Datasheet

Typing Those key1 + key2 Things
Often when working with computers, you’ll see an instruction to press some
combination keystroke, in the format key1+key2. When you see a combination
keystroke like that, it means “hold down key1, tap key2, and release key1.”
Here are some examples:
✦ Ctrl+Esc means “Hold down the Ctrl key, tap the Esc key, and release
the Ctrl key.”
✦ Alt+Tab means “Hold down the Alt key, tap the Tab key, and release
the Alt key.”
✦ Shift+Enter means “Hold down the Shift key, tap the Enter key, and
release the Shift key.”
✦ @winKey+D means “Hold down the Windows key, tap the D key, and
release the Windows key.”
You’ll learn about useful combination keystrokes as we go through the book.
For now, it’s sufficient to know that any time you see a plus sign (+) between
two key names, key1+key2, that means “hold down key1, tap key2, and release
key1.”
That’s about all the hardware you need to know to get started. Let’s talk about
the software next.
Getting to Know Your
Computer’s Software
Let’s say someone hands you two identical-looking video cassette tapes. You
put one tape into the VCR, press Play, and the movie Ben Hur starts playing.
You take that tape out, put in the second tape, and press Play, and the movie
Pippi Longstocking starts playing. The two cassette tapes look exactly alike. So
why does one show Ben and the other Pippi? The cassette tapes are only the
medium (hardware) on which information is stored. The movie itself is in the
software that’s recorded onto that medium.
Like a movie on a video tape, or songs on a CD, computer software is invisible.
You can’t see it or touch it, because it’s just information recorded onto some
medium. In the case of programs that are already installed on your computer,
that medium is your computer’s hard disk.
What Is Windows XP?
Windows XP is a type of software known as an operating system (abbreviated
OS). One thing that’s unique about an operating system is that it’s the only
software that a computer is required to have. If you try to start a computer
8 Part I ✦ Beginner’s Crash Course
03 55722x ch01.qxd 1/27/04 9:23 AM Page 8