My Computer

This program lets you see what is stored on your computer. You can also use it to run programs.

Open the My Computer icon to start the program. There are two ways of doing this.

• Double click (press twice on the left mouse button, quite quickly) on the icon.
• This is the first way to open anything, by double clicking on it. Now click on the Close button to shut My Computer so we can open it again.

Click right (click with the right mouse button) on the icon. A shortcut menu will appear. Select Open from this menu.

• This is the second way to open something, by using the shortcut menu. It is a matter of personal preference which way you use.

The program My Computer will be running in a window on your screen. It should look similar to the window below.

Exactly what icons appear in the window depends on what drives you have on your computer and whether your computer is networked or not.

The View menu controls the tool bars that you see in your window.

• Click on View and compare the menu that appears to the one below.

If your menu looks like the one above, you do not want to make any changes to it. If you click in the menu you will select or deselect another menu option. Click outside the menu or press the ESC key to make the menu disappear.

• If you do not have a tick next to Tool bar or Status bar, these bars will not be visible in your window.
• To display the bar(s), move your mouse pointer down the menu until the name of the bar is highlighted in blue, then click on the name. The menu will disappear and the bar will be shown in your window.
• Click on View to see the menu again. There will now be a tick next to the bar you clicked on.
• If you do not have a tick next to as Web page, you window will look different to the one above.
• Move your mouse pointer down the menu until this option is highlighted in blue, then click on the name. The menu will disappear and the appearance of your window will change.
• Click on View to see the menu again. There will now be a tick next to the as Web page option.

If you do not have a dot next to Large Icons, some other view will be selected (have a dot next to it).

• To see the window in Large Icon view, move your mouse pointer down the menu until Large Icons is highlighted in blue, then click. The menu will disappear and your window will be in Large Icon view.