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February 17, 2006--Explore your computer
I'm entitling this section: Explore your computer.
I don't know that I can touch on everything without forgetting something, but I will try to make you aware of some of the things that I think are important or interesting to know.
Starting with the least important: I may have said this before, in passing, but there are different ways to view your folders depending on what information you want from them.
Open a folder, any folder; open it full; at the end of the second line you have a button with a little arrow next to it.
Click on the arrow; notice there is a dot in front of one of the words; click in front of another word; the dot moves and the view in your folder changes too. So you have:
thumbnails,tiles, icons, list and details.
I use thumbnails for pictures, graphics, backgrounds and such.
If you want details of an item, just highlight it and look to the bottom of the left pane for details.
Tiles give you a look of each individual item in your folder; it has a bit more detail under each one, and still, details to the left.
Try icons; more of the same.
Under the list view, that's what you get: a list, still with details to the left.
Details is another list but with details next to it.
Only you knows what works best for you in each folder.
If you want to customize your folders further, right click on one and choose properties; under custo- mize, you can change different things. Explore and choose what's best for you.
Also, while you are inside a folder, take time to look at all your options when you right click on a blank spot. Now, right click on a folder itself, and see the other options you have. Some of these you may use quite often once you know where it is.
Under start/all programs/accessories/system tools, you have system restore.
This is a very important component that has been added to XP.
If you ever run into major trouble with your computer and you have tried all sorts of things to fix it, and it doesn't work, you can restore your computer to a prior date when it was working correctly, and see if it can fix itself.
This is not something to be done on the spur of the moment, and I strongly suggest that you acquaint yourself with the facts in this article:
Click here
so that if you ever have to use system restore, you will know what it entails.
An area you should seriously explore to familiarize yourself with your computer is the control panel.
Go start/control panel.
If you hover your cursor over each icon that you find there, you will know what each one is for.
Some of these I use regularly; some once in a while and some, not at all.
I obviously will not talk about the ones I have never used, but I can say a few words about some that I know better.
Click on accessibility options, and once there, click on each tab at the top to see how your computer is set up.
Close this window when you are done looking around.
The "add or remove" window I use when I want to remove a program I no longer use. This doesn't happen often to me because I don't clutter my computer with all sorts of programs. I usuallly only have programs that are important to me.
However, occasionally, I want to remove a program, and this is where I go to do so.
If you click on the "automatic updates" button, you will see when your computer is set up to receive automatic updates from Windows.
You could go to the "time and date" window to adjust the time; you can do that also by clicking on the time in your taskbar;
The "display" window is the same option as right clicking your desktop. Have a look; this is one you will use often to change things.
Keep going down the list of each icon in here. Click the icon; click the tabs inside the window, read how it is set up. Read also the changes that can be made.
When you're done exploring, you will have a much better idea of what makes your computer work as it does. Maybe the next time you want to make a change, or check on the workings of something, you will know exactly where to go to look for your answer, and in this way, save a lot of time.
On some rainy afternoon when time is aplenty, you should begin to read the help section that can be found at start/help and support.
What I always do is: On the left, click on "pick a help topic"; then click on the first subject in the left pane, and keep reading until I fall asleep...no, really, I read as much of these as I can. I learn a lot of stuff here.
It's not as much fun as playing games or designing a stationery but I think it is important to know my machine and how it works.
So there; that's my speech for today.
I have tried to touch on the most important things that I can think of to inform you about your computer. I hope I haven't forgotten something major.
If I should think of more, I'll write about it in tidbits as I carry on with more subjects.
Ciao for now.
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