Introduction about older Operating System

The Desktop

The desktop is a large blank page, through which most activities take place, that is, it enables us to
choose the programs that are stored on it in the form of small pictures or icons. We double-click on
these icons to launch the desired programs. The desktop is always in the background even after a
program is started.

Desktop

My computer

documents
Desktop
Icons
Internal
Explorer

Network
eighborhood

Recycle Bin
Taskbar Clock
Start button

• Right click on a blank spot on the desktop and choose

the “Properties” Command
• “Display Properties” dialog box will appear. Click on the
“Effects” tab
• In the Desktop Icons box, click on the icon you want to
change
• Then click on the “Change Icon” button. From the Change
Icon dialog box, select the icon you want on your desktop
• Choose OK twice to close the dialog boxes
 Display
The icon unravels settings that affect the screen display, including colors, screen savers, dialog boxes,
and resolutions.
Desktop Properties

My Computer
My Computer allows the user to explore the contents of their computer drives as well as manage their
computer files. Microsoft changed the traditional My Computer icon to Computer, the bottom image
to the below is an example of what this icon looks like. Although the name has changed this
icon still acts identical to the earlier My Computer.

How to Open My Computer

1. Get to the Windows Desktop.

2. Double‐click the My Computer icon, this icon is almost always located on the top‐left portion of the
desktop and should look similar to the icon above. Below are two examples of what should appear when
My Computer is open
 Drive Listing in My Computer

Using My Computer

Once My Computer is open we’ll see all available drives on our computer. For most users we’ll only
be concerned with the Local Disc (C:) drive. This is our hard disk drive and what all our files are
stored on. Double‐click this drive icon to open it and view of its contents.
If we’re looking for a document such as a word processor file
we’ve created, music file, picture, or other personal file
it’s likely that it’s contained in our documents folder. This
folder is displayed in
My computer as a folder and usually contains your name. For
example, if our username is Pradip, this folder would be
named Pradip’s Documents.

Adjust System Settings with Computer

If we wish to manage our computer or view other settings and information about our computer
instead of double‐clicking the My Computer icon to open it, right‐click on the My Computer icon and click
Properties. Performing these steps will open our System Properties (the same window accessible through the
Control Panel).
 Working with Windows Explorer

Introduction
Windows Explorer is essentially the graphical interface that makes Windows computers easy to use.
For example, the desktop and taskbar containing icons are part of the graphic interface. In fact, When the
desktop or taskbar go missing, restoring them is often a simple matter of restarting the explore. exe
process. Where Internet Explorer allows you to browse the Web, Windows Explorer allows you to browse
Windows without having to type in DOS-like commands. While Windows Explorer provides the overall user
interface, another smaller component of it is also called Windows Explorer. This smaller component is
Windows Explorer ís file manager. It allows you to explore your computer is hard drive and file system.
You can launch Windows Explorer in several ways including:
• Click Start > My computer (or Computer)
• Right-click Start > Explorer (or Open Windows Explorer)

Working with Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is a folder/file-management program used to:
• View and change the folder/file structure of disks.
• View and change the contents of folders and files.
• Move, copy, rename, create, and delete folders and files.
• Start programs and open documents.
• Find folders and files.
• View and change the properties of folders and files.

Windows Explorer Screen

Starting Explorer

To start Explorer click on the Start button to open the Start menu, point to Program to open the
program submenu, and click on the Explorer program icon.
A typical Windows Explorer screen is as shown in below:
The tree pane (on the left) displays the folder tree—the branching structure of the Computer’s drives and
folders. The contents pane (on the right) displays the folders and files that are contained in the drive or
folder selected in the Tree pane.

Managing Folders with Explorer

Selecting Folders

In the Tree pane, display the folder. To do this:

• Expand the disk drive on which the folder is stored.
• Expand the folder’s parent folders until the folder is displayed.
• Click on the folder.
•

Moving and Copying Folders

TO move or copy a folder, right‐drag it from the Tree pane to the desired destination in the
Contents pane. Both the source folder and destination folder must be displayed on screen at the same
time.
• Move or copy a folder:
• Display the source folder in the Tree pane. A hidden folder can not be
right‐dragged.
• Select the destination in the Tree pane so that its contents are shown in
the Contents folder.
• Right‐drag the source folder (from the Tree pane) to a blank area of
destination (in the Content pane) when the right mouse button is released,
a shortcut menu appears, left‐click on move here (to move the folder) or
Copy Here (to copy the folder).

The Taskbar

The taskbar appears, by default, at the bottom of the screen. It contains a button for each open
window on the desktop. The active window that appears in a lighter shade of gray. Many windows can be
opened at a time on the desktop. Windows very often overlap or completely cover one another. The taskbar
is used to bring any open window from hiding simply by clicking its taskbar button.
 Sizing and positioning the taskbar involves the following steps:

• Taskbar can be placed along any edge of the screen.

• To move the taskbar, point to an empty area of the taskbar then drag the taskbar to some other
edge of the screen.
• To size the taskbar, rest the mouse pointer right on the top of the taskbar so
• That the mouse pointer turns into a two‐headed arrow.
• Then drag the edge of the taskbar towards the centre of the screen to
enlarge it or towards the closest edge of the screen to narrow it.
To hide the taskbar:
• Right click an empty part of the taskbar and then choose Properties.
• Click the Taskbar Options tab, a “Taskbar Properties” box appears.
• Select or clear “Always on top”. If this option is selected open windows
never cover the taskbar, if the option is cleared, open windows may cover
the taskbar.
• Select or clear “Auto hide”. If we select Auto hide, the taskbar shrinks to a thin
line along the edge of the screen when it is not in use. It this option is cleared,
the taskbar never shrinks to a thin line.
• Choose OK.

Address It displays an Address box in which we can type Internet addresses or

the names of disk drives, folders and files. After pressing the Enter key,
the control will be passed to that place.
Links It displays shortcut buttons to visit handy places on the Internet. Click
a button to visit that place.
Desktop It displays a button for each item on desktop.
Quick Launch It provides easy access to favorite programs.

To turn any of these toolbars on or off

Right click some neutral area of the taskbar and point to toolbars.
To display or hide a toolbar, click its name. (Checked toolbars are already
on display).
To move a toolbar out of the taskbar and onto the desktop,
point to the vertical bar at the left edge of the toolbar, and then
drag this toolbar out.
The Start Button
The Start button appears in the lower left corner of the screen. On clicking this button, the Start
Menu appears.
The Start menu contains the following choices:
Windows Update It checks the Internet for updates to the operating system.
Programs It lists programs which are installed on the computer.
Favorites It lists web pages which are designated as favorites while surfing the
Internet.
Documents It lists documents which were recently opened.
Settings It lists options which can be used to change the settings of the operating
system.

Find Helps to search for files or folders stored in the computer.

Help It provides help on the operating system.
Run It enables us to run programs for which the executable
filenames are known.
Log Off It enables users who share a computer to log off but
leave the computer running so that someone else can log on.
Shut Down It enables us to shut down the computer correctly,
restart or restart it in MS‐DOS mode.
 The Title Bar

All windows have a title bar. It is a long narrow box that stretches across the top of a window. The title
bar shows the system menu icon, the title of the window or name of the program being run and the buttons to
resize and close the window. When a window is active or currently being used, the title bar is highlighted,
meaning that its color is different from the color of other open windows. The title bar offers handy features
given below:

• To expand a window to full screen size or to shrink it back to its original

size, double click its title bar.
• To move a window from a location to other new location on the screen
drag the window by its title bar.
For minimizing, maximizing or closing the window, the buttons on the right side of the title bar can
be used. The system menu icon on the left of title bar represents the “Program Control” menu. It is an
alternate way to maximize, minimize, restore, move, resize or close a window.
 The Control Panel

The Control Panel acts as a sort of mission control for Windows It contains icons which are used to
control various settings of the computer. Some of the settings behind the icon can be reached from
other directions but some can be reached only by the Control Panel. To open the Control Panel, click
Start >> Settings >> Control Panel.

The icons in the Control Panel differ from computer to computer because these represent software’s
and hardware and each computer has different hardware and software installed. Generally the following
icons are displayed in the Control Panel.
 Keyboard
This icon can be used to change keyboards, adjust the keyboard’s speed or to install a keyboard
designed for another language. Using this icon, Repeat Delay, Repeat Rate, Cursor Blink Rate can be
controlled.

Modems
Modems icon is used to install and control the various settings related to modems.
Mouse
Using this icon, the following settings can be controlled:
• Whether the left or right mouse button is to be used.
• Adjusting the amount of time that can pass between clicks when double
clicking the primary mouse button.
• Changing the appearance of mouse pointers according to the available schemes.
• Adjusting the speed at which the mouse pointer moves on the screen.
• Showing the pointer trail and adjusting its length.
 Telephony
If a modem is installed in the computer that supports voice as well as data, this icon is used to
setup the software that controls the voice option of the modem’s operation.

Users Accounts
The same computer can be shared by different people. This icon helps in setting up multiple users
for the same computer. Each user is able to save his or her own desktop settings, including icons and
wallpaper.

The Accessibility Options and Tools

After clicking the “Accessibility option” the following dialog box appears:
Usually people with disabilities such as poor eyesight or hearing find it necessary to install
specialized software to make it easier to use the computer. This option eliminates the need to install
specialized software for such purposes e.g., using ‘Accessibility’ options.

• Caption can be displayed for sounds made by both the operating systems and application
software.
• Numeric keypad strokes can be substituted for mouse movements and clicks.
• A portion of the screen can be magnified for easier reading.

Accessibility options can be added as a Windows component to make using computer easier. Click
the Start button and choose Settings >> Control Panel >> Accessibility options. A dialog box appears
having tabs for keyboard, mouse, display and sound settings.
 Mouse/Keyboard Accessibility
For easy operation of the keyboard and mouse the following options can be put to use:
• Sticky Keys: If we have difficulty typing combination keystrokes such as CtrI+Ese, Shift+F1, or
Alt+Z, try using the StickyKeys feature. After enabling StickyKeys option,
we can made the modifier keys (Ctrl, Alt, and Shift keys) stick after we press them, so we need not
hold down that key while pressing the second key in a key+key combination keystroke. Instead, press and
release the Ctrl, Shift, or Alt key and then press and release the second key. The modifier (first) key is
automatically released after press the second (non‐modifier) key.

• Filter Keys: If you are double‐pressing keys by holding them down for too long or typing extra
characters because finger brushes the nearby keys, use the FilterKeys option to change the sensitivity of
the keyboard.
• ToggleKeys: The Caps Lock, Num Lock, and Scroll Lock keys on the keyboard act as toggles, meaning
we can press the key to turn the feature on and off. The ToggleKeys options provides an auditory cue
that informs us to the status of the key. When one of those keys is turned on, high‐pitch sound is
played. Turning off one of those keys gives a low‐pitched tone.
• MouseKeys: MouseKeys enable us to use the keyboard to move the mouse, click things, and so forth.
When MouseKeys is activated, we can control the mouse as follows (be sure to use only the keys on
the numeric keypad).
• Move the pointer: Press (or hold down) the numeric keys surrounding the number 5. The 7, 9, 1, and 3
keys move the pointer diagonally. The 8, 4, 6, and 2 keys move the pointer in the direction of the arrow
shown in the key.
• Click: Press the 5 key in the middle of the keypad.
• Double‐click: Press the plus (+) sign key or press the 5 key twice, fast.
• Drag (left mouse button): Point to the object, press the insert figure (0) key to begin dragging, use the
numeric keys surrounding the 5 to move the mouse pointer and then press Delete (.) to complete the
operation.
• Right‐click: Position the mouse pointer and press the minus (‐) sign key. Then press the 5 key to click
or the (+) sign key to double‐click.
• Right‐drag (right mouse button): Point to the object you want to drag, press the minus (‐)
sign key
and then press the insert figure (0) key to lock down that button. Use the numeric
keys surrounding the 5 to drag. Then press the Delete (.) key to complete the drag.
 Windows Accessories

To start a Windows applet, click the Start button and choose Programs » Accessories. Then click the
applet of your choice. Any missing Windows accessories can be reinstalled by using the Windows Setup
tab in Add/Remove Programs. The applets are identical to their larger counterparts but possess limited
capabilities and features.

Windows Accessories

Magnifier
In Windows there is a new feature called Magnifier. To activate it, click the Start button
and choose Programs >> Accessories >> Accessibility >> Magnifier. When this feature is activated, it
splits the screen into two halves. The lower half displays text and graphics in normal size. The
upper half of the screen magnifies whatever is near the mouse pointer.

To control the regular and the magnified portion size, we can drag ‐ up and down
“horizontal bar that separates the two parts of the screen. It is also possible to control, degree of
magnification, mouse behavior, and screen colors using the Magnifier at along box.