you have no page to switch to yet. When you click a link that takes you to another page, the Back button is then enabled because now you do have a page to go back to (the page you just left). After you go back to the previous page, the Forward button is enabled because now you have a page to go forward to – the page you just left.
When a button is enabled, you just click it to go back or forward. When a button is disabled, clicking it has no effect.
Using Multiple Virtual Desktops
You can think of the Windows 10 desktop as a workspace where you interact with your apps. If you work with a number of apps at one time, however, you may find that one desktop just isn't enough space to contain everything.
If you have more than one display connected to your device, the desktop extends across all of those displays, and you can move apps from one display to another as needed.
Whether you have only one display or just want more flexibility in how you organize your running apps, you can actually work with more than one desktop in Windows 10. Think of these virtual desktops as additional work surfaces, each containing its own set of open apps. For example, you may use one desktop for your work apps and create a second desktop for some personal apps.
To create a virtual desktop, click or tap the Task View icon on the taskbar. Then, click or tap the New desktop link in the bottom-right corner of the display. Windows 10 creates a new desktop, as shown in Figure 3.22. Then, simply drag apps from the task view to the desired desktop to move them to that desktop. If you want to add apps that are not yet open, close the task view and open the apps. Then, click the Task View icon and drag the now open apps to the desired desktop.
TIP
You can quickly create a new virtual desktop by pressing Windows+Ctrl+D without opening the task view.
Figure 3.22 You can create multiple desktops in Windows 10.
To switch to a different desktop, press Windows+Ctrl+← or Windows+Ctrl+→. These keystrokes cycle through the virtual desktops in order. You can also open the task view and click or tap a desktop to make it active. To remove a virtual desktop, open the task view, hover the mouse over the desktop's icon and click the Close button. Removing a desktop does not close any apps that are on it. Instead, the apps move to the next virtual desktop to the left.
CAUTION
Virtual desktops do not survive logging off or shutting down the device. You can't create and save virtual desktop configurations. Instead, you must create them each time you log on to the device.
Logging Off, Shutting Down
Here's a question many people ask: “Should I shut down my computer if I won't be using it for a while, or should I leave it on?” Everybody has an opinion about this. So here's ours: It doesn't matter. It's fine to leave your computer running. Many people shut down their computers only when they need to, such as when installing certain types of hardware. Aside from that, their computers are on, and online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With today's green PCs, turning off the computer every day isn't as important as it once was. Perhaps more important, leaving the computer on means you can start working with it almost right away, instead of waiting for it to boot.
What about wear and tear? If your device is configured for power saving options, such as shutting down the hard disk after a certain period of inactivity, the device receives little to no wear. With solid state storage devices becoming more common, hard disk wear and useful life are becoming non-issues. So, don't worry about wearing out your device by leaving it running all the time.
NOTE
Windows 10 provides a much quicker startup process than previous versions of Windows. In some cases, the boot-up time is only a few seconds, which is substantially quicker than Windows 7.
The Power button in Windows 10 is located on the Start menu. But you also can access the power commands from the Quick Link menu. Figure 3.23 shows the power commands in the Quick Link menu. Figure 3.24 shows the Power button in the Start menu.
CAUTION
Turning off a PC isn't quite the same as turning off a TV or radio. You shouldn't press the main power switch to shut down while you have files open and unsaved. Close all your documents and apps first. Then click the Power button and choose Shut Down. If your device is locked up and unresponsive, however, you may need to power down the device and turn it back on to get it to respond again.
Figure 3.23 The power commands available from the Quick Link menu.
Figure 3.24 The Power button available from the Start menu.
Although shutdown is much faster in Windows 10 than previous versions, don't expect the computer to turn off immediately. Windows takes a few seconds to get everything closed up and ready to shut down. On most computers, you don't have to do anything else. The computer eventually shuts itself down completely.
Wrapping Up
That about wraps up the main terminology and basic skills. Much of what you've learned in this chapter is the kind of stuff most people assume you already know. You may have to read the chapter a few times and practice the skills before it all sinks in. Use the Windows Help for more information and for hands-on practice.
Here's a quick summary of the most important points covered in this chapter:
● The Windows desktop is the primary place you'll do your work.
● Unless you have a touchscreen device (such as a mobile phone or tablet), you'll use your mouse and keyboard to operate the computer.
● Most of your work will involve opening and using programs and apps.
● You can start any program that's installed on your computer from the Start menu.
● Each open program appears in its own program window on the desktop. Program windows stack up like sheets of paper.
● Each open program window has a corresponding taskbar button. The taskbar buttons help you switch from one open program window to another.
● You can move and size program windows to see exactly what you need to see, when you need to see it.
● You can create multiple virtual desktops to organize your running apps.
● When you finish using your computer and want to shut it down, don't reach for the main power switch. Instead, click the Start menu, choose Power, and then click Shut Down.
That's enough for now about the desktop and programs. These days, with just about everyone using a
