Finding your way around the desktop

The following screen identifies the major features of the desktop.

Desktop

The Start button does just what it says. Use it to start programs and open documents, files, and folders within Windows 98 (see Lesson 5: Starting programs).

The taskbar lets you know which documents or programs are currently open. It may also display the time. The taskbar below shows the Quick Launch toolbar, which allows you to access the Desktop and the Internet with equal ease, and shows other programs and utilities that may have been preloaded during the Windows 98 startup.

Sample taskbar with icons

HINT: You can change the taskbar settings by placing the cursor on an empty space in the taskbar, clicking the secondary button, pointing to Toolbars, then clicking your setting.

In this guide, the term "click" infers pressing the primary button, which is the larger AccuPoint button. Instructions requiring the use of the secondary button specifically mention that button. For example, "click the secondary button."

You can personalize the taskbar to include not only Quick Launch icons, but also your favorite URL addresses.

DEFINITION: URL stands for Universal Resource Locator, which is the address that defines the route to a file on the Web or any other Internet facility. Generically, it is known as the Web site address.

As you work through the lessons in this chapter, the taskbar will change to reflect what you are doing.

The icons provide shortcuts to programs, documents, files, folders, system features, and components. Open applications also have Forward and Backward buttons to allow navigation through folders, documents, and Web sites.

One special icon is the Recycle Bin. You use the Recycle Bin to delete files and remove objects from the desktop. You will learn more about the Recycle Bin in Lesson 12: Removing objects from the desktop.

Using the active desktop

One of the more exciting features of Windows 98 is the ability to set up your desktop with complete World Wide Web integration at a single click.

To set up the active desktop:

1. Put the cursor on an empty space of your desktop and click the secondary AccuPoint button.
2. Point to Active Desktop, then click View as Web Page.
   The Active Desktop setting appears.

Sample active desktop

You can configure the active desktop setting in several other ways. For more information, refer to the Windows 98 documentation that came with your computer, or access online help.

Choosing a desktop style

Windows 98 provides several ways to view your desktop and browse your files and folders. You can choose from three different styles--the Web style, the classic Windows 95 look, or a combination of options. The view you choose determines how you browse in Windows 98, regardless of whether you start from the desktop, My Computer, Windows Explorer, or Internet Explorer.

• Web style
  In this view, you can browse the desktop and folders like you browse Web pages, by single-clicking items. In the Web style view, files, folders, and applications open in a single window, instead of in separate windows.
• Classic style
  This desktop view is similar to the classic Windows 95 desktop. You double-click to open items, and a new window appears for each item you open.
• Custom style
  You can also pick and choose which options you want. Custom settings include options for browsing folders, creating window backgrounds, and selecting and opening items. For example, you can use options from both the Web style and the Classic style so that you double-click to open items and use Web pages as window backgrounds.

For more information about changing your desktop style, enter customizing the desktopon the Index tab in Windows Help.

Using toolbars

You can display one or more customizable toolbars at the top of a window. As you browse, Windows 98 detects the kind of information presented in the window and automatically displays the appropriate toolbar buttons and menus.

You can also add the following toolbars to the taskbar: 

The following illustration shows the various toolbars you can display.

Toolbar locations

Using the taskbar

If you have applications open on the desktop, you can rearrange them by pointing your AccuPoint device to the taskbar and clicking the secondary button. You have the following options:

• Cascade windows
• Tile windows horizontally
• Tile windows vertically
• Minimize all windows

Choose your option depending on how you want to setup your desktop.

Maximizing and minimizing the active window

1. To make the Windows Explorer window the active window, click the Windows Explorer button on the taskbar.
   Windows 98 highlights the title bar to show that Windows Explorer is the active window. If you are using the Cascade option, Windows Explorer is displayed on top of the other windows.
2. Click the Minimize button at the top right of the Explorer window.

HINT: Minimizing program windows is a good way to clean up the desktop without actually closing programs.

1. Click the Maximize button at the top right of the Paint window.

HINT: Maximizing a program is a good way to work when you are only using one program and do not want any distractions on the screen.

Resizing and moving windows

1. Click the Restore button.

• Move the pointer to the right-hand edge of the Paint window.
  The pointer changes to a two-headed arrow.
• Click and drag the edge of the window until it takes up just less than half the width of the desktop.
• Click the title bar of the Paint window and drag the window to the left side of the desktop.
  You can move any window by clicking its title bar and dragging it.
• Click the Windows Explorer button on the taskbar.
  Windows 98 displays the Windows Explorer window.
• Click and drag the edge of the window until it takes up just less than half the width of the desktop, and click the title bar of the Paint window and drag the window to the left side of the desktop to change the size and position of Windows Explorer, placing it at the right side of the desktop.
  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.

Creating a shortcut to the Calculator

1. Move the pointer to an empty area of the desktop, then click the secondary button.
   Windows 98 displays the desktop shortcut menu.
2. Click New, then click Shortcut.
   Windows 98 displays the Create Shortcut dialog box.
3. In the Command line box, type c:\windows\calc.exeand click Next.
4. Windows 98 prompts you to select a name for the shortcut.
5. Type Calculator and click Finish.
    Windows 98 displays the new shortcut on your desktop.
    Now assume you want to create a shortcut, but you do not know the location of the program.

Creating a shortcut to the Character Map

Now assume that you want to create a shortcut, but you don't know the location of the program.

1. Click Start, then point to Find.

Desktop showing the Find options

1. Click Files or Folders.
   Windows 98 displays the Find dialog box.

Find dialog box

HINT: Using the new Windows 98 Find feature, you can perform searches on the Internet.

1. On the Name and Location tab, type char in the Named box.
2. Click Find Now.
    Windows 98 displays a list of all the files with "char" in their names.
3. Click the Character Map file with the secondary button and drag it to the desktop.
   A shortcut menu appears.
4. Click Create Shortcut(s) Here.
   A shortcut to the Character Map appears on your desktop.

Clicking a shortcut icon opens the program or folder immediately. You can place as many shortcuts on your desktop as you find useful.

HINT: The Character Map is a useful tool when you want to add a special character to a document.

Subscriptions

A subscription is invaluable if you frequently visit certain Web sites looking for new content. Web site subscriptions work much like magazine subscriptions--you are notified periodically of new content, according to a schedule that you set up. You can configure Windows 98 to automatically deliver the new content to your computer. For example, you can schedule the latest financial news to be automatically downloaded every night while you sleep, and it will be ready for you in the morning.

You can subscribe to any Web page that you visit. At the time that you subscribe to a Web page, decide whether the new Web pages are to be automatically downloaded to your computer. You can save connection time and expense by having your subscriptions downloaded so that you can read them offline later at your leisure.

DEFINITION: Download means to receive a file transmitted over a network. In a communications session, download means receive, upload means transmit.

Off line means not connected to, or not installed, in the computer.

Or if you do not want the information downloaded to your computer, you can be notified in the following ways when new content is available:

• Smart Favorites
  Your subscription is automatically checked for updates--the icon changes if the page is updated. You can view the icons for your subscriptions in the Subscriptions folder.
• Email notification
  A copy of updated Web pages with live links to the World Wide Web can be automatically sent to you as email.

To subscribe to a Web site:

1. In the My Computer window, go to the Web page to which you want to subscribe.
2. On the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites.
   The Add Favorite dialog box appears.
3. Select Yes, but only tell me when this page is updated or Yes, notify me of updates and download the page for offline viewing.
4. Click Customize to see subscription options.
   The Subscription Wizard starts.
5. Follow the wizard instructions.
   HINT: If you have not connected to the Internet at this time, you will see the Internet Connection Wizard before the Subscription Wizard. If you connect now, the Internet Connection Wizard will guide you through the steps.

To update subscriptions to all Web sites, click My Computer, point to Favorites, then click Update All Subscriptions.

To view your subscriptions, click My Computer, point to Favorites, then click Manage Subscriptions. The Subscriptions window starts, with a list of your subscriptions. In this window, you can delete, update, or modify your subscriptions.

Channels

HINT: You must be connected to the Internet to receive Channels. If you have not done so, click on the Internet icon on your desktop and the Internet Connection Wizard will guide you through the steps.

If subscriptions work like magazine subscriptions, then channels are similar to TV channels. Instead of receiving periodic updates of the Web sites, your computer has access to content that is always available. A channel is a Web site that is designed to deliver content to you--the content provider specifies what Web content is delivered and how often.

To view the content in a channel, you can click one of the channel buttons on the channel bar. The channel bar displays all channels installed on your computer. You do not have to subscribe to a channel to view it. However, if you subscribe to a channel, its button is automatically added to the channel bar, making the content readily available. Some content providers allow you to preview their entire Web site without a subscription, while other sites require that you first subscribe. You can view channels in many places--on the desktop, in windows, and even in a special screen saver.

To add the channel bar to your desktop:

1. Right-click a blank area on the desktop, then click Properties.
   The Display Properties dialog box appears.
2. Click the Web tab.
3. Select the View my Active Desktop as a web page check box, then click OK.
   The Channel Bar is added to your desktop.

Channel bar on the desktop

To view channels:

1. In the My Computer window, on the Favorites menu, point to Channels, or simply click on one of the channels that appears on the desktop.
2. Point to a channel, and then click a topic.

Windows 98 Help

Windows 98 has an excellent help facility. If you cannot figure something out, the answer is probably only a few clicks away.

To find help topics:

1. If you have an application open, press F1, otherwise click Start, then click Help.
    Windows 98 opens the Help window.
2. If you do not see the Index page, click the Index tab.
    Help displays the Index page.

Help window on the Index page

Most of the screen contains a list of topics. The box above the index list, where the vertical bar is flashing, lets you type in a topic.

In this tutorial, let's assume you want to draw a picture but do not know how.

1. Type picture in the field labeled Type the first few letters of the word you are looking for.
    Notice as you type that the topic list adjusts to locate what you typed. When you type the letter p, the topic list moves to the first entry that begins with P, and so on.
    There are a number of topics listed under Picture. One of them, Drawing, looks promising.
2. Double-click Drawing.
   Help opens a topic screen that gives a brief description of how to draw pictures, including an icon to start the Paint program.

Drawing help window

1. Click the Click Here icon.
   Windows 98 opens the Paint program.
   Not every help topic screen contains a hot link to start a program. However, when you do encounter one, you will find it a convenient means to help you solve a problem or answer your question by having both the program and the help screen open simultaneously.

Troubleshooters

Windows 98 includes a wide range of helpful troubleshooters that can assist you with many common computer problems. For instance, if you are having difficulty setting up a new printer, the Print troubleshooter can walk you through the process step by step. Troubleshooters are available through Windows Help, and they are constantly updated and supplemented on the Support Online Web site.

You can connect to Support Online by clicking the Web Help button in Windows Help or by connecting to:

http://support.microsoft.com/support/

Using the online tutorial

No matter how familiar you are with computers or with Windows, you will find the interactive Discover Windows 98 tutorial helpful.

HINT: The Discover Windows 98 tutorial may not be installed in your copy of Windows 98. Your computer manufacturer may have deleted, modified, or replaced the Discover Windows 98 tutorial described in this section.

If you are new to computers, the Computer Essentials section is a good place to start. It discusses basic mouse, keyboard, and desktop use. If you have used computers--but not Windows 95 or Windows 98--start with Windows 98 Overview. And if you have used Windows 95, What's New is helpful introduction to the new features in Windows 98.

For information about Microsoft Press« training materials and valuable Web sites, you will want to explore More Windows 98 Resources.

To start the Discover Windows 98 online tutorial:

1. Click Start, then click Run.
    The Run dialog box appears.
2. In the Open box, type tour98, then click OK.
    The Discover Windows 98 contents appear.
3. Click a section name.