The Windows 7 Taskbar

The taskbar is the thin strip that runs across the bottom of your screen. It is split into a number of different areas: a round Start button, Quick Launch icons, a notification area, and a clock. All other areas are the Taskbar itself. The image below shows where the different areas are:

The Start button is explained in a section all of its own, as it's probably the most important area of the Taskbar. Click here to go the Start button page:

The Windows 7 Start button

There is one more area on the Taskbar, and it's easily overlooked - the Show Desktop button. In the images above, you can just see a narrow rectangle to the right of the clock:

Click this button to minimize all open programmes and reveal the desktop.

Quick Launch Icons

In the main image above, take a look at the three big icons to the right of the round Start button. These are quick launch icons, meaning you can quickly launch any of the programmes you see there. When you hold your mouse over one of the icons, you'll see a small popup rectangle that shows you a preview of any open windows. In the image below, we're holding our mouse over the Firefox icon. (Firefox is a web browser used to display internet pages. It's Internet Explorer's main competitor.)

In Windows Vista, however, the icons will be smaller, and there's no popup.

Click on the preview window and it opens the programme up in full screen.

There are several ways to add new programmes to the Quick Launch area, but Windows 7 makes it a lot easier. Open up a programme using the Start menu. When it's open, use the right mouse button to click its icon in the Taskbar. A new menu appears:

In the image above, we have Microsoft Excel open. Right-clicking its icon in the Taskbar gave us the above menu. Once "Pin this program to the taskbar" is clicked with the left mouse button, it will appear permanently in the Quick Launch arrear. If you want to get rid of any Quick Launch programmes, the item on the menu will say "Unpin this program from the taskbar" when you right-click.

You can also use the Start menu to add programmes to the Quick Launch area. Again, right-click the programme you want to add. From the menu, select "Pin to Taskbar". In the image below, we're adding Notepad as a Quick Launch icon:

The result is a new icon in the Quick Launch area:

 

Notification Area

(NOTE: The Notification area saw a big change from Windows Vista to Windows 7. You should recognise a lot of the icons below, however, if you have Vista.)

The Notification area, formally called the System Tray, is the area of the Taskbar where you can view programmes and tasks that are running in the background, as well as view important messages about updating your computer. (Although the clock is considered part of the Notification area, we'll look at this separately.)

In the image below, the Notification area shows three icons:

The first one, the white arrow, is for hidden icons. Click the white arrow to see which icons have been hidden:

Probably the only one of the four icons above that you'll have is the speaker icon. This sets the volume for your speakers. If yours is too low, click the speaker icon to see a slider that you can move up and down:

The second of the three icons in the Notification area is a white flag. This flag alerts you to issues that need to be taken care of. Click the flag icon to see if there are any problems:

As you can see, Windows 7 is telling us that there is 1 message, and that it's to do with Windows Defender. You can click on the "1 message" heading at the top, or on the message itself. You can also open the "Action Center" from here.

The third icon that appears in the Notification area (on our computer, anyway) is a Network icon. This tells us that we have an internet connection, and there are no problems. If the internet access is down, there will be a red X through this icon:

The red X will disappear when the problem with the internet is solved.

In the next part, we'll take a look at the Windows 7 clock, and the date and time.

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HOW TO CHANGE WINDOWS 7 BACKGROUND

Desktop Backgrounds and Wallpapers

Windows 7 lets you easily change the image you see on your desktop. This is called the Desktop background, or Desktop wallpaper.

To chage your Desktop Wallpaper, click anywhere on the desktop with your right mouse button, and you should see a menu appear:

One of the items on the menu allows you to personalize your desktop screen. So click on Personalize with your left mouse button to see a window appear. This one:

The main area in the screen above let's you select a Theme from the available list. A Theme sets not only your desktop background, but also a screensaver, the colour of windows, sounds, and mouse pointers. And all that with just one click!

If you just want to set background wallpaper, however, select Desktop Background from the bottom left. The default is called Harmony.

When you click on Desktop Background you should see something like the following:

You can select a picture from the ones available by clicking on it with your left mouse button. Your desktop background will then change. To make the change permanent, click the Save Changes button at the bottom.

If you have a picture of your own, you can use this instead of the ones built-in to Windows 7. To set your own picture, click the dropdown list at the top, where it says Windows Desktop Background:

Here, we have moved to the Pictures Library folder to see what images are available. Another option is to click the Browse button. When you do, you'll see a dialogue box appear:

Browse to the folder where your images are and click OK. We have a folder called York with some images in it, so we've selected that one.

When you click OK, you'll see the images in that folder:

Select the image you want to appear on your desktop from those available. If you would like a slideshow of all the images in the folder, then click the Select All button. If you click the Select All button then the dropdown list at the bottom becomes available:

This list lets you choose how often each image in the slideshow is displayed before moving on to the next one. The default is 10 seconds.

Another area to play around with is the Picture Position. Click the black arrow to see a dropdown list:

Select each one in turn and watch what happens.

When you are happy with your choices, click Save Changes. You will then be taken back to the first screen:

Windows Colour

Another interesting area to play around is the Windows Colour area, circled in red in the image above. Click the link to see the following screen:

Things like the start menu, the taskbar, and the areas around programmes can all have the same colour scheme. The default is called Sky. Click one of the other colours above and watch what happens to your Taskbar at the bottom. Click the round Start button on the left of the Taskbar and you'll see that its colour too has changed. Uncheck the box that says "Enable transparency" and you'll see a deeper colour for the one you have chosen.

If you don't like the colours available, click the arrow to the left of Show Color Mixer. Then play around with the controls. To get back to the default colours, just click the colour square in the top left of the screen, which is Sky.

In the next section, we'll have a closer look at the Taskbar in Windows 7.

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Intro windows 7

The Windows 7 Desktop

When your computer starts for the first time, what you see is called the Desktop. It will look something like this:

The Desktop is split into two areas. The strip at the bottom, with the clock to the right and the round Start button to the left, is called the Taskbar. We explore this area in a different section (the Taskbar). But here's a closer look at it:

The Taskbar above is from Windows 7. Windows Vista users will see the round Start button on the left, but will have smaller icon just to the right of it. You'll still have the clock on the right hand side, though.

The rest of the Desktop is the space where all your programmes will appear when you start them up. This space contains a default background wallpaper, but it can also contain shortcuts to programmes, documents and folder.

You can change the default background wallpaper, and we'll do that next.

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Conclusion

Now it is your turn to play. Take some time to explore the themes, customize a few Gadgets and adjust the ClearType on your screen. Practice using the Aero features and Pin your favorite programs to the Taskbar. Change your user account picture and choose a screen saver.
While we covered the major features, there are likely additional ways in which you can personalize your Desktop. If interested, open the Appearance and Personalization pane and continue to explore.

Windows 7 User Account Pictures

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What to Consider before You Upgrade?

Once you have run the Windows 7 Upgrade Advisor and reviewed your system's Windows Experience Index, you will have a better idea of how Windows 7 will perform on your computer. Just to be sure, here are a few things to consider:

• Do you have a 32-bit or 64-bit processor? The 64-bit processor can handle larger amounts of information and increase the responsiveness of the computer. Microsoft is promoting that Windows 7 can run effectively on both 32-bit and 64-bit processor computers, but in reality some features may not perform as well on the 32-bit processors.


• Will you be upgrading from XP or Vista? Windows 7 was designed to be upgraded from Vista. If you are currently using the XP operating system, then your upgrade experience may be complicated. You will have to back up your current files, programs and settings and do a custom (clean) installation. Microsoft has subtly suggested that XP users should consider getting a new PC for Windows 7. If this is not an option and you are going to do a custom (clean) installation then you may want to get help from a computer service professional.
  Windows Touch Screen


• Are you interested in gaming, multimedia and Windows Touch? Microsoft has put a heavy emphasis on promoting how "new things are possible" with Windows 7. These include graphics capabilities for gaming, the multimedia features of Windows Media Player and the use of touch screen. If these digital media features are important to you, then make sure to review the Additional System Requirements before upgrading.


• Are you in the market for a new computer with Windows 7? Microsoft suggests Windows 7 will work better on a new PC, especially if you are interested in the Digital Media functions. Check out Microsoft's recommendations for Windows 7 Compatible Laptops and PCs.


• Do you currently use Windows Mail or Outlook Express? Windows Mail and Outlook Express are not available on Windows 7. You will need to replace them with Windows Live Mail or another email program.

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Microsoft Office

The Microsoft Office suite is an essential collection of desktop applications that includes Word for documents, Excel for spreadsheets, PowerPoint for presentations, Access for databases and much more. Choose your version of Microsoft Office to begin learning.

• Office 2010


• Office 2007


• Office 2003


• Office XP


• Office 2000


• Career


• Computers


• Windows

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Conclusion

Now it is your turn to play. Take some time to explore the themes, customize a few Gadgets and adjust the ClearType on your screen. Practice using the Aero features and Pin your favorite programs to the Taskbar. Change your user account picture and choose a screen saver.
While we covered the major features, there are likely additional ways in which you can personalize your Desktop. If interested, open the Appearance and Personalization pane and continue to explore.

Windows 7 User Account Pictures

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Gadgets

Gadgets can be added to the Desktop based on convenience and appeal.

1. In the Search bar of the Start Menu, type and select Gadgets.


Desktop Gadgets


2. Select and drag the Gadgets you desire and place them anywhere you want on the Desktop.

You may Go online for more Gadgets .

Customizing a Gadget

Instructions: Click on the numbers in the interactive to learn more about customizing your Gadget

See the below options pane for an example of how you can change the face and time zone on the Clock Gadget.

Customizing the Clock Gadget

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Personalize Font Settings

You may adjust the Font Settings and Cleartype on your Desktop based on your preferences.

Change Font

1. From the Search bar in the Start Menu, type and select Fonts.


2. Select the Font you desire from the Fonts pane.

Sample Font selections

To change font size

1. Adjust the Font Size by selecting Change Font Size from the menu on the left of the Fonts pane.


2. Select the desired font size and click Apply.


 Change font size

Please note that a larger font size may interfere with how some items are displayed on the screen.

Clear Type

You may also adjust the ClearType for your screen. ClearType helps improve the readability of text on LCD monitors and screens.

• To adjust ClearType, select Adjust ClearType text from the menu on the left of the Fonts pane and following the steps for selecting the text that appears the best to you.

ClearType sample text

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Personalize Your Desktop's Background and Themes

Watch the video (3:15). Need help?

Windows 7 has some amazing new themes and backgrounds to choose from. They include vivid photography, digital artwork and Aero themes that use color and glass effects in an appealing way.

Watch the video to review themes and ideas for personalizing your desktop.

Themes and Background

In the Search bar of the Start Menu, type and select Personalization.
Instructions: Click on the numbers in the interactive to learn more about the options in the Personalization pane.

Review and select a desired theme or background. You may search online for more themes by selecting Get more themes online in My Themes.

Sample Architecture Theme

Sample Digital Animation Theme

Sample Name Brand Theme

Sample International Theme

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More Taskbar Features

Instructions: Click on the numbers in the interactive to learn more about the additional Taskbar icons.

Show Desktop

To Peek at the Desktop without closing windows:

1. Hover the mouse over the Show Desktop button.


Show Desktop button
2. The windows will become transparent allowing you to see the Desktop.


Show Desktop makes windows transparent
3. Click on the Show Desktop button to close the windows.


4. Click again and the windows will return.

Action Center

Older versions of Windows had pesky "pop-up" notifications that appeared whenever there was a security issue or warning regarding an action you were taking. Windows 7 allows you to customize how often you view these notifications through the Action Center. The Action Center icon in the Taskbar will allow you to view and take action on any notifications that you have received.

Action Center notifications

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