How to find Notepad

Notepad is a simple text editor that has been included with every Windows installation since Moses crossed the Red Sea.

It can be found using different methods on different Windows editions.

Vista

On Vista systems click Start

In the Start Search box type Notepad and hit Enter.

Or Click Start then All Programs then Accessories then Notepad

XP

Click Start then All Programs then Accessories then Notepad

98

Click Start then Programs then Accessories then Notepad

Note: If you haven't done it, create a short cut on your desktop to save time opening Notepad. Just right click on the Notepad icon in the accessories list and choose Send to, then Desktop(create short-cut).

Saving Files in Notepad

When saving HTML and CSS documents in Notepad, be sure to use the Save as function and add the appropriate extension to the filename. After saving with the proper extension the first time you save the file, you can you can use the Save function. Notepad will retain the proper file format.

The file extensions are critical. CSS documents require a.css extension.

HTML pages require a .html or .htm extension.

If you save the files without using the Save as function the first time, they will be saved with a .txt extension.

What's a file extension?

When you save any document on a computer, the extension tells the computer what kind of file it is and the format to save it in.

For a simple text file, the extension is .txt. If the name of the text file was myfriends, with its extension the filename would look like myfriends.txt

If this was an HTML document the extension would be .html and the complete filename would look like myfriends.html

If the document was a Style sheet , the extension would be .css and the complete filename would look like myfriends.css

If you save an HTML page with a .txt extension, you will see code when you view the page in a browser.

If you save a Style sheet with a .txt extension, the browser will not recognize it as a style sheet.

The file extensions are critical!