Windows 7 - Quick Reference
The Windows 7 Desktop
Start Icon
Clicking on this icon will display the Start menu and also the Shut Down button, which allows you to
Restart, Logoff, Switch Users, Hibernate and Sleep.
Task Bar
Completely redesigned in Windows 7. The buttons have a new look and feel and do more than just
indicate what programs are open. Each program that is open appears as an unlabeled button –
providing a clean, uncluttered appearance.
To take a quick look at one of the open applications without clicking away from the currently opened
window, point the mouse to the taskbar icon and a thumbnail preview appears. To open, click the
thumbnail.
System Tray
Any background services or program notifications are displayed as an icon in this location. The clock is
also displayed here.
The Show Desktop button has moved to the far right of the System Tray. Rather than a button, it is a
“hotspot” that when clicked will minimize all windows to the taskbar. Clicking it again restores the
windows to the desktop.
If the mouse pointer just hovers over the Show Desktop button, the desktop displays until the mouse
pointer moves off the button. It works similar to Live Preview. That is, that you can see what will
happen if you click on the button.
Pinning Programs to the Start Menu or Taskbar
Printers
By default, when an application is closed the icon goes away on
the task bar. However, for frequently accessed programs, you
can place a permanent icon on either the Taskbar or Start Menu.
This is referred to as “pinning”.
In Windows 7, printers are found by clicking the Start button and
selecting Devices and Printers. This includes all peripheral
devices – printers, faxes, monitors and mouse. To add a new
printer, click the Add printer button.
To pin a program to either the Start Menu or taskbar,
click Start
and point to the application. Right-click
the icon and select either “Pin to Start Menu” or “Pin to
Taskbar”.
To pin an application to the taskbar once the
application is already open, right-click the icon in the
taskbar and select “Pin this program to taskbar”.
To unpin an application, right-click the icon and select
“Unpin from Start Menu” or “Unpin this program from
Taskbar”
**Tip: Pin your most frequently used applications, such as
Outlook and Internet Explorer, to the Taskbar for easy
access.
My Documents is Renamed Documents
My Documents has been renamed Documents in Windows 7. This is a convenient location to store all of your documents, such as
Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and presentations. Similar to My Documents, Documents is available on the Start menu.
Unlike My Documents, folders for pictures and video are not contained under the Documents folder. Rather, these folders are
stored outside of the Documents folder, in the Pictures and Video libraries.
Windows Mail and Outlook Express
Windows Mail and Outlook Express are NOT included in Windows 7.
Windows Explorer
Access Windows Explorer by any method:
Click the Windows Explorer icon
in the Taskbar
Click the Start icon > Computer
Click the Start icon > Accessories > Windows Explorer
Use the navigation pane on the left side to locate network drives, files, and folders. Use Documents to access documents stored in
the Documents library (formerly My Documents).
To access files and folders on a network drive:
1. Expand the Computer icon, if it is not already. To expand, click the right pointing arrow to the left of “Computer”. The
shape will change to a downward pointing arrow and the network drives will be listed underneath.
2. Click once on a network drive to open the drive and view the contents.
3. The folders and files under the drive will appear in the File List on the right side of the screen.
4. To create a new folder, click the New folder button.
Navigation
Pane
File List
Important Information Regarding Downloads to Excel (via PeopleSoft)
Those clients who utilize the download to Excel functionality may need to hold down the Control (CTRL) key
while clicking the download
icon.
If CTRL is not used, the window may flash briefly and then disappear.
Additional Training Resources
Atomic Learning provides thousands of short, online
tutorials for commonly used software applications
and devices, including Windows 7, Microsoft Office
2010 and the iPad.
The Software Training Services website contains a
wealth of training manuals, job aids and web
tutorials.
Instructor-led Training sessions are available for some
of the most commonly used software applications on
campus, such as Outlook Mail and Calendar.
Log in to ZipLine
Click the Faculty/Staff tab
Click the link for Atomic Learning under the
“Computer Software Help” heading
https://www.uakron.edu/training
**Tutorials have been created for Windows 7 to
complement this handout. Click the Faculty/Staff tab
on the training web page listed above and then scroll
down and click the Windows 7 link to access these
tutorials.
https://www.uakron.edu/seminars
Visit the above website to view the current schedule
of classes and to register for a class. To view the
schedule for a month, select the month from the
Month/Year drop down list and click the Update
button.