The Start button and The Start menu ( win. Vista & 7 )

The Start button

• At the bottom-left of your screen you will see a circular button.  Move the mouse pointer over this button and after a short time you will see a popup explaining that this button is called the Start button.    TIP: Get into the habit of pointing to items within Windows and leaving the mouse pointer over the item.  In many cases, as you are beginning to see, you will get a popup message explaining the function of the item you are pointing at. 

The Start menu

• Click on the Start button and you will see the Start Menu displayed as illustrated.  This menu contains a list of all the programs that you can run, such as your word processor, spreadsheet and database programs.  It also allows you to play music, movies and any other programs that are installed on your computer.

  TIP: To display the Start Menu, press the special Windows key on your keyboard.  Not all keyboards have this key, but most do.