Pinning Items to the Start Menu

Adding shortcut items to the Start menu is called "pinning".  You can pin shortcuts by doing on the following three methods:

• Go to the Start menu, find a menu command (either in frequently-used items or under All Programs) and right click the program to be pinned.  Choose Pin to Start menu.

• Right-click on the icon on your desktop; choose Pin to Start menu.

• Drag the desktop icon to the Start button.

To "unpin" an item from the pinned items, right-click on the item and choose "Unpin from Start menu".

Taskbar

You can customize the Taskbar to add useful icons to access your favorite programs quickly. 

First, you need to unlock the taskbar before you make changes. By default, the taskbar is locked.  To unlock it, right-click on a empty space of the taskbar and click "Lock the Taskbar".  This will unlock it.  You will see small dots at the left edge to designate that it is unlocked.

Desktop Toolbar: To add toolbars to the taskbar, right-click on the Taskbar.  Click on Toolbars/ Desktop. 

The Desktop Toolbar appears at the right end of your taskbar before the clock and Notification area.  When you click on the little arrows next to Desktop, you will see My Documents, My Computer, and other icons which you have historically seen on your desktop.

If you do not want to have this toolbar on your taskbar, right-click on an empty area of the taskbar and click Toolbars, and de-select Desktop.

Quick Launch Toolbar:  Right-click on the Taskbar.  Click on Toolbars/ Quick Launch.

The Quick Launch icons reside between the two sets of small dots next to the start button.  To add your favorite program icons to the quick launch, just drag the icon from your desktop or the All Programs list to the Quick Launch area. 

You can drag the small dots on the right to fit all your Quick Launch icons, or you can access those extra icons by clicking on the small arrows.

Experiment with the other Toolbars that you can add to the Taskbar to see which ones you may also want to add to your Taskbar.

Notifications Area:  Next to the clock at the right end of the taskbar is the Notifications area which will display icons for active or urgent notifications.

In order to preserve space on your taskbar, Windows will hide inactive icons.  Click on the little left-arrow near the clock to see hidden icons.

You can then click on the little right-arrow to rehide the icons, or the hidden icons will re-hide automatically after a few seconds.

You can further customize the Taskbar appearance and properties by right-clicking on the Taskbar and choose Properties.

Stacking Taskbar Buttons

As you open and run programs, a taskbar button appears for each application.  In previous Windows versions, a separate button would appear for every document, email, etc.  Now, in Windows XP, documents from the same application are stacked in a single button when the amount of space on the taskbar is limited.  To view a document click on the button and choose the document you wish to display.

You can also right-click on the button and choose to:

• Arrange the documents on your screen (tile or cascade)
• Minimize the whole group or documents
• Close the whole group of documents

My Computer

My Computer has a new design.  In addition to viewing the contents of your computer, My Computer also allows you to manage your files.  You can do this with Windows Explorer also, as you did in the past.  Now, with Windows XP, My Computer and Windows Explorer are nearly identical.

Click on the Folders button to view your folders and files.  Notice the different ways in which you can view your files and folders.  These views were similar to those in Windows 2000, except that the Tiles view is new; the Tiles view is also the default view now.

Tiles View:

The Icons View, List View and Details View are the same as in Windows 2000.

If you decide that you like one particular view over the others, you can switch to that view, then click on Tools/ Folder Options, click on the View tab, and click on the button "Apply to All Folders".

Control Panel

There are two ways to open the Control Panel:

• Choose Start, Control Panel

• In My Computer, click the Control Panel link in Other Places

The nine categories are structured as follows:

• Appearance and Themes: Set themes, backgrounds, screensavers and screen resolution.

• Network and Internet Connections: For ITS staff to set internet and network connections.

• Add and Remove Programs: For ITS staff to install or un-install software.

• Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices: Adjust volume and speaker settings.

• Performance and Maintenance: For ITS staff to perform maintenance functions on your PC.

• Printers and Other Devices: Add printers here.

• User Accounts: For ITS staff to set up user accounts.

• Date, Time, Language and Regional Options: For ITS staff to set other options.

• Accessibility Options: Make adjustments for your vision, hearing and mobility needs.

Switching Back to Windows 2000 Classic View

Don't like the look and feel of Windows XP?  We do encourage you to use the new version for several weeks to "give it a chance".  If you still really don't like the new look, you can set Windows XP to look like Windows 2000 by setting it back to "Classic View".

• Choose Start, Control Panel

• Click on Appearance and Themes

• Click on Change the Computer's Theme

• Under Theme:, click on Windows Classic

• Click Apply and OK

You can also change the look of just the Control Panel only by clicking on "Switch to Classic View" at the top left hand corner of the Control Panel.