GETTING YOUR FINGERS WET

ESCAPE KEY:  The Escape key is usually labeled Esc or Cancel and is generally in the upper-left corner of the keyboard. It's aptly named because pressing it often lets you escape from unfamiliar territory. A good general rule to keep in mind is, "If in doubt, Escape key out!"

FUNCTION KEYS:  The function keys labeled Fl through F12 do different things in different programs.  Unless you know what to do with them, leave them alone. For now it's sufficient to know that when you see an instruction like press F5, it means press the function key F5 on the top of the keyboard. Don't type the letter F and then the number 5.

ENTER KEY:  It is now called the Enter key because it enters whatever you typed on the screen. It used to be called the Return key because it's in the same place as the Carriage Return key on a typewriter.

TAB KEY:  The Tab key plays the dual role of indenting text (when you're typing) and moving from one prompt to another when you're faced with several prompts. For now, just try to locate it on your keyboard. It might be marked with two opposing arrows rather than the word Tab. But usually it's just to the left of the letter Q.