The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

A new feature in Windows 7 is the inclusion of Jump Lists. Jump Lists allow you to quickly access frequently used files, documents, pictures, songs, web sites, and any other functions you frequently use.

Note: Jump Lists are context sensitive in that the list generated is based on the application or folder that you access.

1. To access a Jump List simply right-click on any icon located in the Taskbar.
Jump List are also accessible via the Start Menu.

2. To access a Jump List from the Start Menu. Click on the Start button and click on the arrow located to the right of specific programs to open the Jump List.

Examples of programs with Jump Lists are Internet Explorer and Sticky Notes.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

As you can see from the illustration above there is a whole lot happening on the task bar at any given time.

• The Star Menu button open the Start Menu previously discussed (see Get Around the Windows 7 Start Menu)
• Windows 7 allows users to pin up frequently accessed folders and applications to the Task bar, which speeds up access to these items.
• Open Programs - Previous iterations of Windows used an icon and text to illustrate an open application, in Windows 7 you will only see the application icon displayed when such items are open.
• Notification Area - The notification area contains the date and time along with icons to applications and services that are running in the background.
• The Show Desktop Button located on the far right of the task bar is the replacement for the Show Desktop shortcut found in the Quick Launch of previous versions of Windows.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in early December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

To learn how to use the pin up feature in Windows 7 follow the instructions below.

1. With the Start menu open, right-click on the Application you would like to Pin up to the Start Menu.

2. Click on Pin to Start Menu from the drop-down menu.

To unpin a pinned up application follow the instructions below.

3. With the Start menu open, right-click on the Application you would like to unpin from the Start Menu.

4. Click on Unpin from Start Menu from the drop-down menu.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

Aside from providing you with easy access to your Documents, Computer, Control Panel, and other areas in your computer. The Start Menu provides you with a simple way to search for any files and folders located in your computer. The best part about this search feature is that the built-in search function automatically indexes the location of all your files and folders. This means that search results are displayed instantly, within the Start Menu itself.

Alternately you can click on the See more results link (explained below) to view the entire list of items matching your search terms. The simple two step guide below will show you how to use this simple yet powerful tool to quickly locate files and folders in your computer. Advanced search features will be covered in future chapters, so subscribe to Gil’s Method to make sure you don’t miss them.

1. With the Start Menu open, type the search query into search box…The Start Menu will switch to display results of your query (results will be grouped by type; Programs, Pictures, Files, etc.)

2. Click on the See more results link to view the results in a separate window which will enable sorting, saving of searches, etc.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

The Start menu is the gateway to your computer, it provides you with access to the applications installed on your computer, the files saved on storage media, be it a hard disk, CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, thumb drives, and others, most importantly the Start menu provides you with access to the Control Panel and other administrative tools. The Start menu allows provides the following activities:

• You can start applications
• Open commonly used folders
• Search your computer
• Access help for your computer
• Access settings for your computer
• Shut down, log off, switch accounts, and place computer in Sleep mode

The Windows Start menu is comprised of three distinct sections, all providing you with easy access your files, applications, and settings.

• Section 1 – on the left contains the most frequently accessed applications with an option view all installed programs by clicking on the All Programs link.
• Section 2 – is made up of links to commonly used folders, files, settings, and other features.
• Section 3 – is the built-in search feature that allows you to locate any file or program on your computer within seconds.

The following is part of a series of articles that will mirror an electronic book that I’m set to release in December of this year. The eBook’s main focus will be helping new and old Windows users become familiar with the new version of Windows 7 that will available to the public in December. I hope that you find this series useful and informative and that you enjoy it so much that you will purchase my eBook when it is released.

This article is part of Chapter 1 of Windows 7 Basics How-to Guides for the Rest of Us™. To access other how-to’s from the book head on over to the Books section of this site.

Log on to Windows 7

To log on to Windows 7, first you must turn on your computer and follow the steps below.

1. Click on the User icon in the Welcome Screen.

Note: If you have not assigned a password to the account you will automatically sign on without having to go through step 2.

2. Enter the password used to access the computer, hit the Enter key on your keyboard or click on the arrow button located to the right of the password input box.

When you log on to your
computer you will be
taken to the Windows Desktop.

Log off, Shut Down, Switch User, Lock, and Restart Windows 7

When you are done working with your computer Windows 7 provides users with multiple options to exit their computers for use at a later time. The options are described in detail below.

• Shut down Completely powers down computer .
• Switch User Allows logged on user to remain logged on while another user logs on to the computer via a different account.
• Log off Completely logs off user and returns computer to Welcome Screen.
• Lock Locks down system while computer remains powered on. User must provide password in order to regain entry to machine.
• Restart Powers down computer and reboots it. Usually done for updates or if system is experiencing problems.
• Sleep A power-saving state that allows the computer to quickly resume full-power operation within a few seconds. Very useful when you want to get on your computer right away.

1. Click on the Start button to open the Start Menu.

2. To shut down, click on the Shut down button. If you wish to log off instead of shutting down, click on the small arrow to the right of the Shut down button to expand the menu and choose Log off from the list. You may also select any of the options listed above.

Before we delve too deep into all of the How-to’s in this series, let’s familiarize ourselves with the basic components that make up the Windows 7 Desktop. The Windows 7 Desktop is the environment where all of the application windows you are working with reside. The desktop provides access to applications and folders via the Start Menu and the shortcuts that are placed on the Desktop and the Task Bar. The Desktop also provides a space where enabled gadgets can be accessed. Please refer to the Figure 1.1 to familiarize yourself with the Windows 7 Desktop.

Components Highlighted Above

• Desktop Shortcuts – Shortcuts to your favorite files, folders, and/or applications
• Open Applications – Application or folder windows that are currently open
• Gadgets – Gadgets are small applications that put information like news, pictures, and games easily available at all times.
• Windows Start Menu – Menu used to access applications, settings, and other commands.
• Taskbar - Used to pinup favorite applications and display open application icons. Also contains the notification area and the Start Menu button.