If You're New to Windows

If you're not familiar with Windows, it's easy to get started. The following illustration shows the desktop, the workspace that appears on your screen. You use your desktop for almost any task: opening programs, copying files, connecting to a network or the Internet, reading your e-mail, and so on. What you see on your desktop varies depending on how Windows 2000 is set up on your computer.

For more information, see What Is the Desktop? in Chapter 4.

Default Desktop

Note

If you're new to computers, you first need to know how to use a mouse. A mouse is the hand-held device that controls the pointer (usually an arrow) on the screen. You use the mouse to move the pointer over—and perform an action on—an item on your screen. The primary mouse button is usually the left button.

This book and Windows 2000 Help use the same terminology—click, double-click, right-click—to refer to actions you can perform using a mouse. Click means press the primary mouse button once, while double-click means rapidly press it twice. Right-click means press the secondary mouse button once.

Windows 2000 Help contains valuable tips and procedures to help you get started, whether you're new to computers or just new to Windows. If you're a novice, you should start by reading the topics included in "Introducing Windows 2000 Professional" in Help.

To open new user information in Help

  1. Click the Start button, and then click Help.
  2. On the Contents tab, click Introducing Windows 2000 Professional.
  3. Click Tips for new users.