How-To Arrange Desktop Icons

Today we are going to learn How-To arrange Icons on your computer desktop.
Just so we are clear on the instructions here is a picture of a desktop.  The computer desktop itself is the picture of the hills and clouds! 
The Icons on the desktop in the picture are named:  My documents, My Computer, Recycle Bin, and Internet Explorer.
I’m normally asked a couple of questions about arranging desktop icons or organizing the icons on the desktop.  So lets go quickly over a couple of different options!
First I will go over some more traditional ways to organize your icons, and they show you a way you can organize they WAY you want THEM!
Topics covered today will be:

• How-To Find Arrange Desktop Icons Menu
• What is ‘auto arrange’, and how to turn that option off and on.
• Sort Icons by options, and What do the different options Mean?
• How To Arrange the Desktop Icons where I want them, and how to organize them by using the Grid. 
• How to Arrange the Desktop Icons how I want them, and NOT use the grid

First lets go to the spot where all the magic happens!  We need to find the menu to do ALL the changes NEEDED!

Arrange Desktop Icons

We want to find an open space on your computer desktop, and then right click with your mouse pointer ON the desktop, and NOT on top one of the icons.
For example you notice the mouse pointer in the above picture is NOT on top of any of the desktop icons pictured.
Below I have pictured menus that will come up depending on your operating system. 

This would be Right Click on Desktop for Windows XP, and we are hovering over the ‘arrange icons by” option. (notice how its highlighted in DARK blue when you hover over it) 

Right Click on Computer Desktop Menu for Windows Vista when you hover OVER the “View” Option.  Notice how VIEW looks different in the background color compared to the other options.  In this lesson we will be using the ‘view’ area.

Menu for Windows 7 when you hover over the “VIEW” option that we will use today. 
Keep in mind you may have to use this step over and over again to make all the changes you want to your computer desktop.  When you select just ONE change the menu above will disappear, and you have to do this step all over again to make the next change. 

How-To Turn on Auto Arrange Desktop Icons

With any of the above operating systems you need to find an item on the list called, ‘auto arrange icons’. Look at the pictures above to see where you might find that option.
If you want the icons to be automatically arranged, click Auto Arrange.  This option is normally done by Default.

If you see the check mark next to auto arrange that means you have selected it, or it maybe already selected for you (ie: by default). 

How do you turn OFF Auto Arrange Icons?

Of course absence of the check mark means you have removed the option of the computer desktop being automatically arranged. 
So if you want to turn OFF the auto arrange which is normally the ‘default’ setting for computer desktops hover down and CLICK this option to remove the check mark.  It should look similar to my picture above when turn OFF this option.
At this point the menu should disappear altogether after you made your choice.  If not?  Click on the computer desktop again.

Arrange Icons By Options

In the Windows XP menu you will see in the above picture a couple of different options. 
What do the arrange Icons By options mean?
Name  -  Arrange icons in alphabetical order by the icon name.
Size  -  Arrange icons in order of file size. If the icon is a shortcut to a program, the size refers to the size of the shortcut file.
Type  -  Arrange icons in order of type. For example, if you have shortcuts to several PowerPoint presentations on your desktop, these will be arranged next to each other.
Modified  -  Arrange icons in the order that the shortcut was last modified.
Hover over to your option, and click on the option you feel is the best for you.  YES you can change that option if you don’t like it to something else!  Just start over by right clicking on desktop once again.
You can find these sort by options for Windows Vista and Windows 7 as well.
Remember to right click on that free space on the desktop once again, and then look for the ‘sort by’ option.

You notice the arrow on the right side of this option?  If you hover over the SORT by the list of options will appear. 

You are able to pick which you would like to use, or change the option once again if you don’t like it.
Just hover down to your option, and CLICK on it when it highlights.
Your menu should disappear once you make your changes, and if you not?  Click on computer desktop.

Organize Desktop Icons The Way I Want Them

You can move your desktop Icons anywhere you want them on your computer Desktop.

When you have the Auto Arrange Option Clicked – or is in use by default you can’t move your icons around to places you may want them.
The picture above you will see icons arranged all around his picture of a cool car, and an airplane.  You also notice his icons are still lined up, but placed where he decided to put them! 
How do you do that?
First, you need to make sure your ‘auto arrange’ option is turned off like we showed you above.  Right Click on Desktop, and look for this option to make sure check mark is removed.  Hover over and click on the option if it is NOT!

Notice NO check mark?  It has been turned off!
Now some people still like to see SOME sense of order as far as the icons being lined up orderly.  The computer desktop has what is called a gird.
Once again – right click on computer desktop.
In Windows XP you will find the option for the grid under the Arrange Icons By section. 
Notice that the auto arrange doesn’t have a check mark next to it, but the align to Grid does? (list on right side, under NAME)

These are the options you want!

Windows Vista and Windows 7 are similar, but hover over the ‘VIEW’ section.  Notice the ‘auto arrange icons’ is NOT checked, but the ‘Align Icons to Grid’ is?  That is what you WANT!

Now if the grid is to restrictive for you?  You of course do not have to use that option!

Arranging Icons on Your Computer Desktop

I will tell you if you are NEW computer user, or have a new computer at times these menus can be frustrating.  They disappear before your able to make the changes you want, or the menu seems to close before you can see anything.
Be patient, and go a bit slower at times to figure out how sensitive your machine can be.  Its not usual to have to do this a couple of times, and it happens the best of US!
I will mention at times you may need to refresh you computer desktop to see the changes you have done.  When you right click on your computer desktop?  Look for the ‘refresh’ option, and hover over to click on it.  The screen sometimes flutters a bit, and then you can see your finished product!  Most of the time with newer machines this isn’t needed.  You see your changes right away!
I hope our lesson on Desktop Icon Arrangement was helpful!
If something is not clear, or you feel something should be added to our lesson? Please feel free to leave your comment or question in section we provided.


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What is a Cloud?

What is the Cloud?

Today we are going to write about the term ‘The Cloud”.

No doubt you have heard the term before either in print, or in the media.

What is the Cloud?  Its basically a fancy word for online storage space.

Storing something in the cloud is basically storing something on what they call a computer server at a different location.    If you look at the picture those TALL machines (on the right and left) are examples of computer servers.

Confused yet?  Let me give you a more basic example!

Where is the Cloud?

Let’s say you have an email account at home with Yahoo, and you sign into your Yahoo account to see if you have any emails (the above picture).  The server at Yahoo SENDS those emails to your account so you can read them (From your web browser or internet browser).  Those emails were basically being stored on the server, and that technically is in the ‘cloud’.  Yahoo’s servers ARE the storage space.  They are the ‘cloud’ in this example.

In this case, Where is the Cloud?  At Yahoo!

No doubt you have noticed the folders in your email program similar the ones  I have pictured here.  The inbox, Draft, Sent, Bulk, Trash, and in this case a custom folder the computer user made called ‘purchases’.

Unless you delete the emails in these folders they will forever be stored in the ‘cloud’ at Yahoo.  They will be there each and every time you sign into your yahoo email account online.  Your emails are stored at Yahoo on their computer servers (their cloud), and can be accessed anywhere you sign into your email account.

Yes, ANYWHERE you sign IN!

Other basic examples of Clouds would be Facebook, Google Doc’s, or Flicker.

The all have their own servers, so those are all different Clouds!  People can upload their documents to Google Doc’s, or pictures to Flicker!  Depending on the service access to your files, pictures, etc can be limited to you, a group you choice, or open to the public.  You need to read the terms for each location.

What do you do in the Cloud?

Lets say for example, you are at Fran’s house on vacation.  You are expecting some pictures from your grandchildren’s soccer game, and they were going to email them to you.  Fran tells you to use her computer to see if they have emailed them to you yet, because she wants to see them TOO!

You go to the Yahoo website, and you sign into your account – like you do at home! Since your emails are stored on the yahoo cloud – and NOT your home computer – you can access your new emails from Fran’s house.   Now you and Fran are enjoying the soccer pictures! 

It would be the same principal if you stayed a hotel near Fran’s house, and the lobby of the hotel has a computer with internet connection for their guests to use. Yahoo’s servers (the cloud) will send those emails to you WHERE EVER you are!  As long as you don’t delete the email those pictures will stay in cloud for as LONG as you keep them there!

Another example of how to use the cloud would be to upload those soccer pictures to flicker, or some other site you choose to display your photos!  This would be a separate cloud, because they have their own servers.  Granted, some sites like google have many different aspects to their services.  For example, they are connected to youtube.  So your Google Docs and Youtube Videos are both on GOOGLE clouds – or their servers.

Most of the time when we speak of computer storage it refers to our computer itself!  For example, you are starting to write a article using your Word Program about your trip to Germany for a newsletter.  When you are done working on it for the day you ‘save it’ on the computer’s hard drive, disk drive, or maybe even a CD Rom for example.  All your work is saved, and you can finish it later!

The cloud has the same principal of storage, but the storage is ONLINE! 

What is Cloud Computing?

So you are still at Fran’s house, and she is going to Germany next year.  She wants to see what you have written so far about your trip!  Unless you have your computer with you, or your disk drive, or CD rom you won’t be able to show her.  Right?  You would have to be at YOUR computer at home to open it, and then show her the story for the newsletter.

Now if you have stored your article in the Cloud (online storage server), and your friend Fran has a computer with internet connection?  You can sign into that storage cloud where your file is – place the computer file in HER word program – and she can read it.  In some cases you can even read it online IN the cloud itself (in the computer browser)!

Let me use a more basic example!

So lets pretend that you uploaded your Germany article to Google docs (short for documents).  While you are at Fran’s house you can both read the article, and lets say Fran sees you have misspelled a word.  You can correct your grammar right there, and once you get home the document will still be corrected.  Yes, its similar to how you SAVE your work on your computer as well!  You are basically doing it online!

The cloud is a place some people use as a backup for their computer files.  That way if their computer broke, or a tragedy happened like your house caught on fire?  The computer maybe gone, but your files are still in the CLOUD online.  Think of it as ‘off sight’ storage!

Businesses can use the cloud in a similar way as we saw Fran help you with your misspelled word on your article.  They can have a group project ‘in the cloud’, and the employees can all work on the project in REAL TIME!  For example, Jack wants to add a picture to make the point more clear.  Jane feels a graph is also needed.  Jack could be in New York, and Jane could be in Texas.  Since they are in cloud?  They can both add these things, and they the both can see the additions. 

 

I hope these basic examples of What is the Cloud, Where is the Cloud, What do you do in the Cloud, and What is Cloud Computing helps you understand these terms more.

If something is not clear, or you feel something should be added to our lesson? Please feel free to leave your comment or question in section we provided.


Also please subscribe by leaving your email in the box supplied, and you will received future lessons by email as they come out.

Thank you for reading our How-To Guide for the Computer Beginner

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