How To Use Microsoft Home

Introduction

The Microsoft Corporation develops software that literally serves almost every segment of the population and society. Household users can use Windows to meet personal needs. One of the most popular modern uses for PCs is to watch video from the Internet rather than sitting in front of the television set to watch cable TV programming or movies on DVD. However, even the average household has use for the productivity programs that many would assume only businesses would use, such as a word processor or spreadsheet application. Anyone can use a Microsoft Home edition PC to do just about anything.

Step 1

Open the Start Menu in Microsoft Home to begin using your PC. Click the circular Windows logo at the bottom and left hand corner of the desktop. The menu rises from the taskbar in that area of the desktop. By default you should see the following options: All Programs, Computer, Control Panel and Help and Support.

• All Programs shows the list of native Microsoft Home applications and non-native, third-party applications that are installed on the PC.
• Computer opens as a window that displays the hard drives and other storage mediums on your PC, including USB flash drives and SD memory cards.
• Control Panel provides access to settings that change how your Microsoft Home operating looks and functions.
• Help and Support is a database of tutorials and articles that explain in detail who to use your Microsoft Home edition PC.

Step 2

Use the native Search functions in Microsoft Home edition to discover what options are available. Click on the circular Windows logo to reveal the Start Menu. Place your cursor in the blank text box at the bottom of the menu. Type a word or phrase about what you wish to do on the PC. For example, in Windows 7 users can type "Internet Connections" in the search box if they unfamiliar with how to set up a connection to the Web. After pressing the Enter key, a dialog box appears on the screen that walks users how to find and set up a connection using Microsoft Home edition.

Step 3

Search for files and documents in any window. Click on the Computer icon on the Start Menu, which opens the traditional interface that shows folders and the files within. Type in the name of a file in the blank search box in the top left corner of the window. The Microsoft Home edition operating system will search the entire hard drive for the file and then return exact and closely-matching results in the window. You can also narrow the search to a specific folder, such as the Music folder, instead of the entire hard drive.

Step 4

Change your desktop. Right-click on a blank area of the desktop in the background. Select "Personalize" from the menu, which opens as a window titled Appearance and Personalization at the top. Click on each of the following settings and make personal changes to your Microsoft Home edition:

• Desktop Background allows you to change the image or picture that shows in the background. You can show your own picture or that of a family member.
• Windows Color changes the color of the borders and buttons in almost every function and application that is native to your Microsoft Home edition operating system. Third-party applications are generally not affected by the color change.
• Sounds provides access to the system notifications. Enable or disable that sounds at your leisure.

 

 

 

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