Datasheet

The Windows Desktop
The Windows desktop gets its name from the fact that it’s roughly equivalent
to the desktop of a real desk. Your real desktop is where you do your noncom-
puter work. The Windows desktop is where you do your computer work. Doing
work on a computer usually means opening, and using, some program. Each
program you open sits on the desktop, like a piece of paper on a real desktop.
If you’re sitting at your computer now and want to see an example, perform the
following steps to open the Calculator program that comes with Windows XP:
STEPS: Starting Calculator
1. Click the Start button (in the lower-left corner of the screen).
2. Click the All Programs option. The All Programs menu appears.
3. In the All Programs menu, click Accessories.
4. In the Accessories menu that opens, click Calculator (Figure 1-9).
Figure 1-9: Click Start; choose All Programs ➪ Accessories ➪ Calculator
A calculator opens up on the desktop, in a window. The calculator hasn’t
replaced the desktop. It’s just sitting on top of the desktop, as a real calculator
would sit atop a real desktop.
The Taskbar
Usually, you open a program to perform a task. For example, you open
Calculator to perform a math task. If you think of each open program as a
12 Part I ✦ Beginner’s Crash Course
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