Using the Windows Magnifier

You can use either the Accessibility Wizard to set up Windows Me for users who have low vision, or you can turn on the Magnifier. You can use the Accessibility Wizard to make several changes to how Windows displays objects and text, such as increasing the size of Windows controls and icons and making changes in color scheme and screen contrast. You can also use the Magnifier to make most of the same changes, but it can be easily turned on and off. For that reason, the Magnifier can be a good choice for a visually challenged user sharing your computer only on occasion.

In this exercise, you want to set up your computer for your mother who will be using your computer only a few times during her visit. You decide that setting up the Magnifier is a better choice for her than stepping through the Accessibility Wizard.

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Magnifier.

The Windows screen is split horizontally. The top portion of the screen shows a magnified version of the desktop, which is visible at normal magnification in the lower half. The Magnifier Settings dialog box appears.


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2. In the Magnification Level box, click the control up arrow once to increase the level of magnification to 3.
3. In the Presentation area, select the Start Minimized check box, and then click Exit.

The Magnifier Settings dialog box will be minimized the next time the Magnifier is turned on.

Adjusting Accessibility Settings

Instead of using the Accessibility Wizard to turn on Windows accessibility options, you can set them up directly from the Accessibility Properties dialog box. You can also make adjustments to the accessibility options once you have used the wizard to set them up. You can turn on or make adjustments to the keyboard, sound, display, and mouse, plus other adjustments to how the accessibility features function on your computer.

To adjust other accessibility settings, in Control Panel, double-click the Accessibility Options icon, and then click a tab in the Accessibility Properties dialog box to change a specific setting. The following table describes changes you can make to the settings.

Area	Accessibility Feature	Function
Keyboard	StickyKeys	Allows one-key-at-a-time entry for key combinations like CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
	FilterKeys	Ignores brief, repeated keystrokes.
	ToggleKeys	Generates a sound when pressing CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK.
	Show Extra	Shows extra keyboard shortcuts in programs.
	Keyboard Help in Programs	programs.
Sound	SoundSentry	Generates visual warnings when the system makes a sound.
	ShowSounds	Displays captions for sounds and speech.
Display	High Contrast	Changes colors and fonts for easier reading.
	Cursor Settings	Changes the mouse pointer blink rate and mouse pointer width.
Mouse	MouseKeys	Enables the numeric keypad to control the mouse pointer.
General	Automatic Reset	Turns off accessibility features if Windows is idle for a selected period of time.
	Notification	Gives a warning when turning accessibility features on and off.
	SerialKey Devices	Sets up alternative input devices to replace the keyboard and mouse.

Customizing Folder Appearance

When you customize a folder, you can apply one of several built-in HTML templates. Depending on the template, you can view more or less information about the files in the folder.

Folder Template	Description
Standard	Includes icons and file names; displays information about selected files. Standard is the default folder style.
Classic	Traditional Windows folder appearance. Includes icons only.
Simple	Similar to Classic style, but includes file names along with the icons.
Image Preview	Used for viewing and organizing image files. Includes an image viewer and links to a scanner, camera, and slideshow for viewing folder images.

In addition to using templates, you can add a folder background color, pattern, or picture, and change the file name color and background. You can also include a comment to help identify the folder’s contents.

In this exercise, you enhance the appearance of your folders so that they are functional yet pleasing to look at. You also decide to add a comment to a folder to help you identify its content at a later time.

1. Double-click My Computer.
2. Double-click the Local Disk icon, and then click the Maximize button.

The Local Disk folder opens. The folder contains a list of all folders on your hard disk as well as information about disk space, usage, and links to other desktop folders.

3. Double-click the Windows Me SBS folder, and then double-click the Amy’s Images folder. You may have to scroll down to see it.

The folder opens, and icons representing the image files are displayed.

4. Click View, and then click Customize This Folder to start the Customize This Folder Wizard.
5. Click Next.

The first wizard screen appears. By default, the Customize option is selected as well as the Choose Or Edit An HTML Template For This Folder check box.


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6. Select the Modify Background Picture And Filename Appearance check box and the Add Folder Comment check box, and then click Next.

The Standard template in the Change Folder Template window is selected by default. You can preview other templates by clicking them.

7. Click the Image Preview template, and then click Next.

Available background image file names are displayed.

8. In the Select A Background Picture From The List Below box, click Clouds.bmp.

The image appears in the Preview box.

9. In the Filename Appearance area, click the Background button, choose yellow from the color palette, and then click OK.

The background behind the file names will be yellow.

10. Click Next, and then in the Folder Comment box, type These are the images I like to use in family letters and cards.
11. Click Next, and then click Finish.

The customized template and background are displayed.


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12. Click the Flower Drawing image file.

A preview of the image appears in the Image Viewer. Using the buttons on the Imaging Preview toolbar, you can zoom the image in and out, preview it full screen, print it, and rotate it.

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TIP:
You can also right-click the Imaging Preview toolbar for additional image viewer selections. If you select the Zoom feature, click the image to activate it.

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13. Click the View Pictures As Slideshow link to display the image.
14. Move the mouse to display the slideshow controls on the upper-right corner of the screen.

The controls are displayed. After a few seconds, the slideshow starts and displays each picture in the folder.

15. Click the Close The Window button to close Slideshow view.
16. On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click Back.

The contents of the Windows Me SBS folder are displayed. The Amy’s Images folder is selected, and the folder comment is displayed in the Windows Me SBS information pane.

Viewing Information About Files and Folders

Folder View	Use
Large Icons	Help to quickly distinguish file types. Large icons are easier to see than smaller icons or text but do not include information about file properties, such as date created or file size. If a folder contains many files, it can be difficult to see all the files without having to move through them.
Small Icons	Help to quickly distinguish file types, but are more difficult to see than large icons. This view can be useful if the folder contains a large number of files.
List	Similar to Small Icons view, but organizes icons in a list, which can be easier to move through if the folder contains a large number of files.
Details	Includes small icons and file names, plus file details such as file size, type, and date modified. Because the details are immediately visible, this view can be useful for quickly distinguishing among files by their date and size.
Thumbnails	Provides thumbnail views of image files. Useful for previewing images without having to open them or customize the folder.

Depending on the folder view you have chosen, you can view details about files and arrange the list of files:

• To view details about a file, position the pointer over the file name or file icon.
• To view details about a file in the folder pane, click the file. The details are displayed on the left side of the folder. (The folder options must be set to enable Web content in folders.)
• To arrange icons, on the View menu, point to Arrange icons, and then select the way you want your icons to be arranged.

Using the Folders List to Move and Copy Files and Folders

You have started to organize your hard disk by creating folders for your family and yourself. In this exercise, you want to complete the job by moving several folders to a better location and then copying a file to another folder.

1. On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click Folders.

The Folders list is displayed. The list displays icons for all the folders on your hard disk, icons for other drives attached to your computer, and other folders on the desktop.


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2. In the Windows Me SBS folder, click the Chore List folder, drag it to the My Documents folder, and then release the mouse button.

The folder is moved to the My Documents folder.

3. Click the plus sign (+) next to My Documents.

The Chore List folder is displayed in the My Documents folder.

4. In the right pane, double-click the Amy folder, and then double-click the Our Budget folder to open both folders.
5. Hold Ctrl, click the 2000 Expenses file, and drag it to the Charles folder in the Folders list.

The file is copied to the Charles folder.

6. On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click Back twice, and then double-click the Amy’s Images folder to open it.
7. Right-click the Clouds file, drag it to the Personal Letters folder in the Folders pane, and then release the mouse button.

A shortcut menu appears.

8. Click Copy Here to copy the file to the Personal Letters folder.
9. On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click the Up button twice.

The contents of the Local Disk folder are displayed in the right pane of the folder.

10. On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click Folders to close the Folders panel.
11. Double-click My Documents, and then click the Chore List folder.
12. On the Standard Buttons toolbar, click the Delete button, and then click Yes.

Using Compressed Folders to Save Disk Space

Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition includes a folder-compression utility that you can use to compress the contents of folders. Compressed folders are particularly useful in two situations: copying large files to floppy disks or sending large attachments in e-mail. If you often transfer files between computers—such as between your computer at home and your computer at work—you might discover that some of your files are too large to fit on a floppy disk. You can compress those files in Windows Me to reduce their size so that more data will fit on a single floppy disk.

When you attach large files to an e-mail message, the time it takes to send and receive the e-mail message is increased, which is especially noticeable if you are using a slower modem and sending your e-mail messages over standard telephone lines. But if you compress the files before you attach them to your e-mail message, the sending and receiving time is decreased. In addition, some e-mail programs limit the size of files that you can attach, so sending a very large file can be impossible without compressing it first.

In this exercise, you want to send a family photograph file to your brother through e-mail. Because you want to send many files that are fairly large, you decide to compress the files before you send them and then view the contents of the compressed folder. You also want to create a compressed folder to hold several items that you want to transfer to your computer at work.

1. Make sure that the Windows Me SBS folder is open, and then right-click the Amy’s Images folder, point to Send To, and then click Compressed Folder.

A compressed folder, also named Amy’s Images, is created.


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2. Right-click the original Amy’s Images folder, and then click Properties.

The Amy’s Images Properties dialog box appears.


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3. Click Cancel to close the dialog box.
4. Right-click the compressed Amy’s Images folder and then click Properties.

The size of the compressed Amy’s Images folder is displayed in the information pane of the folder.

5. Close the Properties dialog box.
6. Double-click the compressed Amy’s Images folder.

The folder opens. It contains a copy of the Amy’s Images folder.

7. Double-click the copy of the Amy’s Images folder inside the compressed folder.

The folder opens, and the contents of the folder are displayed. The files are compressed versions of the original files in the Amy’s Images folder.

8. Right-click the first image file, and then click Properties.

The Compressed Item Properties dialog box appears. The original and packed sizes of the file are displayed.


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9. Click OK, and then in the Amy’s Images folder, click the Close button to redisplay the contents of the Windows Me SBS folder.
10. Right-click an empty space in the Windows Me SBS folder, point to New, and then click Compressed Folder.

A new compressed folder is created. The file name is selected.

11. Type Take to the Office and then press Enter to rename the new compressed folder.
12. Double-click the Amy’s Images folder to display its contents.
13. Right-click the Flower Drawing file, press and hold Ctrl, and then click the other files to select them.
14. Right-click the selection, and then click Copy.

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TIP:
You can compress a file by copying it to a compressed folder.

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15. Click Back on the Standard Buttons toolbar to redisplay the contents of the Windows Me SBS folder.

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You can decompress a file by dragging it from the compressed folder to a regular folder or to the desktop. You can decompress an entire folder by right-clicking the folder, and then clicking Extract All.

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Using Search to Find Files

If you can remember or guess at details about the file—a partial name, for instance, or the date it was created—you can usually locate the file quickly by using Windows Search. When you use Search, you can look for files by specifying different criteria. You can search by name, or you can search by a word or phrase that a document contains. You can also search by the date the file was created, the file type, and the file size. Finally, you can specify where Windows searches—your entire hard disk or another drive, all subfolders on a drive, or a specific folder. The broader your search criteria, the longer it takes Windows to finish the search. Any information you can specify speeds up the process. For example, if you can remember that you created a file during a particular month, you can specify the month as one of your search criteria to speed up your search.

After you specify your search criteria and begin the search, the search results are displayed in the Search Results folder. You can preview and open files from the search folder as well as move or copy them.

In this exercise, you want to find a letter you wrote to a friend. You don’t remember the name of the letter and decide to search for it rather than open all of your letters to find the right one. Then, you offer to help your daughter, who created a picture of herself, saved it, but cannot locate it.

1. Click the Start button, point to Search, and then click For Files Or Folders.

The Search Results dialog box appears.

2. Click the Maximize button.


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You specify the search criteria in the Search pane on the left of the screen, and the results are displayed in the right pane. By default, Search will search for files or folders on your entire hard disk.

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3. In the Containing Text box, type Martha

Martha is the name of the friend whose letter you want to find.

4. In the Look In list, click Browse.

The Browse For Folder dialog box appears.

5. Expand My Computer and Local Disk, and then click Windows Me SBS.

You know that the file is located somewhere in the Windows Me SBS folder. By specifying that folder, you will speed up your search because Windows will not look in other folders on your computer.

6. Click OK.
7. Click the Search Options link.

The Search Options box is displayed.

8. Select the Advanced Options check box.

The Search Subfolders check box and Case Sensitive check box are displayed. The Search Subfolders check box is selected. You are not sure in which folder within the Windows Me SBS folder the letter is located, and the Search Subfolders option will search all of the subfolders within the that folder.

9. Click Search Now.

After a few seconds, the search results are displayed in the Search Results pane, and a file is displayed. You can open the file directly from the pane by double-clicking it.


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10. Click New in the Search pane.

The information from the previous search results pane is cleared.

11. In the Search For Files Or Folders Named box, type *.bmp

The file your daughter misplaced is a Microsoft Paint file, which can be identified by the .bmp extension. The asterisk (*) is a wildcard character that can be used as a substitute for any character or string of characters. The *.bmp means that Windows will search for all files ending with .bmp.

12. In the Search Options area, select the Date check box.

Several options are displayed following the Date selection. By selecting one of the date options, you can search for files modified, created, or accessed in a specified period in the past. You know that your daughter created the file during January 2000, so you can narrow the search by specifying a date or date range.

13. In the Date list, make sure that Files Modified is selected.

You will search for files created on a certain date or during a certain period.

14. Make sure that the Between And option is selected, and then click the Between arrow.

A calendar is displayed. The current date is circled in red.

15. Click one of the Calendar arrows to locate December 1999, and then click December 31.

The date is entered in the first date box.


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16. Click the And arrow, move to February 2000, and then click February 1.

The date is entered in the second date box. Windows will search for all .bmp files created on any date in January 2000.

17. Click Search Now.

Search locates the .bmp files created in January 2000, Shapes.bmp and Picture of Me.bmp. Your daughter indicates that the Picture of Me.bmp file is the one she is looking for.

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TIP:
You can save the results of a search by clicking Save Search on the File menu.

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18. In the Search Results pane, click the Close button to display the Windows desktop.

Searching for People and Web Sites

Locating someone in an address book

1. Click the Start button, point to Search, and then click People.
2. In the Look In box, click the address book in which you want to search.
3. On the People tab, you can type part of the person’s information in the corresponding boxes; for example, the person’s first or last name, the person’s e-mail address, or the city where the person lives.
4. Click Find Now.

Locating someone on the Internet

1. Click the Start button, point to Search, and then click People.
2. In the Look In box, click a directory service, fill in the Name and E-mail boxes, and then click Find Now, or click Web Site to view the directory service Web site.

Locating a Web site

1. Click the Start button, point to Search, and then click On The Internet.
2. In the Find A Web Page Containing box, type a search keyword and then click Search.

Lesson Wrap-Up

If you are continuing to the next lesson:

• Close any open windows before continuing.

If you are not continuing to other lessons:

1. If you are finished using your computer for now, log off Windows.
2. If you will not be using your computer for a long time, shut down Windows.

Glossary

Control Panel   A utility used for controlling Microsoft Windows or hardware settings.

HTML   Hypertext Markup Language. A language used for creating Web pages. In Windows Me, you can view HTML objects, such as templates or images, on your desktop and in folders.

link   A graphic, word, or phrase in one location that points to another element in a different location. When you click a link, the element it points to is displayed. For example, when you click the My Computer link in My Documents, My Computer opens. Word and phrase links are often underlined and in a different color than surrounding text. You click the link once to go to the element the link is connected to.

profile   A record of personal settings maintained by Windows Me for a particular user, such as a user’s choice of desktop background color or Start menu settings. Also called a user profile.

shortcut   An icon that is linked to a program, folder, file, or Web page. For example, when you double-click the Microsoft Outlook Express shortcut on the Windows desktop, Outlook Express starts.

utility program   A program designed to accomplish a specific maintenance task, like compressing or backing up files.

wildcard   A character, such as * or ?, that can be used to represent other characters. In the file name *.bmp, the * stands for any string of characters; in the file name Mar?.bmp, the ? stands for any single character.

wizard   An interactive Help utility that guides you through a series of steps to accomplish a complex task. For example, the Enable Multi-User Settings wizard steps you through the process of setting up a user profile.

Quick Reference

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar And Start Menu.
2. Click the options you want in the General tab.

To set up Windows for multiple users and create additional user profiles

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Users icon.
3. Click New User, and then work through the wizard steps.

To configure Windows for accessibility needs

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Accessibility Wizard.
2. Follow the wizard steps.

To use the Windows Magnifier

• Click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Accessibility, and then click Magnifier.

To customize folder appearance

1. Open the folder that you want to customize.
2. Click View, and then click Customize This Folder.
3. Work through the steps in the wizard.

To use the Folders list to move and copy files and folders

1. Open a folder containing files or folders, and then on the Standard Buttons toolbar, click Folders.
2. To move a folder or file, drag it to a folder in the Folders list.
3. To copy a folder or file to the Folders list, press and hold Ctrl, and then drag it to the Folders list.

To compress folders to save disk space

1. Right-click the folder you want to compress.
2. Point to Send To, and then click Compressed Folder.

To search for files

1. Click the Start button, point to Search, and click Files Or Folders.
2. Enter the search criteria, and click Search Now.