CHAPTER 2
Windows Basics
OPEN A WINDOW
Even though the Windows 8 Modern UI apps don’t open in a window, other applications that you run from the desktop, such as File Explorer or Microsoft Office, use the traditional window style.
OPEN A WINDOW
SCROLL THROUGH A WINDOW
You can use a scroll bar to browse through the information in a window. Scrolling is useful when a window is not large enough to display all the information it contains.
If your mouse has a wheel, you can use the wheel to scroll through a window. To scroll down, roll the wheel toward you. To scroll up, roll the wheel away from you.
SCROLL THROUGH A WINDOW
CLOSE A WINDOW
When you finish working with a window, you can close the window to remove it from your screen.
CLOSE A WINDOW
MOVE A WINDOW
If a window covers items on your screen, you can move the window to a different location.
You may also want to move windows so you can see the contents of multiple windows at once.
MOVE A WINDOW
RESIZE A WINDOW
You can easily change the size of a window displayed on your screen.
Increasing the size of a window allows you to view more information in the window. Decreasing the size of a window allows you to view items covered by the window.
RESIZE A WINDOW
MAXIMIZE A WINDOW
You can maximize a window to fill your entire screen. This allows you to view more of the window’s contents.
MAXIMIZE A WINDOW
MINIMIZE A WINDOW
If you are not using a window, you can minimize it to temporarily collapse it to the taskbar. You can redisplay the window at any time.
Minimizing a window allows you to temporarily put a window aside so you can work on other tasks.
MINIMIZE A WINDOW
MINIMIZE ALL BUT ONE WINDOW
If you have several windows open but only want to focus on one window, you can instantly minimize all the other open windows on your screen.
MINIMIZE ALL BUT ONE WINDOW
SWITCH BETWEEN WINDOWS
If you have more than one window open on your screen, you can easily switch between the windows.
Each window is like a separate piece of paper. Switching between windows is like placing a different piece of paper at the top of the pile.
SWITCH BETWEEN WINDOWS
Does the taskbar offer any visual clues about my programs?
Yes. If a program has an open window, a border will appear around the program’s icon on the taskbar. If a program has more than one window open, more than one line appears to the right of the program’s icon on the taskbar.
Do some preview windows offer special features?
Yes. Some preview windows offer special features. For example, when playing a song in Windows Media Player, the preview window displays playback controls that you can click to play the previous song 
, play the next song 
, or pause the song 
.
DISPLAY WINDOWS SIDE BY SIDE
You can display two or more windows side by side on your screen. This allows you to easily review the contents of several windows at the same time.
Displaying windows side by side also allows you to easily move and copy information between the windows.
DISPLAY WINDOWS SIDE BY SIDE
Tip: Is there another way to display two windows side by side?
Yes. Press 
and 
. The window snaps into place and is resized to fill the left half the screen.
Repeat for the other window but press and 
to fill the right half of the screen.
Tip: Is there another way I can display windows on my screen?
Yes. You can cascade your open windows so the windows neatly overlap each other. To cascade your open windows, right-click a blank area of the taskbar and then click Cascade windows from the menu that appears.
UNDO SIDE BY SIDE
SHUT DOWN WINDOWS
When you finish using your computer, you should shut down Windows, which then turns off the computer power. You should never just push the power button to turn off your computer.
You should shut down Windows and turn off the computer before installing new hardware inside your computer or before changing a laptop computer battery.
SHUT DOWN WINDOWS
RESTART YOUR COMPUTER
If your computer is not operating properly, you can restart your computer to try to fix the problem. Before restarting your computer, make sure you close all the open programs.
Some programs and updates also prompt you to restart your computer.
RESTART YOUR COMPUTER
