The following are the most common applications used on PC: Windows Explorer, Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Internet Explorer, Adobe Acrobat Reader and Microsoft Outlook.

Windows Explorer is used to provide file management. Some Windows commands are Send To, Rename, Copy, Delete, Undo, etc. Files can be copied across disks or into other folders. Undo can be used to reverse a users actions. New folders can be created and put inside each other.

In word processing, some tasks included Insert Images, Document Map, Editing and formatting, Tables and other objects. Borders and shading can be used on tables. Images can be embedded witihin the text. The text can flow around the objects.

Microsoft Excel can be used to record graphs, pie charts. Data types can be numbers, text, currency, date/times, etc. Handy formulae such as AVERAGE and SUM can be used around data sections. These formulas can be copied down or across as needed by dragging a special part of the marker. Standard formatting can be applied to any cells in the sheets. Charts are created based on existing data. Simple and complex chart types are available, e.g. pie chart, bar chart, line chart, x-y chart, etc.

Microsoft PowerPoint is used for presentations. You can select Formatting and Styles, use animations and graphics. A presentation is broken down into slides. Each slide can have its own style.

Internet Explorer’s Favourites button is used to store website needed for another time. The Navigation buttons are used to go backwards or forwards into your browsing history. The refresh button used to reload the page again. Microsoft Internet Explorer is the most common web browser. Firefox or Netscape are good alternatives.

Dealing with email is a common PC task. Different programs are availiable that manage a users email. People generally follow common email protocol and etiquette. Emails can be forwarded (FWD) to other recipients or replies can be sent back to the original sender. Using the CC field, the email can be sent to multiple interested parties. SPAM is unwanted or unsolicited email sent from around the world or locally. It clutters mailboxes and is a nuisance. Many email clients have feature specifically to deal with SPAM.

PDF is a commonly used document format on the Internet. It works as a plugin for the browser. It has numerous features to help a user read the document, such as page-view options, thumbnail view and zooming. PDFs are useful in how they present a consistent view of the document on the screen or on paper. Within PDF documents, a handy tool is the note taking feature.