🙟 Windows Basics 🙝
Windows Navigation Issues
"Windows Explorer" (a.k.a. "File Explorer") vs. "Internet Explorer"
When you [log on/sign in] to your Windows computer and it opens to your "Desktop", something is [manipulating]
everything you can see, move, open, [adjust to your liking], etc., etc. This something you're operating is known as "Windows
Explorer", sometimes referred to as "File Explorer", both not to be confused with what showed up sometime later as "Internet Explorer". The
difference between Windows Explorer/File Explorer and Internet Explorer is just what it sounds like…
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"Explorer" (Windows/File), as it's also known, is the primary Graphical User Interface (GUI) of your Operating System
(Windows). This is the main "browser" that allows you to find drives, folders, files, shortcuts, etc., etc.
(Apple MacOS just refers to its Explorer as Finder, for obvious reasons.) So, whenever you go to a document file, picture file, music
file, downloaded file, etc., these are being "browsed" to by Explorer. Obviously, whatever app or application (i.e.,
program) manages the file type will open, run, play, execute, etc., the file when you "double‐click" it (see section on
double‐clicking below). An example would be Notepad opening a text‐only document.
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On the other hand, "Internet Explorer", as it is known, is just a "Web browser". It's primary function is to view webpages,
or websites on the Internet. But, Internet Explorer is no longer being developed by Microsoft,and as such is no longer supported. Rather, they have come
out with a new web browser called "Microsoft Edge". This has many advantages over "IE". For now, it is just a better browser with more security
and a more simplified interface. One thing that (local) "File Explorer" and all web browsers have in common is the address bar
near the top of the window presented. This is to let you see where you are in relation to either the local system (File Explorer) or the World Wide Web (web
browsers).
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Left & Right Clicking Links, Shortcuts, Icons, Files, etc.
On your Windows Desktop, you will notice that, in the primary area, it takes two
consecutive clicks of the left mouse button, or "double‐clicking" (see next section), to activate a [link]
(i.e., shortcut/icon). This is usual for the Desktop area. However, you should note that items on the "Taskbar" (usually at the
bottom of the desktop area) and the "Start Menu" (which appears when you single‐left‐click the Windows logo, in the corner, on the Taskbar)
you need only "single‐click".
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Unlike Apple Macs (for example), Windows has the "Context Menu" command built into the mouse. This is known as "right‐clicking" the
mouse to reveal other options. When you "right‐click" an object/item such as an icon/shortcut, file/document, folder, etc.,
you will get a list of alternate actions to take, depending on the type of item you're choosing. Make sure you're right‐clicking the file you chose until you get
used to that filetype, because the default (Open) command may not mean "Edit", or whatever you intend. The right‐click "Context Menu"
will also offer an "Open with" option that lets you choose from some applicable apps to open it.
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(Double‐clicking) Opening Windows Folders and Files
When attempting to open a file, folder, or program, users will often try to double‐click the text that
accompanies the icon, unsuccessfully. As many users know, double‐clicking too slowly will activate the "Rename" command.
If the shortcut, file, or folder is already selected, just single‐clicking the text will have this effect, as well.
A better strategy: Double‐click. the icon [picture] itself. This ensures that the "Rename"
function will not be activated.
Saving Time and Aggravation ‐ "Quick Access"
When you open File Explorer you will notice that, the default locaton is called "Quick access" in both the left navigation pane and in the
address bar, near the top of the window. This location houses the "Frequent folders" and "Recent files" views. This can save you time getting to where
you want to go or what you want to open.
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To open Explorer, you can mouse down the "Start Menu" list to "Windows System", click to expand, and select from the list "File
Explorer". Alternately, you can single‐click on the "Libraries" [manila] folder icon in the taskbar, right‐click on the Start button and
choose "File Explorer", or just press the shortcut keys [Windows Logo]+"E". This should open Explorer to the "Quick access" view.
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Windows Control Issues
Copy & Paste (Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V) Cut & Paste (Ctrl+X & Ctrl+V) Undo (Ctrl+Z)
Some important things everyone should know: Often times, you would like to copy and paste the whole or a part of a thing to save you from some
unnecessary and inaccurate work. This is referred to as copy and paste work and gets really easy once you have "gotten the hang of it". The trick is to try the techniques
and decide which one works easiest for you, or is best for the situation.
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Since many people like to use the mouse to accomplish what they are working on, the most obvious method of copy and paste is to highlight or select the thing you want to copy
and then point to and right‐click the selected item(s), then left‐click "Copy" from the dropdown list (Context Menu). This copies the
item(s) to be pasted when you right‐click the location that you want to drop the copied information or file(s)/folder(s) and then left‐click
"Paste". Alternately, you may find it convenient to copy the selected item(s) with the keyboard shortcut [Ctrl]+"C". Once
you have got the item(s) copied, you can paste the data/object(s) where you select and type the shortcut [Ctrl]+"V". Either
of these methods will leave the original data in its original location.
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Sometimes you would like to [move] what you have selected, leaving empty space in the original location, and the item(s) cut pasted to a new location
that you select. The most common way is to use the mouse to right‐click the selected items and left‐click "Cut" from the dropdown list (Context Menu).
This copies the item(s) to be moved so, when you right‐click the location that you want to move the data/item(s) to, and left‐click "Paste" from the
dropdown, it will place the data in that spot. Alternately, you may find it convenient to cut the selected item(s)item(s) with the keyboard shortcut
[Ctrl]+"X". Once you have the item(s) cut, you can paste the data/object(s) where you select by typing the shortcut
[Ctrl]+"V". Either of these two methods will effectively move the original data from its original location into the new location.
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Let us say something goes wrong: You may have noticed that, if you are mistakenly changing something, such as a file/folder
name, or made a bad entry, there is an "Undo" option at the top of the Context Menu dropdown. This will let you undo any current thing you want to escape
of, if you have not already saved the change. As well, there is a keyboard shortcut. If you want to revert back to the correct data, instead, just
type a [Ctrl]+"Z" and your entry will go to the previous.
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Working with Documents/Files Using the [Ctrl] & [Shift] & [CapsLock] & [Alt] & [Esc] Keys
For when you need to modify a keyboard entry, Windows keyboards provide five primary helpers: Control, Shift, Capitals Lock,
Alternate, and Escape. These extend or modify the capabilities of the keyboard as a set of keys.
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The Control key, labeled "Ctrl", is widely used, but here we will talk about its use as in WordPad. The Control key is used in many keyboard
shortcuts. Other than the shortcuts in the previous section, [Ctrl]+"B" will make selected text bold. As well, [Ctrl]+"I"
will make the selected text italic style (forward slanted). Moreover, [Ctrl]+"U" will make the selected text underlined. A special
note: [Ctrl]+"A" will select all available items, [Ctrl]+"E" will center the selected text, [Ctrl]+"F"
will call up the Find window, [Ctrl]+"H" will call up the Replace window, [Ctrl]+"R" will shift selected items to the right
side of the document, [Ctrl]+"L" will shift selected items to the left side of the document, [Ctrl]+"P" will call up quick
print, and [Ctrl]+"S" will call up the "Save/Save as" window. Also, holding the Control key while selecting more than one item
will continue selecting all the ones left‐clicked once. Should you find that one should not have been chosen, holding [Ctrl] you can toggle choices.
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The Shift key, labeled "Shift", allows you to [capitalize] any other key that has a second character representation. This includes all the
letters, the numbers on the top of the keyboard and their special characters, and the punctuation and their second characters. This is to be pressed and held while
pressing the key in question, and differs from [CapsLock] in that it wil only shift the character(s) while it is being pressed. There are, of course,
two [Shift] keys, like [Ctrl] and [Alt], so that you may press one of them with the hand that's not typing the character in question. One
other neat little thing about [Shift] is that, if you hold it while choosing to delete a file or folder, it will NOT show up in your Recycle Bin;
it will bypass that and be permanently deleted from your Windows system. Moreover, if you wish to select multiple items in a row/column, holding the [Shift] key
while selecting the first and last of the items will highlight/select the entire collection from first to last selected.
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The Capitals Lock key, labeled "CapsLock", is useful for words like acronyms where you want to capitalize all the letters in a group, such as "USB"
or "USA". It toggles on and off, with the light indicating that it is capitalizing when lit. Note that if you susequently press the Shift key while the
[CapsLock] is on, the characters will temporarily be shifted to lowercase, when the [Shift] key is being pressed and/or held. Also, note that
the [CapsLock] will not capitalize number or punctuation keys, despite their having an alternate/second character. Only the [Shift] key will change a number
or punctuation key to its second character.
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The Alternate key, labeled "Alt", is useful in the "Ctrl+Alt+Delete" sequence, which is often used to safely logon, receive system
options while on the Desktop screen, or to interrupt and reboot the system during startup. As well, the [Alt] key can be used to make the [PrtScr] key
only copy what is in the active window out of an entire screenshot, which would normally result from the Print Screen key. Moreover, the [Alt] key will turn on the
shortcut-keys tooltip indicators on in application windows such as WordPad, for example.
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The Escape key, labeled "Esc", is useful in the sequence "Ctrl+Shift+Esc", which will start the Windows Task Manager, should you
need it to wrangle errant applications or see how your system is doing, and what it is doing. However, the [Esc] key is powerful on its own. It can back
out of things you may want to avoid or stop.
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