Start Menu

Most of us have some basic insight into cognitive development in humans and no more so than the folks at Microsoft.  The use of icons on the GUI (graphical user interface - in other words, the pictures and symbols used on your visual display unit) works because a human mind can recognize images from birth.  Supermarkets stack their shelves so that the front of the product faces us so we immediately recognise what's for sale. If you imagine tins and boxes are just randomly stacked - look again when you're next in a shop. They are strategically placed to ensure the product's icons are fully displayed.

Once the first images are recognised, if we want more information, we can examine the product and read it. However, this reading skill requires additional intellectual activity to accomplish it.  And this is why the icons on the desktop alert us to their purpose and why we can’t change the more familiar images, ie, those for Word, Access, Excel, etc. We click on an icon and this leads us to further information.

The other problem us humans have is that we don’t always know where to find things if someone moves them – at home, at the shops and … on the computer.  If you install/uninstall a program, save a file or folder, delete a file or folder – access to these can change and sometimes you just can’t find something you were only working on yesterday.  This is where Vista really comes into its own.  It has a powerful new Search facility which will come to the aid of anyone prone to panic mode when something gets ‘lost’.

If you are finding the new Vista layout difficult, perhaps try to master one thing at a time. You can switch back to the Classic view of Microsoft to help you get over initial teething problems, especially as some functions have been christened with new names which you might spend ages searching for under a previous alias. Right-click the Start button then click Properties. On the Start Menu tab, choose Classic Start menu.

Start Button

Let's, however, assume you really want to get stuck into Vista. We’ll start with the main screen and look at the all-important Start Button - the Windows icon at the bottom, far-left corner of the desktop. You can also press the Windows key on your keyboard to get the same effect.

You use this button to access your programs, files, and folders. Further on in this tutorial you will see how to make your favourites into shortcuts, but initially the Start Button area will show programs you commonly use.

Starting work

The following information is for the standard Vista desktop. We'll start at the bottom of the screen and you'll notice just above the Start Button is the greyed-out Start Search bar. The powerful new Search facility is used to type in the term or name of a file, folder or program, for instance, Excel.  Start typing in the box and the search will update live with each new letter typed. If your selection appears before you’ve finished typing, click on it to open.  For example, if you start typing Excel, you will probably only get a far as Ex and the Excel program will appear. This method of opening files, folders and programs is so much quicker than the old fly-out menus and you will soon be using it for most of your searches.

Above this is the All Programs menu. To view all the installed programs on your computer, click this or hover over it for two seconds.  Remember, however, it isn’t necessary to scroll through all the programs to find your selection. It really is much quicker to type the required program into the Start Search box.  

Right-hand Panel

The black panel to the right of the program menu contains links to virtual folders pre-formatted by Vista, ie, Pictures, Music and Games. Starting at the top is your own Virtual folder. In the example this is called Sheila and below this, the Documents folder within your own main area. Below these are three more virtual folders: Pictures, Music and Games. You know that they are virtual folders because when you look at them they are blue in colour rather than the familiar yellow folders we are used to. Later, you will learn more about these virtual folders and how to create them.

In the meantime, it's a good idea to get used to saving your pictures and music in these built-in virtual Pictures and Music folders. Vista optimizes documents, pictures and music, etc, once saved in the folders, ensuring that it makes best use of the available memory.

Below the first set of virtual folders is a further Search facility which, when clicked, brings up another menu. This enables you to search for files or folders. As soon as you start to type into the search box, Vista Explorer opens and updates live as you add each new letter or number.

Below the Search facility is the Recent Items section which shows the names of files and documents which have recently been active or open. It's a quick way to find a recent document without having to search.

Next is the Computer menu which, when clicked, brings up the Explorer window with data about your computer's disks - both Hard drives and Removable Devices. In the example you can see how much spaces is currently being utilised on Vista (C:) and what you have free. Local disks and a memory stick (MEMORY (E)), DVD Writer and Bluetooth Exchanger are also examined.

The Network menu is next and this will show if you have set up any Networks to share printers, wireless or bluetooth facilities. If you want to set up a Network of your own, type in the Start Button Start Search, the word Network. This will bring up the Network and Sharing Centre program. If you haven't already set up a network click on the Set up a connection or network and follow the instructions.

Next is the Connect menu, which will enable you to link to a wireless network if one is available. The one in the image below shows a strong signal (all green) which is the preferred status. If you can't find a connection you can set up your own by clicking on the Set up a connection or network. Obviously, you must have a local wireless box which you have permission to use and this must be available to you together with the security password required to connect you.

You shouldn't try to connect to unknown, unsecured connections as confidentiality will be a major risk to the security of your PC or laptop. Similarly, it is possible that if you don't secure your own network, others can pick up your signal and it has been reported that people can sit outside of your house and use your Broadband for free.

Don't take security lightly. If you are in any doubts about your own capability to link to a wireless connection securely, ask someone with the technical know-how to help, even if you have to pay for it.

Below the Connect menu is the Control Panel menu which is used to help you change the way that specialist programs in Windows look and behave.  You can use some of the tools to help you adjust settings that make your computer more user friendly, or to have fun by changing the properties, for instance the mouse pointer.  Most people like the simple mouse pointer, however, but it’s really a personal choice and sometimes a change is as good as a rest!

The next menu is the Default Programs. This is where you can make choices of which programs you would like to open as your personal defaults. For instance, if you wanted Windows Media Player to be the first choice to open videos, you could select this as your default. You can still select a different type of media player manually, but the one which will always be used first will be the one you set as your default.

The final menu is the Help and Support menu, which links directly the on-line Microsoft Internet Help and Support page. This can be useful if you have a query about how to carry out a task and can't find the instructions on the program Help menu, found on the top toolbar of all programs. Because the link is live, most recent problems will reflect in the advice as it is regularly updated to provide the best possible service. It also includes a Search facility to further hunt for the solution to your problem.

Right-click the Start Button

Just when you thought that the Start Button's uses have been exhausted, try right-clicking to find the another menu. Below is an example of what you might see:

Most things here are obvious and we'll go through them, but remember, your computer might have different menus so the best way to proceed is to see if they match any of those below. If not, click on them to see what they do.

Open - select this and it will lead you to Vista Explorer and you can open anything from a Program file to a virtual folder.

Explore - this also open Vista Explorer and allows you to search through the files and folders and really is very simlar to Open.

Search - this will open a Search box for you to find files, folders, etc.

Open as Notebook in OneNote - this is a Microsoft program which has a lot of really excellent uses. One is the ability to be able to translate informtion into or from a foreign language! Click on the OneNote link which will take you to Microsoft's OneNote's demonstration. It's not until you watch this that you'll get a better understanding of its capabilities, but the basic idea is that you use it to colaborate with your collegues to organise events, functions, trips, etc. You can download webpages, and the download automatically adds the URL so that you can find the page again. You and others can add sticky notes, link to emails, research and budgeting information, to name but a few.

Groove Folder Synchronization - The next on the list has, what we could call, a very interesting title - Groove Folder Synchronization and is used in conjuction with SharePoint.

For anyone who has not used SharePoint, this is an on-line colaborative program which enables users of different groups to work together on documents. We are now into the world of Social Computing (known as Web 2.0) which enables users to create social conventions or contexts online by using software and technology. With SharePoint you need administrative authorisation to be able to access documents, for instance, in an educational establishment different teachers may need to add marks for students' work to reach an over pass or fail. Likewise, project managers for a construction company may need to share and update information on finance. SharePoint is a good program to use for this because all users (with authorisation) can update, resave and make changes to a shared document on-line.

However, as it's a live document, security can be an issue as could multiple workspace members editing a file at the same time. Groove automatically adds their names to the file names to differentiate the versions so that it's clear who has made the most up-to-date change, and as importantly, who is responsible for those changes. So Groove is really an added security and synchronization program, thus ensuring that online documents aren't tampered with by unknown editors.

Scan with Norton Antivirus - If an Antivirus program is installed, the next option may be to open this and scan the system. This is followed by the option to open the Properties Menu (as seen in the first image in this article).

Open/Explore all users - Following this is the option to Open all users or to Explore all users. As with all Microsoft programs, there are always several ways to do anything and it's really up to the user to decide which one they find most comfortable to use.

Quick Launch Toolbar

Next to the Start Button on the right, is the Quick Launch Toolbar - see below. You can learn more about this by clicking on the Quick Launch link