Working with Microsoft Windows Environment

The Windows environment is the onscreen work area provided by Windows, analogous to a physical desktop, and the operating system's core extension points.

Desktop

The desktop is the user's work area for their programs. It's not a way to promote awareness of your program or its brand. Don't abuse it!

The desktop is the onscreen work area provided by Microsoft Windows, analogous to a physical desktop. It consists of a work area and taskbar. The work area may span multiple monitors, read more

Taskbar

The taskbar is the access point for programs displayed on the desktop. With the new Windows taskbar features, users can give commands, access resources, and view program status directly from the taskbar.

The taskbar is the access point for programs displayed on the desktop, even if the program is minimized. Such programs are said to have desktop presence. With the taskbar, users can view the open primary windows and certain secondary windows on the desktop, and can quickly switch between them. Read more

Notification Area

The notification area provides notifications and status. Well-designed programs use the notification area appropriately, without being annoying or distracting.

The notification area is a portion of the taskbar that provides a temporary source for notifications and status. It can also be used to display icons for system and program features that have no presence on the desktop.

Items in the notification area are referred to as notification area icons, or simply icons if the context of the notification area is already clearly established. Read more

Control Panels

Use control panel items to help users configure system-level features and perform related tasks. Programs that have a user interface should be configured directly from their UI instead.

With Control Panel in Microsoft Windows, users can configure system-level features and perform related tasks. Examples of system-level feature configuration include hardware and software setup and configuration, security, system maintenance, and user account management. Read more

Help

Use Help as a secondary mechanism to help users complete and better understand tasks—the primary mechanism being the UI itself. Apply these guidelines to make the content truly helpful and easy to find.
A Help system is composed of various types of content designed to assist users when they are unable to complete a task, want to understand a concept in more detail, or need more technical details than are available in the UI. Read more

User Account Control

A well designed User Account Control experience helps prevent unwanted system-wide changes in a way that is predictable and requires minimal effort. Read more