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Sample Chapter

Chapter 1Getting Startedwith WindowsVistaAre you ready to learn about Windows Vista? Inthis chapter, you learn the basics of starting andactivating Windows Vista, getting help, andshutting down your system.

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COPYRIG

HTED M

ATERIAL

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Start Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

What You Can Do with Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The Windows Vista Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Using a Mouse with Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Get Help. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Activate Your Copy of Windows Vista. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Restart Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Shut Down Windows Vista . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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22

Start Windows Vista

4

1 Turn on your computer.

• The Windows Vista Welcome screenappears.

Note: If your version of Windows Vistais configured with just a single user andno password, then you will bypass theWelcome screen and go directly to thedesktop.

2 Click the icon that corresponds toyour Windows Vista user name.

Windows Vista may ask you to enteryour password.

When you turn on yourcomputer, Windows Vistastarts automatically, but

you may have tonavigate the Welcomescreen along the way.

The first time you start yourcomputer, you may need torun through a series ofconfiguration steps.

Start Windows Vista

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3 Type your password.

Note: The password charactersappear as dots as you type them sothat no one else can read yourpassword.

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4 Click the Go arrow ( ).

The Windows Vista desktopappears.

5

SIMPLIFYITITIT What happens if I forget my Windows Vista

password?Most Windows Vista user accounts that arepassword protected are also set up with apassword “hint” — usually a word or phrasedesigned to jog your memory. You choose thequestion when you set your password, asexplained in the “Protect an Account with aPassword” task in Chapter 7. If you forget yourpassword, click the Go arrow ( ) and then clickOK to see the password hint.

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What You Can Do with Windows Vista

6

Play Music and Other MediaWindows Vista has treats for your ears as well asyour eyes. You can listen to audio CDs, playdigital sound and video clips, watch DVDmovies, tune in to Internet radio stations, andcopy audio files to a recordable CD. You learnabout these multimedia tasks in Chapter 5.

Windows Vista is an operating system that contains a collection of tools,programs, and resources. Here is a sampling of what you can do with them.

Get Work DoneWith Windows Vista, you can run programs thatenable you to get your work done moreefficiently, such as a word processor for writingmemos and letters, a spreadsheet for makingcalculations, and a database for storinginformation. Windows Vista comes with some ofthese programs (such as the WordPad programyou learn about in Chapter 3), and there areothers you can purchase and install separately.

Create and Edit PicturesWindows Vista comes with a lot of features thatlet you work with images. You can create yourown pictures from scratch, import images froma scanner or digital camera, or downloadimages from the Internet. After you create oracquire an image, you can edit it, print it, orsend it via e-mail. You learn about these andother picture tasks in Chapter 4.

Get on the InternetWindows Vista makes connecting to the Interneteasy (see Chapter 9). And after you are on theNet, Windows Vista has all the tools you needto get the most out of your experience. Forexample, you can use Internet Explorer to surfthe World Wide Web (see Chapter 10) andWindows Mail to send and receive e-mail (seeChapter 11).

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7

The Windows Vista Screen

CHAPTER

1Before getting to the specifics of working with Windows Vista, take afew seconds to familiarize yourself with the basic screen elements.

Desktop IconAn icon on the desktop represents a program or Windows Vista feature. A program you install often adds its own icon on the desktop.

TimeThis is the current time on your computer. To see the current date, position the mouse over the time. To change the date or time, double-click the time.

DesktopThis is the Windows Vista ìwork area,” meaning that it is where you work with your programs and documents.

Notification AreaThis area displays small icons that notify you about things that are happening on your computer. For example, you see notifications if your printer runs out of paper or if an update to Windows Vista is available over the Internet.

Mouse PointerWhen you move your mouse, this pointer moves along with it.

Start ButtonYou use this button to start programs and launch many of Windows Vista’s features.

Quick Launch ToolbarYou use these icons to launch some Windows Vista features with just a mouse click.

TaskbarThe programs you have open appear in the taskbar. You use this area to switch between programs if you have more than one running at a time.

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Using a Mouse with Windows Vista

8

CLICK THE MOUSE1 Position the mouse over the object

with which you want to work.

2 Click the left mouse button.

• Depending on the object, WindowsVista either selects the object orperforms some operation in responseto the click (such as displaying theStart menu).

DOUBLE-CLICK THE MOUSE1 Move the mouse over the object

with which you want to work.

2 Click the left mouse button twice inquick succession.

• Windows Vista usually performssome operation in response to thedouble-click action (such asdisplaying the Recycle Bin window).

Windows Vista was builtwith the mouse in mind, soit pays to learn the basic

mouse techniques early on,because you will use themthroughout your Windows

career.

If you have never useda mouse before, thisapproach to learninghow to use it is key: Keep all yourmovements slow anddeliberate, andpractice the techniquesin this task as much asyou can.

Using a Mouse with Windows Vista

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Why does Windows Vista sometimes notrecognize my double-clicks?Try to double-click as quickly as you can,and be sure not to move the mouse betweenclicks. If you continue to havetrouble, click Start,Control Panel, andthen Mouse to openthe Mouse Propertiesdialog box. In theDouble-click speedgroup, click and dragthe slider to the left(toward Slow).

How can I set up my mouse for a left-hander?Click Start, ControlPanel, and thenMouse to open theMouse Propertiesdialog box. ClickSwitch primary andsecondary buttons( changes to ).

SIMPLIFYITITIT

RIGHT-CLICK THE MOUSE1 Position the mouse over the

object with which you want towork.

2 Click the right mouse button.

• Windows Vista displays a shortcutmenu when you right-clicksomething.

Note: The contents of the shortcutmenu depends on the object youright-clicked.

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CLICK AND DRAG THE MOUSE1 Position the mouse over the

object with which you want towork.

2 Click and hold the left mousebutton.

3 Move the mouse to drag theselected object.

• In most cases, the object movesalong with the mouse .

4 Release the mouse button whenthe selected object is repositioned.

9

clickclickclickclickclickclick

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Get Help

10

1 Click Start.

The Start menu appears.

2 Click Help and Support.

• The Windows Help and Supportwindow appears.

3 Click the Table of Contents button.

Most of the Help system isarranged into various topics,such as “Get pictures fromyour camera” and “Make yourcomputer battery last longer.”Each topic offers a number ofsubtopics, and each subtopiccontains a collection of relatedtasks, articles, tutorials, andother items.

Get Help

You can find out moreabout Windows Vista,

learn how to perform atask, or troubleshoot

problems by accessing theHelp system.

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The Table of Contents appears.

4 Click a topic.

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11

How do I get help for a specific program?Almost all Windows programs have their own Help features. Youcan access Help in a specific program one of three main ways:• Click Help from the menu, and then click the command that

runs the Help features (it may be called Help Contents, HelpTopics, or Program Help, where Program is the name of theprogram (for example, Microsoft Word Help).

• Press .• In a dialog box, click the Help button ( ), and then click a

control to see a description of the control.

SIMPLIFYITITIT

• A list of Help articles appears forthe topic you selected.

• A list of subtopics appears for thetopic you selected.

5 Click an article, task, an overview,or a tutorial.

Note: If the article you want is partof a subtopic, click the subtopic todisplay the list of articles it contains,and then click the article.

• The item you select appears in theHelp and Support Center window.

6 Read the article.

Note: To return to a previous Helpand Support Center screen, click theBack button ( ) until you get to thescreen you want.

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Activate Your Copy of Windows Vista

12

1 Click Start.

2 Right-click Computer.

3 Click Properties.

The System window appears.

Note: If the System window shows the Askfor Genuine Microsoft Software logo in theWindows Activation area, then you do notneed to perform the rest of the steps in thistask. Click the Close button ( ) to closethe System window.

4 Click the Automatic activation willbegin in X days. Click here toactivate Windows now link.

Note: If the User Account Control dialogbox appears, click Continue or type anadministrator password and click Submit.

ecycle Binecycle Bin

eedbackeedback

To avoid piracy, Microsoftrequires that each copy of

Windows Vista be activated.Otherwise, your copy of

Windows Vista will refuse torun after the activation

period has expired.

This task assumesthat Windows Vistahas not yetprompted you tostart the activation.If you see an icon inthe notification areawith the message“Activate Windowsnow,” click thatmessage and thenskip to Step 5.

Activate Your Copy of Windows Vista

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The Windows Activation dialog boxappears.

5 Click Activate Windows onlinenow.55

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Windows Vista confirms that it hasbeen activated.

6 Click Close.

7 Click the Close button ( ).

13

Can I activate Windows Vista on morethan one computer?No, not usually. The activation processcreates a special value that is unique to yourcomputer’s hardware configuration. Whenyou activate Windows Vista, your copy of theprogram is associated with this uniquehardware value, which means your copyonly works with that onecomputer. However, ifthat computer breaksdown, you cantelephone Microsoft tolet them know, andthey should allowyou to activate Vistaon another computer.

How can I activate my copy of WindowsVista if I do not have Internet access?If you do not have Internet access, performSteps 1 to 5 anyway. After a few moments,Windows Activation displays a list of options.Click Show me other ways to activate. Ifyour computer has a modem attached, clickUse my modem to connect directly tothe activation service. Ifyou do not have amodem, click Usethe automatedphone system,instead.

SIMPLIFYITITIT

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Restart Windows Vista

14

1 Shut down all your runningprograms.

Note: Be sure to save your work asyou close your programs.

2 Click Start.

• The Start menu appears.

3 Click the Lock arrow.

• The Lock menu appears.

4 Click Restart.

Windows Vista shuts down and yourcomputer restarts.

Knowing how to restartWindows Vista also comesin handy when you install aprogram or device thatrequires a restart tofunction properly. If youare busy right now, youcan always opt to restartyour computer yourselflater, when it is moreconvenient.

Restart Windows Vista

You can restart Windows Vista, which means it shuts down and starts upagain immediately. This isuseful if your computer is

running slow or acting funny.Sometimes a restart solves

the problem.

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1 Shut down all your runningprograms.

Note: Be sure to save your work asyou close your programs.

2 Click Start.

• The Start menu appears.

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3 Click the Lock arrow.

• The Lock menu appears.

4 Click Shut Down.

Windows Vista shuts down andturns off your computer.

• If you want Windows Vista toautomatically reopen all theprograms and documents currentlyon your screen, click the Sleepbutton ( ), instead.

15

Shut Down Windows Vista

CHAPTER

1

Switch UserLog OffLockRestartSleepShut Down

When you complete your work for the day, youshould shut down Windows

Vista. However, do not just shutoff your computer’s power.Follow the proper steps to avoid damaging files on

your system.

Shutting off the computer’spower without properly exitingWindows Vista can cause twoproblems. First, if you haveunsaved changes in some opendocuments, you may lose thosechanges. Second, you coulddamage one or more WindowsVista system files, which couldmake your system unstable.

Shut Down Windows Vista

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