 In this course, we're going to cover the new features of Windows 7. This implies that you have some sort of base as to the old features, some sort of Windows experience as a prerequisite. So you take that Windows experience of a basic operating environment and move it forward to what's new in here. So we'll spend some time with the Windows 7 environment. We'll customize it. We'll take a look at some of the organizational tools in libraries, folders, and all the different content that you can work within. We'll learn a little bit about device stage for printers and devices, as well as file protection and troubleshooting. We'll end the new features by taking a look at some of the newer features in Internet Explorer 8. In this unit, we'll go through the Windows 7 environment. We'll identify the desktop components that might be new to you, take a look at the start menu, the task bar, and what's new. We'll then learn some of the methods for switching between open files and programs. We'll also learn how to move and resize Windows. Even if you know how to navigate Windows up to this point, you may see that there are some really cool new features coming up to help you out. When you're looking at the Windows 7 desktop, it really is the display of everything that you're working within. Now, the concept of a desktop isn't new, but what's on the desktop is a little bit new. Now, you'll see that we have icons because it's a new features course. I will assume that we have worked with them before, but they might have a little bit different look and feel, like the recycling bin is a little more up to date. The desktop itself displays wallpaper and graphics, or nothing if that's how you want it. You should see that some of the displays that you can choose from are actually pretty slick. The graphics are a lot crisper. Have a whole different feel to them. Gadgets is my personal favorite. A gadget actually came out with Vista, and the difference between here and Vista is on Vista, they put them on a sidebar. Now, the sidebar actually took up the entire side of the screen, and I know I always had a problem with that because I wanted more space for my own use. Well, now gadgets are free-floating on the desktop. You don't need to have them loaded on a sidebar. We have a new button called Show Desktop, and what I like about this new button is it doesn't look like a button at all, and it's the little rectangle that you see right there, basically between the notification area and the end of the screen. Now, what's great about the Show Desktop is if we point to it, not click, just point, what happens is all of the windows will minimize, but the minute I move the mouse away, they all come back. So that's if you just want to take a peek at the desktop. However, if you really do want to minimize everything, you just give it a click. Everything minimizes to the taskbar, and you're all set. The taskbar has changed. Now, specifically, what's changed about the taskbar is the ability to pin icons. Now, we used to be able to create shortcuts here, but they have been renamed to Pin. Now, what's also a little bit different is we'll see as we travel through opening applications that you don't have more than one icon appearing across the taskbar, but the taskbar starts to display these open programs or pinned programs just a little bit differently, but we'll get a chance to see that. The notification area looks very similar, but even though it's similar, when you go into the menus, you might see a little bit of differences. And, of course, we have start in pinned icons in the same location. To name what some of these components are, let's just go through them. The background, of course, is the background colors and graphics that you choose that display on the desktop. Icons are the pictures that represent the programs or documents that you'll be going into. Our shortcut will refer to a shortcut to an original document or program, which means if we delete the shortcut, we don't actually delete the document or the program, just the shortcut we've created to it. We also have gadgets. Gadgets are small single-function programs, and we can place them on the desktop or even remove them. We also have your taskbar. Now, the taskbar has always been along the bottom of the screen, but you'll see now it has a different look. It's a little more transparent, and how it displays applications will be a little different as well. The start button is a little bit more redesigned. If you're just looking at the icon for start, that's not too different, but you should notice when you click on it, we have a new search bar and the way the menus open up are a little different as well. We can shortcut our favorite programs, and we refer to that as pinning them. The notification area, remember, contains the date and the time, the volume control, and it has a few other icons like the status of background programs, the status of your wireless connection or connected device. And of course, the show desktop button. Remember, if you point to it, it minimizes, but not permanently. It's not until you click on it that everything stays minimized.