Welcome to Windows Vista

Many of the features of Windows XP and Vista are the same. But obviously there are a few additions.

The start button has been replaced by the Microsoft Button. To access your programs just click on the start button then All Programs and all your options will open. Click on any folder to see the contents.

When you have a program running if you hover your mouse over the program on the task bar a small picture of your document will display. When multiple windows are open on your machine and you need to switch to view another one, just click on the Alt and Tab buttons to see which ones are open or use the Windows Start button (on your keyboard) and the Tab key and you can view your windows in cascading form. A new item on the quick launch toolbar is the “switch between windows command”. Clicking on this will display all of the programs you have open in a 3d cascade. Select the program you want to activate from the desktop.

To change your desktop wallpaper right click on the blank desktop and select personalize. Then select Display Settings or Desktop Background. From there you can make changes for your computer.

All Vista machines have burners in them and will burn CDs and DVDs. You can use the Nero program for burning CDs. Another option is to use the drag and drop method. Insert cd, allow it to open, drag in the files you want and burn.

A new item called gadget toolbar is on the right side of your screen. You can click on the plus sign above the gadget bar and choose which gadgets you like to see on the right side of your screen. Just click on the one you want and drag it to your gadget bar. Warning, the more gadgets you put out, the slower your computer might run. We recommend no more than three. To delete a gadget from the desktop right click on the gadget and select Close Gadget. If you choose the weather gadget, click on the small wrench once you have it on the gadget bar, put in your zip code then click the small wrench. This will set it to see the area in which you live.

Unlock your Taskbar by right clicking on it and removing the check by Lock the Taskbar. Now you can drag the dotted lines to the right to expand the Quick Launch. If Quick Launch is not visible, right click on the Taskbar and hover over the word Toolbars with your mouse. Select Quick Launch. To add shortcuts to your Quick Launch toolbar, go to Start/All Programs. Find the shortcut ( ie: Word) you want to put out. Click on it and drag it to the Quick Launch.

The Recycle Bin has a delete option. DO NOT USE it. Use the Empty Recycle Bin option only.