Sams Teach Yourself Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional in 10 Minutes

By Dorothy Burke and Jane Calabria

• Table of Contents
  • Copyright
  • Tell Us What You Think!
  • About the Authors
  • Introduction
  • Conventions Used in This Book
  • Lesson 1. Navigating Windows 2000 Professional
  • Lesson 2. Working with a Window
  • Lesson 3. Using Menus
    • Using Toolbar Buttons
    • What Is a Menu?
    • Choosing Menu Commands
    • Reading a Menu
    • Using Shortcut Keys Instead of Menus
    • Using Shortcut Menus
  • Lesson 4. Using Windows 2000 Professional Help
  • Lesson 5. Using Dialog Boxes
  • Lesson 6. Working with Multiple Windows and Applications
  • Lesson 7. Copying, Moving, and Linking Between Windows and Applications
  • Lesson 8. Using My Computer
  • Lesson 9. Managing Files with My Computer
  • Lesson 10. Using WordPad
  • Lesson 11. Understanding File Properties and the Recycle Bin
  • Lesson 12. Printing
  • Lesson 13. Using My Network Places
  • Lesson 14. Using the Control Panel
  • Lesson 15. Using Outlook Express Mail
  • Lesson 16. Sharing Workstations and Setting Passwords
  • Lesson 17. Using Internet Explorer 5
  • Lesson 18. Web Site and Document Searching
  • Lesson 19. Troubleshooting, Restarting, and Disaster Planning
  • Lesson 20. Customizing the Windows 2000 Environment

What Is a Menu?

A menu is a list of related commands that you use to perform tasks in windows and in Windows applications (tasks such as copying or deleting selected items in a window). Menu commands are organized in logical groups. Menus are context sensitive; that is, different menu options and different menus themselves will appear within the menu depending upon the task you are currently performing. For example, if you haven't cut or copied text or files, the Paste command in the Edit menu is not available (it's grayed out). Once you have copied or cut something, the Paste command is available.

You find menus on the menu bar, and you find menus when you right-click an item. When you right-click an item, a shortcut menu pops up on the screen (hence the name pop-up menu). Shortcut menus are context sensitive too and depending upon the program you are in and the item that you right-click, you will see different pop-up menus at different times.

Items on the Menu bar are organized to help you find the command you want. For example, all the commands related to arranging and opening windows are found in the Windows menu. Items that relate to editing functions, such as cut, copy, and paste are found on the Edit menu. Opening files, closing windows, and exiting programs are options that are found on the File menu.

In this book, we will use the format menu title, menu commandto tell you to choose a command from a pull-down menu. For example, the sentence "choose File, Properties" means to "open the File menu and select the Properties command."

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