BasicIT

Skills
Unit 1. Distinguish between different Operating
Systems

Operating System : An operating system is a

software that serves as an interface between the user
and computer.

Functions of Operating system are:

1. It manages all the devices of a computer.

2. It checks whether the device is functioning

 properly or not.

3. It controls software resources of the

computer.

4. It manages the computer memory.

5. It keeps track of the amount of disk space

used by a specific file.

6. It allows you to create, copy, move and delete

files.

Types of Operating Systems :

1)Interactive (GUI-based) : A graphical user interface

in which commands can be entered by
clicking/double-clicking/right clicking a mouse. for
example Windows

2) Single-user, single-task operating system : This

type of operating system allows only one user to do
a task on
the computer and one thing at a time.

Single-user, multi-task operating system : This type

3)

of operating system where a single user can operate

on several programs at the same time. for example
Windows, Apple MacOS.

Multi-user : A multi-user operating system enables

4)

multiple users to work on the same computer at

different times or simultaneously.

Real Time : A real time operating system is used to

5)

control machinery, scientific instruments like robots.

A real-time operating system is a computing
environment that reacts to input within a specific
period of time. Windows CE and Lynx OS are
examples of real-time operating systems.

Distributed : A distributed operating system

6)

combines different computers in the network into a

single integrated computer and storage location. for
example Windows, UNIX, and LINUX .

Some commonly used operating systems are:

1. DOS (Disk Operating System)

2. Windows : It is an operating system

developed by Microsoft.

3. Linux : It is an operating system designed for

personal computers. It is a free and open-
source software.

4. Mobile operating Systems

• Android

• Symbian

• Windows Phone

• iOS

Components of Windows 7 Desktop :

 Desktop : The first screen that appears on the
1)

monitor is called desktop.

Wallpaper : A picture for the desktop background is

2)

called wallpaper.

3)Icons : Small pictures on the desktop are called

icons.

4)Taskbar : The long bar at the bottom of the desktop

is called taskbar. The main components of Taskbar
are : Strat button, Active applications, Notification
Area, Date/Time icon

Some of the commonly used icons are :

Computer : It displays all storage areas of the

1)

computer . Through the Computer icon, you can

access all drives, files and folders on the computer.
 Recycle Bin : Files and folders deleted by the user
2)

are stored in the Recycle Bin. From Recycle Bin,

you can retrieve files or folders deleted by mistake.

File concept :

File :

Everything you store on your computer is stored in

the form of a file. File system is a way in which you
give name to a file, store it and retrieve it. Files can
be separately placed into groups, called
folders/directories

Creating a folder : The steps to create a new folder

are:
 1. Double-click the Computer icon.

2. Select the drive in which you want to create a

new folder.
3. Click New Folder on the toolbar.

4. Type a name for the folder & Press Enter key.

Or

Right-click anywhere in the blank area of the right

column. A shortcut menu appears. Select New
Folder from the shortcut menu. Type a name for the
folder & Press Enter key.

Creating a file : Steps to create new file are :

1. Right-click anywhere in the blank area .

2. In the Shortcut menu, click New and select

the type of file you want to create.

Renaming folders and files : Steps to rename file or
folder are :

1. Right-click the file or the folder.

2. From the shortcut menu, select Rename

option.

3. Type the new name or edit the existing name

and press the Enter key.

OR
1. Select the file/folder and press function key

F2.

2. Type the new name or edit the existing name

and press the Enter key.

Deleting files or folders : Steps to delete files or

folder are :
 1. Click the file or the folder.

2. Press the Delete key from the keyboard.

Or

Right-click and select Delete option from the

Shortcut menu.
Copying Files and folders : You can copy a file or a
folder in any one of the following ways:

1) Shortcut menu:

Steps are

a. Right-click the file or the folder you want to copy.

b. Select Copy option from the Shortcut menu.

c. Select the drive or the folder where you want to

make a copy of the selected file or folder.
d. Right-click and select Paste option from the
Shortcut menu

2)Drag and Drop method: To copy a file or a folder,

hold down the Ctrl key while copying it to the new
location.

3) Using Keyboard:

a. Select the file or the folder.

b. Press Ctrl + C to copy the file or the folder.

c. Open the destination folder.

d. Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied file.

Moving Files and folders : You can move a file or a
folder in any one of the following ways
1) Shortcut menu:

a. Right-click the file or the folder you want to copy.

b. Select Cut option from the Shortcut menu.

c. Select the drive or the folder where you want to

move the selected file or folder.

d. Right-click and select Paste option from the

Shortcut menu.
2) Drag and Drop method: To move a file or a folder,

select the file and drag it to a new location.

3) Using Keyboard:

a. Select the file or the folder.

b. Press Ctrl + X to cut the file or the folder.

c. Open the destination folder.

d. Press Ctrl + V to paste the copied file.

Permanently Deleting Files : You can permanently

delete the contents of the Recycle Bin in any one of
the following ways:

1) Right-click the Recycle Bin icon and then

2) Click Empty Recycle Bin.

Restore Files/Folder from Recycle Bin

To recover a file from the Recycle Bin, right-click

the file, and then click Restore.

Or
Select the file and click Restore this item.

Unit-2 Apply Basic Skills for care and Maintenance

of Computer

Computer systems require maintenance so that the

system works efficiently. Poor maintenance may
lead to system failure.
Regular care and maintenance may help you detect
any issues at an early stage and keep it functioning
well.

Computer virus can cause damage to the working of

the computer. If anti-virus is installed in the
computer, and is updated and run periodically, then
any loss of data can be prevented.

Both internal and external parts of the computer

system should be taken care of.
 1. Keep the computer dust free.

2. Do not eat or drink while working on the

computer.

3. To keep the keyboard clean, make sure your

hands are clean before using it.

4. CDs and DVDs should be handled carefully

so that they do not get damaged.

5. Keep keyboard covered when not in use.

General precautions to be taken while cleaning the

computer components are :

1. Always Power Off the computer system

before cleaning.

2. Never spray cleaning fluid directly on the

component of the computer.

3. Do not allow the cleaning liquid to drip near

the circuit board
Regular maintenance of the computer system is very
important. Some of the maintenance activities are:

1. Run anti-virus periodically.

2. A regular disk defragmentation should be

done to remove all unnecessary information
that slows down the computer

3. Take regular backup of the data on your

computer.

4. System should be upgraded like increasing

RAM, storage space.

5. Temporary internet files should be deleted

from time to time.
Protecting computer against viruses :

A computer virus is a software program that attaches

itself to other programs and alters their behavior.
VIRUS is an acronym for Vital Information
Resource Under Seize.

A virus may get attached to e-mail messages and

spread from one computer to another.
To prevent our computer from virus, we should
install anti-virus software, run it periodically and
keep it updated.

examples of antivirus software are McAfee Virus

Scan, Norton AntiVirus, Microsoft Security
essentials, and Quick Heal..
A computer can get infected with virus in any of the
following ways:

1. Infected files

2. Infected pen drives

3. Infected CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs

4. Through infected file attachment of e-mails

A computer virus cannot do the following:

• It cannot infect files on CD or DVD, if they are

closed for writing.

• It cannot infect computer hardware like, keyboard,

mouse, etc.

Common signs of a virus attack are:

 1. Computer runs very slow

2. There is change in the file size

3. Computer often stops responding

4. There is an increase in number of files

(unusual)

5. Unusual error message appears on the screen

6. Computer restarts on its own

The following points should be kept in mind to

prevent virus infection:

1. Install and use anti-virus software.

2. Keep anti-virus software updated.

3. Scan all the files that you download from the

Internet
4. Do not open e-mails of an unknown
 person/sender

5. Don’t allow any untrustworthy person to use

your system.

Removing Temporary Files :

Temporary files are created when you are running

computer programs. Microsoft Windows and
Windows programs often create a .TMP file as a
temporary file.

Temporary files are also created by web browsers to

store your web browser history. These temp files
take up a large amount of disk space so should be
removed to clear space.
The steps to remove temporary files are:

1. Double-click Computer icon on the desktop.

2. The Computer Window opens.

 3. Right-click Local Disk C: and select
Properties option from the Shortcut menu

4. The Properties window opens. Click Disk

Cleanup.

5. The Disk Cleanup for C: window appears

6. Click the Check box next to Temporary Files,

Temporary Internet files, etc. that you want
to delete.

7. Click OK.

8. A confirmation message will appear

9. Click Delete Files.

10. Windows will delete all the temporary files

on the computer.

Removing files of Temporary Folder : The steps to

remove files of temporary folder are:

1. Press Windows button + R on the keyboard.

 2. The Run dialog box appears.

3. Type %temp%
4. The Temp folder opens. Click Ctrl + A to

select all the files in the folder. Press Delete

key.

5. A message box appears. Click Yes to

confirm.

6. All the files in the Temp folder will be

deleted.

Firewall :

Computer firewall could be a programmable device

or a software or a network security system that
monitors and controls incoming and outgoing
network traffic based on user-defined security rules.
Cookies :
Cookies are small files which are stored on a user’s
computer when you visit a website on the internet.
These files typically contain information about your
visit to the webpage or record your login
information. This may not always be bad.

For example, if you are exploring an online

shopping website, most of the online retailers use
cookies to keep track of the items in a user’s
shopping cart, otherwise, your shopping cart would
be reset to zero every time you click on a new link
on the website.