Your desktop is what you see on your screen once you've booted up your computer. It is the principal workspace from which you access the files and programs in your computer.

There are several components to your desktop:

Icons: the small images that sit on your screen, desktop icons are shortcuts for getting to files and programs. If you double-click on one, it "opens" the file or "runs" the program represented by the icon. For easy access, you may wish to put an icon for your Web browser on your desktop. Then, all you have to do is double-click that icon to launch your browser.

Start Bar/Task Bar: This is the bar across the bottom of your screen. Another way to access files and programs in your computer, the Start Bar also indicates which programs, files, and documents are currently open.

The two most important parts of the Start Bar are the Start Button and the Program Icons.

Start Button: From this single button, you can access
all parts of your computer. Click it and a Start Menu
emerges from the button. You can customize this menu
by adding or removing elements.

Program Icons: The Start Bar always displays all
programs currently running on your computer. Since you
can run multiple programs at once, you can use the Start
Bar as an easy way to navigate between programs. The
program that is "active"--the one that you are currently
using--is indicated by a lighter gray than the others.

A: Floppy Disk Drive. If you double-click on A:, the computer will open your floppy drive, provided there is a disk in it. If there is, the contents of the disk will be displayed.

C: Hard Drive/Hard Disc. This is where your computer stores everything. You might think of it as a big filing cabinet. When you double-click on C: the contents of the hard drive will be displayed.

D: CD-ROM Drive. If you double-click on D: the computer will open your CD-ROM drive. If there is a disk in the drive, the contents of that disk will be displayed. Sometimes your CD-ROM drive is a letter of the alphabet other than D: (such as E:)

Desktop
(1) The metaphor, based on the idea of a physical desktop, describing a computer's file system. Parts of the desktop include icons, files, and folders. You can put files inside folders and access them through icons.

(2) The main background screen on your computer where icons sit and on which windows open.

As in: 'I put a Netscape Navigator icon on my desktop so it's easy to find, since I use it every day.'

Operating System
An Operating System (OS) is the main control program that is responsible for the basic functionality of your computer. Examples are Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT and 2000, and MacOS. Operating Systems allocate computer resources to the software you use, control how applications communicate with each other, and how the computer communicates with you.

As in: 'Do you prefer the Windows or Macintosh Operating System?'

Hardware
The physical components of your computer--monitor, keyboard, disk drive, cables, etc. In contrast, software represents the nonphysical components--this includes the programs and applications you run on your computer.

As in: "My hardware includes a Sony monitor, an IBM disk drive, and a Microsoft keyboard and mouse."

Software
Electronic instructions and information for a computer, including everything from a computer's operating system to computer games.

Computers have two main components: software and hardware. The hardware is the physical component (monitor, keyboard, disk drive), and the software is the electronic component (the programs and applications). When you buy an application for your computer, like Quicken or Microsoft Word, you're buying software that is recorded on a disk.

As in: 'What software do you have for your computer?' or 'What word processing software do you use to write your letters?'

Start Menu
A shortcut in Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 to access files and programs. It is located at the bottom left of the screen, and accessed by clicking on the 'Start' button. It can be customized to a user's preferences.

As in: 'I put Microsoft Word on my Windows Start Menu to save time, since I use it so often.'

Reboot
To restart your computer, either by pushing the power button off and then on, by choosing the option Restart from the Start menu, or by hitting the keys Control +Alt+Delete. Which method you use depends on the type of computer you have. Many computer problems can be solved by rebooting, if you're lucky.

As in: My screen froze while I was playing Solitaire, so I had to reboot.

Right Click
To position the mouse over an object, and then press and release the secondary (right) mouse button. Right-clicking opens a shortcut menu that contains useful commands, which change depending on where you click.