Basic Utilities

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Basic Utilities

• By
• The North Canton Public Library
• Adult and Teen Services

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This tutorial will show you how to do some of the
basic functions you will likely use for any
Microsoft program or when browsing the Internet.
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You will learn about

• The mouse buttons
• Scrolling
• Back and Forward buttons
• Cut, Copy and Paste

• Undo
• Spell Check
• Saving your work
• Printing
• Help

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The mouse controls an arrow on your screen. You
can move the arrow to click on function buttons
or move the cursor for data entry.
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A typical mouse looks like this
Scroll wheel
Right button
Left button
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The left button is used most frequently.When you
press it, you are clicking.Clicking once will
set the cursor, select something from a list, or
activate a function button on a toolbar.
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When you double click you press the left mouse
button twice quickly.This will highlight a word,
exit editing or launch an action.For instance,
to open Internet Explorer you would double click
on the icon.
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When you press the right mouse button, a menu
will appear. This will give you a list of some
useful functions.Different programs and even
different locations on the screen will offer you
different options when you right click.
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Many mice have a scroll wheel between the right
and left button.Not all do, though.The wheel is
not a button. You should not press it.Simply
move your finger back and forth over it to move
the wheel.This will move you through your
document or web page.
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How you move the mouse itself is how the arrow on
your screen will move.You should be able to get
the arrow to any part of the screen just by
moving your hand a short distance in the desired
direction.You may need to practice using the
mouse until you feel comfortable with how it
works.
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The Library has a tutorial for using the mouse
installed on all of the Internet computers.It is
called Mousercize.Ask for assistance at the
Reference desk if you are unsure how to find the
tutorial.
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Laptop computers usually have a touch pad in the
center of the keypad.Place your finger on the
pad and move it in the direction you would like
the arrow to move.There are two buttons under
the pad which correspond to the left and right
mouse buttons.With a little practice you can
learn to use a touch pad comfortably.
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Scrolling
Scroll bar
Up arrow
Down arrow
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Often a page of information does not fit entirely
on the screen. Scrolling moves you around to the
other parts of the page.Scrolling is usually on
the right edge, but sometimes can also be along
the bottom if the page is too wide for the screen.
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You can click on the up or down arrow to move
your field of view up or down.To use the scroll
bar, position your cursor on the bar, press the
left mouse button, hold it and move the mouse
towards you or away from you depending on which
direction you want the page to move.
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If your mouse has a scroll wheel, you might use
it instead of the scroll bar on the screen.
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On your Internet browser, you will find buttons
labeled Back and Forward.
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When viewing a web page, the Back button will
return you to the last page you were viewing.The
Forward page will take you ahead one page at a
time.Naturally, if it is your first page, you
will not be able to go back. And you cannot
advance to a page you have never been to.
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Cut, Copy and Paste are useful functions.

• Cut
• Allows you to remove information from your
  document.
• It will be saved on your Clipboard.

• Copy
• Makes a copy of selected information so you can
  use it in another location.
• The original will remain in place.

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Paste will take information you have cut or
copied to your clipboard and insert it in a new
location.Just position your cursor where you
want the information to be and click Paste.
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Undo is a good function to know about.Its icon
on the toolbar looks like an arrow turning
counter-clockwise.
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Undo does just what its name implies, it undoes
whatever you just did.So if you make a mistake
or do not like something you changed, click
Undo and it will change back.
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There is an arrow pointing down to the left of
the Undo icon.If you click on it, a list will
drop down showing previous actions, so you can
undo more than just the last thing you did.
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The button for Spell Check looks like this.It
is located on the toolbar
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At any point in your work you can click the spell
check, and the computer program will scan your
document for spelling and grammatical errors. If
anything questionable is found, it will be shown
to you, and you will have the option to correct
it from a list of suggestions.
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It is good to use spell check to catch
typographical errors, but be sure to proofread
your work yourself. If you use the wrong word,
but spell it correctly, the program might not
point it out to you.
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Now we will learn about saving your work.You
might save documents in a folder on the
computers hard drive or to external storage such
as floppy disks or cds.
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There are several ways to save your work.You can
click an icon on the toolbar which looks like a
floppy disk.You can click the word File on the
menu bar and select save from the list of
options.Or you can press the Control and S
keys simultaneously.
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The first time you try to save something a box
will open giving you some options about where to
save the document.
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In the File Name box you can give your document
a descriptive title. Make it something that will
remind you what the document is about so you can
find it again easily.If you do not assign a
title, the document will be named whatever the
first line of text is.
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The Save In field lets you select where the
document should be saved.The arrow to the right
of the box will open a drop-down menu of options.
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When you are ready, click the Save button and
the options window will close.It is advisable
to save your work frequently to prevent loss.
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Once you have designated a location, each time
you click save your work will go to the
location you chose without having to be
instructed each time.If you do want a different
location, click Save As and you will have the
options window.
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Printing your work can be done in different ways
too.You can click the printer icon on the
toolbar.You can click on the word File and
select Print from the drop-down menu.Or you
can press the Control and P buttons
simultaneously.
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A dialog box will open so you can give some
instructions.
Which pages?
How many?
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You can select how many copies to print or print
only certain pages of a document.The
Properties button will offer more printing
options. Do not be afraid to try them.
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Lastly, we will see how to find help with the
program you are using.You can click on the word
Help on the menu bar or find the blue circle
with a question mark at the end of the toolbar.
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A box will open giving you some options.
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You can browse the index or type in a term. The
help service will show you information about the
terms you have chosen.
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Thank you for trying this tutorial.The Library
offers others if you would like further
information about some basic computer
functions.Contact the Reference staff if you are
interested in attending any of our free computer
skills classes.