Number 207 - August 2000

Entry Level Questions Answered
by Lowell Shatraw, Computer Users Group of Greeley, CO lmshatraw@uswest.net
Q. What is the "Task Bar" and the "Tool Bar"?     A. The Task Bar is the area at the bottom of your WIN9x screen that shows the applications that are currently running. The active application will look different, while the others will just show the names of the applications. Clicking a non-active application will cause that application to be displayed on the screen; on top of whatever else you may have displayed.     The Task Bar on all Windows systems can be relocated to the side or to the top of your screen if desired. To move it, just click and drag on a blank area on the Task Bar and let go when your mouse is located within one inch of either side, or at least halfway up the screen from the bottom.     The Tool Bar is a row or column of icons that appear, typically, at the top of the application screen. The functions will vary according to the application being used. For example, the tool bar for my Internet Explorer shows the Back and Forward icons, as well as the Stop, Refresh, Home and others. Netscape Composer shows the New, Open, Save, Publish, Preview, and others.     Generally, the Tool Bar is displayed below the Menu Bar, the topmost area, under the title and which contains the names like File, Edit, Insert and others.     Q. If I delete an icon off my desktop, how do I start the program if I need it later?     A. Many users place shortcuts on the desktop to expedite the opening of a much used application. Some of the icons are placed there when the Operating System (OS) is installed, or when an application is installed. The My Computer, Network Neighborhood, and the Trash Can icons are typical of those placed there when the OS was installed. The Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator icons are typically placed on the desktop for easy access when those applications are installed.     For the most part, deleted icons can easily be copied from another location and placed back onto the desktop, using the Copy Of or Shortcut To method. To install a shortcut-the preferred option-here is what you can do. This will allow replacement of any application icon, or the addition of one you never had there before.	Find a blank space on the Task Bar and Right Click it. When the selection window appears, select Properties (Or click Start, then Settings, then select Task Bar & Start Menu. This displays the Task-Bar Properties. Now click the Start Menu Programs tab, and then click the Advanced button in the window that appears.     The window Exploring-Start Menu will display and you need to select the Plus ( + ) Sign next to Programs to expand the selection list. Of course, if your desired application is in a different folder in the initial display select the folder and Click the Plus Sign to the left of it instead. If no Plus Sign appears at the left of the desired folder, just Left Click that folder icon and the files in the folder will appear on the right side. (Win98 users may have the View as a WebPage turned ON and see the listing differently. If desired, for this configuration, select Views and turn OFF, or uncheck the View as WebPage selection in the drop down list.)     Now find the program you want to create a shortcut for and click the folder name. Look for the application name, like Acrobat Reader 4.0. Right Click and Drag the icon to an open space on your desktop. Obviously, in doing all this you definitely do NOT want all the window displays to be Full Screen so that you can see the desktop. Once you have an open space positioned with the mouse, release the mouse and a drop down dialog window appears showing some selections. Select Create Shortcuts Here and you now have your shortcut on the desktop. Repeat for other programs as desired.     This article is brought to you by the Editorial Committee of the AssOciation of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG), an International organization to which many user group belong.     Lowell Shatraw is Secretary to the Computer User Group of Greeley, In Greeley Colorado. Lowell has worked in computer support call centers supporting Macintosh and PC environments; has developed and taught computer troubleshooting and repair; and is currently a UNIX system Administrator who also works with Windows 9x, NT and Windows 2000.
Number 207 - August 2000