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CHAPTER NO 12
INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS
WHAT IS WINDOWS?
DEFINATION:
“Microsoft windows is an operating system for personal computers and users. It is developed by Microsoft Corporation. Many of computers are working with the windows operating system. Remaining computers use Linux or Macintosh operating systems.”
Windows work with GUI (Graphical User Interface) in which we have a cursor and a screen to operate computer with the help of peripheral devices.
HOW TO START A COMPUTER
On the front of the system unit you will find the start button which has a symbol like this on it:
(Fig: Start Button)
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Press it firmly and then let go. You will also need to turn on the monitor by pressing a button with a similar symbol on it: The computer then starts the process of ‘booting up’
In order to start up successfully the computer first has to check that all it’s’ parts are working properly. You can hear the computer working away at this task, and see text on the screen which tells you what is happening. The computer then has to load the Operating System the instructions that help it to run other programs. Once this process is completed successfully you will see the Windows start up screen which tells you which version of the operating system is running e.g. Windows XP or Windows Vista.
Finally, you will see the Windows desktop screen & Taskbar and you will know that the computer is ready for use…
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FEATURES OF WINDOWS
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE:
Windows using graphical user interface environment that simplifies the user's interaction with
the computer by representing programs, commands, files, and other options as visual elements, such as icons, pull-down menus, buttons, scroll bars, windows, and dialog boxes.
START BUTTON
On very left corner a Start button is located in windows. By clicking it we can access many of
the main programs within the computer. It is very easy way to interact by computer programs
just click on start button and access these programs like open a document, paint, calculator,
manage files , maintain systems and many more.
TASK BAR
In the bottom section of the screen, there is (or there may be) a long bar. It is called the Taskbar:
On the left side of the taskbar, there is an object labeled Start or. The appearance of this object depends on the type of Windows you are using but it plays the same role.
On the right side of Start, there is a wide area that is empty when the computer starts. This is actually referred to as the taskbar.
In some versions (Windows 95, 98, Windows Server 2003), the color of the taskbar may be gray (or Silver). In some other versions (Windows Millennium), the taskbar may be yellowish. In Windows XP, it may be blue.
On the far right side of the taskbar is a section called the tray area. One of the things that this area displays is the current time (as set on your computer).
ICONS
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Icons are small graphical images that can represent your computer's programs, files, folders and
printers amongst other things.
To activate the program/file/folder that an icon represents you simply double click (two clicks in
quick succession) on it with the left mouse button. This will activate the icon and either start a
program or open a file/folder.
The icons on your desktop can be renamed by right clicking on them and selecting rename.
They can be deleted by right clicking and selecting delete. It's possible to create your own
Windows desktop icons for programs, files, folders, etc.
Examples of icons are
My computer My document Recycle bin Shortcut
MY COMPUTER:
My computer icon has information displays all the components of the computer including disk drives and networks all parts of the computer can be accessed through My Computer's hierarchical structure double click on any icon to view the contents of a disk, folder or run a program.
(Fig: my computer)
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(Fig: Recycle bin)
DESKTOP
After you have started the computer, the area you are looking at is called the desktop. The desktop is usually different from one computer to another. This is because some items get added as new programs are installed on a computer, and other items get deleted at will. Eventually, you will know how to change the way your desktop looks.
The Microsoft Windows desktop is made of various parts. From the upper left to the lower left side of the screen, there are small pictures or images called icons. Each one is used to make the computer do something. Here is an example:
(Fig: Desktop)
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HOW TO MANAGE AND CUSTOMIZE YOUR DESKTOP APPEARANCE
Lots of computer users just leave their desktop with the default windows settings, but if you are a little bit creative and want your computer to be more "you", you have various options for customization.
To get to where you make changes to the look & feel
Right-click on an empty area of your desktop Click Properties
From the drop-down menu under the "Themes" tab, you can choose a Theme. A theme will give you a background and a set of sounds, Icons and other elements that will change the Look & feel.
You don't have to choose a Theme - you can also make your own settings.
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THE SCREEN SAVER
A screen saver is a moving design that appears on a computer screen when there has been no input for a specified period of time. Screen savers prevent the damage that occurs when the same areas of light and dark are displayed too long.
It would actually take many hours to burn in an image on today's color monitors, but a lot of people find screen savers nice to look at and it "covers" up your work, if you have to leave the computer for a while.
Pressing a key or moving the mouse restores the screen.
To change the look of your screen saver choose the "Screen saver" tab in your desktop properties window.
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From the drop-down menu choose one of the pre-installed screen savers. When you click on the screen savers in the menu, you will be able to preview, what it looks like. You can see a small sample desktop inside the window - or you can click the "preview" button to the right and see what it would look like on your monitor. To get out of the preview mode, simply click once anywhere on the screen.
Another thing you are able to change is how your windows and buttons look, as well as the size of the font.
CLICK THE APPEARANCE TAB
Depending on which Windows operating system you are using, you will find several choices in font-sizes and styles the drop-down menu.
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DETAILS
PROGRAMS
The program contains a list of programs that are installed and store in your computer while you installed your operating system. All programs contain many sub options like:
o Accessories: calculator, paint, word pad, Note pad and command prompt etc. o Internet explorer: a web browser to explore web site on internet. o Ms. Office: Very important application software contains, Ms. Word, Excel and Power point.
DOCUMENTS:
This option contains the resent copies of files. It displays a list of the last 15 documents used allowing the user to open them directly from this menu and it is updated after some time whenever user modify or changed file.
CONTROL PANEL & SYSTEM PREFERENCES
Control panel is used for setting hardware, programs, software and drivers of all components of system. It is used to change system settings like screen savers, time, screen colors.
It is also used to add and remove programs, fonts add and make changes to hardware and software settings.
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USING HELP
Help is to get help about a specific procedure click the help button in the top right corner of the screen
o Contents list general topics grouped by subject o Index list specific topics accessed by scroll bars or typing the topic o Find creates an index of words in Help and allows searches by word or phrase o click Help Topics to return to the Help menu o Troubleshooters will step you through a series of steps to solve computer problems.
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TURN OFF COMPUTER:
Close all programs that you have open, by clicking on the close button in the top right hand corner of the screen. Don’t forget to close any programs that you have open, but minimized, on the task bar at the bottom of the screen:
One of the strange things about the PC is that you stop it from the Start Menu.
Using your mouse click on the Start button in the bottom left hand corner of the screen which opens the start menu.
Click on Turn Off Computer button Click on the Turn off button. This will complete the process of closing down the PC, but just as the computer takes time to boot up, so the shutting down process takes time as the computer shuts down all its’ operations safely.
