Introduction to Microsoft Windows

Objective: To learn about the Microsoft Windows Operating System. Participants will learn about the desktop, starting and shutting down the computer, the Start and Program menu, changing the date and time, creating and organizing desktop shortcuts, wallpaper, screen savers, file management, and working with windows.

NOTE: This information is geared toward Windows 98. Some of the techniques might not work with other versions of Windows (NT, 2000, XP, 95).

1. What’s an Operating System?

An operating system is a computer program that enables you to operate your computer, run other programs, manage your files, etc. Microsoft Windows is an operating system. Macintosh has its own operating system. There’s also Unix, Linux, DOS, etc. Don’t confuse the operating system (Windows 3.1, 95, 98, XP) with other software applications (Office 95, 97, 2000, XP).

2. Starting & Shutting Down the Computer

The first thing the computer does when you press the POWER button is check to make sure the computer’s components (memory, etc.) are working correctly. Then it “boots” your operating system – it starts Windows. When it’s done, you should be staring at something called a “Desktop.” More about that later. When you’re done working with your computer, you simply click on the START button at the bottom left of your monitor. Then you click “Shut Down.” At this point, you’ll have a few options:

a. Shut down: Saves any Windows settings that you changed and writes any information that is currently stored in memory to the hard disk. This prepares the computer to be turned off.

b. Restart: Saves any Windows settings that you changed and writes any information that is currently stored in memory to the hard disk, then restarts the computer.

c. Restart in MS-DOS Mode: Saves any Windows settings that you changed and writes any information that is currently stored in memory to the hard disk, then restarts the computer in MS-DOS mode (C:\ prompt – no Windows).

3. A Short Digression: Storage vs. Memory

a. Storage is a disk onto which you store your files. Disks can be floppy, hard, CD-ROM, CD R/W, DVD. When you save a file, you’re storing it on a disk.

b. Memory is a chip that stores data temporarily. It’s also known as RAM (Random Access Memory). When the computer loses power, whatever is in memory is lost. Programs that you run reside in memory while you’re using them. Files that you’re working on reside in memory while you’re using them. If you don’t save a file to a disk and you turn off your computer, you’ll “lose” the file. Always remember to save your files!

4. The Desktop

The Windows desktop is the screen you see when the Windows startup is complete. It’s your work area. You can arrange your desktop just the way you want it. The desktop consists of the following elements:

a. Icons represent files, folders, programs, and other objects that you use. These are also known as “Desktop Shortcuts,” which we’ll discuss later.

b. The Start button displays a menu of commands for starting programs, changing system settings, locating files, updating your system, and getting help.

c. The Windows Taskbar provides a way to organize your programs and files, and navigate between files.

d. Arranging Icons. You can arrange the icons on your desktop for quick and easy access to frequently used items. To arrange icons, complete the following steps:

i) Right-click anywhere on the Windows desktop.

ii) From the Shortcut menu, select ARRANGE ICONS.

iii) Choose the method by which you want to arrange the icons. You can arrange them in the following ways: alphabetically by name, by type (file extension), by size of file, by date the file was created or edited, or AutoArrange.

iv) You can also arrange your icons into organized rows. Right-click the desktop and choose LINE UP ICONS from the Shortcut menu.

5. Desktop Shortcuts

Shortcuts are icons that “point” to files, programs, etc. Deleting them won’t delete the item to which the shortcut points. There are different types of shortcuts:

a. My Computer. This gives you access to resources on your computer.

b. Recycle Bin. This is where all deleted objects go. If you accidentally delete a file that you need, go to the Recycle Bin to restore it. Once you delete a file from the Recycle Bin, it’s permanently deleted.

c. Programs. A shortcut to a program will give you quick access to the program that the shortcut represents.

d. Documents. These icons represent an actual document. When you click on an icon for a document, Windows will open the program that document was created in, as well as the document itself. If you have a file that you use a lot, it might make sense to create a desktop shortcut for that document.

e. Creating a Desktop Shortcut.

i) From the START menu, find the program or file for which you would like to create a desktop shortcut. Right-click the item and drag it to the Desktop. Click on “Create Shortcut(s) Here.”

ii) From Windows Explorer, right-click on the file for which you would like to create a desktop shortcut. From the shortcut menu, click on “Send To” then click on “Desktop (as a shortcut)”.

f. Renaming a Shortcut. Right-click on the shortcut. Click on RENAME. Type a new name and press ENTER.

g. Deleting a Shortcut. Right-click on the shortcut. Click on DELETE. Windows will ask you if you are sure. Click either YES or NO.

h. To turn a Web link into a shortcut, click on the link in your browser and drag it to the desktop. When you click on the resulting icon, your browser will open and you will go directly to the Web page.

6. File Management

a. A File is a document or other data. It’s the equivalent of a letter or other document that you store in a file cabinet.

b. A Folder (also known as a “directory”) is created to hold and organize files and other folders.

c. Organize your files and folders much as you would organize paper files and folders in a filing cabinet.

d. The easiest way to organize files and folders in Windows is to use Windows Explorer. Open Windows Explorer by clicking on START, then PROGRAMS, then highlight and click on Windows Explorer.

e. Creating New Folders. Windows allows you to create new folders to organize your files. For example, you can create a folder called BUDGET2002. In this folder you could store all of your files related to expenses, profits, taxes, and so forth. To create a new folder, complete the following steps:

i) Open Windows Explorer.

ii) From Windows Explorer, click the drive where you want to place the new folder so that it is selected.

iii) Right-click and choose NEW from the shortcut menu.

iv) Choose FOLDER.

v) Type a name for the new folder and press ENTER.

f. Moving Files and Folders. There are two ways:

i) Drag the file or folder’s icon from the right pane in Windows Explorer to the folder in the left pane to which you want to copy it.

ii) Right-click on the file or folder. Click on CUT. This will put it in the “clipboard.” After cutting, right-click on an object or in the right pane of the folder to which you want to paste. Click on PASTE.

g. Copying Files and Folders.

i) Right click on the file or folder, and choose COPY. Then right-click on an object or in the right pane of the folder to which you want to paste. Click on PASTE.

h. Renaming a File or Folder.

i) Right-click on the file or folder that you want to rename. Then click on RENAME. Type the new name and press ENTER.

i. Deleting Files and Folders. To delete a file or folder, complete the following steps:

i) Click the file or folder you want to delete.

ii) Press DELETE. Windows will ask you if you are sure you want to delete it.

iii) Click YES if you want to delete the file or folder. If you don’t want to delete it, click NO or CANCEL.

7. The Start and Program Menu

Click on START to get to the Start and Program menu. From here you can open a program, open a document, view and adjust your computer’s settings, find a file or folder, get help, or shut down your computer.

a. Start a Program. Click START. Highlight “Programs.” Find the program you want and then click on it.

b. Add Items on the Desktop to the START or to a Program Menu.

i) Left click and drag the icon the START button. Release when the START menu appears.

ii) Can also drag the icon to a sub-menu.

c. Add an Item in Windows Explorer to the START or a Program Menu.

i) Click on START/SETTINGS/TASKBAR & START MENU.

ii) Click on START MENU PROGRAMS tab.

iii) Click ADD.

iv) Type the path to the item you want to add, or BROWSE to navigate to the item.

v) Click NEXT.

vi) Double click the appropriate folder.

vii) Click FINISH, then click OK.

d. Remove an Item from the START or Program Menu.

i) Click on START/SETTINGS/TASKBAR & START MENU.

ii) Click on START MENU PROGRAMS tab.

iii) Click on REMOVE.

iv) Find and click on the item you want to remove.

v) Click the REMOVE button. Click CLOSE. Click OK.

e. Rename an Item.

i) Highlight the item and RIGHT CLICK.

ii) Click on RENAME.

iii) Type the new name in the field NEW NAME.

f. Sort the START or Program Menu

i) To the menu and RIGHT CLICK.

ii) Click on Sort by Name. (NOTE: not all menus can be re-sorted)

g. Favorites Menu. Use this to quickly move to files, programs, or Web sites. Your Internet Explorer favorites are automatically listed. To add a file or program to the Favorites menu, create a shortcut and then drag the shortcut to the Favorites menu.

h. Find. Use this to find a file or folder. Click START, FIND, FILES or FOLDERS. Then complete the necessary fields in the dialog box.

i. Clear Recently Used Documents List.

i) Click on START, SETTINGS, TASKBAR & START MENU.

ii) Click on the START MENU PROGRAM tab.

iii) Click CLEAR.

8. Working with Windows.

All Windows-based applications run within rectangular frames called windows.

a. Parts of a Window. These features are common to nearly all windows:

i) Borders. The four edges that define the perimeter of a window. You can drag the borders of most windows to change their size.

ii) Title Bar (caption). Directly below the top border is a region that includes the window’s name. This is called the title bar, or caption. You can move a window by dragging its title bar.

iii) Control-menu Icon. At the left edge of the title bar is the Control-menu icon. You can click here to get a menu of basic commands for sizing and positioning the window. These commands have mouse-action equivalents, so you may never need to use the Control menu.

iv) Close Button. At the right edge of the title bar is a square containing an X. You can click here to close a document or folder, or to terminate an application.

v) Restore/Maximize Button. Next to the Close button, you might find a button with two squares in it. This is the restore/maximize button. Use this to maximize the window to fit the entire screen or to make the window smaller so that you can see the desktop around it.

vi) Minimize Button. Next to the restore/maximize button, you might find the minimize button (a button with a _ on it). Click this to minimize the window. This does not close the window, but rather removes it from the desktop. All minimized windows can be found on the taskbar. To enlarge the window, just click on its button on the taskbar.

vii) Menu Bar. Directly below the title bar is the menu bar. The menu bar provides access to most of an application’s commands.

viii)Toolbar. Many windows include a toolbar, which is a row of icons and buttons that provide mouse-click shortcuts for an application’s commonly used commands.

ix) Work Area. The inside of a window is called the work area.

b. Switching Between Windows.

When two or more application windows are open at once, the one lying on top has what’s called the focus. The window with the focus is the one that will respond to your next keystrokes. If you’re ever in doubt as to which window has the focus, check the title bars. The active window’s title bar is normally displayed in one color, while the title bars of all of the inactive windows are displayed in another color. Additionally, the taskbar button for the active window appears to be pressed-in. To switch the focus to another window, you can use one of the following techniques:

i) Click anywhere on or in the window that you want to switch to.

ii) Click the taskbar button for the window that you want to switch to.

iii) Press and hold the ALT key. Then press TAB to bring up the windows “switcher.” The “switcher” displays an icon for each running application and draws a box around the icon whose window currently has the focus. Continue holding ALT and pressing TAB until the window you want to switch to has the focus.

c. Arranging Windows on the Screen.

If you have a lot of windows open at once, it might be hard to see what’s going on. Use these methods to arrange your open windows:

i) Cascade. Right-click the taskbar. Choose the CASCADE command. This will put all the windows in a stack with each of their task bars showing.

ii) Tile Horizontally/Vertically. Right-click the taskbar and choose either TILE HORIZONTALLY or TILE VERTICALLY to see a portion of the contents of each open window.

iii) Minimize All Open Windows. Right-click the taskbar and choose MINIMIZE ALL WINDOWS.

iv) After cascading, tiling, or minimizing all windows, you can restore your windows to their previous positions by right-clicking the taskbar. The menu that appears includes a new command that reverses your previous action.

9. Date and Time

Windows keeps track of the date and time. To change the date and/or time:

a. Click on START/SETTINGS

b. Click on CONTROL PANEL

c. Click on DATE/TIME

d. Select the current day, month and year.

e. Click on the time element hour, minute, second, AM/PM) to highlight it.

f. Once it’s highlighted, adjust it.

10. Wallpaper

a. Right-click the desktop and select PROPERTIES from the Shortcut menu.

b. Click on the BACKGROUND tab.

c. Select wallpaper from the list or browse your computer to find an image that you’d like to use as your wallpaper.

d. Click on PATTERN to choose your background. The PATTERN is used to fill any leftover space around the wallpaper.

11. Screen Saver

a. Right-click the desktop and select PROPERTIES from the Shortcut menu.

b. Click the SCREEN SAVER tab.

c. Choose a screen saver from the list.

d. You can also adjust the screen saver’s properties and preview it if you like.

e. To apply a password, click on the checkbox next to PASSWORD, and click on CHANGE to type the password.

f. Enter the number of minutes of inactivity that should pass prior to the screen saver going into effect.

More Information

· Click on START, then HELP to access MS Windows Help. From here you can read the online help manual, do keyword searches, and troubleshoot problems.