John - Bulldozer

Unit 3
Operating systems
Microsoft Windows
 Starting the Computer
• You will now start your computer system:
1. Locate the power switch on the system unit and press this.
2. Locate the power switch on the monitor and press this.
• After some time you should be able to see a dialog box similar to the
one shown below. A dialog box is a rectangular area where you can
type text, tick options available and use buttons. The dialog box
shown below shows that the software you are going to use is
Microsoft Windows XP.
 In the Log On to Windows dialog box:
1. Type in your user name in the User name: field.
2. Type in your password in the Password: field.
3. Click OK button. This will take you to a screen similar to the one
shown in the next slide
Note that:
 Your teacher will provide you with the username and password.
 Passwords are case sensitive i.e. you need to type the password as
shown on the sheet provided by your teacher. You need to use the
uppercase and lowercase letters as shown.
 It is important not to share your password with any friends etc. If you
suspect that anyone knows your password, speak to your teacher so
that this can be changed.
 Microsoft Windows
• Microsoft (MS) Windows is a program which is referred to as the
computer operating system.
• The Operating System (OS) is a program that manages the hardware
and software installed on the computer. Sometimes operating system
software is also called system software.
• MS Windows – is the most common operating system on personal
computers. MS Windows provides an easy interface between the
computer and the user. It uses pictures (graphical representations)
which look like push buttons on the screen and you can use the
mouse to press them. This interface is known as a Graphical User
Interface (GUI).
• There are other brands of operating systems such as
Macintosh Operating System (MAC OS), Linux, UNIX etc.
 MS Windows Desktop
Icons/Desktop Desktop

Task Bar

Start button Task Manager System Tray

 TASK BAR
• The taskbar is the horizontal strip that runs along the bottom of the
screen. The taskbar displays the applications that are running on the
computer system. It includes:
Parts of a task bar
• Start button- the left most button in the task bar that the user clicks
to display the start menu
• Task manager- the band where the buttons of currently running tasks
are displayed
• System tray- the right part of the task bar that has icons of tasks
running in the background but are not displayed on the screen e.g.
time ,calendar , antivirus , volume control etc.
• The MS Windows desktop contains icons or folders. The number of
folders you see depends on the components installed in MS
Windows, but at the very least the following are present:
 My Computer - This icon contains visual representations of the
various pieces of the computer: the CD/DVD drives, the hard drives, the
printer and any other component attached to the computer.
 Recycle Bin - This icon is the MS Windows trash can. By default when
you delete things from your computer, MS Windows tosses them in this
Recycle Bin.
 My Network Places – This folder enables you to browse the network
system and resources that the computer can connect to.
 The Mouse
• The mouse is an important tool you need to use to do most of the tasks in
MS Windows. This is particularly so if you are beginning to use computers.
The basic idea is simple - you move the mouse on its pad, and a small
arrow (the mouse pointer) moves correspondingly on the screen.
Mouse Techniques
• Pointing -If you position the mouse pointer over the Start button, a yellow
banner that says “Click here to begin” appears. The technique of
positioning the mouse pointer on an item is known as pointing.
• Clicking -This is pressing the left mouse button once. The technique of
pressing the left mouse button once is known as clicking.
• Double-clicking –This is pressing the left mouse button twice in rapid
succession. This technique of pressing the left mouse button twice is
known as double-clicking.
• Right-clicking -Pressing the right mouse button once. The technique of
pressing the right mouse button is known as right-clicking.
• Dragging -Pressing and holding the left mouse button while moving the
mouse. This technique is known as dragging.
 Restarting the Computer
• Restarting the Computer
1. Click Start button.
2. In the Start menu, click Turn Off Computer. The screen shown in the
previous section will be displayed.
3. Click Restart button. The system will shut down and restart again.
Note that:
 You may need to restart your computer when install program updates
and new programs. Typically updates will be applied when you restart
your system.
Shutting Down a Non-Responding Application
Sometimes a program (also known as an application) fails to respond to
keyboard/mouse commands i.e. the program ‘hangs’. Typically non-
responsive programs cannot be closed in the normal way. You need to
follow these steps to close the program:
1. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL key combination. A dialog box will be displayed.
2. Click Task Manager button. The Windows Task Manager will be displayed.

3. Click the non-responding program from the list.

4. Click End Task button. The End Program dialog box will be
displayed.
5. Click End Now button.
 Switching Off the Computer
When you have finished working with MS Windows and you are ready to turn off the
computer, you first need to close all windows. Never turn off your computer while MS
Windows is still running. Doing so could result in loss or corruption of data. The
process of switching off the computer is also known as shutting down the system.
1. Click Start button.
2. In the Start menu, click log Off.
3. The system will start to shut down. After some time a message advising you that it is
safe to switch off your computer is displayed.
4. Turn off the computer and monitor.
Using Help
MS Windows provides on-line help to assist you as you use the program. Some of the
ways you can obtain help are:
1. Click Start button.
2. Click Help and Support to get help on MS Windows itself. The Help and Support
Center window will be displayed.
3. Type a word or phrase (e.g. formatting disks) to search help on in the Search field.
4. Click the arrow button to the right of the Search field.
5. Select an item below Pick a task or Overviews, Articles and Tutorials.
 Setting the Date & Time
1. Click Start button.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Date/Time icon. The Date and Time Properties dialog box shown on
the following page will be displayed.
4. Set the date by selecting the required date from the calendar displayed under Date
in the Date & Time tab card.
5. Set the time by clicking the arrows next to the digital time field. You can also set the
time by typing.
6. Click OK button.
• Note that:
 You can also display the Date and Time Properties dialog box, by double-clicking the
clock in the System Tray (bottom right corner).
 You may not be able to set the Date and Time if your computer is connected to a
network system and restrictions have been set by the system administrator.
 Setting the Screen Resolution & Colour Settings
1. Right-click anywhere on the desktop.
2. Click Screen Resolution in the shortcut menu.
3. To adjust the screen resolution (also known as the screen area), drag the slider to
the appropriate number of pixels.
The screen resolution signifies the number of dots (pixels) on the entire screen. For
example, a 640-by-480 pixel screen is capable of displaying 640 distinct dots on each
of 480 lines, or about 300,000 pixels. As you increase the number of pixels, you display
more information on your screen, but the information decreases in size.
6. Click OK then apply button.
 Setting the Desktop Background
You can change the appearance of the desktop background by:
1. Click Start button.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Display icon. The Display Properties dialog box will be displayed.
4. Click Desktop tab.
5. In the Background: section, click the background (e.g. Ascent) to be applied to the
MS Windows desktop. You can also apply a different color to the desktop through the
Color: field.
6. Click Apply button for the changes to take effect.
7. Click OK button to close the Display Properties dialog box.
Setting the Screen Saver
A screen saver is a varying pattern or graphic that appears on the computer screen
when the mouse and keyboard have been idle for a user-definable period of time.
 To set a screen saver:
• Click on start then control panel
• Click on appearance and personalization
• Click change screen saver
• Then choose screen saver option
• Click apply then okay
Note that:
 You may not be able to set a password to the screen saver if your computer is
connected to a network system and restrictions have been set by the system administrator.
Using the Keyboard Print Screen Facility
Sometimes you may need to print a copy of what is displayed on the screen.
1. Press Print Screen key on your keyboard (labeled “Print Scrn SysRq”) to
capture a full screen. To capture the active window only, hold the Alt key down
while pressing Print Screen key. A copy of the screen display will be placed in
the clipboard (computer’s primary memory).
2. Open a new WordPad file.
3. Click the Edit menu.
4. Click Paste. The file will display a copy of the screen contents.
5. Save the file.
 Common Icons
• As indicated earlier on, the MS Windows desktop may contain different icons
representing files, folders (or directories), applications, recycle bin (or wastebasket)
etc. Typically these icons appear to the left of the screen.
Desktop Example explanation
Icons
File Sometimes you may decide to save a file on the desktop.
Normally you will save this file on the desktop because
you need fast access to this file.
Folder Saving individual files to the desktop will clutter the desktop.
Therefore you will save these files to an individual folder icon on
the desktop. Typically desktop folder icons are created to store
files which are accessed by the user on a regular basis.
Application Shortcut icons have a small arrow in the lower left corner.
Shortcut Clicking such icons will normally open a program (such as
SnagIt 7) or a file or a folder.
Recycle Bin The place in which MS Windows stores deleted files. You
can retrieve files that you have mistakenly deleted in
error, or you can empty the Recycle Bin to create more
disk space.
 FILE MANAGEMENT
Files & Folders
• Files – are units that store collections of data. Almost all information stored in your
computer must be in a file. Different types of files store different types of
information. For example, program files store programs, text files store text;
graphic files store images or pictures etc. Each file has a name referred to as a
filename. Typically file sizes range from KB to MB.
• Folders – store collections of files. Typically you organise your word-processing,
spreadsheet and picture files (from your digital camera) in folders. Computer
programs (e.g. MS Windows, MS Word, MS Excel etc) are stored in separate
folders. Folders may also contain other folders (sub-folders) in them. Folder sizes
may range from KB to GB.
To create a folder
Right click on the empty space on the desktop
Click on new command
Then click folder and give it a name
 Using an Icon to Open Files / Folders

• Double-clicking an icon (representing a file, folder or program) will open the file,
folder or application.
The Anatomy of a Window
As you work with MS Windows, there are a few basic terms you need to become
familiar with. You do all your work in rectangular areas of the screen called windows.
The following screen shows one of the many windows you will be working in.

Minimise Miximise close

button button butt
 Switching between Windows

• If you have two application windows running, you can switch from one window to
another by clicking on the appropriate button located on the taskbar.
• You can also cycle through application windows that are running on the computer
by pressing ALT+ESC keys or ALT+TAB keys. Or window key + tab
• You can also arrange windows in cascade or tile format:
1. Open several windows.
2. Right-click the mouse on an empty section of the taskbar.
3. Click Cascade Windows or show windows side by side or show windows stacked.