Page 10 - Computer Basics - Research

The Desktop of your computer.

Your computer will probably have some icons on the desktop,
with some words under each icon, normally on the left side of
the desktop. It will also have a toolbar at the bottom of the
screen. Normally, users place icons of the most used
programs in this toolbar. They can even be arranged in order.
To move them, click on an icon, then move it from left to right
or vice versa. When you release the mouse click, the icon will
remain where you last left it. Later, we will learn how to
place the programs you desire to use on this toolbar.

Your desktop is a handy screen. You can place things on your desktop. You can
download files from the internet or from emails and place them on the desktop.
You can place icons of programs you use often on the desktop. The problem is
that sometimes our desktops become cluttered with far too many objects,
making it difficult to find things. The solution is to make a folder to consolidate
items. A rule of thumb is that you should have no more than ¼ of your desktop
filled with objects. If you have more, you need to reorganize it and simplify it.

To make a folder on your desktop, point your mouse to an empty spot on the
desktop. Then right-click. You will see a pop-up fill a portion of the screen
(viewed to the right). Select the NEW icon. Click on the right arrow, and
another pop-up will open. The top selection is “Folder.” If you click on that
icon, a new file folder will appear on your desktop, and it will be labeled “New
folder.” You can type in the name you want for that folder when you make it, or
later click on the name of the folder, and it will highlight, waiting for you to type in a new name.

Once you have a folder, you can click on any object on the screen and drag it into that new folder.

If you want to delete a folder and all the contents in that folder, click on the
folder and press the delete key on your keyboard. The computer will ask you to
verify if you really want to delete it. If you say yes, then the folder and all
contents in it will be moved to your Recycle Bin. Later, we will learn more
about this special folder.

You can change the look of your desktop by placing your mouse pointer on any
location on the desktop that is empty. Right-clicking again gives you the pop-up
menu we used to create a new folder. You will see two main areas to
customize your desktop: Screen resolution and Personalize (see picture to the
left).

The Screen resolution shows you the number of monitors you have connected
to your computer (you can connect up to three monitors at one time) and
displays the resolution of each monitor. Monitors can display various resolutions. Monitors are measured in
inches, diagonally from side to side (on the screen). ... A computer monitor is made of pixels (short for "picture
element"). Monitor resolution is measured in pixels, width by height. 640 x 480 resolution means that
the screen is 640 pixels wide by 480 tall, an aspect ratio of 4:3. For HD (high definition) video, the two common
pixel resolutions are 1440x1080 and 1920x1080. 1440x1080 equates to a 4:3 frame aspect ratio,
and 1920x1080 equates to a frame aspect ratio of 16:9.

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