18 :: Data Entry Operations

2
Operating System

2.1 INTRODUCTION
The operating system in these days uses a graphical user
interface (GUI). Here you do not have to remember all the
commands by heart. The commands are visible on the monitor
as icons. The most popular operating system available today is
‘Windows’.

The Windows operating system has evolved over time in the form
of Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows 2000. Currently
windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7 are in use. In this
lesson we will explain the main features of Widows XP.

2.2 OBJECTIVES
After going through this lesson you would be able to:

l explain the features of Windows XP

l explain various icons and their features
l define file management
 Operating System :: 19

Fig. 2.1

2.3 ELEMENTS OF WINDOWS XP

2.3.1 Logging On
When the computer system loaded with Windows XP is started,
it will present a log-in screen to log on to windows or to network,
if the system is part of a computer network.

To be able to log on, do the following

1. Enter the password (if it is password protected)
2. click on the a key or hit the Enter key

Fig. 2.2

2.4 XP DESKTOP ELEMENTS

Start Menu
When clicked on the start button, menu as follows appears on
the screen giving all the available options to start using the
Windows.
20 :: Data Entry Operations

Fig. 2.3

Overview of the options:

Task Description
All Programs Displays a list of installed program, which a user
can start or use
My Documents Displays a list of document used by the current
user
My Recent Documents Displays a list of recently used document by the
current user
My Picture Displays a list of picture/photos used by the current
user
My Music Displays a list of music/songs used by the current
user
Control Panel Displays a list of utility configure the computer
system and install software and hardware
Printers and Faxes Displays a list of currently installed printers and
faxes in the current computer system
Help and Support Start the XP help and support program to find how
to do a task in windows
Search Helps the user to find Displays a list of document
used by the current user files, folder, and other
networked computer and shared resources.
 Operating System :: 21

Run Start a application program or execute a DOS

command
Log Off Log off the currently logged in user of the system
Turn Off Computer Close currently opened program, log of the current
user and switch off the computer system.

Task Bar

When you start the computer system, then start and task bar
appears on the bottom of the screen and by default remains
visible when Windows is running.

Whenever a program is run or a window is opened, an icon

representing the program appears on the taskbar. To switch
between windows or program, click on the icon representing the
window on the task bar. When the program or window is closed,
the icon disappears from the task bar.

Fig. 2.4

Start a Program

To start a program to the followings;

1. Click on the Start Button
2. Click on the All Programs
3. Point to the desired folder say “Accessories” and select the
desired program to run such as ‘Paint’
Quitting a Program

To quit a program, select the close button (×) in the upper-right

corner of the window OR

Click on File menu and select ‘Close’ option.

Getting Help

Online help and support provided is of great help in using and

learning windows. One can get help a specific topic or current
task is being executed. To start help
l click on the Start button
l click on ‘Help and Tutorial’ option
22 :: Data Entry Operations

A list of help and support topics and online tutorial is displayed

on the screen. One can use the tabs in the screen to search for
the desired information in several ways.

Fig. 2.5

l Click on a topic or task to know more about how to get the

job done or type in a search word to locate the help on a
specific topic.
l Click on the ‘Index’ tab to locate specific topic listed
alphabetically and the follow the instructions displayed on
the screen.
l Click on ‘Favourites’ tab to add Help Topics, search results
to your Favourites list to make them easy to locate in the
future
l Click on ‘History’ to pick from a list of Help and Support
pages that you have read in the past.
l Click on’ Support’ to get various kind of online support
such as Microsoft online support, News Group on Windows.
l Click on ‘Option’ to configure the help and support center
as per your requirement.
To close Help and Support windows, select the close button (×)
in the upper-right corner of the window.
 Operating System :: 23

Locating Files and Folders

If you don’t know where a document or folder is located, you can
use the Search companion to locate it in the local storage such
as Hard Disk, CD or in the network drive (if the system is part of
a network). The Indexing Service provided by the Search
maintains an index of all the files on your computer, making
searches faster.
To search for a file or folder
1. Click Start, and click on Search.
2. Select All files and folders from the left hand side of the
windows.
3. Type the name of the file or folder in part or full, or type a
word or phrase that exists in the file to be searched.
4. If you do not know either piece of information select one or
more of the remaining options:
l In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network you want
to search.

Fig. 2.6
24 :: Data Entry Operations

l Click on When was it modified? to look for files that

were created or modified on or between specific dates.
l To look for files of a specific size, click on What size
is it? Select a size.
l Click on More advanced options to specify additional
search criteria.
5. Once you finish specifying the search criteria, click on
Search to locate the file.
Similarly you can search for specific information on
Internet, or people in your address book, search for a
printer or a computer on your network.

Changing System settings

By using Control Panel’s tools you can customize the way
Windows look and work! Also you can install new hardware, add
and remove (install/uninstall) software programs, change the look
and feel of your desktop and much more. It also includes a
number of administrative tools in Administrative Tools option for
better administration of Windows in terms of User Management,
Event viewer, Component Service etc.
To start Control Panel and use the available tool, do the following;
l Click on ‘Start’
l Click on ‘Control Panel’
l Select the desired tool to use
For example to create a new or modify the settings for an existing
user click on ‘User Account’ icon in the control panel.
Using My Computer

My Computer displays the contents of floppy, hard disk, CD-

ROM, and network drives. One can also search for and open files
and folders, and use options in Control Panel to modify
computer’s settings.
l To use My Computer, click on Start, and then click on My
Computer.
 Operating System :: 25

Fig. 2.7

Display the storage Contents

l To see what’s on your hard disk, under Hard Disk Drives,
double-click the drive you want to see such as C:, D: etc.
l To find a file or folder on a CD-ROM, or other media, under
Devices with Removable Storage, double-click on the
respective storage media you want to see.
l To find a file in a folder, under Files Stored on This
Computer, double-click a folder.

2.5 FILE MANAGEMENT IN WINDOWS

File management in windows can be done through Windows
explorer or My Computer. Windows Explorer displays the
hierarchical list of files, folders, and storage drives (both fixed and
removable) on your computer. It also lists any network drives that
have been mapped to as a drive letters on your computer.
Windows Explorer can be used to copy, move, rename, and
search for files and folders. For example, to copy a file, you can
26 :: Data Entry Operations

open a folder that contains the desired file to be copied or moved,

and then just drag and drop the file to target folder or drive.

Fig. 2.8

When files or folders are deleted from hard disk, Windows places
them in the Recycle Bin, where they can be retrieved, until the
Recycle Bin is made empty. Files or folders deleted from a
removable storage media such as network drive are permanently
deleted and are not sent to the Recycle Bin.

2.5.1 Using Windows Explorer

To open Windows Explorer,

l Click on Start,
l Point to All Programs,
l Point to Accessories, and then click on Windows Explorer
Coping or Moving a file or Folder using My Document

l Click on Start, and then click on My Documents.

 Operating System :: 27

Fig. 2.9
l Click the file or folder to be copied. More than one file or
folder can be copied at a time.

Fig. 2.10
28 :: Data Entry Operations

l To select more than one file or folder, click the first file or
folder, press and hold down SHIFT key, and then click the
file or folder.
l To select non-consecutive files or folders, press and hold
down CTRL key, and then click each of the files or folders
to be copied.
l Under Edit, select Copy.
l Select the target drive or folder to which you want to copy
the files
l Under Edit, select Paste to copy the desired file or folder
to the target drive.

Fig. 2.11

2.5.2 View file details

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
2. Double-click the folder that contains the files to be viewed.
3. On the View menu, click Details.
 Operating System :: 29

4. It will display all the details about the files such as Name,
Type, size etc.

2.5.3 Coping and moving files using Explorer

l Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories,
and then click Windows Explorer.
l Make sure the destination for the file or folder you want to
move is visible.

Fig. 2.12
l Drag the file or folder to the destination.
l If you drag an item while pressing the right mouse button,
you can move, copy, or create a shortcut to the file in its
new location.
l To copy the item instead of moving it, press and hold down
CTRL while dragging.
l If you drag an item to another disk, it is copied, not moved.
To move the item, press and hold down SHIFT while
dragging.
30 :: Data Entry Operations

l Dragging a program to a new location creates a shortcut to

that program. To move a program, right-click and then drag
the program to the new location. You must be logged on as
an administrator to move a program.

2.5.4 Create a new folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
2. Under File, click New and select Folder.
3. A new folder is displayed with the default name, New
Folder.
4. Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.
5. A new folder can also be created by right-clicking a blank
area in a folder window or on the desktop, pointing to New,
and then clicking Folder.

2.5.5 Rename a file or folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
2. Click on the file or folder you want to rename.
3. Under File, click Rename.
4. Type the new name, and then press ENTER key.
l File or folder can also be renamed by right-clicking it
and then clicking Rename.

2.5.6 Delete a file or folder

1. Click on Start, and then click on My Documents
2. Click on the file or folder you want to delete.
3. Under File, click Delete.
4. Files or folders can also be deleted by right-clicking the file
or folder and then clicking Delete.
5. Deleted files or folders are stored in the Recycle Bin, till
they are permanently removed from the Recycle Bin.
 Operating System :: 31

6. To retrieve a deleted file, double-click the Recycle Bin icon

on the desktop. Right-click on the file to retrieved, and then
click Restore.
7. To permanently delete a file, press and hold down SHIFT
and drag it to the Recycle Bin.

Fig. 2.13

2.6 INSTALL SOFTWARE/HARDWARE

Windows provides a quick and easy way to install new software.
Add or Remove Programs utility in Control Panel help to manage
programs and components on the computer system computer.
Using it one can install software packages such as Microsoft Word
or Access etc. from a CD-ROM, or a network drive, or add or
remove Windows updates and new features from the Internet. This
can also be used to add or remove Windows components which
are not included in the original installation.
32 :: Data Entry Operations

Fig. 2.14

2.6.1 Install Software

l Click Start, click Control Panel,
l Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
l Click on Add New Programs, and then select the source
where the software to be installed is located such as CD or
Floppy drive
l Follow the instructions on your screen to install the
software.
2.6.2 Change or remove software
1. Click Start, click Control Panel,
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click on Change or Remove Programs, and then select the
program you want to change or remove.
l To change a program, click on Change button.
 Operating System :: 33

l To remove a program, click on Remove button.

2.6.3 Add new features from Windows Update

1. Click Start, click Control Panel,
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click Windows Update.
4. Follow the instructions to locate and install new Windows
features or updates

2.6.4 Add or remove a Windows component

To be able to use this feature of Windows, the user must log in
as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group.

Fig. 2.15

1. Click Start, click Control Panel,

2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Follow the instructions in the Windows Components Wizard.
34 :: Data Entry Operations

2.6.5 Install Hardware

Windows can helps you set up new hardware component such
as sound card, video card or network card etc. to your computer.

Fig. 2.16

1. Click Start, click Control Panel,

2. Double-click Add Hardware.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.

INTEXT QUESTIONS
1. Write True or False for the following:
(a) Deleted Files or folders are stored in the recycle bin.
(b) Under Edit menu you can rename the file.
(c) Windows provides a quick and easy way to install new
software.
2. Fill in the blanks:
(a) Under file, click ................. and select folder.
 Operating System :: 35

(b) If you drag an item while pressing the ............... you

can create a shortcut to the file.
(c) When you start the computer system, the task bar
appears .............. on the screen.
(d) When files or folders are deleted from ...............
windows places them in the recycle bin.
(e) To select non-consecutive file or folder press and hold
down ................. key.

2.7 WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNT

In this lesson you learnt about important features of Windows XP.
Now you are in a position to locate a file or folder and use windows
explorer to manage files. Moreover, you can install software and
hardware in the system. You can change system settings also.

2.8 TERMINAL QUESTIONS

1. List out various steps to search for a file or folder.
2. Describe the following
(a) Recycle bin
(b) Task bar
(c) Quitting a program
(d) File Management in Windows
3. Write down the steps to delete a file or folder from the
computer.
4. What are the steps to install software in the computer.
5. Write down various steps to rename a file or folder.

2.9 FEEDBACK TO INTEXT QUESTIONS

1. (a) True (b) False (c) True
2. (a) Right mouse button (b) Right (c) Bottom
(d) Hard disk (e) CTRL key