Windows 7 applets
By John CampBell
First of all, what are the Applets?
An Applet is the name Microsoft gives to useful
mini-programs, which have been an integral part of window
right from the beginning.
They feature again in Windows 7 and while Notepad and Calculator are basically the same, WordPad and Paint have undergone as major refit.
Why use Applets?
For the sophisticated and experienced user these applets are
too easy but for the Beginner using Windows for the first
time these applets are simple and straightforward.
WordPad
You can use this applet to create short documents. While this word processor is not very sophisticated, you can format documents with various font and paragraph styles.Paint
You can this applet to create, edit, and view pictures. When you create a picture, you can use it as your desktop background.Notepad
You can this applet to create or edit small text files that do not require any formatting. Notepad opens and saves text in text-only format only.Calculator
You can this applet to perform simple calculations in standard view or advanced scientific and statistical calculations in scientific view.
Accessing the Applets
To find out more about the new WordPad check out my article
“The New WordPad in Windows 7!” on this website.
These Applets can be found in the Accessories folder.
1. Click the Start button.
2. Select All Programs followed by Accessories.
3. In the Accessories folder, click the applet you want.
Location of Applets
Once you open the Accessories folder click on the Applet you
want.
In a Hurry
If you are in a hurry to get to them, you can use the new
Search Feature in Windows 7 to open each one much quicker.
Here’s how you can do it.
1. Click the Start button.
In the Search box, type Notepad.
Using Search
Windows 7’s Search opens up all references to Notepad.
Search opens
Note: When you type in a program command, Search lists it
first. This means you don’t have to scan the list to find
it.
Press the Enter key and Notepad opens.
Notepad window
Tip! To get to the others, click the Start button again, and
type for “wordpad”, “paint” for Paint and “Cal” for
Calculator.
Why not use Run?
Now, some readers will say “Why not use this method” to load these applications. My answer is simple! It is slower than the method described earlier.
The illustration below shows
you why!
Using Run
So now you know where all about these useful Applets, why
not try them out. You’ll be surprised how handy they are.
