Exploring the Taskbar 174 Any active programs appear indented, as if they were pushed in. To switch from one program to another — changing it to active — merely click its button. Conversely, when a program is active, clicking its taskbar button makes it inactive and minimizes its window. Minimizing a program or folder doesn’t close it or delete its contents or insult its sense of pride in any way; it merely removes it from the desktop and drops it down to the taskbar. Windows Vista Aero preview One of the interesting bells and whistles of Windows Vista — available only in Premium versions of the operating system and only if your laptop has suf- ficient graphics horsepower and available memory to display the specialty Windows Aero features — is the taskbar preview, also known as a thumbnail. If your laptop meets the necessary “ifs,” when your onscreen pointer hovers above a taskbar button, a miniature picture appears of what lies beneath. If it’s a word processor, you get a tiny view of any open document. If you have a graphics editor running, you can check in on the image. And the neatest of all: If one of your windows has a video or animation running, you can sneak peeks at it in the thumbnail view. See Figure 1-6. Windows Vista Aero 3D desktop tiles Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, and Ultimate editions users get a special treat — again, only if your system is robust enough to display Aero graphics. It’s called Windows Flip and Windows Flip 3D, and they’re as cool as a snow cone in an ice storm . . . in a technogeeky kind of way. Windows Flip lets you flip through images of all your open windows and fold- ers. And Windows Flip 3D, well, it does the same thing only in something that is about as close to 3D as you can currently hope for on a 2D display. Figure 1-6: A thumbnail of an Internet page on a Windows Vista taskbar. 15 140925-bk03ch01.qxp 4/8/08 12:37 PM Page 174 Book III Chapter 1 Opening Windows Exploring the Taskbar 175 Windows Flip is a Windows Vista update of a similar but much less flashy way to move among open programs and folders: Press Alt and tap the Tab key. Let go of the Alt key to switch to whichever window is highlighted within the box. See Figure 1-7 for a view of the Windows XP version. The arrival of Windows Aero technology allows live thumbnails instead of icons. And the most advanced version, Windows Flip 3D, shows not only thumb- nails but live processes such as streaming video. On an Aero-capable machine, press and hold the Start key and then tap Tab to move through open windows. See Figure 1-8. Figure 1-8: Windows Flip 3D shows all open windows; you can flip through to select the one you want in front. Figure 1-7: In Windows XP, press Alt and tap Tab until your desired destination appears in the onscreen box. 15 140925-bk03ch01.qxp 4/8/08 12:37 PM Page 175 Exploring the Taskbar 176 Notifying your intentions Look to the notification area for messages of support, notices of threat, and the time of day. This section of the taskbar delivers important status updates, regularly updated by your essential utilities. When you hover your cursor over an icon in the notification area, you see the name of the utility it represents and (in some designs) a quick report: Your antivirus program is enabled, you have new mail in your inbox, a WiFi signal has been detected, or your toast is burning. (The toast monitor isn’t available in all areas and is subject to federal restrictions on air quality, gluten content, and your willingness to let this one slide by.) Double-clicking an icon in the notification area usually opens the utility or a report generated by it. For example, the antivirus program may report on the status of all of its components or it may open the entire application so you can run scans or change settings. Some items in the notification area are there just to alert you to something. For example, if you plug a device into a USB port on your laptop, a message may pop up to tell you that your system has recognized and is ready to use the device, or that it has detected a new device and needs to configure itself to accept it. If you (or the laptop computer) don’t use a particular item in the notification area for a while, the system automatically stops displaying its icon. The util- ity is still there and still available; it’s just hidden until you use it next. If you want to see all possible icons, click the Show Hidden Icons button, a small left-facing chevron like this: . ➤ 15 140925-bk03ch01.qxp 4/8/08 12:37 PM Page 176 Chapter 2: Using Built-in Windows Applications and Gadgets In This Chapter ߜ Gadgets, widgets, and doodads ߜ Editing text without a word processor ߜ Painting a picture ߜ Getting those nice, bright colors, without Kodachrome W indows, in any of its versions, isn’t intended as a program all by itself; it’s an operating system that constructs the framework for applications to run. Most users start out with Windows and install a word processor, a graphics program, a spreadsheet — just about whatever you want to use your computer for. That said, from the very beginning, Microsoft has included a set of simple software as part of its operating systems. No one would confuse the basic functionality of WordPad — the “free” text editor included with Windows — with the amazing set of features in the extra-cost Microsoft Word program. The same applies if you compare the included Paint utility to the spectacu- lar facilities of Adobe Photoshop. However, you could write an entire book using WordPad and you could draw a picture in Paint. It wouldn’t be quite as easy, and most users eventually find they need the extra power and features available only with products sold separately. On the other hand, sometimes the mini programs included with Windows are so quick and nimble that they offer advantages over gigantic multipur- pose programs. One quick example: The easiest way to store a copy of a screen capture (a picture of something that appears on your screen) is to press the Print Screen button on your keyboard, paste the image into Paint, and save it as a file. Inspecting Your Gadgets Gadgets were amongst the bells and whistles that arrived with Windows Vista. You can add these mini programs to your desktop for highly special- ized functions. Earlier in this book I cite the example of keeping a continuous 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 177 Inspecting Your Gadgets 178 eye on weather in a remote location; parents like me who have children living away from home understand the appeal. You could also track ✦ An airline flight ✦ A stock ✦ The price of a doodad in an online auction For the record, Apple introduced the concept of Gadgets — they call them widgets — a few years before Microsoft proved the adage that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. You can turn on or off the display of Gadgets at any time, and customize them with selections from one supplied with Vista or added from other sources. A sample of some of the Gadgets on my system are shown in Figure 2-1. The Gadgets generally reside in a newly staked-out area of the desktop that is called the Sidebar. As you no doubt guessed, that means a vertical strip that parks at one side of the screen; the standard position is at the right side, although you can put it on the left. You can detach Gadgets, though, from the Sidebar and allow them to free-float. Figure 2-1: A set of Windows Vista Gadgets tracking weather, currency exchange, the stock market, and today’s calendar. 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 178 Book III Chapter 2 Using Built-in Windows Applications and Gadgets Inspecting Your Gadgets 179 The base set of Gadgets that comes with Windows Vista offers a bit of ✦ Weather ✦ News ✦ A photo viewer ✦ Web clips ✦ A to-do box ✦ A calendar ✦ A desktop search box As the operating system matures, Microsoft will likely add to the standard kit through updates. You can change the order of Gadgets within the Sidebar by grabbing hold of its handle by clicking it with the onscreen pointer and dragging it to a new location. Some Gadgets include a + to indicate that you can expand them with a fly-out that provides additional information or customization. For example, a stock ticker may fly out with more details of averages or specific trades. Other fancy features include a weather Gadget, such as one based around AccuWeather.com, that warns of severe weather. (As I’m writing these words, that particular Gadget on my laptop is warning me of high winds tonight; time to go out and tie down the garbage cans.) You can’t adjust the width of the Sidebar; Windows sets that. Depending on your laptop LCD’s width and aspect ratio, it usually spreads about an inch off the right or left border of the screen. Configuring the Sidebar The key to adjusting the Sidebar’s appearance and operation is the Sidebar Properties window; you can get to it with these steps: 1. Click the Start button. 2. Type Sidebar Properties into the search panel. Another way to the same window: Click the Sidebar Properties icon in the Control Panel. The properties window includes a direct link to a set of help screens; click How Do I Customize Windows Sidebar? for answers to frequently asked questions, as well as a few you might not have thought to ask yet. 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 179 Inspecting Your Gadgets 180 Closing and exiting the Sidebar Closing the Sidebar is equivalent to minimizing a program; the various Gadgets are still active and continue to occupy slices of your computer’s processing time and memory. However, the Sidebar disappears from view. 1. Right-click the Sidebar. 2. Click Close Sidebar. Do this to open Sidebar again: 1. Right-click the Sidebar icon in the notification area of the taskbar. 2. Click Open. Exiting Sidebar closes the utility and all its Gadgets. It also removes the Sidebar icon from the taskbar. 1. Right-click the Sidebar icon in the notification area of the taskbar. 2. Click Exit. Keeping the Sidebar and Gadgets on top of other windows If you want to keep an eye on the various Gadgets in your Sidebar while working on other things — that is, of course, the purpose of Windows —con- figure it so it permanently occupies one side of your screen even when other programs are maximized. Running applications expand up the outside vertical border of Sidebar. To keep the Sidebar on top, follow along: 1. Choose Start ➪ Control Panel Open Windows Sidebar Properties. Or press Start and type Sidebar Properties into the search panel. 2. Select the Sidebar Is Always on Top of Other Windows check box. A check mark appears there. 3. Click Apply. To change this setting, click again to remove the check mark. You can also toggle the Sidebar between being topmost or lower down by pressing ˇ + spacebar. A permanently displayed Sidebar works especially well if your laptop has a widescreen LCD. 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 180 Book III Chapter 2 Using Built-in Windows Applications and Gadgets Inspecting Your Gadgets 181 Adding or removing a Gadget To add a Gadget to the Sidebar, you have to first install the Gadget on your computer — either as one of the default mini programs that ships with Windows Vista or added from another source. An example of a gallery of installed Gadgets is shown in Figure 2-2. To add an installed Gadget, follow along: 1. Right-click the Sidebar. 2. Click Add Gadgets. The gallery of available Gadgets appears. 3. Double-click a Gadget. You can add two or more of the same Gadget to the Sidebar. (You might want to check on weather in two places at the same time, for example.) Just add the Gadget multiple times. It appears on the Sidebar. Remove an element from the Sidebar this way: 1. Right-click the Gadget. 2. Click Close Gadget. Figure 2-2: To set up your Gadget display, choose from the set of installed mini programs. 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 181 Inspecting Your Gadgets 182 Putting a Gadget elsewhere on the desktop You might prefer to detach a Gadget and place it as a free-floating item on the desktop: 1. Right-click the Gadget. 2. Click Detach from Sidebar. 3. Drag the item where you want it to be. To return a detached Gadget to the Sidebar, do this: 1. Right-click the Gadget. 2. Choose Attach to Sidebar. Changing individual options for a Gadget Certain Gadgets allow you to change their own settings. For example, a weather report may offer you the choice of displaying temperatures in Celsius or Fahrenheit; a stock ticker may permit you to choose particular indexes or individual equities to track. To change a Gadget’s options, do this: 1. Right-click the Gadget. 2. Click Options. If you don’t see that choice, you can’t personalize the Gadget this way. Getting more Gadgets Microsoft has opened up the code for Gadgets, and you can expect all sorts of offerings from amateurs and professionals. It used to be that the differ- ence between those two was that the former worked for free, but that isn’t always the case today. Some amateurs offer their work as shareware, seeking contributions from users; some professionals offer free products (freeware) that promote their web sites or other products they’re selling. Microsoft has established Live Gallery and stocked it with some intriguing Gadgets. You can visit it at http://gallery.live.com. See Figure 2-3. One thing is certain: You must be very cautious accepting and running any Gadget that comes from a source you don’t know and trust. It’s very easy for someone to insert a virus into a Gadget. Your antivirus program should be able to detect such nastiness, but why take the chance? 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 182 Book III Chapter 2 Using Built-in Windows Applications and Gadgets Sweating the Small Stuff: Text Editors 183 Sweating the Small Stuff: Text Editors What’s in a word? Or in Word? Or WordPad? Oh, and let’s throw in Notepad while we’re at it. Well, they’re all text editors, allowing you to create documents that you can read, edit, print, and give to others in electronic form. A text editor is a basic manipulator and storage mechanism for characters, words, and symbols. All the way over at the other end of the spectrum is a word processor, which does the same thing but adds a dizzying array of special features to allow you to format, design, research, and otherwise automate the process of preparing a document. (Just about the only feature missing from a word processor is the one I really would love to see: a button that says “Press here to have the computer finish this chapter for me.”) In theory, I could have written this entire book using WordPad or the even more fundamental Notepad. It would have been a slog, but it could have been done. Wrap your mind around this for a moment: All word processors are text editors, but not all text editors are word processors. Figure 2-3: Additional Gadgets are offered for download from various sites, including Microsoft’s own Live Gallery. 16 140925-bk03ch02.qxp 4/8/08 12:38 PM Page 183 . online auction For the record, Apple introduced the concept of Gadgets — they call them widgets — a few years before Microsoft proved the adage that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. You. up the code for Gadgets, and you can expect all sorts of offerings from amateurs and professionals. It used to be that the differ- ence between those two was that the former worked for free, but. framework for applications to run. Most users start out with Windows and install a word processor, a graphics program, a spreadsheet — just about whatever you want to use your computer for. That