In this article, I told about how I was setting up a computer for my mom. She had never used a computer before, and is now in her 80s.
In starting to teach her how to use the computer, I noticed that the concept of double-clicking was not something that she was comfortable with, and so I looked for alternative solutions, the obvious one being that of just single-clicking on desktop icons.
While this was very easy to enable in XP, and it is also very easy to enable in Windows 7, the means for doing this is not immediately obvious. So, here is how you do it.
Start by opening Windows Explorer. If the traditional menu bar (File, Edit, etc) is not visible, press the Alt key on your keyboard.
From the menu bar, select Tools, and then Folder options.
Windows Explorer Tools Menu
You should now be looking at the General tab on the Folder Options Dialog. In the second group, “Click items as follows”, you need to now select the first option, “Single click to select”.
Press the OK button to dismiss the dialog, and you’re done.
As an aside, for those with touch enabled system, you may wish to consider enabling this option on your systems. In my opinion, this greatly enhances the touch experience, eliminating the need for a double-touch, which I don’t believe works as well as a double click. Just touch momentarily – a bit longer than a click – and your applications open up for your pleasure.