Computer Times
For the Beginner
Learning New Programs - Help For The Beginner
This month, we look at how you can learn Windows programs. If you recently got a new PC or a new application program, you may feel a little overwhelmed, and you may be thinking about getting some training for yourself. That's understandable. A good training session can save you a lot of time when learning new systems. If time is money for you, as it is for many people, a timesaving training session can be a good investment.
If you are using a system with Microsoft Windows, you will find a lot of assistance available within each Windows program. Look at the selections at the top of each screen. To the far right, you will find a selection titled Help. By clicking on Help, you will be shown a pull-down menu of Help options. These vary among applications, but almost every Help menu has an Index option. If you click on Index, you will then be able to type in a key word or phrase to search for the area in which you need help, or you can simply scan all the areas where help is offered.
Some applications have How Do I Do This, Contents, or Tutorial options. These range from written text to very sophisticated graphics and animation, depending upon the application. I suggest you browse through all the Help options when you first get started with a new program. Even veteran computer users can learn a lot from the Help selections. Many times new versions of a program will add features that are not obvious while using the program, but they're included in the Help topic Index.
One nice feature of Windows is it lets you browse the Help information and tutorials in a window that can be sized and placed on the screen anywhere you wish. This is similar to the "picture in picture" feature on televisions. It allows you to be working on your application at the same time you are getting Help. This can be a real advantage when you are learning a new step-by-step procedure. You can read about each step in the small window and perform it in the larger window. It's like having a tutor in the box.
Other ways you can get Help in a Windows program are:
The applications and accessories you received with Windows 95/98 have the following standard items under Help Topics:
Another nice feature included in most Windows programs is the UNDO option. This is like saying "Oops" or "Just kidding" after you've made a mistake and messed up something on the screen. You will find it as the first option under the EDIT selection, which is the second menu item listed on the top of a Windows screen. For example, let's say you were trying to copy a paragraph in a document and for no apparent reason you erased it instead. No problem. Simply click on the EDIT menu item, then click on the UNDO option, and your paragraph will magically reappear. It's like going into rewind and saying to the computer, "Just forget I made that last mistake." This UNDO feature is invaluable when learning a new program. It allows you to make some pretty big mistakes and then quickly forgives you and restores things back to normal. The most important thing to remember about the UNDO feature is in many programs it MUST be selected IMMEDIATELY after you make a mistake because it only reverses the very last thing you did.
Left May Be Right But Right May Be Better
While earlier versions of Windows primarily used just the left mouse button, Windows 95 and Windows 98 make good use of both the left AND the right mouse buttons.
When you move your mouse pointer to the Start button, a simple message appears saying "Click here to begin." If you click the Start button with your left mouse button, a list pops up that shows Shut Down, Run, Help, Find, Settings, Documents, Favorites (Win 98) and Programs, the last five items having arrows indicating there are more items to show to the right of the first list. The Programs list may again show items that have an arrow indicating further lists to show.
This hierarchy of Programs can be shown more pictorially if you click the Start button with the right mouse button, which shows a popup list with Open, Explore, and Find, and then click on the Open item. This will bring up a window that looks much like a group window in former versions of Windows. In this window will be at least one icon titled Programs. When you double-click on the Programs icon, another window will appear showing an icon for every program or group on the Programs list. By clicking on a program group folder, you will see another window that shows icons for each program in that group. Here you may then either
To clean up your desktop, simply click on the "X" button at the top right of each window you just opened.
If you are using Windows 98, you may instead see a window titled Start Menu that looks slightly different. There will be an address line that may look like this: C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu. Here you can also double-click on the Programs icon to show icons for every program or group on the Programs list. In Windows 98, you will not have multiple windows appear on the screen; everything will happen in the same window.
If you click your right mouse button while pointing to a clear area on your desktop, a popup menu will appear with options like Arrange Icons, New, and Properties. The Arrange Icons option lets you select your preferred arrangement of the icons on your desktop. The New lets you create a new folder (program group) or a shortcut to a particular program. The Properties option lets you choose settings for your display, like background, appearance and screen saver options.
Most Windows 95/98 Programs have shortcuts that can only be found with a right click. Be adventurous and right click often.
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Till next month . . .
Happy Computing! J