Try Out the Mouse

1. If your computer came with a mouse pad, which is a thin, flexible rectangle with a very smooth surface, place the mouse pad under the mouse.
2. Move the mouse, which is typically about the size of a bar of soap and has two buttons at one end. Your mouse may have a wheel between the buttons. Use the wheel in long documents or on Web pages to scroll to areas below or above the area displayed on your screen.
   Hold the mouse gently so that you can click either button easily without having to reposition your hand.
   Instead of a mouse, a laptop usually has a touchpad - a small rectangle below the keys on the keyboard with buttons below it that do the same things as the mouse buttons. Drag your index finger over the touchpad to move the mouse pointer (see Step 3) over the screen.
   You can use more than one mouse or other pointing device with any computer. If your current mouse is too small or big or hard to use, buy a wireless mouse. In addition to mice, other pointing devices include trackballs, which you roll to move the mouse pointer, and pens that you use on a separate tablet or directly on the screen.
3. As you move the mouse, an arrow called the mouse pointer moves on your computer screen. Try moving that pointer over the screen. With experience, you'll become very comfortable using the mouse. For practice, pat your head while rubbing your stomach.
4. Try out the mouse or touchpad buttons in the following ways:
   • Move the mouse pointer on top of an icon or gadget on the desktop, such as the Recycle Bin. Let the mouse pointer sit there for a moment - this is hovering - you may see a pop-up message (called a tooltip) with information about the icon you hover over. Press and release (click) the left mouse button. This action highlights, or selects, that icon or gadget. As you work with menus, which are lists of items, you put the mouse pointer on the menu item you intend to use and then click the left mouse button to select the item.
     Tip:when you see the words point or hover, they mean move the mouse pointer to the specified location but don't click. The word click means a single, quick press and release of the left mouse button. A double-click is two rapid clicks of the left mouse button. A right-click is a single press and release of the right mouse button.
   • Place the mouse pointer on an icon and then double-click the left mouse button to open the object associated with that icon, such as an e-mail program or a document that you want to read, edit, or print.
     Tip: Sometimes you don't know for sure whether you need to click or double-click. One way to tell is to hover over the icon you want to use. Often, a little bit of help info pops up, telling you what the icon is for (see "Get Help When You Need It," later in this tutorial). Then click the left mouse button to see whether anything happens. If nothing does, double-click the icon. In other words, you may not always have to double-click to open a document or run a program, so don't assume that you have to until you get more familiar with when one click is sufficient.
   • Place your mouse pointer over any object on the screen and right-click (click the right mouse button one time). You see a menu of options, related to the item your mouse pointer is over. This menu is called a context menu because it changes with the context or the position of the mouse pointer and is different for different items. Right-clicking a photograph's icon, for example, displays a menu of options for viewing that photo, and right-clicking a music file's icon displays a menu of options for playing the music. A few options, such as Open and Properties, appear in most context menus, but others change depending on the context (what the mouse pointer is pointing at).
     Tip: The right mouse button is the key to the kingdom because of context menus. Try right-clicking various areas of the screen. You almost never double-click the right mouse button, though.
5. With the mouse pointer over an icon, such as the Recycle Bin, click and hold down the left mouse button; then move the mouse to the right or down the screen. As you move the mouse, the icon moves in the same direction on the screen. This process is called click and drag. When you release the left mouse button, the icon stays where you moved it. Click and drag the Recycle Bin or any other icons you see on the desktop to some other places on the desktop.
6. You can also click and drag with the right mouse button. Hover the mouse pointer over an icon, such as the Recycle Bin or any other icon or gadget on the desktop; click and hold down the right mouse button; and move the mouse. When you release the right mouse button, a small context menu pops up.

Tip: If you have a laptop, you can click, double-click, and click and drag by using your finger on a touchpad and the buttons near it. Keep in mind, too, that you can use a mouse with a laptop (though it's not easy if you have the laptop on your lap).