Computer beginners can usually grasp the concept of the mouse - it’s intuitive. Just point, and click. The mouse makes getting around on your Windows based computer quite easy. Modern day computers are very graphical in nature. You have windows, menus, buttons, scroll bars, etc. All of these features were designed with the intention to be user friendly. Human beings should be able to easily interact with the computer. After all, computers were invented to make our lives EASIER, right? Of course they were! And the mouse is one of those devices which makes things a heck of a lot more convenient for us computer users.

On the other hand, what about the keyboard? This device is obviously used for entering letters and numbers into our computer. It makes typing up documents and entering URL’s into our web browsers a breeze! In addition, the keyboard can also be used as a slick tool for navigating around your Windows based computer. Windows XP by Microsoft is a well known example of a computer Operating System. The Operating System (also know as the OS) is the main system that controls your computer from the time you turn it on, to the time you turn it off. All other programs that you use while interacting with your computer run “on top” of the Operating System (Such an example would be the famous word processor Microsoft Word).

Anyways, enough about the technical stuff. The moral of the story here is that keyboards are much faster at performing certain tasks! Veteran computer users will tell you that the keyboard is just as important as the mouse for everyday computer usage. Lets see how the keyboard can be used to help you navigate around your Windows based computer.

CLOSE A WINDOW
Using the Mouse: Click on the “X” at the top right hand corner of the window.
Using the Keyboard: hold down the ALT key while simultaneously pressing and releasing the F4 key.

MINIMIZE A WINDOW
Using the Mouse: Click on the “_” at the top right hand corner of the window.
Using the Keyboard: Hold down the ALT key while simultaneously pressing and releasing the SPACEBAR. Next, simply press the letter “n” and you are done!

MAXIMIZE A WINDOW
Using the Mouse: Click on the “□” at the top right hand corner of the window.
Using the Keyboard: Hold down the ALT key while simultaneously pressing and releasing the SPACEBAR. Next, simply press the letter “x” and voila!

ACTIVATE THE START MENU
Using the Mouse: Click on the start button.
Using the keyboard: Hold down the CTRL key while simultaneously pressing and releasing the ESC key.

RIGHT CLICK
Using the Mouse: Right-Click where desired.
Using the Keyboard: Hold down the SHIFT key while simultanesouly pressing and releasing the F10 key.

SWITCH BETWEEN OPEN PROGRAMS
Using the Mouse: Click on the desired program in the taskbar.
Using the Keyboard: Hold down the ALT key while simultaneously pressing and releasing the TAB key. A menu will appear in the middle of your screen. While continuing to hold the ALT key, select the program you would like to use by pressing and releasing the TAB key multiple times. Finally release the ALT key once the program is selected.

Well, there you have it. These commands may be more for the intermediate computer user, but nontheless they are simple once mastered. Be bold, be brave. Follow the instructions exactly, and you will find success using the Keyboard to navigate your Windows Operating System!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 at 9:27 pm and is filed under Operating Systems. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.