Abby Stokes
Page 14
The Control Panel
Now let’s visit the Control Panel and see what it has to offer. If there isn’t an icon on the Desktop for the Control Panel, click on or and then click on Control Panel.
The Control Panel is where you get to customize certain aspects of your computer. I’m only going talk about the features that you’ll use most in the Control Panel window.
The Hardware and Sound icon allows you access to both the printer you’re already using and a new printer that you might add at any time. This is also the place to go if you change your mind once you start printing a document and want to stop the printer (or “purge print documents” in computer-speak).
The Network and Internet icon is something you will probably never use. This is where you set up your access to the Internet. If at some point you decided to reconfigure your Internet connection, you would double-click on this icon to access the area where you would make those changes.
The Clock, Language, and Region icon allows you to adjust the date and time. We’re going to do that together in a bit, but first I want you to experiment with the parts of this window now that it is open.
IT’S OK NOT TO GET IT
You don’t have to understand or use all of the icons offered in the Control Panel. You may only ever use one or two. The others are there for more advanced computer users or technical support to adjust things on your computer, if the need arises.
What’s in the Window?
The size of the window dictates how much of the information it contains is visible to you. This is where the Scroll Bar comes in handy. The Scroll Bar allows you to move the information in the window up and down for full viewing.
You will notice that this window has the same features as the Solitaire window. It has a Title Bar, Minimize Box, Maximize Box, and Close Box. What we haven’t discussed yet is the Scroll Bar on the bottom and right side of the window.
If you see a Scroll Bar on the right edge or bottom of a window, it tells you that there is more in the window than you can see. (If there is no Scroll Bar on the window of your screen, don’t worry. On page 142 there are instructions on how to make a Scroll Bar appear.) You can increase the size of the window or scroll the window to see what else it contains. Students often call me in distress because they can’t find an item that they know is supposed to be in a certain window. Usually it is right where it should be, but they didn’t see all the contents of the window. The Scroll Bar is your clue that there is more to be unveiled.
• You can customize certain parts of your computer using the Control Panel.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on the Maximize Box.
2. Click on the Restore Box.
Enlarging the Window The most efficient way to see all the contents of a window is to increase its size. You can do that in a number of ways. For the sake of experimentation, try each option. Once you have seen how one choice works, follow the instructions in italics to restore the window and go on to the next option. We will experiment with scrolling after you have tried the following options.
Option 1. There is a box above the Title Bar that will increase the size of the window. As you may remember, it’s the Maximize Box. Move the mouse arrow into the and click once. To restore it back to its original form, move the mouse arrow to the Restore Box and click once.
Option 2. Move your mouse arrow to the bottom right corner of the Control Panel window. Your arrow will become a two-ended arrow at an angle . (If the double arrow eludes you it is because you are moving the mouse too quickly. Slow down.) As you did with the Solitaire cards, click and drag the arrow to the bottom right of your screen, then release the mouse button. To restore, place the mouse arrow in the bottom right corner of the window to activate the two-ended arrow. Now click and drag the corner to the left and up until the window is the size it was when you first opened it.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
It is a delicate business to get the mouse arrow exactly on the edge of the window to activate the arrows that will allow you to stretch or shrink it. Move the mouse very slowly and you’ll get the hang of it. Be patient and don’t give up.
Option 3. Move the mouse arrow to the right side of the Control Panel window. The arrow now becomes an arrow going right and left . Click and drag the arrow to the far right edge of the screen and then release the mouse button. This increases the width. (The same can be done with the left side of the window.) To increase the height, move the right-left arrow to the bottom of the window. Now the mouse arrow becomes an up-and-down arrow . Click and drag the arrow to the far bottom edge of the screen and then release the mouse. (The same can be done with the top of the window.) To restore, place the mouse arrow on the right of the screen to activate the arrow going right and left. Now click and drag the edge to the left until the window is about the width it was when you first opened it. Do the same with the bottom edge of the window.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click and drag the corner of the window to enlarge.
2. Click and drag the corner of the window to restore to previous size and shape.
Click and Drag… Is It a Drag?
Are you having some trouble with the click-and-drag maneuver? Let’s review:
• Place the mouse arrow on the object you want to move and depress the mouse button.
• Keep the mouse button depressed while you drag the object (by moving the mouse) to where you desire.
• Take your finger off the mouse and the object will remain where it has been moved.
My advice is, if you have Solitaire, keep playing. It may seem silly (or drive you nuts), but it is the best way to master the mouse. If you haven’t been faithfully doing your homework, start today!
CLICK AND GO
1. Increase the width by clicking and dragging right edge out.
2. Click and drag back to restore to previous size/shape.
3. Click and drag bottom edge to increase window height.
4. Click and drag back to restore previous size/shape.
Scrolling Along
Sometimes there can be more icons contained in a window than you can see, no matter how large you make the window. In this case, you will have to use the Scroll Bar to see all that is available. The Scroll Bar is similar to an elevator: A button is pressed to activate it, it moves up and down, and you can get off anyplace you want.
Does your window look something like the window seen here? Make sure a Scroll Bar is on the right side of the window. If there isn’t a Scroll Bar, move the mouse arrow onto the lower right corner of the window. It will now be the two-sided arrow at an angle. Click and drag the corner up and left to create a Scroll Bar on the right side and bottom of the window.
There should be a set of arrows at the top and bottom of the Scroll Bar positioned on the right edge of the window. If there is a Scroll Bar at the bottom of the window, it will also have a set of arrows positioned at the right and left. Now let’s take a scroll…
• Place the mouse arrow on the bottom scroll arrow on the right edge of the window and click a few times. With each click the image on the screen moves down. Be careful that the mouse arrow stays within the box that contains the scroll arrow. If your mouse wanders, you will not be able to activate the Scroll Bar, or the window may scroll in increments larger than you desire.
• If you see a Scroll Bar, it indicates that there’s more to see in the window.
• The contents within the window will move up if you place the mouse arrow on the top scroll arrow and click.
• The window will scroll left or right with the bottom left and right scroll arrows.
• If you hold down the mouse button rather than depressing and releasing it, the window will scroll very quickly. This technique is more difficult to control but faster than individual clicks.
• You can also reveal what’s inside the window by placing the mouse arrow on the Scroll Box within the Scroll Bar and clicking and dragging the Scroll Box up or down. This is faster than using th
e scroll arrows and is most convenient if you’re in a very large document wanting to get from, for example, page 1 to page 40.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on bottom arrow repeatedly.
2. Click on top arrow and hold mouse down until scroll box is at the top of the scroll bar.
3. Click and drag the scroll box within the scroll bar to reveal the contents of the window again.
Scroll Bars play a big role in viewing websites on the Internet. I strongly recommend that you spend time maneuvering a Scroll Bar every time you play on the computer until you have the technique down.
* * *
“For the longest time I couldn’t use the Scroll Bar. I kept moving the mouse off the arrow or clicking too fast. Eventually it became easier. You really can’t take advantage of websites without it.”
—Dan
* * *
Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?
Maximize the Control Panel window if you can’t see all the icons contained in it. (Remember, you do that by clicking on .) We’re going to be sure that the date and time are set properly on your computer. Once set, the computer, even when it is shut off, will keep perfect time and the current date. Open the Date and Time window by double-clicking on the Clock, Language, and Region icon.
At the bottom of the Date and Time window there are three buttons: OK, Cancel, and Apply. These are your action choices. Sometimes a window will offer you Help, Yes, or No as choices. When you click on any of these buttons, you’re instructing the computer to take that action. You must be very sure of the action you want to take—sometimes it is irreversible.
• This window allows you to set the date and time.
The box containing OK may have a slightly darker outline. In this case the computer assumes OK to be the choice you’ll most likely make and has preselected it for you. (You can always choose a different option—it’s just trying to make life easier for you.) Be forewarned: If you depress the Enter key on your keyboard, whatever action the computer has preselected will be taken. That is why it is so important not to depress theEnterkey arbitrarily; you may unwittingly take an action that cannot be reversed. (Note: It may not be OK that the computer preselects for you. It could be any action button that the computer deems will be your likely choice.) In the case of what we are playing with here, not to worry—nothing is irreversible.
PATIENCE, PLEASE
Remember that if there is a spinning circle or an hourglass , sit back and let the computer finish what it’s doing before you use the mouse or keyboard.
Setting the Date and Time Follow these steps to adjust the date and time on your computer:
• Click on the Change date and time.
• Is the month correct? If not, click on the arrow to the right of the month until you are in the correct month.
• Is the date correct? If not, click on the correct date.
• Is the hour correct? If not, move the mouse arrow onto the hour display, then click and drag over the hour to select it. It should be highlighted in blue. You can either type the correct hour using the number keys on your keyboard or use the arrows to the right of the time to increase or decrease the hour.
CLICK AND GO
1. If month is not correct, click on the back or forward arrow and select the correct month.
2. If date should be changed, click on correct date.
3. If the hour or minutes are not correct, click on each and use the arrows to adjust.
4. Click OK to keep the changes.
• Do the same for the minutes and seconds—highlight them and make the necessary changes.
• Once the correct hour, minute, and second are visible on the screen, click on OK. The window should close, accepting your changes and putting you back in the Control Panel window.
• Click once on the Change Time Zone button.
• There is a box with a down arrow to the right. Is the time zone that is visible your time zone? If not, click on the arrow. Find your time zone (you may have to use the Scroll Bar), point on it with the mouse arrow, and click once.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on down scroll arrow. Click on your time zone (you may have to use the Scroll Bar).
2. Click OK.
• Does Automatically adjust clock for daylight saving changes have a check in the box to the left? If not, move the mouse arrow to the box and click once. Yes, like magic your computer will make the adjustment for daylight saving time from now on! Adjust your screen brightness if you have difficulty seeing the map.
• At this point click once on the word OK.
Mouse Traps
Now we’ll customize the mouse to suit you. If you prefer to have the mouse to your left, you can also reverse the functions of the mouse buttons here (see “Attention Again, Southpaws” box below). Let’s adjust the double-click speed.
• Click in Search Control Panel box in upper right corner.
• Type mouse.
• Click change mouse setting in the list that appears.
• You may click on all the file tabs and read what each contains, but the one we’ll focus on is Buttons.
• Click on the Buttons tab to adjust the double-click timing.
• Look at the pointer that indicates how slow or fast the clicking is set. If you find you need some extra time to double-click, then click and drag the pointer toward “Slow.” If you naturally double-click faster than where it’s set at present, click and drag the pointer toward “Fast.”
ATTENTION AGAIN, SOUTHPAWS
If you’re a lefty, this is your chance to have the mouse cater to your needs. Some of my students who are left-handed are quite content to place the mouse to the right of their keyboard, but you can also swap it to the other side. It depends on what works better for you.
As the mouse is now configured, the left button is set up for Click/Select and the right button for Context Menu/Alternate Select. If you have an external mouse and want to position it to the left of the keyboard, these buttons are in the reverse position of how they might work best for you. See “Reversing the Buttons” box on the next page.
• When you have found the right timing, move the mouse arrow to Apply and click once. (This means that your change has been accepted and the window will remain open.)
• Now let’s click on the Pointer Options tab.
• Here we’re interested in the Motion. There is a pointer that indicates the speed with which the mouse arrow will move across the screen (the computer may refer to the mouse arrow as a cursor here). Move the mouse arrow onto that pointer. Click and drag the pointer to the speed where you think it should be based on how quickly or slowly the mouse arrow currently moves across your screen. Mine is set on the slowest speed, which is easiest for me, but only you can judge what’s best for you. You can always come back to this window and readjust it at a later date.
• Once you’ve selected your preferred speed, click on OK. Your changes will be made and the window will close.
REVERSING THE BUTTONS
To reverse the functions of your mouse’s two buttons:
• In the area below Button Configuration click in the circle next to left-handed to switch primary and secondary buttons.
• Now click Apply.
• This window allows you to adjust your mouse settings.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on Buttons tab.
2. Click and drag “double-click speed” pointer to what suits you best.
3. Click on Apply to keep your setting.
4. Click on Pointer Options tab.
5. Click and drag the “pointer speed” to what suits you best.
6. Click on OK to keep the changes.
Right-Clicks
The right button on the mouse opens an advanced menu that offers different actions depending on what you right-click on. For now we won’t use the right side of the mouse, but later in the book (see page 261) we’ll practice using it together. In the meantime, if you accidenta
lly hit the right side of the mouse, you can get rid of the menu that you opened by left clicking anywhere off that menu.
Hanging Wallpaper
The background on your desktop screen is also referred to as wallpaper. Your operating software comes with several different styles of wallpaper, and you can personalize your desktop by selecting one that appeals to you.
• Click on the Appearance and Personalization section in your Control Panel window. (If you are using Windows XP, double-click on Display and follow along. Things may appear differently on your computer screen, but if you use your intuition you’ll likely be able to follow along.) Here we can choose your wallpaper, change the look of the screen, and create a screen saver.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on Change Desktop Background.
2. Use scroll bar to reveal your choices.
3. Click on a background that appeals to you.
4. Click Save Changes or OK to accept your choice.
5. Minimize the window to see your handiwork.
6. Click on Control Panel icon to restore window to previous size.
• Click on Change Desktop Background. This is where you decide the background for the desktop screen. Click on the background choice that appeals to you. Remember to use the scroll bar to reveal all of your choices. Then at the bottom of the window, click Save Changes or OK. Then minimize the Desktop Background window. This allows the wallpaper to be viewed in its actual size.