Computer Basics · Windows & the Desktop · Lesson 5 of 5

Challenge: A Tidy Screen for Day One

Help a new hire tame a crowded screen on her first morning at work.

A Messy First Morning

Maya just started her first office job. Her new computer is already crowded. There are icons all over the desktop and windows stacked on top of each other.

Her manager asks her to add up some numbers from a list. Maya needs the Calculator app, but she can't see its icon anywhere. She's nervous about clicking the wrong thing.

You sit down next to her to help. Remember, she can't break the computer by clicking around. You just need to show her the quickest way to find an app.

Hide It for Now

Maya's email window covers most of the screen. She wants it out of the way while she works. But she'll need it again in ten minutes, so she doesn't want to close it.

One of the three buttons at the top right of the window does exactly that. The window waits as an icon on the taskbar until she clicks it.

Side by Side

Next, Maya needs to copy names from a report into a list. Switching back and forth is slow. She'd like the report on the left half of the screen and the list on the right.

She clicks the report window so it's in front. Now she needs the right keys.

The Frozen Printer App

Just before lunch, the printer app freezes. Its title bar says (Not Responding). Maya waits two full minutes, but it's still stuck. Clicking the X does nothing at all.

You tell her there's a Windows tool that lists every running app and lets her end the stuck one.