introduction to windows 7 - ucc.ie · computer training centre – [email protected] –...

Introduction to

Windows 7

__________________________________________________________________________________ Computer Training Centre – [email protected] – 4903749/3751/3752

Contents

What’s changed in Windows 7? .............................................................................................................. 2

Start Button ......................................................................................................................................... 2

Start Menu .......................................................................................................................................... 2

Taskbar buttons .................................................................................................................................. 3

What’s New in Windows 7? .................................................................................................................... 4

Jump Lists – Similar to Open Recently Used Files ............................................................................... 4

View a Jump List .................................................................................................................................. 4

Pinning a file to a Jump List ................................................................................................................. 4

Unpinning a file from a Jump List ....................................................................................................... 5

Windows desktop environment.............................................................................................................. 5

Aero Peek – Similar to Grouped Task bar items in XP ........................................................................ 5

Viewing the desktop ........................................................................................................................... 6

Advanced Windows Desktop Environment ............................................................................................ 8

Browse open windows: ....................................................................................................................... 8

Snapping Windows ........................................................................................................................... 10

Minimizing windows using Aero Shake............................................................................................. 13

Pinning items..................................................................................................................................... 13

Notification area ............................................................................................................................... 14

Personalising your Windows 7 .............................................................................................................. 15

Gadgets ............................................................................................................................................. 16

Removing a Gadget ........................................................................................................................... 16

Adding a printer .................................................................................................................................... 17

Wireless ................................................................................................................................................. 20

Problem Solving – Problem Steps Recorder ......................................................................................... 20

Action Centre ........................................................................................................................................ 22

Help and Support .................................................................................................................................. 22

Useful Windows 7 shortcuts ................................................................................................................. 23

1 __________________________________________________________________________________


Microsoft on Windows 7

Windows 7 is the most advanced Windows operating system for business PCs,

designed to meet the evolving needs of the users and IT professionals—both in

and out of the office. With exclusive features and benefits, Windows 7 drives

lower total cost of ownership by helping your users stay productive anywhere,

enhancing security and control, and simplifying PC management across your

organization.

Computer Centre UCC on Windows 7

The Computer Centre is planning to roll out Windows 7 to provide UCC staff

and students with the fastest and most intuitive Windows operating system.

The features of Windows 7 make it easier to organize your data, view

documents and work in a less cluttered desktop environment. New security

features ensure that your work data and personal information is more secure

and gives you more control than ever before.

Standard applications used by staff and students have been tested and a

comprehensive compatibility list is available on the Computer Centre website.

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What’s changed in Windows 7?

Start Button

The Start button from Windows XP has been replaced:

XP Start Button Windows 7 Start Button

Start Menu

In the start menu you can type directly into the search box to find the

application you are looking for – from applications and documents to songs,

just by typing a few letters of what you are looking for.

You can search for applications

by entering all or part of the

name to return results.

Click on a result to open the

desired item.

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Taskbar buttons

Taskbar buttons have a new look and do more than just show you which applications are running.

In XP the taskbar showed the open applications:

In Windows 7 open application icons will be visible on the taskbar. In addition to this, application icons can be “pinned” to the taskbar. The icons will be displayed on the task bar even when closed.

The icons can be rearranged so they appear in a desired order

To rearrange the order of buttons on the taskbar:

Click and hold the mouse button on the icon to be moved

Drag the icon from its current position to the preferred position on the

taskbar.

You can rearrange buttons as often as you like.

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What’s New in Windows 7?

Jump Lists – Similar to Open Recently Used Files

Jump lists are similar to the “recent items” in XP

They are lists of recently or frequently opened items, such as files, folders, tasks, or websites, organized by the application that you use to open them. In addition to being able to open recent items using a Jump List, you can also pin favorite items to a Jump List so you can quickly get to the items that you use every day.

Jump Lists appear for applications that you've pinned to the taskbar and applications that are currently running.

View a Jump List

Right-click the application button on the taskbar

The Jump List will display

Click on an item in the list to open it.

Pinning a file to a Jump List

Right Click on the Application Icon

to display the jump list

Rest the mouse over the file you

want to pin to the list

Clip on the Pin Icon that appears –

this file will now always appear in

the jump list.

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Unpinning a file from a Jump List

Right Click the Task bar Icon to display the Jump List

Rest the mouse pointer over

the file to be unpinned from

the list

Click the Unpin from list

button

Windows desktop environment When you open multiple windows on the desktop, sometimes it can be a challenge to view separate windows and switch between them.

Aero Peek – Similar to Grouped Task bar items in XP

Aero Peek allows the user to take a quick look at other open windows; without clicking away from the window they are currently working on.

Rest the mouse over a taskbar button

Thumbnail previews of any open windows associated with that button appear above the taskbar.

Click on a thumb nail to make it the active file/applications

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Viewing the desktop

In Windows XP, the ‘show desktop’ icon was located beside the Start button:

In Windows 7, there are 3 methods of viewing the desktop:

Method One

The Show desktop button has been moved to the opposite end of the taskbar from the Start button, making it easier to click or point at the button without accidentally opening the Start menu.

Method Two

You can also get a sneak peek of the desktop

by holding the Windows Key and the Space

bar together

This is what the Windows Key

looks like – It is sometimes called

the Win key

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Method Three

Hold down the Win Key + the D key together to go to desktop using your

keyboard

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Advanced Windows Desktop Environment

Browse open windows:

Method One

Hold down the Windows button and the Tab Button

Release the tab key and then press it again to cycle through all open

windows

Release all buttons when the window required is to the front

Method Two

Hold down both the Alt Key and the Tab Key

Release and the tab key and the press it repeatedly until the required

window is selected

Release all keys

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Method Three

It is also possible to cycle through instances of specific applications without

using your mouse for the “live preview”:

The open application icons in the figure below are numbered in the order you

can see them; E.G. Word is number 3.

Selecting Win + 3, the word application will become active

If multiple documents are open, select Win + (number) and keeping Win

held, press the number until you preview the document you want, and

then release the keys to go to that open document.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

If you want to move from one application to a specific instance of another,

there is another useful keyboard shortcut:

Select Win + T to bring you into the taskbar

From here use the left/right arrow key to move through the

applications.

To select a specific instance of an application use the UP arrow and from

there your right/left arrow again to cycle through specific instances.

Hit enter to display a specific screen.

10 __________________________________________________________________________________


Snapping Windows

You can use Snap to arrange windows side by side, which can be helpful when

comparing documents or dragging files across windows.

Option 1:

Click on the Title of the Open Window

Drag the window to the left or right and side of the screen on either side

The window will snap to the edge of the screen.

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Option 2:

Press and hold the Window button + Left/Right arrow

Your window will then display on the left/right side of the screen

Note: If you drag a window to the top corner of the screen it will maximise

the window.

Displaying documents – Side by Side

Snap one file to the left and the other to the right using either of the

methods described below.

12 __________________________________________________________________________________


Snap Vertically

Click the top edge of the window

Drag the window up to the top of the screen

The window will snap to be the length of the screen

13 __________________________________________________________________________________


Minimizing windows using Aero Shake

If you have multiple windows open in different sizes, you can minimize all

windows bar the one you wish to keep

open quite easily:

Click and hold the top of the

window you wish to keep open

Drag the mouse back and forth

quickly

Any other open windows will now

minimise – leaving only the

selected window open on screen

Pinning items

Pinning programs to the taskbar complements pinning applications to the Start menu, like in earlier versions of Windows. When you pin a favorite application to the taskbar, you can always see it there and easily access it with a single click.

Right Click on the Application you

want to be to the task bar

Select Pin to Taskbar from the menu

that appears

This application will now always

appear on the task bar

Unpin an item from the taskbar

Right click on the icon on the task bar

Select Unpin this program from taskbar

The icon will no longer appear on the

taskbar

14 __________________________________________________________________________________


Notification area

A new way of managing the notification area on the end of the taskbar means you get fewer notifications, and the ones you get are collected in a single place in Windows.

In the past, the notification area could sometimes become cluttered with icons. Now, you can choose which icons appear visible at all times. And you can keep the rest of the icons on hand in an overflow area, where they are accessible with a single mouse click.

15 __________________________________________________________________________________


Personalising your Windows 7

Right click on the desktop

Click Personalise to view a range of

display items

From here you can select different

backgrounds, window colours, sounds and

screen saver settings

From this window you can also choose what icons

to display on your desktop. The links to these

options are on the left hand side of the window.

Click the Change desktop icons link

Tick Computer to have the equivalent of the

My Computer Icon displayed on the desktop

at all times

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Gadgets

Gadgets are small applications that carry out

various functions. Some are very useful such as

displaying the weather for your location. Others

are just a bit of fun such as the picture puzzle

gadget.

You can add gadgets to your screen in the

following way

Right click on your desktop

Choose gadgets

From the window that displays double click a gadget to add it to your

desktop

Click on the x to close the window

Removing a Gadget

Right click on the Gadget on the desk top

Select Close Gadget from the menu that appears

Get more gadgets online here

17 __________________________________________________________________________________


Adding a printer

Click on the Start Button

Go to Devices and Printers in

the Start menu.

From the window that

appears click Add Printer

Select the type of the printer

you wish to add

o Local - if the printer is

attached to your

machine

o Networked - if it is not

attached directly

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Enter the IP address of the printer

19 __________________________________________________________________________________


Windows 7 will attempt to add the printer now.

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Wireless

With Windows 7, wireless setup is easier than ever. There is a comprehensive

wireless guide in PDF format on the staff website:

http://www.ucc.ie/en/staffitservices/wireless/join/Windows7WirelessStaff.pdf

Problem Solving – Problem Steps Recorder

Along with many other new features Windows 7 incorporated a new unique

feature named Problem Steps Recorder. Problem Steps Recorder is very useful

if you want to show the steps that need to be followed to accomplish one or

more tasks to someone else.

http://www.ucc.ie/en/staffitservices/wireless/join/Windows7WirelessStaff.pdf

21 __________________________________________________________________________________


In simple words, you can use Problem Steps Recorder to automatically capture

the steps you take on a computer, including a text description of where you

clicked and a picture of the screen during each click.

Launch this feature by typing in “psr” to the search box, and then clicking on

the result:

Another advantage of PSR is that you can view the recorded steps as a slide

show as well.

http://www.intowindows.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/problemstepsrecorder.jpg

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Action Centre Action Center is a single area that collects important notification messages about security and maintenance settings. You can review these messages later if you don’t want to be interrupted. When you click the Action Center icon and then click Open Action Center, you’ll see information about the things you need to take action on, and find helpful links to troubleshooters and other tools that can help fix problems.

Help and Support

Click here in the Start menu

to launch help and support

function

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Useful Windows 7 shortcuts Win + 1-5 - opens that number application Win + Tab – Cycles through open applications Alt + Tab – Alternative cycle method Ctrl + Click – Clicking on an application while holding ctrl cycles through windows in that application only Win + Space – Temporarily shows the desktop Win + D - Shows Desktop Win + Down Arrow – reduces window size Win + Up Arrow – Maximises window Win + Left Arrow – Snaps the window to the left Win + Right Arrow – Snaps the window to the right Win + L – Locks your computer

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Win + T

– Brings the focus to the taskbar where you can then cycle through the applications using the arrows; hit enter to launch; hit esc to exit the feature Win + S

- Launches the Snip tool to cut slices of the screen for images

Win + P

- Brings you into presenter/projection mode

Win + ‘+’

- Zoom in

Win + ‘-’

- Zoom out

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