Using Your Computer

    This chapter tells how to perform a few basic tasks with your computer. It describes how to create, save, open, and print documents, tells how to use multimedia features and provides some basic instructions for playing games.

Working with documents

    Whether you are creating a spreadsheet, writing a letter, or drawing a picture, you are working with a document. The basic methods of creating, saving, opening, and printing a document apply to most applications.

    The following examples illustrate how to use these methods in working with a document. In our example, the document is a letter created using Microsoft® Word, a word processing application. Keep in mind that though we are using Microsoft Word, these same concepts apply in other applications such as Microsoft® Excel or Microsoft® Publisher.

Creating a new document

    You need to use a word processing application to create a document. Because we are writing a letter, we choose Microsoft Word.

To create a new document:

    1. Click Start, select Programs, then Microsoft Word.
    2. Microsoft Word opens a new, blank document.
    3. Begin typing and formatting the document using the various menu commands and toolbar buttons.

    To learn more about what you can do with Word and other applications, use the online Help. See Chapter 1 of this manual for more information on using online help features.

Saving a document

    To use a document later, you need to save it. You can save it to the hard drive, diskette, network drive, or other media.

To save a document in Microsoft Word:

    1. On the File menu, click Save.
      If you are saving for the first time, a Save As dialog box opens.
      If you are re-saving an existing file, the file is automatically saved with its previously-specified file name and location.
    1. If you are saving the document for the first time, in the Save As dialog box, type the file name and select the folder to save it in.

Opening a document

    To view, revise, or print a saved document, you need to open it. One way to open a document is from the application from which it was created.

To open a document in Microsoft Word:

    1. On the taskbar, click Start, Programs, then Microsoft Word.
      Microsoft Word opens a new, blank document.
    1. On the File menu, click Open.
      The Open dialog box appears.
    1. Locate the file you want to open and double-click document file name.
      The document opens.

Printing a document

    To print a document, you must have a printer connected to the computer or have access to a network printer. For information about installing a printer, refer to the printer's documentation.

    If you have printing capabilities, use the following procedure to print a document from the application you created it in. Although this procedure uses Microsoft Word, most applications use a similar procedure.

To print a document in Microsoft Word:

    1. Ensure that the printer is powered on and is online.
    2. Start Microsoft Word and open the document, if you haven't already done so.
    3. On the File menu, click Print.
      The Print dialog box opens.
    1. Choose your printing options, then click OK.
      The document prints.

    To learn more about printer options, refer to the printer documentation.

Using multimedia

    Your computer has lots of options for using audio and video (multimedia). You can record audio for presentations, attach audio messages to an e-mail message, listen to audio CDs, watch DVD movies, and use multimedia options in many other ways for entertainment and productivity.

    This section provides basic instructions for anyone who has never used multimedia applications or who is unfamiliar with the multimedia applications installed on the computer.

Adjusting volume

    You can adjust the volume for all your devices by adjusting the volume control on your speakers or by adjusting the master volume control in Windows.

    When you adjust the master volume in Windows, you can adjust the volume for all your devices or you can adjust the volume for a specific device such as the CD player.

To adjust overall volume level:

    1. Check to see if the speaker icon appears on the taskbar.
      If the speaker icon appears on the taskbar, go to Step 5.
      - OR -
      If the speaker icon does not appear on the taskbar, go to Step 2.
    1. Click Start, then select Settings, then Control Panel.
      The Control Panel window opens.
    1. Double-click the Multimedia icon.
      The Multimedia Properties dialog box opens.
    1. Select Show Volume Control on the Taskbar, then click OK.
      The Volume control slider opens.
    1. Drag the slider up or down to increase or decrease the volume.

To adjust specific volume levels:

    1. Double-click the speaker icon on the taskbar.
      The Volume Control dialog box opens.
    1. Check to see if the device you want to adjust appears in the Volume Control dialog box.
    2. If the device appears in the Volume Control dialog box, go to Step 6.
      - OR -
      If the device does not appear in the Volume Control dialog box, go to Step 4.
    1. Select Options, then Properties.
      The Audio Properties dialog box opens.
    1. Select the audio device you want to appear in the Volume Control dialog box, then click OK.
    2. Drag the volume level and balance sliders for the device you want to adjust, then close the window.

Playing an audio CD

    In addition to reading data CDs, the CD/DVD drive can play audio CDs.

To play an audio CD:

    1. Make sure that the speakers are turned on (or headphones plugged in) and that the volume is turned up.
    2. Place an audio CD, label side up, in the CD/DVD drive.
      The CD Player opens, and the CD begins to play.
      - OR -
      If the CD Player does not open automatically, click Start, then select Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then CD Player. When the CD Player opens, click the play button.

    For more information about the CD Player, see its online help.

Playing a DVD

    A Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) is similar to a standard CD but has greater data capacity. Because of this increased capacity, full length movies, several albums of music, or several gigabytes of data can fit on a single disc. If your computer has a DVD drive, you can play DVDs on the DVD Player.

    Important

    You should disable your system's screen saver and standby timers to prevent interruption while playing a DVD movie. Disable the screen saver by changing the Display settings in the Control Panel, and disable the standby timer by changing the Power Management settings in the Control Panel.

To play a DVD:

    1. Make sure that the speakers are turned on (or headphones plugged in) and that the volume is turned up.
    2. Click Start, then select Programs, DVD Player, then DVD Player.
      The DVD Player video screen and control panel open.
    1. Place a DVD, label side up, in the DVD drive, then click the play button.
      The DVD plays.

Using the DVD Player control panel

    The DVD Player control panel provides functions that may or may not be available depending on the content of a specific DVD. See the disc packaging for information on features the disc makes available.

Selecting languages

To select the language you want to hear:

    1. On the DVD control panel, click the audio modes button.
      The Audio Language pop-up menu opens.
    1. Select the language you want to hear.

To select the language for subtitles:

    1. On the DVD control panel, click the subtitles language button.
      The Subtitle Language pop-up menu opens.
    1. Select the language you want for subtitles.

Setting parental controls

    Parental controls let you set viewing limits for a DVD, based on its rating. Not all DVDs support this feature, so be aware that parental controls are not an absolute method for determining whether a particular movie can be played.

To set the parental controls:

    1. If you have a movie playing, stop it. Parental controls cannot be set while a movie is playing.
    2. On the DVD Player control panel, click the parental controls button.
      The Parental Controls pop-up menu opens.
    1. Select the rating level you want.
      The Password dialog box opens.
    1. Enter the password, then click OK.
    2. Click the play button. If the DVD supports parental controls and the DVD rating exceeds the set viewing level, the movie will not play and you are asked to eject the DVD.

Searching for chapters

    DVD movies are often divided into chapters which are main scenes in the movie. The DVDs case may contain a list of chapter names and numbers. The DVD Player lets you start playing the movie at any chapter.

To search for a chapter:

    1. On the DVD control panel, click the search button.
      The Search pop-up menu opens.
    1. Select Chapter, then select the chapter number you want to play.
      The movie begins playing at that chapter.

Using the Media Player

    The Media Player can play several types of audio and video files, including WAV, MIDI, MP3, AU, AVI, MPEG, and MOV formats.

To play a file with the Media Player:

    1. Click Start, then select Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then Media Player.
      The Media Player opens.
    1. Select File, then Open.
      The Open dialog box opens.
    1. Select the file you want to play, then click Open.
    2. Click the play button to play the file, and click the stop button to stop playing the file.

    For more information about the Media Player, see its online help.

Making an audio recording

To make an audio recording:

    1. Make sure a microphone is plugged into the microphone port on the back of your system. Microphones are included only with selected systems.
    2. Click Start, then select Programs, Accessories, Entertainment, then Sound Recorder.
      The Sound Recorder opens.
    1. Click the record button to start recording.
    2. Speak into the microphone.
    3. When you have finished recording, click the stop button.
    4. Select File, then Save As.
      The Save As dialog box opens.
    1. Name the recording, specify the path, then click Save.
      The recording is saved.

Playing an audio recording

To play an audio recording in the Sound Recorder:

    1. Open the Sound Recorder.
    2. Select File, then Open.
      The Open dialog box opens.
    1. Select the file you want to play back, then click Open.
    2. Click the play button to play the file, and click the stop button to stop playing the file. The file also stops playing when it reaches the end.

Playing games

    Windows includes four games installed on the computer: FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, and Solitaire. To install and play other games on the computer, refer to the documentation included with the game.

To start Windows Solitaire:

      Click Start, select Programs, Accessories, Games, then Solitaire.
      The Solitaire game opens.

    To learn more about playing Solitaire or other Windows games, see the game's online Help.