Explorer window.

·  Drag the shortcut you created to the Recycle Bin.

Note: You could also have RIGHT dragged the Favorites folder to the Desktop and clicked on Create shortcuts here.

The Task Bar

The Task Bar is normally at the bottom of the screen. If you right click on the Task Bar you can select various options. If you place a checkmark next to Lock the taskbar by clicking there, it will stay where it is at that time. If you remove the checkmark, you can RIGHT drag the Task Bar to any of the four edges of the screen. Or you can increase its size by pointing the mouse cursor to its upper edge, until you get a vertical arrow and LEFT dragging the edge upward.

·  Try it now; place the Task Bar at the right edge of the screen.

·  Then place the Task Bar at the bottom of the Desktop and lock it in place.

At the left edge of the Task Bar is the Start Menu button which we already discussed.

Search Box Cortana

Next to the Start Menu button is the Search Box. On your home computer you may find Cortana. Although Cortana is a very useful and powerful tool, we did not enable it on the Lab computers. Cortana will do searches and execute commands. It operates either with text or voice. When Cortana is enabled much of the information on your computer becomes available to Microsoft. On your home computer use your judgment as to whether the compromise of your privacy is worth the advantages provided by Cortana.

The right click menu shown above offers several options for arranging how windows appear on the Desktop. You can experiment with them, if you wish. When finished, return the options to their initial state.

Task Manager – This feature is very useful when programs lock up or you get confused about what is happening with your computer and want to see what applications are active.

·  On the Desktop open the Applications folder.

·  Open Microsoft Word.

·  Minimize all open windows by clicking on the – on the Menu Bar at top right.

·  RIGHT click on an empty space on the Task Bar, click on Task Manager.

·  If, at the bottom of the Task Manager window, you see More details, click on the down arrow next to it.

You should see a list of open applications and background processes that Windows and various programs use.

·  RIGHT click on the entry for Microsoft Office Word.

·  Click on End task.

·  Close the Task Manager and examine the Desktop.

·  Close each window in turn and note that MS Word was gone.

· 

Note: To bring up the Task Manager when you have no mouse, hold down the ALT and CTRL keys and tap the Delete key.

At the right of the Search box or Cortana are icons for apps pinned to the Taskbar. The File Explorer and the Edge browser app appear there by default.

·  RIGHT click on an empty space on the Desktop. In the drop down point to New, go straight across and click on Text Document.

·  A new icon with the name New Text Document will appear. Hold the LEFT button and continue holding it as you drag it to the Task Bar.

You should see the pop up Pin to Notepad.

·  Release the button.

A new menu will open with New Text Document, other recently opened Notepad documents, a link to Notepad and Unpin from taskbar.

·  Click on an empty space on the Desktop to clear the menu.

·  Click on the Notepad icon.

A new Notepad document will open with the name Untitled.

·  Close Notepad by clicking on the X at upper right.

·  RIGHT click on the Notepad icon and click on Unpin from taskbar.

The Notepad icon should disappear from the Taskbar.

·  RIGHT click on the New Text Document icon on the Desktop and click on Delete.

·  Click on Yes to confirm the deletion.

At the right end of the Task Bar is the System Tray. First to appear there is the ^ icon. The other icons there relate to your Internet connection, speaker volume, Action Center, clock calendar, current date and possibly others. The ^ icon opens a display of a collection of arbitrarily assembled icons that are hidden and do not fit elsewhere.

You get three different responses, depending on how you activate the Systray icons.

1.  Pointing on the icon produces a pop up label that identifies it.

2.  Clicking on it shows its contents and provides access to its functions.

3.  RIGHT clicking on individual items on it provides additional means of controlling the target application or resource.

·  Try these operations, but be careful not to make any system changes.

Windows 10 is designed to work on different types of devices, not just desktop computers. Students used to working with earlier versions of Windows will find that Windows 10 is a very different environment. You should expect that it will take you time to get used to it.

·  Turn the computer off as previously instructed.

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