Answers to Question you didn't know you had - Mac & windows help

Introduction

These handouts can not replace a good classroom or one-on-one situation which allows for conversation and more explanation when needed. A quick explanation of a term helps tremendously. If you have a hard time understanding anything here, feel free to contact me for more computer help.

Mouse Control

Controlling the mouse pointer or touch pad/screen, is the most important and hardest thing to do well, for any operator, beginner or not. Most self-taught computer users will have many unknown and frustrating things happen during normal computer use that can be tied to some mouse or touch matter of fact. First the mouse.

For the beginners, good habit can bring large paybacks in controlling your computer. Below are a few suggestions in how to handle the mouse.  You may find yourself with some bad habits that cause some additional frustration while controlling the mouse pointer. Read the suggestions below to help resolve some of those issues.

The mouse has an optical eye that senses directional movement; you need to establish a hand-to-eye coordination between the mouse pointer on the screen and your hand.. As you are watching the computer screen, your hand will automatically move the mouse pointer in the desired direction. To do this, and not cause inquiry to yourself; use a relaxed grip with the heal of your hand, thumb and small finger resting on the table for stability. The mouse is to point straight toward the monitors screen forming a 90-degree angle to the monitor screen. No twisting or “steering” the mouse. Once you start twisting or steering the mouse, the sensor on the bottom of the mouse may not even move and any resulting movement will be hard to control.  Rest your index finger (forefinger) on the left mouse button and the middle finger on the right mouse button. Using both fingers will eliminate he “cross-clicking” when you try to do both buttons with just the index finger. With your eyes, find the mouse point on the screen, pushing the mouse forward will make the pointer go “up” the screen, move pull it back and the pointer comes straight down. Mouse left- pointer left and so on.

When you click the mouse do so with the tip of a bent finger, click down and up  briskly but gently. A click is  defined as pressing your finger down AND lifting it back up again. Pressing down to hard will make the mouse move and you will no longer be pointing to the same spot on the screen. This is especially true  when you double-click,  gently please.

The basic mouse pointer on the screen is an arrow. When you are focusing on the moving mouse, you need to be focusing on the very tip of the point. The tip is the ONLY active part of the  mouse. If the arrow tip over-shoots  a button, then clicking a button will not cause anything to happen. The lack of button response can also  occur if you click to hard and the mouse pointer moves off the button, nothing will happen. This is easier to understand knowing that it is only  after the “upward” movement of the mouse button finishes does anything takes action. Stated again – the point of the arrow must be on the item on the screen when your finger is released for any action to occur. 

There  are many adjustments you can make to help with the visibility and the  control of the mouse, and these are in the control panel of your  computer. This is covered in a  later handout.

Terms

Point and click – (Sometime referred to as “click”, “single-click” or “left-click”)

Move the mouse pointer until the point of the pointer is directly on top of the object you wish to click; then gently press and release the with the index finger.

Double- click – Follow the same directions as Point and Click only press and release twice with NO hesitation between clicks. Do this without moving your mouse between clicks. Double click is used most often to open folders or start programs from areas other than the program menu.

Right-click – Same as the point and click above, only with the right mouse button. This brings up a shortcut menu. This menu lists things that can be done with the item the pointer is resting on.

Drag and Drop – (Also known as Click and Drag) this is done with the left or the right mouse button. Click and drag will copy or move an item from one location to another or it will highlight information on your screen; it can also be used to draw objects. Rest the mouse pointer on to the item you wish to move, click the mouse button down but do NOT release the button, Drag the pointer – thus the object, to the desired location and release the mouse button.

If this is done with the right mouse button when you release to button a shortcut menu will appear with choices of “copy”, “move”, create a shortcut” or cancel.

Tips

1. When using an optical mouse, if the arrow on the screen is “shaky” and lagging in response; it is most likely the surface the mouse is sitting on is the problem. Is the surface a clear table? Is it a surface that may contain some reflective flakes? If so, the light is not reflecting back to the mouse correctly. Try a mouse pad or even a book to test this out.

2. If you have a wireless mouse, you also have batteries in the mouse that could be dead. Most wireless mice also have an on/off switch on the bottom.

More windows help below.

Windows 10

The name “Windows 10” is proclaimed to be the last name change for Windows. Windows 10 will keep its name as an effort from Microsoft to appease the 2/3 of the population that does not like change. It is really the fundamental control structure and appearance that people object to changing once they get comfortable with a way of controlling the computer. It is basic human nature that once you reach an early stage in adulthood, you are comfortable in the way things work and are not as inquisitive as you were as a child or young adult. Couple that with the speed that technology has been changing and most adults have not had the luxury to be able to really learn enough on how a computer works to be comfortable before it changed again. Each age group has unique factors to deal with, look first at the current seniors, they were the ones responsible for starting this computer/technology craze. Now they are struggling with hundreds of game-changing advancements in a product that had no history or training for them to learn. Technology was expensive and advanced continually. The next “human nature” fact that discourages all adults from learning is during their developmental years of low responsibility and boredom, we are all inquisitive and quick to explore, touch and learn. Unfortunately, today this learning is mostly unguided and hazardous.

Wherever your knowledge lays, here are some facts about Windows, different from earlier versions, that will help keep you out of trouble and develop a comfort level in Windows.

Windows 10 (started with Windows 8) has joined the current trend started long ago by Apple and Google of having access to your data on multiple devices. Being able to remember your purchases, preferences, and share information, of your choice, on more than one computer, tablet or phone. This required a user of windows 10 to setup an account, as you do with Apple and Google. This information is then stored on their computers accessible only by you from any capable electronic device.

What you need to know: When you get a Windows 10 computer (end of support for all Windows 7 computers is 1-2020), you should set up an account with Microsoft. If you have one, then just log in and your all set. This account is the same as most other accounts, it needs a user name (email address) and a password (complexity requirements are forever increasing).  I highly recommend creating a new email address with Microsoft, as to not confuse this with your own personal email account. There will be options available to do this. Then you will create a password, followed by an option to create a PIN.

The pin is a four-character access to sign in the computer faster. This is like an ATM card is accessed by a pin instead of the full account number. Your password is still EXTREMELY important, not to be forgotten. During this setup it is also extremely important that you record and verify at least two alternate ways for Microsoft to contact you. This is used if you ever forget your password, they will communicate with you ONLY through these alternate methods (phone-call or text, and your normal email). Some Windows setup versions do not stress this verification until later and some people ignore it, all will regret it. If you have never “verified” this information then click on the computer’s “settings” command, under that you will find an option that says “Account” and click on it, then under “your info” is a link that says, “manage your account online’. This will take you to the internet, you may have to enter your password (not pin) and then if you go to the Security section and click the link that says “verify”. Call me if this is confusing for you.

The account is important to set up correctly. It is still an option to forgo the account and setup what is called a “local account”. With a local account, none of the advantages of having an account is available to you; but the computer will function fully with everything else. The account name, user name, password, and PIN is never automatically recorded anywhere and is only know by YOU. Make sure you have it safely recorded on paper somewhere accessible. When the computer tells us, we typed the wrong password, 85% of the time it is our fault. It is very easy to mistype, and this is done by professional typist the most. If you change your password often and rely on memory for the latest change, you will make more mistakes. Now if it is not our fault then it can be a bad keyboard (easy to check) or your account could have been broken into and your password actually changed.

The next BIG difference that is extremely important is the windows updates. If you are familiar with Windows updates of past versions, that is still happening with a couple of major additions. In the past versions, the windows technological advancements were saved until the next Windows version, (windows XP to Windows vista to Windows 7 etc.). Since there is no new version, the technological changes and advances can come out sooner and are appearing once or twice a year as HUGE updates. These updates essentially reload Windows and at the same time keeps all your files, programs and settings, so you do nothing. This may take 4-8 hours with several restarts and will have blank screens now and then for short periods of time. Updates are NOT an option. For Windows to do all of this in the background without disturbing your operation and maintain proper operation without your intervention, Windows must stay updated. Some of you may need to modify your habits. The computer can not do this if the computer is not on, is only on for a short time while you check email, or sits for a couple of months, not used. Even a new computer can be behind a major update. When Windows detects that your computer is far behind, then to Windows, it becomes a security and functional issue. Windows will stop being polite and start taking most of your computer on-time to update. You will see this as a sluggish slow computer. If you like to have your computer off most of the time, then either leave it on one night a week or start doing your updates manually.

Windows 11 - Coming!!!

Touch Screens and Touch Pads

Touch screens have been around for many years. Restaurants frequently used them; but it didn’t initially catch-on with the home computer user. Not until better screens were made and people started getting used to the idea with phones and tablets. Windows 8 and 10 brought in many features for the touch screen and it took off from there. Controlling the computer via your screen (monitor) is not available on all monitors/laptops. You must make sure it is a feature of your computer, before it can be used via the screen. It does not mean you cannot utilize touch style gestures if you do not have a touch screen. The laptops have a larger touch-pad than they use to have, that is because they are utilizing the better built and more sensitive touch pad as a gesture-controlled device.

Below, I will talk about a few of the more popular gestures. The gestures are performed with the fingers of the hand, some gestures can be done with a stylus device. I will explain them in context of using a monitor screen; but these should be available for the screen or the touch-pad. I had to say “should”; because it is up to the screen or laptop Manufacturer, what is available. These gestures on laptops can be a problem and can be selectively disabled if you wish. Usually under the control panel and mouse control.

The TAP. The very tip of the finger touches a location on the screen, this location would be the same as if you used the mouse pointer, pointed at an item and clicked once. IMPORTANT: The most common error people have in performing touch commands is they use to much finger-pad. The newer static screens are very sensitive and more detailed. When you touch them with the entire pad of your finger, the computer sees you are touching many places at the same time – so it does nothing. This is trouble for those of you with very long finger-nails or touch to hard, you may have to use a stylus. Technically, on the newer monitors, you do not even have to touch the screen. If you find yourself just hovering your finger close to the screen deciding on what to do, and suddenly it clicks on something, you got close enough to trigger a static jump.

The right-click.  Press your finger down and hold for a couple of seconds. Depending on the current app, this gesture can open the context menu of the current object (e.g. if you are working with some file in File Explorer) or show the context help about the current item. This gesture is like right-clicking with a mouse.

Pinch.  Touch the screen or an object on the screen with two fingers, and then move the fingers towards each other (pinch) or away from each other (stretch). Usually, this gesture is used to zoom in or zoom out the image on the screen.

Vertically Scroll a page in a program (internet etc.) Place two finger tips side by side and pull them down or push up (works great on a touchpad). The scrollable page on your screen will scroll up or down the screen.

Touch and drag.  Press and hold the object briefly, then drag it in a direction opposite to the scrolling direction of the page. Move the object wherever you want. Then release the object. This gesture is like drag-n-drop.

There are many more gestures, some of them will happen by accident and may leave you wondering what is wrong with your computer. Just remember, it is possible to turn some or all of these off on a touch pad, find the controls under the control panel and “mouse”.

Cut, Copy & Paste (CC&P). This is a very common routine, performed using a computer; which results in moving or coping information from one place to another. This can be used to copy a recipe from the internet to place in an email or your recipe book you are creating. CC&P can backup your files from your computer to a USB drive. CC&P can simply move a few sentences around in something you are typing. I am using it in this article, so I do not have to type CC&P every time I want it to appear.

Anyone who has mastered CC&P will use it every time they are on a computer, in one form or another. There are four steps and one pre-requisite to CC&P.  The prerequisite is the most important.

Prerequisite: Know what you want to do. Do not treat this lightly, if you can not frame in your mind exactly want you want to do; then you will NOT be able to make the decisions needed in the following steps. Example: I want to backup my entire Picture folder to my USB drive.

Steps:

1. Highlight the information you want to move or copy.

2. Choose Cut or Copy.

3. Place the cursor where you wish to place the information.

4. Choose Paste.

Here is the problem for most people: “How do I do that?” In order to use the handiest feature the computer has to offer, there are some computer fundamentals you must know. 

For step 1 you need to be able to use your computer and programs well enough to get the “information” on the screen. Then you need to be familiar with “Highlighting” or “Selecting”. Clicking or click and dragging are the most popular ways; but I could fill two pages with additional ways to highlight.

Step 2 requires knowing how to access the CC&P commands. You may find them as buttons in the program you are using, you could use the shortcut keys (CTRL+C for Copy, CTRL+X for Cut, and CTRL+V for Paste), or use the right-click method. 

Step 3 requires a good grip on the computer’s tools and YOUR filing system, basically you must know where you put your stuff and how to get to it.  You also need to know what a cursor is (it is NOT the mouse pointer) or how to activate a location.

Step 4 same knowledge as step 2.

I have not explained the fundamentals needed here, it is much easier one-on-one. The time and practice needed varies with the computer skills you have. If you have tried to use the CC&P features before and found it hard or can not remember how; it is usually that you need more experience with the fundamental functions of the computer used in the 4 steps. I do several 1-3-hour classes with plenty of practice in order to gain the skills needed before you start to use and master CC&P.

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