Table of Contents
Windows 7 and Vista Explained: A guide for blind and partially sighted users
By Dr Sarah Morley Wilkins and Steve Griffiths
Published by Royal National Institute of Blind People, Peterborough, UK
© Sarah Morley Wilkins 2009. All rights reserved.
Part One: The basics
- 1 Introduction to this book
- 1.1 The authors
- 1.2 Notation used in this book
- 1.3 What to skip if you are familiar with Windows
- 2 What is Windows?
- 3 How to learn Windows if you have sight loss
- 3.1 Windows jargon explained: an overview of Windows concepts
- 3.1.1 Files, folders and drives
- 3.1.2 The Desktop
- 3.1.3 Keyboard and mouse focus
- 3.1.4 Programs and windows
- 3.1.5 Menus, dialogs, toolbars and centers
- 3.1.6 Ease of Access Center
- 4 Windows editions and features
- 4.1 Windows Vista editions
- 4.2 Windows 7 editions
- 4.3 Overview of new features in Windows Vista and Windows 7
- 4.3.1 Differences between Windows XP and Windows Vista
- 4.3.2 Differences between Windows Vista and Windows 7
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- 4.3.3 Differences between Windows XP and Windows 7
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- 5 What you need to run Windows 7 or Windows Vista
- 5.1 Windows Vista
- 5.2 Windows 7
- 5.3 Notes on system requirements
- 5.4 Activating Windows
- 5.5 Keyboard layouts
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- 5.5.2 Laptop and netbook keyboards
- 5.6 Thirteen important keys on the keyboard
- 5.7 Keyboard shortcut listings
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Part Two: Getting started with Windows
- 6 Starting the computer
- 7 The Desktop: an overview
- 7.1 The Desktop - a guided keyboard tour
- 7.2 The Start Button
- 7.3 Moving around the Desktop
- 7.4 Taskbar icons
- 7.5 Grouping Taskbar buttons
- 7.6 Jump lists
- 7.7 Notification Area
- 7.8 Show Desktop button
- 7.9 Shortcut icons on the Desktop
- 8 The Start Menu - a closer look
- 8.1 Opening and closing the Start Menu
- 8.2 The Start Menu - overview
- 8.3 Moving around the Start Menu
- 8.4 Using the Start Menu Search box
- 8.5 Recently-used programs
- 8.6 All Programs
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- 8.7 Locations and utilities
- 9 Finishing your Windows session
- 10 Program windows explained
- 10.1 Notepad window layout
- 10.2 WordPad window layout in Windows Vista
- 10.3 WordPad window layout in Windows 7
- 10.4 Comparison of Notepad and WordPad program windows
- 11 Menus explained
- 11.1 Terminology
- 11.2 Using the menu bar
- 11.3 Using sub-menus
- 11.4 Hotkeys
- 11.5 Grayed out or disabled menu options
- 11.6 Cancelling menu activation
- 11.7 Program System menu
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- 12 The ribbon
- 12.1 Basic ribbon navigation
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- 12.2 Further ribbon information
- 13 Dialogs explained
- 13.1 Dialog basics
- 13.2 Getting around in dialogs
- 13.2.1 Focus
- 13.2.2 Tab key
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- 13.3 Making changes then choosing OK or Cancel
- 13.4 Grayed-out or disabled controls
- 13.5 Basic dialog controls
- 13.5.1 Editbox (or Text box or Input box)
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- 13.5.2 Listbox (or Drop-down listbox)
- 13.5.3 Combobox
- 13.5.4 Checkbox (or Tick box)
- 13.5.5 Radiobutton (or Options button)
- 13.5.6 Button (or Command button or Push button)
- 13.5.7 Button variations
- 13.5.8 Spinbox (or Spinner)
- 13.6 Example of a simple dialog: "Find" in Notepad
- 13.7 Advanced dialog and program controls
- 13.7.1 Listview
- 13.7.2 Treeview (outline view)
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- 13.7.3 Links (or hyperlinks)
- 13.8 Multi-page or tabbed dialogs
- 14 Programs in action
- 14.1 Notepad
- 14.2 WordPad
- 14.3 Windows Media programs
- 14.3.1 Windows Media Player
- 14.3.2 Windows Media Center
- 15 Navigating text and simple editing
- 15.1 Navigating text
- 15.2 Inserting and deleting text
- 15.3 Selecting text
- 15.4 Cutting, copying and pasting text
- 15.5 Unselecting text
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- 16 The clipboard
Part Three: File management - Windows Explorer
- 17 Windows Explorer
- 17.1 Starting Windows Explorer
- 17.2 Folders and libraries
- 17.3 The Windows Explorer window layout
- 17.3.1 Navigating the Windows Explorer window
- 17.3.2 Address bar, Back, Forward and Refresh buttons
- 17.3.3 Toolbar
- 17.3.4 Windows Explorer panes: navigation, library details and preview
- 17.3.5 Library optimization
- 17.4 Using the Windows Explorer Search box
- 17.4.1 Creating a search
- 17.4.2 Search results (hits)
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- 17.4.3 Further search options
- 17.5 Working with files and folders
- 17.5.1 Navigation pane and listview
- 17.5.2 Listview context menus
- 17.5.3 Opening a file or folder
- 17.5.4 Creating a new folder, file or shortcut
- 17.5.5 Naming and renaming a file or folder
- 17.5.6 Moving or copying a file or folder
- 17.5.7 Deleting a file or folder
- 17.5.8 Selecting multiple items
- 17.5.9 Undoing a file or folder operation
- 17.6 Compressed files
- 17.7 AutoPlay
- 18 Configuring Windows Explorer
- 18.1 The Folder Options dialog
- 18.1.1 General options
- 18.1.2 View options
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- 18.2 Specifying the program used to open a file
- 18.3 Simplifying the Windows Explorer screen
- 18.4 Changing the listview display
- 18.4.1 View menu
- 18.4.2 The Views split button
- 18.5 Sorting the listview
- 18.6 Filtering in Details view
- 18.7 Viewing the properties of an item
- 18.8 Windows Explorer column sizes when viewing by Details
- 19 The Recycle Bin
Part Four: Working more effectively
- 20 Introduction to the Control Panel
- 20.1 Starting the Control Panel
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- 20.2 The Control Panel window
- 21 Control Panel views
- 21.1 Default category view
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- 22 Using the Control Panel Search box
- 23 Navigating the Control Panel
- 23.1 Differences between the default and alphabetic views
- 23.2 Control Panel windows, dialogs and web pages
- 23.3 Difficulties with the Control Panel
- 23.4 Progressing beyond the Control Panel first screen
- 23.5 User Account Control
- 24 Useful utilities
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- 24.1 The Ease of Access Center
- 24.1.1 Starting the Ease of Access Center
- 24.1.2 The Ease of Access Center window
- 24.2 Personalization - changing the theme
- 24.3 Personalization - other options
- 24.4 Getting Started (Windows 7) or Welcome Center (Windows Vista)
- 24.5 Volume
- 24.6 Action Center (Windows 7) or Security Center (Windows Vista)
- 25 Magnifier
- 25.1 Starting and stopping Magnifier
- 25.2 Magnifier in Windows 7
- 25.2.1 Using Magnifier
- 25.2.2 Magnifier views
- 25.2.3 Magnifier shortcuts
- 25.3 Magnifier in Windows Vista
- 25.4 Alternatives to using Magnifier
- 25.4.1 Screen colors
- 25.4.2 Text and icon size
- 25.4.3 Mouse pointer size
- 26 Narrator
- 26.1 Starting and stopping Narrator
- 26.2 Narrator window and settings
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- 27 Speech recognition
- 28 Windows Help and Support
- 28.1 Starting Windows Help and Support
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- 28.2 The Windows Help and Support front page
- 29 User Accounts
- 29.1 Managing user accounts
- 29.2 Logging on to Windows: The Welcome Screen
- 29.3 Switching between users
- 29.4 Where files are kept on your computer: the "Users" folder
- 29.4.1 Individual user accounts
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- 29.5 User Account Control (UAC)
- 29.6 Parental controls
- 30 Windows Update
- 31 Programs and Features (uninstalling programs)
- 32 HomeGroup
- 33 Working with programs more effectively
- 33.1 Switching between windows
- 33.2 Run
- 33.3 Set programs to load when Windows starts
- 33.4 Set a program window to run maximized
- 34 Customizing Windows 7
- 34.1 Some suggested changes
- 34.2 Customizing your Start Menu
- 34.2.1 Classic view (Windows Vista only)
- 34.2.2 Pin items to the Start Menu
- 34.2.3 Change the number of recently-used programs on the Start Menu
- 34.2.4 Customize Start Menu dialog
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- 34.2.5 Power button action
- 34.3 Customizing your Taskbar
- 34.3.1 Pin programs to the Taskbar
- 34.3.2 Taskbar settings
- 34.4 Customizing your Desktop
- 34.4.1 Create shortcuts on the Desktop
- 34.4.2 Desktop context menu options
- 34.5 Power options
- 34.6 Allocate shortcuts to items
- 34.7 Turning off visual effects and other options
- 35 Dealing with problems
- 35.1 Hangs and crashes
- 35.2 Tips to reduce problems
- 35.3 Troubleshooting
- 35.3.1 Recovery (System Restore)
- 35.3.2 Screenshots
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- 35.3.3 Problem Steps Recorder
Part Five: The Internet and the web
- 36 What is the Internet?
- 37 Some background about web pages
- 38 The Internet Explorer 8 window
- 39 Opening web pages
- 39.1 Browsing
- 39.2 How a web address works
- 39.3 Opening a web page whose address you know
- 40 Searching for web pages
- 41 Bookmarks or favorites
- 42 Navigating web pages
- 43 How to use Internet Explorer 8
- 43.1 Tabbed browsing
- 43.2 Setting your home page or pages
- 43.3 Other features common to Internet Explorer 7 and 8
- 43.4 Finding information on a web page
- 43.5 Internet Explorer's accessibility features
- 43.6 Caret browsing for selecting text
- 43.7 Feeds and Web Slices
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- 43.8 Other Internet Explorer 8 features
- 44 Electronic mail (email)
Part Six: Keyboard shortcuts
- 45 WindowsKey commands
- 45.1 Extra WindowsKey Commands for Windows 7
- 46 Start Menu, Taskbar and Desktop
- 46.1 While on the Desktop itself
- 47 Switching between programs
- 48 Menus
- 49 Dialogs
- 50 Editing
- 51 Windows Media Player
- 52 Windows Explorer
- 52.1 In the listview
- 52.2 In the navigation pane (treeview)
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- 53 Control Panel
- 54 Ease of Access Center
- 55 Magnifier
- 56 Narrator
- 57 Windows Help and Support
- 58 Internet Explorer
- 58.1 Viewing and exploring webpages
- 58.2 Working with tabs
- 58.3 Using zoom
- 58.4 Using search
- 58.5 Using the address bar
- 58.6 Opening Command bar menus
- 58.7 Working with favorites, history and feeds
- 58.8 Editing
- 58.9 Using the Information bar
Part Seven: Resources
- 59 Glossary and further notes
- 60 On-line resources
- 61 Ordering information
- 61.1 Formats available and ISBNs
- 61.2 Where to order
- 61.2.1 UK, Europe and Worldwide (except USA and Canada)
- 61.2.2 USA and Canada
- 61.3 Previous titles in the series
Index
Table of figures
Images typically illustrate Windows 7.
- Figure 1: Desktop (see Section 7)
- Figure 2: Taskbar displaying open windows with an Aero theme (see Section 7)
- Figure 3: Taskbar displaying open windows with a non-Aero theme (see Section 7)
- Figure 4: Start Menu (see Sections 7 and 8)
- Figure 5 Start Menu after typing "wi" (see Section 8.4)
- Figure 6: Start Menu showing jump list (see Section 8.5)
- Figure 7: Notepad window layout (see Section 10.1)
- Figure 8: WordPad window layout in Windows Vista (see Section 10.2)
- Figure 9: WordPad window layout in Windows 7, includes the ribbon (see Section 10.3)
- Figure 10: Menu bar and sub-menus (see Section 11)
- Figure 11: Editbox (see Section 13.5.1)
- Figure 12: Listbox - collapsed (see Section 13.5.2)
- Figure 13: Listbox - expanded (see Section 13.5.2)
- Figure 14: Combobox (see Section 13.5.3 "Combobox")
- Figure 15: Checkboxes (see Section 13.5.4)
- Figure 16: Radiobuttons (see Section 13.5.5)
- Figure 17: Buttons (see Section 13.5.6)
- Figure 18: Split button (see Section 13.5.7)
- Figure 19: Spinbox (see Section 13.5.8)
- Figure 20: Slider (see Section 13.5.9)
- Figure 21: A simple dialog: "Find" in Notepad (see Sections 13 and 13.6)
- Figure 22: Listview in Details view (see Section 13.7.1)
- Figure 23: Treeview (see Section 13.7.2)
- Figure 24: Links (see Section 13.7.3)
- Figure 25: Windows Explorer window layout (see Sections 17 and 18)
- Figure 26: Control Panel category view (see Sections 20 to 23)
- Figure 27: Control Panel alphabetic view (see Sections 20 to 23)
- Figure 28: Magnifier window (see Section 25)
- Figure 29: Narrator window (see Section 26)
- Figure 30: Windows Help and Support (see Section 28)
- Figure 31: Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog (see Sections 34.2 and 34.3)
- Figure 32: Internet Explorer 8 window (see Sections 36 to 43)