by Dave Moore, CISSP
02/27/2022
In my previous column I covered essential skills that every computer user should have. These included using your cursor, typing, right-clicking, using Windows Explorer, and learning how to cut, copy and paste. Now, even more things you should know.
Learn to use menu toolbars. Most all computer programs share a common set of features known as toolbars. It’s the same whether you’re using Microsoft Windows, an Apple Macintosh or a PC running Linux, your programs will have toolbars. They’re called toolbars for a very good reason: they contain the tools that you need to use the program.
That long, skinny, horizontal rectangle at the top of a programs’ window that contains words and funny-looking symbols is a toolbar. The words in the toolbar lead to menus, which are lists of things that you can do with your program. Click on one and a menu will open, allowing you to perform various tasks. Toolbar menu headings such as File, Edit, Insert, View, Tools, Window and Help are common to many programs.
Click on “File” and you’ll see functions relating to files, such as Open, New and Save As. Click on “Edit” and you’ll find your editing tools, such as the wonderful “Undo” function. To find out what the funny-looking symbols do, place your mouse pointer over one of them and a small explanatory box should appear. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your toolbar; sometimes it’s the easiest way to learn.
Learn to change how your computer works. All good computer programs allow you to change the way that they function or look. Poke around in your toolbar menus until you find things labeled Options, Preferences, Settings and Properties.
I always check these important areas after installing a new program, as the powerful features that can be found allow you to control how the program behaves, instead of the program controlling how you behave. This is also how you can disable annoying program “features,” such as useless popup notifications, and the automatic formatting “features” in Microsoft Word. Using these functions, you can also stop your computer from storing sensitive, private information, such as passwords or credit card numbers that you’ve entered into forms on websites.
Learn to use Help files. All good programs have a word on the menu toolbar that says, “Help;” sometimes, it’s simply an icon that looks like a question mark.
As the word implies, this is where you go when you need information to help you use the program. The Help window will often have various “tabs,” like the tabs on file folders, that allow you to find information in different ways. The “Contents” tab will usually open a box with a table of contents, similar to that of a printed book. This table of contents will be organized into chapters covering specific subjects that you can “thumb through” in search of answers to your questions. The Index tab will open a box with information organized alphabetically, as you might find at the back of a printed book.
Finally, the “Search” tab will allow you to search for specific words contained in the help files, and can be a handy way to quickly locate your answers. When in doubt, read the help files.
Dave Moore, CISSP, has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd, he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.com