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[edit] Desktop

What appears on the screen after starting Windows is called the Desktop. This is a graphical user interface. In some aspects it is similar to a real desktop, to help users more easily interact with the computer. In this workspace we use icons, windows and other objects, most of them described below.

Mouse pointer
Interfaces driven by a computer mouse or other pointing device use a mouse pointer or mouse cursor to show the current position of the mouse. In many GUIs, the mouse cursor changes shape depending on the circumstances. For example:

• The mouse pointer's normal state is an arrow.
• While a computer process is performing tasks and cannot accept user input, a wait cursor (an hourglass in Windows before Vista and many other systems, spinning ring in Windows Vista, a watch in classic Mac OS, or spinning ball in Mac OS X) is displayed when the mouse cursor is in the corresponding window.
• When the cursor hovers over a hyperlink, it changes into a hand with an outstretched index finger.
• In text that the user can select or edit, the cursor changes to a vertical bar with little cross-bars at the top and bottom.
• When displaying a document, the cursor can appear as a hand with all fingers extended allowing scrolling by "pushing" the displayed page around.
• Graphics-editing cursors such as brushes, pencils or paint buckets may display when the user edits an image.
• On an edge or corner of a window the cursor usually changes into a double arrow (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) indicating that the user can drag the edge/corner in an indicated direction in order to adjust the size and shape of the window.

Taskbar
The taskbar is a desktop display bar used to launch and monitor applications. Microsoft incorporated a taskbar in Windows 95 and it has been a defining aspect of Microsoft Windows's graphical user interface ever since. The default settings for the taskbar in Microsoft Windows place it at screen bottom and includes from left to right the Start menu button, Quick Launch bar, taskbar buttons, the notification area and clock. (Some of these element may be turned off by default in certain versions of Windows.)

The Start button provides a central launching point for application and tasks.

Start menu
The Start menu is the obvious starting point when working with Windows. The Start menu can be accessed by clicking on the Start button. The Start Button consists of the word "Start" and the Windows Logo (the word "Start" was localized for each different language version of the system, for instance reading "Avvio" in Italian)
If there is a Windows key on our keyboard, the Start menu can be accessed by pressing it, or pressing CTRL+ESC at the same time.

Traditionally, the Start Menu provided a customizable nested list of programs for the user to launch, as well as a list of most recently opened documents, a way to find files and get help, and access to the system settings. Later enhancements included access to special folders like "My Documents," "Favorites" (browser bookmarks), etc. Windows XP's Start Menu was expanded to encompass various My Documents folders (including My Music and My Pictures), and transplanted other items like My Computer and My Network Places from the Windows desktop.

In Windows XP, to help the user access a wider range of common destinations more easily and to promote a greater sense of "personality", the Start menu was expanded to two columns; the left-hand column focuses on the user's installed applications, while the right-hand column provides access to the user's documents, and system functionality. Links to the Documents, Pictures and other Special Folders are brought to the fore. The Computer and Network icons were also moved off the Desktop and into the Start menu, making it easier to access these icons while a number of applications are open. Commonly used programs are automatically displayed in the left-hand menu, and the user may opt to "pin" programs to the start menu so that they are always accessible without having to navigate through the Programs folders.

The All Programs menu lists all installed applications. If not present in the left pane, our programs can be accessed from here, for example Windows Explorer, Microsoft Word and Excel, etc. Some programs are grouped into subfolders or program groups, like "Accessories", where most useful little applications shipped with Windows are: the Calculator, games or Microsoft Paint.

The My Documents icon opens our personal folder containing our working documents, images, music, video and other files. The most frequently used subfolders, ie. Music and Images have their own icons in the Start menu.

The My recent documents folder on the Windows XP Start menu displays a list of files and documents that you most recently used. To open a document that you recently used, Click Start, point to My Recent Documents, and then click the item that want to open.

Windows offers several customization and configuration options, most of them can be accessed on the Control Panel. It allows users to view and manipulate basic system settings and controls, such as adding hardware, adding and removing software, controlling user accounts, changing accessibility options , etc.

The Search menu opens the Search application. Here you can search for files (documents, images, music or video) on your computer, on the local network or on the Internet.

By clicking Help and support you can access Windows' built in help system, search for solutions of common problems, contact Microsoft Support or invite a friend to help by Remote Assistance. The Start menu's Help covers Windows XP in general. To get help with specific programs one should first access its own Help, usually in the program's Help menu or by pressing F1 on the keyboard.

Run

Turn off computer

Icons, shortcuts

[edit] Using the mouse

[edit] Window elements

[edit] Working with more windows

[edit] Logout and shutdown

[edit] See also

Windows XP Professional - Start-up and login - Using the graphical user interface - Windows XP Options and Tools - File system and file management - Printing - Help - Search - Version of the operating system - Configuration and customization - DOS Prompt.