The Start Menu

The Start Menu
The Start Menu is a good place to, well, start! The Start button (which opens the menu) is located in the lower left corner of your screen. LEFT-CLICK once on the Start Button to open the menu. This is the Start Menu as it appears in Windows 7. Notice the options that are available in this menu. Popular programs, like the calculator and paint applications are on the left, while folders, the Control Panel, and help features are on the right. Also note the “Shut Down” button at the bottom of the menu. This button is very important and functions kind of like a car. It will allow you to log off or shut down the computer. Logging off a computer is like locking a car—the computer is in a stationary mode and you can’t do anything. Clicking

Shut Down is like turning off the engine. When you click Shut Down, the computer has an opportunity to properly “shut down” before the power is turned off. We will cover how to log off and turn the computer off in more depth later in this handout.
By LEFT-CLICKING once on “All Programs,” another menu will appear. This is a list of all of the programs that you have installed on your computer. Nearly everything that you can do with your computer can be found in the Start menu. This includes finding help, using programs, getting on the Internet, emailing, playing games, customizing your desktop, and more! You should feel free to experiment with the Start Menu. 
Go ahead and left-click on something! Microsoft Windows has undergone many changes over the past few decades. New versions of the operating system are released every couple of years. It is currently being released in a version called “Microsoft Windows 7.” Past versions include: “Windows 95,” Windows 98,” “Windows ME,” “Windows XP,” and “Windows Vista.” Many people continue to use Windows XP and Windows Vista, even though newer versions have been released. It is important to know that there are different versions of Windows, because different features (such as the Start Menu discussed above) may look different in different versions.