Datasheet

USING THE DESKTOP AND THE START MENU
9
Using the Desktop and the Start Menu
Once you’ve logged on, Windows displays the Desktop—the background area that Windows pro-
vides for you to spread your work across. Figure 1.3 shows what the Desktop looks like the first
time you start Windows and start a couple of programs. Because you can customize the Desktop
extensively (as discussed in Chapter 3), your Desktop might not look anything like the Desktop
shown in the figure: The wallpaper might be different, the Taskbar could be located at a different
side of the screen, or various toolbars might be displayed. About the only unchanging thing about
the Desktop is the Start menu button—but even this might not be displayed if someone has chosen
to hide the Taskbar (of which the Start button is part).
You’ll meet the Desktop in more detail in the forthcoming chapters, but these are the basic
actions for navigating it:
◆
The Desktop contains one or more shortcuts to items. Usually, there’s an icon for the Recycle
Bin, if nothing else. Double-click an icon to run the program associated with it.
◆
The Start menu (see Figure 1.4) provides access to the full range of programs and features
currently installed on Windows. To display the Start menu, click the Start button, press the
Windows key on the keyboard, or press Ctrl+Esc (for example, if your keyboard doesn’t
have a Windows key). Choose one of the items that appears on it, or click the All Programs
button to display a menu containing further items.
Figure 1.3
The components of
the Windows Desktop
Icon
Windows Sidebar
Gadgets in the sidebar
Notification Area
Taskbar Buttons Taskbar
Start Button
Desktop Background
Program Windows
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