Using Windows 7 MIGRATING TO WINDOWS 7. [Type here]

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1 [Type here] Using Windows 7 MIGRATING TO WINDOWS 7 This workshop is designed for those who have recently upgraded to Windows 7. It assumes prior knowledge of using a previous Windows operating system and is not intended as a full guide to using the new software. We will look at some new features of Windows 7 and show you features that have changed from previous versions, or that are presented in a different way. Last updated Brian McCarthy 6 th July 2015

2 University of Brighton Information Services Contents 1 The Windows 7 screen Using Window functionality What is Windows Aero? Aero Features Minimum Hardware Requirements Using Aero Snap Using Aero Shake The Taskbar About Taskbar icons Managing Programs from the Taskbar The Start Menu Starting a Program from the Start Menu Working with Libraries Understanding Libraries Saving Files in the Library Creating Libraries Exploring your Libraries Creating a Library Adding Folders to a Library Deleting Folders from a Library Desktop Gadgets Favourites Adding a Location to Favourites Remove a Location from Favourites Save power with sleep settings Useful Resources...23 Page 2 6 th July 2015

3 Using Windows 7 1 The Windows 7 screen Once you have logged into your PC, you will be presented with a screen that will look familiar from previous versions of Windows, apart from a different graphical style. Note that this screen is very customizable; you can change the size, colour scheme, background, and even what appears on it. So, once users have set up their screens as they want them, you may find that no two screens are ever the same. Note: Be aware that too much customisation may cause difficulties if you need any support from the Helpdesk 1. Icons appear on the desktop. Icons provide shortcut access to programs and documents on your computer. [No real change] 2. The desktop is the background upon which other elements can be placed. You can change its colour, and change the background image. [No real change] 3. The Start button provides access to all of the programs installed and available to your computer. Clicking on it will display the Start menu. [Redesigned from XP] 4. The Taskbar displays open (running) programs and windows. Also, users can pin (add) program icons to the Taskbar, enabling quick access to frequently-used programs. Clicking on a Taskbar program icon will display a jump list: a list of files open in that program. [Slightly different functionality from XP] Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 3

4 University of Brighton Information Services 5. The Notification area displays icons that provide information about your computer and programs that are running in the background (such as antivirus software). The Notification area will also notify you when changes have occurred to your computer (such as new hardware installed). [No real change] 6. The Show Desktop tool enables you to view the desktop in a single click. Click once on the Show Desktop tool to minimise all open windows and to display the desktop. Click on the Show Desktop tool again to restore all windows. [New] 2 Using Window functionality When you are working in Windows 7, programs, folders and data that you are accessing appear in windows - frames that appear on your desktop. Most windows have common elements which we will look at here. Much of this will be familiar (in functionality) to older versions of Windows, but some things have been moved around. 1. Title bar - Appears at the top of the window and identifies the contents of the window, the file name, and/or the program running. In the example above the title bar is blank, but most windows will show a title bar with a description of its contents. 2. Address bar - Displays the path (location) of the current window, file or program on the computer or network. In the example above, the Navigation bar shows that the desktop is being viewed. 3. Search bar - Used to search for text or information within the current window or view. 4. Resizing buttons - Used to change the size of the window or to close the window. The Minimise button will reduce the window to an icon on the Taskbar. This Page 4 6 th July 2015

5 Using Windows 7 means the window is still open but not active. Click on Maximise to view the window at full size (full screen). When the window is maximised, the Maximise button is replaced by the Restore button, which restores it to its former size. The close button closes the window. 5. Toolbar - Displays options or features related to the object currently selected or open. In the above picture, the toolbar shows the Organise menu, as well as other options relevant to the desktop. 6. Scrollbar - Scroll bars will appear only when the window contents are bigger than the window. There are two scroll bars: vertical (as shown above) and horizontal. The horizontal scroll bar appears at the bottom of the window, while the vertical scroll bar appears along the right side of the window when required. 7. Navigation pane and right pane - Appear in many windows as the left (Navigation) and right panes. The Navigation pane displays the folder hierarchy or structure, while the right pane displays the contents of the selected folder, drive, and so on. 3 What is Windows Aero? This set of features is new to Windows 7. Windows Aero is a set of features that will help you save time when managing windows. It is available in most editions of Windows 7, but there are also hardware requirements which can affect whether it will work on your PC. It is not available in the Starter or Home Basic editions. See below for hardware requirements 3.1 Aero Features Flip This is an updated version of the + feature that enables you to scroll through open windows to locate the window you want to view. Flip displays thumbnails of the windows instead of icons as in previous versions of Windows. (Hold down the Alt key and press tab to step through all the programs and windows you have open.) Flip 3D Glass Peek Shake Creates a view of your open windows in a three-dimensional stack on your desktop. Press + on your keyboard to flip through the open windows and to quickly locate and select the window you want to view. Parts of the Window become translucent so that you can see through the windows to the desktop. Hover the mouse over the Show Desktop tool at the very right of the Taskbar to make all windows transparent so you can see what s on the desktop Click and hold the mouse button on the title bar of the active window and give it a shake. This will minimise all other open windows so that only the window you are shaking remains open. Shake it again to restore all windows. Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 5

6 University of Brighton Information Services Snap Taskbar thumbnails Enables you to resize and maximise selected windows by dragging the window to the top, right or left of the screen. Hover over a Taskbar icon to see a thumbnail version of the contents of windows that are currently minimised. 3.2 Minimum Hardware Requirements For Aero graphics to be displayed correctly your computer must meet the following minimum hardware requirements: 1-gigahertz (GHz) 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor 1 gigabyte (GB) of random access memory (RAM) 128-megabyte (MB) graphics card DirectX 9 class graphics processor that supports a Windows Display Driver Model Driver, Pixel Shader 2.0 in hardware, and 32 bits per pixel. 4 Using Aero Snap Aero Snap provides another way to move and resize open windows. When using Snap, you can maximise and restore windows, or windows can be resized to appear side by side with another window. Snap works by dragging the title bar of the window either to the top or the right or left of the screen. 1. Select Start > Computer to open the Computer window 2. Click on the title bar of the Computer window and drag the window to the very left of the screen until the screen goes blue 3. Release the mouse button to resize the window on the left half of the screen 4. Click on the Internet Explorer icon in the Taskbar at the bottom of the screen. When it opens, click on the title bar and drag it to the right hand side of the screen, until the screen goes blue. 5. Release the mouse button to resize the window on the right half of the screen, and to view both windows side by side Click on the title bar of the Internet Explorer window and drag to the very top of the screen until the screen goes blue Release the mouse button to display the maximised window Page 6 6 th July 2015

7 Using Windows Using Aero Shake As its name suggests, Shake is the ability to shake a window. When you do this, all other windows are minimised, and only the window you are shaking remains open. This can be useful as you don t have to minimise all other windows one by one. Windows can then be restored by shaking the open window again. Before starting this exercise ensure that the Internet Explorer and Computer windows are open and at their restored sizes 1. Click on the title bar of the Computer window, hold the left mouse button down and shake the window from side to side until the other window disappears 2. Release the mouse button You will now restore the minimised window Click on the title bar of the Computer window, hold the left mouse button down and shake the window from side to side 4. Release the mouse button when the other open window is restored 5. Select Start > All Programs > Accessories to open the Accessories folder 6. Click on Notepad to open the Notepad program 7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 to open the Paint program Use the Shake method to minimise and restore the windows 5 Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 7

8 University of Brighton Information Services The Taskbar The Taskbar is the horizontal bar that sits along the bottom of the screen. It has several functions, but foremost is to help you to manage and switch between your open programs and files. The Taskbar has several sections, including the Start button, the middle section to manage open programs, and the Notification area that displays the status of certain settings and programs. 1. Start button - The Start button displays the Start menu, which is the launching pad of all programs, folders, files and settings for your computer. While there are several ways to access your programs and data on your computer, the Start menu is the one location that provides access to everything on your computer. 2. The Taskbar - While all four areas make up the Taskbar, the middle section is most often referred to as the Taskbar, as it is where all your tasks (open programs and files) are displayed. Each open program is represented by an icon on the Taskbar. The left side of this section (referred to as the Quick Launch toolbar in previous versions of Windows) displays programs that have been pinned to the Taskbar. This means that they sit permanently on the Taskbar (whether or not they are open) until you unpin them. 3. The Notification area - The Notification area displays icons that represent programs or services that are installed on your computer, for example, antivirus software and Outlook notifications.. Some of these buttons will display messages from time-to-time, notifying you that something needs to take place, such as program updates are ready to install. You can hover your mouse over any of the icons to see a description of what they do. Doubleclick any of them to open a window that displays their settings or a menu of options. 4. Show Desktop tool - The Show Desktop tool sits at the very right edge of the Taskbar. Click once on the Show Desktop tool to minimise all open windows and to view the desktop. If you are using Windows Aero, hover over the Show Desktop tool to activate the Aero Glass feature. 5.1 About Taskbar icons Taskbar icons will do different things depending on whether you hover over the icon, or left or right click on the icon: Hover over the icon to reveal a menu of currently open files within that program Left click on an icon to display that program window Page 8 6 th July 2015

9 Using Windows 7 Right click on an icon to reveal a list (also called a jump list) of most recently-used files in that program, or you can either pin or unpin icons on the Taskbar. Hover over a Taskbar icon to reveal a list of currently opened files in that program. 5.2 Managing Programs from the Taskbar The Taskbar enables you to easily switch between and manage open programs. Taskbar icons also allow you to display a list of currently opened files, as well as to view recently-used files. If you use the same program frequently, you can also pin the icon to the Taskbar, so that it remains on the Taskbar even if the program is not open. Before you begin ensure that all open programs and windows are closed Select Start > All Programs > Accessories to open the Accessories folder 2. Select WordPad to open the WordPad program 3. Hover over the WordPad icon on the Taskbar to display any open files The current, unsaved file is displayed as Document Right-click on the icon A list of recently-used files will be displayed, as well as some other options Select Pin this program to taskbar 6. Right-click on the icon and select Close window to close the program Because you have pinned the program to the Taskbar, the icon will remain on the Taskbar even though the program is closed... Right-click on the icon and select Unpin this program from taskbar Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 9

10 University of Brighton Information Services 6 The Start Menu The Start menu is activated when you: click on the Start button when you click on the Windows Logo key on your keyboard or by pressing +. The Start menu contains a left and right pane: The left pane displays a short list of frequently- and recently-used programs. It also includes the All Programs menu, which displays a menu of all the programs installed on your computer. The left pane also includes a Search box to search for programs, files and folders. The right pane provides access to your personal folders (Documents, Pictures, and so on) and other options for managing your computer (such as Control Panel). You can nominate your Default Programs and also access Windows 7 Help and Support services. It is also where you go to log off from Windows or shut down your computer. If you use programs on a regular basis, Windows 7 will add them to the left pane. The items listed above the line at the top of the left pane are permanently pinned to the Start menu. You can pin programs or folders to the Start menu, which means they stay on the Start menu until you unpin them. When you first click on the Start menu, the cursor is located in the Search field. Simply enter the name, or partial name, of the item you are trying to locate Windows 7 will do the rest. Page 10 6 th July 2015

11 Using Windows 7 Starting a Program from the Start Menu 6.1 One way to start a program is from the Start menu. The program may appear on the left pane but if not it will be located in the All Programs menu. Windows 7 also contains a range of extra programs, such as a calculator and basic drawing program, which are all accessed via the All Programs menu. Newly-installed programs will also appear on the All Programs menu. Before you begin ensure that the desktop currently appears Select Start > All Programs to display the All Programs menu 2. Click on the Accessories folder that appears in the list 3. Click on Paint After a few moments the Paint drawing program will appear Click on close to close the Paint window and exit Paint 5. Click on Start to display the Start menu 6. Repeat the above steps to open the Accessories folder, but this time open the Calculator program 7. Click on close to exit Calculator Try opening and closing other applications try some that are directly on the left pane of the Start menu and then try others under All Programs Make sure you close all of the programs when you ve finished... At the bottom right is the Shut Down button. If you merely wish to log off, or use another close-down option, click the down arrow button on the right hand side of the button and a drop down list of options appears. Click on your choice. Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 11

12 University of Brighton Information Services 7 Working with Libraries Wouldn t it be great if you could store all of your pictures in the one folder, no matter where they are on your computer or network? Or, how about keeping all of those important project documents together in one folder, and being able to access project team members documents from their computer also? Well, now you can! Windows 7 makes this possible through the use of libraries. A library is a virtual folder that stores links to folders. So, for example, you might have your favourite photos in several different locations across your computer, but by accessing the Pictures library, you can immediately view all of your photos without having to click through various folders to find them. 7.1 Understanding Libraries What is a library? The purpose of a library is to provide a central location for folders and files scattered across your computer or network. You can think of a virtual folder as containing links or shortcuts to actual files and folders on your computer. A library is similar to a folder in some ways. When you open a library, for example, you ll see several folders and/or files. However, the folders and files are not actually stored in the library; rather, they are gathered together in the library from one or more locations on your computer or network. This is an important difference between libraries and folders: libraries contain links to folders and files from various locations across your computer or network, whereas a folder will only contain files or folders that are stored in that folder. In essence, libraries are designed to make it easier to locate and organise files and folders no matter where they are stored on your computer. What Happened to My Documents? In previous versions of Windows, you would most likely store your personal folders and files in the My Documents folder. Now you can access the Documents library instead. Although My Documents still exists, it now sits in the Documents library. The My Pictures folder is now in the Pictures library, the My Music folder in the Music library, and so on Saving Files in the Library By default, when you save a document, such as in Word, Windows 7 assumes that you want to save it into the My Documents folder. The same goes when you attempt to save pictures, Windows 7 assumes you want to store them in My Pictures, and so on. Windows 7 recognises the file type you are saving and Page 12 6 th July 2015

13 Using Windows 7 responds by asking you to save in the corresponding folder. Any documents or files you save in the Documents library will automatically be saved in My Documents; any pictures you save in the Pictures library will be stored in My Pictures, and so on Creating Libraries You can rename existing libraries or create your own libraries. Say, for example, that you are working on a project with several team members, and each team member has important documents on their computer related to the project. You could create a library called Project and then include specific folders in that library, even your team members folders, assuming they are on the network. You might even have several folders on your computer in several different locations that you could also include in the Project library. The Project library now acts as a quick link to the folders you ve specified to include Exploring your Libraries Four default libraries exist in Windows 7: Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos, which are accessible via the Navigation pane in Windows Explorer. By default, Windows 7 will attempt to save your files into these libraries. Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing Windows Explorer Click on Libraries in the Navigation pane to display its contents in the right pane 2. Double-click on Documents in the Navigation pane to expand this library You ll notice that the My Documents folder sits within Documents, as does the Public Documents (network) folder Double-click on Music in the Navigation pane to expand the Music library The My Music folder is listed below Music in the Navigation pane Double-click on Pictures in the Navigation pane to expand the Pictures library Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 13

14 University of Brighton Information Services 5. Click on My Pictures in the Navigation pane to select it Click on at the very left of the Address bar to view the actual address (path) of the My Pictures folder The actual default location of My Pictures is C:\Users\YourName\My Pictures... Note: To create folders in a library 1. Click on the relevant library to select it 2. Click on [New folder] 3. Type a name and press Handy to Know: The first folder you add to a library becomes the default save location. This means that any files you save in that library will be saved into that folder. To change the default save location, right-click on the library, select Properties, select the desired folder and click on Set Save Location. Click on [OK] Creating a Library Although Windows 7 has done a good job of providing default libraries to suit the range of files you will work with and save, there may be times when it is easier to create a new library for a specific purpose. Files and folders can then be added to this library from any other location across your computer or network. You can create new libraries in Windows Explorer. Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing Windows Explorer Click on Libraries in the Navigation pane to select it Page 14 6 th July 2015

15 Using Windows 7 2. Click on [New library] 3. Type My Library and press A fifth library has now been added to the list of libraries... Double-click on My Library to open the library and view its contents You are advised that the library is empty and asked to include folders and files in this library. You won t include any folders at this stage 7.2 Adding Folders to a Library Probably one of the most common tasks you ll perform when it comes to using libraries is adding existing folders to a library. Folders can be added to the default libraries or to libraries that you create. Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing Windows Explorer Navigate to and click on My Library within Libraries in the Navigation pane Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 15

16 University of Brighton Information Services The right pane displays a message advising you that the library is empty Click on [Include a folder] in the right pane You now need to navigate to the required folder Click on Documents in the Navigation pane to open this folder 4. Click on My Letters in the right pane to select this folder 5. Click on [Include folder] You will now add another folder using a different method Right-click on My Library in the Navigation pane and select Properties 7. Click on [Include a folder] 8. Navigate to and select the Favourite Music folder in the Music library Click on [Include folder] and then click on [OK] Handy to Know: You can add folders to include in your library by clicking on the locations link at the top of the right pane. When you click on this link a dialog box appears showing your current folder locations. Click on [Add] to include more folders (or locations). Page 16 6 th July 2015

17 Using Windows Deleting Folders from a Library As you work with folders in your libraries, you ll want to remove folders when they re no longer needed. Deleting folders from a library is similar to deleting other folders. However, when you delete a folder from a library, the subfolders and files within that folder are not deleted from your computer, only their link in the library is deleted. Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing Windows Explorer Click on the black arrow next to Libraries in the Navigation pane to expand Libraries Click on the black arrow next to My Library to expand this library 3. Ensure you are viewing the contents of My Library in Folder view Click on the link that says 2 locations in the right pane The Library Locations dialog box is displayed... Click on My Letters under Library locations Click on [Remove] to remove this folder from the library Click on Favourite Music under Library locations Click on [Remove] to remove this folder from the library Click on [OK] to exit the dialog box Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 17

18 University of Brighton Information Services The My Library library is now empty 8 Desktop Gadgets Gadgets are mini-programs and tools designed to be displayed on the desktop. Windows gadgets include a clock, a calendar, weather information and even a game! Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing the desktop Right-click on an empty area of the desktop and select Gadgets to display the Gadgets window 2. Double-click on the Weather gadget to add this gadget to the desktop (the weather gadget requires internet access to retrieve data 3. Click and hold the left mouse button on the gadget and drag to the bottom of the screen 4. Hover over the gadget to reveal the mini-toolbar to the right of the gadget 5. Click on the Options tool to display customisation options 6. Type your current location in Select current location 7. Click on Search for a list of locations and select your location 8. Click on [OK] to display the weather for your location Experiment using the different gadgets and exploring their option Page 18 6 th July 2015

19 Using Windows 7 9 Favourites Favourites in Windows 7 work a bit like bookmarks in a web browser, but instead of providing rapid links to a website, this feature allows you to link to individual files, folders or programs, anywhere on your hard disk, or on any networks you are connected to. So, rather than clicking many times to locate a much-used file or folder, you can create a shortcut in Favourites which will take you straight to it. Favourites is located in the Navigation pane in Windows Explorer. Favourites already contains a series of default favourite locations, including: Desktop: enables you to view the contents of your desktop, such as shortcut icons and the Recycle Bin. Several other locations exist in Desktop, such as the Control Panel and your Home (user account) folder, even though they are not actually on the desktop Downloads: do you ever wonder where those files that you download from the internet end up? It s more than likely that they ve ended up in the Downloads favourite. This is the default location that Windows 7 will save files into that you have downloaded from the internet, unless you have selected an alternative save location Recent Places: a list of places, such as folders and programs, that you have accessed recently Public: if you re on a network, you may also have this Favourite location, in which you can add shortcuts to network drives and folders. Favourites does not store the actual folder (or drive or library or whatever) and its contents; it merely provides a shortcut to the location. So, if you delete a shortcut from your Favourites, you are not deleting the actual location or its contents. Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 19

20 University of Brighton Information Services 9.1 Adding a Location to Favourites You can add folders, drives, libraries and even saved searches as shortcuts in Favourites. Adding frequently-accessed locations will save you time. Instead of repeatedly navigating to a location to access it, you can add it to Favourites and then access the location in a single click! There are two ways you can add locations to Favourites. Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing Windows Explorer In the Navigation pane, click on the white arrow for Documents in Libraries to expand this library 2. Click on My Documents in the Navigation pane and hold down the left mouse button 3. Drag My Documents up to Favourites in the Navigation pane 4. When the folder appears with the message, Create link in favourites, release the mouse button My Documents will be added to Favourites In the Navigation pane, click on the white arrow for Computer to expand Computer (if not currently expanded) 6. Click on Local Disk (C:) to select it 7. Right-click on Favourites to display a shortcut menu Select Add current location to Favourites to add Local Disk (C:) to Favourites Page 20 6 th July 2015

21 Using Windows Remove a Location from Favourites When a favourite is no longer needed, it s best to remove the shortcut altogether. This obviously prevents clutter in Windows Explorer, and helps to keeps your favourites organised. Removing a favourite in Windows 7 is the same process as for deleting libraries. When you delete a favourite, only the shortcut is removed, not the actual location or its contents. Before starting this exercise ensure you are viewing Windows Explorer Right-click on My Documents in Favourites to display the shortcut menu 2. Select Remove My Documents no longer appears in Favourites Click on Local Disk (C:) in Favourites to select it 4. Press The shortcut is deleted and note that you are not asked whether you want to confirm the deletion Right-click on Desktop in Favourites to display the shortcut menu Select Remove Desktop no longer appears in Favourites Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 21

22 University of Brighton Information Services 10 Save power with sleep settings Windows 7 has more power management settings than Windows XP. Not only does Windows 7 save power by running more efficiently in the background, but you can also do your bit for the environment by setting your PC to go to sleep during periods of inactivity. Sleep is a power-saving state that allows your computer to quickly resume full-power operation (typically within several seconds) when you want to start working again. Putting your computer into the sleep state is like pausing a DVD player the computer immediately stops what it s doing and is ready to start again when you want to resume working. 1. Click on Start to display the Start menu 2. Click to select Control Panel 3. Click on System and Security to select it. 4. Under Power Options, click Change when the computer sleeps. Page 22 6 th July 2015

23 Using Windows 7 5. Set the times for turning off the display and putting the computer to sleep. Click on Save changes. 11 Useful Resources This document provides just a brief introduction to some new feature in Windows 7, as well as drawing attention to some features that have changed, or are simply presented in a different way from previous versions of Windows. Whilst Windows 7 has its own help system which should help with most queries, Microsoft also has some help pages online (see below). Another good way to find answers is simply to type your question into Google. Web Sites: There are some useful videos here: answers to all the main troubleshooting categories here: Printed Monday, 27 July 2015 Page 23