Self Help Tutorials and Tools
Peter Bowey is pleased to offer the following publications as a self-help selection of useful computer learning and technology resources for the public community.
The publication guides in this section are formatted in Adobe PDF. To open, read and print a guide, just click on a title. If your browser does not display a publication, please visit the Adobe Web site (outside this site) and follow the simple instructions for downloading and installing the free version of the Adobe Reader.
Windows Guides:
- Introduction to using a personal computer (outside this site)
- Making friends with your computer (outside this site)
- Introduction to using email outlook express (outside this site)
- Dealing with Email Spam (outside this site)
- Introduction to using internet explorer (outside this site)
- Get going with Word (outside this site)
- Introduction to using Word (outside this site)
- Word features for Power Users (outside this site)
- Introduction to using Excel (outside this site)
- Introduction to using PowerPoint (outside this site)
- Introduction to using Photoshop (outside this site)
Macintosh Guides:
- Knowing your MAC OS9 Personal Computer (outside this site)
- Introduction to using Mac OSX (outside this site)
Windows Spybot Tutorial:
- Installing and using Spybot (outside this site) for Windows
Windows shortcut keys:
The two tables show below illustrate a good list of shortcut keys that are available on Windows computers and most software programs. It is recommended that you keep a reference of short cut keys. Doing so will help increase your daily software productivity.
Shortcut Keys |
Description |
| Alt + F | File menu options in current program. |
| Alt + E | Edit options in current program |
| F1 | Universal Help in almost every Windows program. |
| Ctrl + A | Select all text. |
| Ctrl + X | Cut selected item. |
| Shift + Del | Cut selected item. |
| Ctrl + C | Copy selected item. |
| Ctrl + Ins | Copy selected item |
| Ctrl + V | Paste |
| Shift + Ins | Paste |
| Home | Goes to beginning of current line. |
| Ctrl + Home | Goes to beginning of document. |
| End | Goes to end of current line. |
| Ctrl + End | Goes to end of document. |
| Shift + Home | Highlights from current position to beginning of line. |
| Shift + End | Highlights from current position to end of line. |
| Ctrl + Left arrow | Moves one word to the left at a time. |
| Ctrl + Right arrow | Moves one word to the right at a time. |
This table lists all the major shortcut keys in Microsoft Windows as well as the various versions of Microsoft Windows they are supported by.
| Shortcut Keys | 3.x | 95 | 98 | ME | NT | 2000 | XP | Vista | Description |
| Alt + Tab | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Switch between open applications. |
| Alt + Shift + Tab | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Switch backwards between open applications. |
| Alt + double-click | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Display the properties of the object you double-click on. For example, doing this on a file would display its properties. | |
| Ctrl + Tab | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Switches between program groups or document windows in applications that support this feature. |
| Ctrl + Shift + Tab | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Same as above but backwards. |
| Alt + Print Screen | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Create a screen shot only for the program you are currently in. |
| Ctrl + Alt + Del | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Reboot the computer and/or bring up the Windows task manager. |
| Ctrl + Esc | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Bring up the Windows Start menu. In Windows 3.x this would bring up the Task Manager. |
| Alt + Esc | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Switch Between open applications on taskbar. | |
| F1 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Activates help for current open application. |
| F2 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Renames selected Icon. |
| F3 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Starts find from desktop. | |
| F4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Opens the drive selection when browsing. | |
| F5 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Refresh Contents. | |
| F10 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Activates menu bar. |
| Shift + F10 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Simulates right-click on selected item. | |
| F4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Select a different location to browse in the Windows Explorer toolbar. | |
| Alt + F4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Closes Current open program. |
| Ctrl + F4 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Closes Window in Program. |
| F6 | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Move cursor to different Windows Explorer pane. | |
| Ctrl + Space bar | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Drops down the window control menu. |
| Ctrl + (the '+' key on the keypad) | X | X | X | X | X | X | Automatically adjust the widths of all the columns in Windows explorer | ||
| Alt + Enter | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Opens properties window of selected icon or program. | |
| Shift + Del | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Delete programs/files without throwing them into the recycle bin. | |
| Holding Shift | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Boot safe mode or by pass system files as the computer is booting. |
| Holding Shift | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | When putting in an audio CD, will prevent CD Player from playing. | |
| Enter | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Activates the highlighted program. |
| Alt + Down arrow | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Display all available options on drop down menu. | |
| * (on the keypad) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Expands all folders on the currently selected folder or drive in Windows Explorer. | |
| + (on the keypad) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Expands only the currently selected folder in Windows Explorer. | |
| - (on the keypad) | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | Collapses the currently selected folder in Windows Explorer. | |
Macintosh (Apple) shortcut keys:
Please note that not all of the listed shortcut keys will work in all versions of Mac OS.
| Open Apple + Down | Opens the selected icon. |
| Shift + Click | Select the icon and add it to the set of those selected. |
| Tab | Highlight the next icon inside the folder, in alphabetical order. |
| Shift + Tab | Highlight the previous icon inside the folder, in alphabetical order. |
| Left arrow | Used when viewing by icon to select the icon to the left of the one highlighted. |
| Right arrow | Used when viewing by icon to select icon to the right of the one highlighted. |
| Up arrow | Used to select the icon above the one currently highlighted. |
| Down arrow | Used to select the icon below the one currently highlighted. |
| Open Apple + ? | Mac help |
| Open Apple + E | Eject |
| Open Apple + Shift + Up Arrow | Used to direct the input focus to the desktop level. |
| Open Apple + M | Minimize window |
| Open Apple + N | New finder window |
| Open Apple + Shirt + N | New folder |
| Open Apple + W | Close the current window. |
| Open Apple + C | Copy the elected item to the clipboard. |
| Open Apple + X | Cut the selected item. |
| Open Apple + V | Paste item from the clipboard |
| Open Apple + L | Make alias |
| Open Apple + R | Show original item |
| Open Apple + T | Add to favorites |
| Open Apple + O | Open the selected icon. |
| Open Apple + F | Display the find dialog box. |
| Open Apple + G | Repeat the last find operation. |
| Open Apple + Shift + G | Takes a snapshot of the screen and saves it to a PICT file. |
