Online Class: Windows 7

Course Lessons

• Lesson 1: Introduction to Windows 7

  Welcome to Windows 7, the latest operating system introduced by Microsoft. Chances are, you were just getting used to Vista when this came out.

• Lesson 2: The Mechanics of Windows 7

  A window is what pops up whenever you open a program, file, or folder. Everything you see that appears over the top of your desktop is a window. Internet Explorer opens in a window.

• Lesson 3: Files, Folders, Flash Drives, Libraries, and CDs

  It makes it so much easier to understand Windows 7 and organize your files and folders if you understand the organization system Windows has created for you.

• Lesson 4: Programs and Files

  Programs could be defined as tools. They are the things that allow you to create documents, edit pictures, create spreadsheets, add numbers, play a certain game, and on and on.

• Lesson 5: Finding Lost or Misplaced Files, Folders, and Programs

  Once you've had your computer for any length of time, finding something on it can be a chore!

• Lesson 6: Printing

  Most of the time, what you see on your screen is how it will look on paper if it's printed. However, don't mistake most of the time for all the time.

• Lesson 7: The Internet and Email

  If you bought a computer ten years ago, the Internet was something you had to go through and set up. Although computers at that time were certainly Internet compatible to some degree, that wasn't their main purpose in life.

• Lesson 8: Protect Your PC

  Although Windows 7 is a lot better than Vista, sometimes it still can't distinguish between you trying to do something on your computer and a virus.

• Lesson 9: Customizing Windows 7

  It almost goes without saying that Windows 7 is endlessly customizable. These days, a person's computer is as distinctive as their haircut or their style of clothes.

• Lesson 10: Prevent Windows Crashes

  We've all heard the horror stories about the illusive "blue screen of death"--an event that's supposed to tell you that your computer has just shuffled off the electrical coil.

• Lesson 11: Connecting to a Network

  Many households nowadays have more than one computer. In fact, it's not at all unusual for each member of a household to have his or her own.

• Lesson 12: Using Media Player

  If you've used PC's in the past, chances are pretty good that you're at least somewhat familiar with Windows Media Player. It has been included in every Windows operating system since 1991's Windows 3.0.

• Lesson 13: Photos and Movies

  There was a time when using a computer meant using a word processor or spread sheet or playing a simple game like Solitaire. It was just a tool to help us complete our daily tasks in as efficient a manner as possible.

• Lesson 14: Common Complaints with Windows 7 -- and Their Fixes

  If there is one true maxim when it comes to personal computers, it's got to be "You can't please all of the people all of the time."

• Appendix: Upgrading to Windows 7

  The truth is, Windows 7 runs very well on computers that are no more than three to four years old. Computers older than that may not have the power to host this operating system.