STARTING AN APPLICATION

Starting an application can be done in many ways in XP. But there are two ways which are most frequently used.

Using icons on the desktop
Using the Start Menu

Using icons on the Desktop

If you want to start an application, just see if its icon is available on the desktop. If it is available, just double-click on it to start the application. This is the easiest way to start an application. If the icon is not available on the desktop, you can create one. Normally, you may want to create a desktop shortcut for the most frequently used applications. For creating a desktop shortcut, refer to Desktop Shortcuts

Using the Start menu

It is not possible to have icons for all the applications on the desktop. So, how do we start the applications then? You can use the Start menu, to start applications, for which icons are not available on the desktop. Click on the Start button on the taskbar and select the option that you want from any one of the menus or submenus that appear.

For example, to start the application 'Notepad',

Click on the Start button, and then click on All Programs. Select Accessories from the submenu, and then click on Notepad.

The above operation can be performed by keyboard operations also.