Windows 7 Basics

1. The Taskbar & Start Button

Windows 7 retains the Start Button introduced with Windows Vista, the picture below shows the differences between Windows XP, Vista & 7.

The taskbar has been completely revamped and now works in a similar way to the Dock on Apple computers.

It's larger and will group windows together under a single icon if there's more than one open.

For example, if you minimised three Internet Explorer windows, you'd only see one icon on the taskbar.

To open any of the windows grouped behind the icon, hover the mouse over and you'll see thumbnail previews of each minimised window. All you then need to do then is click on the thumbnail you want to view.

Some computers don't support the graphical effects used in Windows 7, if this is the case then you'll see a list of minimised windows instead.

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2. Searching from the Start Menu & Run

The search bar is built into the Start Menu (this was introduced with Windows Vista).

Search for anything on your computer e.g. a file/folder or Control Panel icon by typing it into the search bar. The results will appear as they are found.

The search bar can also be used to run programs (like the Run option in Windows XP).

If you prefer to use the old prompt go to the Start Menu and choose All Programs > Accessories > Run.

3. My Computer

This is now called Computer. Computer isn't shown on the desktop by default. Instead you'll find it on the Start Menu.

Like Vista, the address bar now uses breadcrumbs to aid navigation.

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4. Shutdown & Restart

Both options are found under the Start Menu.

Shut down is the default option in Windows 7 (This was Hibernate in Windows Vista). Click the arrow next to the Shut down button to access Restart and other options.

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5. Control Panel

The Control Panel can be found under the Start Menu.

You can choose how you see the Control Panel by changing the View by: option.

Category is similar to Category View in Windows XP (Control Panel Home in Windows 7). Classic View is replaced with two new categories - Large or Small icons.

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6. Network Settings

In Category view, Network and Internet gives various options to set up and view the network status, share files, get to Internet Options and turn the Firewall on and off amongst other things.

Click View network status and tasks (or Network and Sharing Centre in icon view) to get to the Network and Sharing Centre.

Here you can configure your network and sharing settings, as well as check the properties of the network adapters on your computer.

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7. The Command Prompt

Located under Start > All Programs > Accessories > Command Prompt

All the usual commands like ping, tracert, pathping, ipconfig and finger are present, with the exception of telnet. Telnet can be installed by doing the following - Click Start > Control Panel > Programs, and then Turn Windows Features on or off. In the list, scroll down and select Telnet Client. Click OK to start the installation.

8. User Account Control

UAC (User Account Control) was introduced with Windows Vista. With UAC enabled a user is asked for confirmation each time a change is made to the computer.

In Windows 7, UAC will ask for confirmation whenever a program tries to make a change to your computer. It won't ask for confirmation if the change was initiated by you. In Windows Vista, UAC asks about every change regardless of the initiator.

You can alter the behaviour of the UAC (or turn it off) through the Control Panel.

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9. How to find out which version of Windows 7 you're using

There are several versions of Windows 7. If you're not sure which version you are running, do the following:

Go to the Start Menu, right click on Computer and select Properties

The edition of Windows 7 you are running is displayed with your computer details near the top of the window.

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