Windows Basics:
Control the Mouse

Step-by-Step: The Mouse

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What you will learn:

to move mouse pointer to click, double-click, right click, & drag to adjust mouse settings using the Mouse Properties dialog

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Start with:

Move the pointer

1. Turn on your computer if it is not already on. [Hmm. If you are reading this on the screen, I guess your computer is definitely on!]
    
2. Experiment with moving your mouse around on the screen. Get a feel for the relationship between how far you move the mouse to how far the pointer moves on the screen.
    
3. Move the mouse slowly and then quickly. With a quick motion, the mouse may accelerate faster than your hand moved. This is helpful when moving all the way across the screen, especially large screens.

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Click and Right Click.

1.  Move the pointer over the time, displayed at the far right of the Taskbar. As you hover over the clock, the day and date pop up.
    
2. Without shifting the pointer position, click the right mouse button. A popup menu appears. Read through the choices. Many of these change the look of your Desktop.

   

   Context menu from Taskbar: WinXP, Vista, Windows 7
    

   You can lock the taskbar so that it cannot be moved around. This also keeps areas like Quick Launch from being resized. If there is a check mark beside the menu command Lock the Taskbar, click on the command, using the left mouse button, to unlock the Taskbar. For the next section you need a movable Taskbar.

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Click and Drag

Be sure that the Taskbar is not locked. (See paragraph above)

1. Slowly move the pointer to the top edge of the taskbar. It will change to the Vertical Resize shape . If you move too fast, you may miss the change.

   

   
   
2. While the pointer shows this shape, hold the left mouse button down and drag upwards. The taskbar expands upwards.
    
   
3. Now drag back down to the bottom of the screen and release the mouse button. Does the taskbar vanish? It may!  When this happens accidentally, it can be quite a shock. "Where's my taskbar???!!"
    
4. To recover the taskbar, move your pointer to the bottom of the screen until it turns into the Vertical Resize shape again and then drag upwards until the taskbar pops back into view. What was lost is now found!
5. Point to the taskbar in a blank area. While the pointer has its normal shape,  drag the taskbar again over to the right of the screen. Wow! The whole thing moves! Keep dragging to the top and over to the left of the screen. There is a position to make everyone happy!

   

   Now, you have seen the pointer change shape; you have clicked and dragged. What skills you have!

   If you wish, you can lock the taskbar back again now.

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Mouse Dialog

1. WinXP/Vista Classic:
   Click on the Start button. The Start menu will appear above the button. Move your mouse pointer to Settings. A new menu will appear to the right. Move your mouse pointer to Control Panel and click.
   If your pointer goes off the menu too far, the menu will vanish!

    

   Windows Vista & Windows 7: Click the Start button. The Start menu will appear above the button. Move your mouse pointer to Control Panel and click.

    

   The Control Panel window will open on the desktop. This window contains icons that open dialog boxes for managing different aspects of Windows. Your window may have different icons, depending on what programs you have installed.
    

   
   Control Panel in WinXP, Vista, & Win7
    

2. Move your mouse pointer to the Mouse icon and double-click it. ( In Win7, a single click works.)
   A window will open that lets you change some of the behaviors of the mouse. (The icon image may be different if your mouse has its own software.)
    
3. Click on the Buttons tab, if it is not already on top.

   
   Mouse Dialog: WinXP, Vista & Win7

   The Mouse Properties dialog box allows you to set several characteristics about your mouse's behavior.

   On the Buttons tab, for people who are left-handed, you can switch the default functions of the buttons by clicking the little box, called a checkbox, labeled ""Switch primary and secondary buttons"..

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Double-click

You can control the speed required to get a double-click by using another type of dialog box input, the slide bar.

1.  Test your ability to double-click in the Test area in the dialog. If you succeed in double-clicking, the image will change!

    

   Your pointing device may use its own dialog. You may have to look around to find the test area. Try to modify a button to Click/Select (not Double-Click!). The dialog for that choice should show a Test area.

2. Move the slide control by pointing to the slide with your mouse and dragging.
    
3. Double-click in the test box again. Is this easier or harder? Find a double-click speed that is comfortable for you.
   [Note: if you are on a network or shared computer, you may not be able to keep your changes for your next session.]

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Motion settings

1. Click on the tab labeled Motion or Pointer Options. Here is where you can change how fast the pointer moves across the screen.

    

2. Move the slide, then click the Apply button. Test your mouse's motion. Try different settings until you find a comfortable pointer speed.
    
3. Click on the check box labeled "Show pointer trails". Move your mouse around. Try different trail lengths by moving the slide from "Short" to "Long". Do you like pointer trails? Turn them off if you don't.
    
4. Close the Mouse Properties dialog box by:
   • clicking on the OK button if you made changes that you want to keep.
   • clicking on the Cancel button if you do not want to keep the changes.

   Leave the Control Panel open for the next Step-by-Step.