What is the Desktop?

The opening screen that you see on the computer monitor is called the desktop. This opening screen is similar to the surface of a desk where you place various tools and work.

The exact items on your desktop and the colors will vary depending on your computer setup. The icons, or small pictures, represent different functions on your computer. To open these items, place the cursor on the icon or words beneath the icon, and click the left mouse button twice. This is called double-clicking.

For computers with the WINDOWS 95 operating system or higher, a few items are automatically located on the desktop:

• My Computer – an icon that represents your computer and gives you access to all the computer files and the hardware devices (such as a printer, digital camera, scanner, or CD-ROM drive) connected to or built into the computer.

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• Recycle Bin – the place where you store items you want to delete. Think of it as a trashcan from which you can take out items you accidentally threw away or throw away items permanently.

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• Network Neighborhood – if you are connected to other computers through a network, this function lets you view the folders and files on the network.

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