BASIC WINDOW ENVIRONMENT

Basic Window Enviroment:

When a computer is powered on, you’ll hear some beeping as it does some hardware checks, and then the operating system loads. A computer running the Windows Operating System may display a login screen, or it may show the desktop immediately, depending on the setup. The Apple Macintosh family of computers runs a different operating system called Mac OS. When you purchase software, you must be sure to check the system requirements and purchase software for the operating system you are using. For example, software purchased for the Windows Operating System will not work on an Apple Macintosh.

Parts of the Windows Desktop

Turn on your computer and sign in if necessary in order to display the Windows desktop. An example of the Windows desktop is as follow:

The desktop shown above has icons on the left, the Taskbar on the bottom, and an open

window, which contains a document. Icons are pictures that represent programs or files. There are icons on the desktop and on the Taskbar. The picture is wallpaper, which has been centered on the desktop. Any digital picture can be used as wallpaper. Look at your desktop, identify the Taskbar and icons. The Taskbar contains

the following items:

START BUTTON:

Identify the Start button on your computer.

Click once on the Start button to reveal the Start menu, similar to that shown

in the following picture:

Your Start menu will contain items similar to those shown in the above picture. We will use this menu later to launch some programs. The most recently used programs are listed above the All Programs menu item. You can click those to relaunch the programs.

Click the Start button to close the menu.

The Start button is used to display menu items that allow you to select and load applications programs, files, or options for changing the appearance and functionality of the Windows environment. Applications programs are programs that allow you to perform computer related tasks. This includes word processing, spreadsheet, image editing, games, and other programs. The Start button is also used to shut down the computer.

QUICK LAUNCH

Identify the Quick Launch bar on your computer. If you don’t see it to the right of the Start button, it may not be visible on your computer. Some computers are configured so that the Quick Launch bar is not visible. If the Quick Launch bar is visible, move your mouse pointer over the icons and hover over each one for a second or two. You should see the name of the program or feature pop up.

The Quick Launch bar contains icons that represent programs. You can click these icons to launch the programs as a shortcut method. Identify the System Tray on your computer. Notice that it contains the clock. If the clock is visible in the system tray, position your mouse pointer on top of the clock. The System Tray displays icons for programs or processes that are currently running. You may see icons representing your network connection, anti-virus software, or speaker volume. Move your mouse pointer over icons in the System Tray and hover over each

one for a second or two. You should see the name of the program or feature pop

up. If there are many items in the System Tray, only the active icons may be displayed and the

inactive ones may not be visible.

Windows Applets—Calculator

There are a variety of small application programs available in the Windows environment. These small application programs are called applets. Applets perform just a few tasks and are not nearly as robust as the large application packages such as Word and Excel. As examples of applets, let’s explore Calculator and WordPad.

Click the Start button to reveal the Start menu.

Click the All Programs menu to reveal the list of programs on your computer.

Your list will be similar to the list shown in the figure bellow.

Click the Accessories menu item.

Click the Calculator menu item to open the Calculator applet

Notice that the Calculator has opened and there is a corresponding button on the Taskbar as well. The Calculator applet is exactly what your intuition is telling you. You can click each of the buttons to enter a number and perform math functions. The buttons that may not be intuitive are * for multiplication and / for division.

Take a few minutes to use the calculator to perform some quick calculations. For instance try 99 _ 199 _ and the answer will appear in the display. To perform calculations you can click the number and symbol buttons on the Calculator applet or you can press the keys on the keyboard. An open window will also contain a text menu that can be used to select features.

In the Calculator window, click the menu items View, Scientific,

Notice that the calculator is now displayed as a scientific calculator.

Click the menu items View, Standard to return the calculator view to a standard calculator.

MINIMIZING AND CLOSING OPEN WINDOWS

Now that the Calculator applet dialog box is open, it is a good time to review minimizing and closing windows. The Window buttons are located in the upper-right corner of each open window. In the case of the Calculator applet, the Maximize/Restore button is disabled because this window cannot be sized. When a button is disabled, clicking on it will have no effect. There are many instances in Windows when a button or other element is disabled because a feature is not available at a particular time.

Click the Minimize button.

Notice that the Calculator disappears from the desktop and a button appears on the Taskbar.

Click the Calculator button on the Taskbar to restore the Calculator dialog box to the desktop.

You can also use the mouse to drag a window from one position to another on the desktop. The

title bar of a window is at the top of the window

Using WordPad

Windows includes a small word processing applet called WordPad. It allows you to create and edit a small document such as a memo or essay. Let’s open WordPad and save a document.

Click the Start button to open the Start menu.

Click the menu items All Programs, Accessories, WordPad.

You should notice the WordPad window open on the desktop, as shown bellow:. You also

have the Calculator window open as well.

Let’s look at a few of the WordPad features and save a file. Make sure the WordPad window is active. The buttons on the toolbars may look a little confusing, but you can determine what each one is by hovering your mouse pointer over each button. A pop-up label with the name of the button will appear.

Move your mouse pointer over one of the buttons on the toolbar and hover for a second. The pop-up label should appear under the button. Let’s add some text.

Lab 1: Introduction to Microsoft Windows 9

Type your name in the document window. To do this, you can hold the Shift key down while you press letters for uppercase. You can also press the Caps Lock key to turn on uppercase. Pressing the Caps Lock key again will return to lowercase. You can use the Backspace key to delete characters to the left of the insertion point, and the Delete key to delete characters to the right.

Press the Enter key on the keyboard to move the insertion point to the next line. Press the Enter key again to move the insertion point to the next line.

Following the directions in the Help window, click anywhere in your name text.

Click the menu items Format, Paragraph.

Click the drop-down for Alignment and select Center.

Click the OK button.

Click the Close button in the Help window.

Position the mouse pointer at the end of your name text and click to position the insertion point.

Hit the Enter key twice. Notice that the insertion point is centered. Let’s left-align it so that the next paragraph will be left-aligned.

Click the menu items Format, Paragraph.

Click the drop-down for Alignment and select Left.

Click the OK button.

Type the following paragraph:

Learning all about using Windows can be fun, but overwhelming. It will take a while to learn, but that’s okay. I will learn it one step at a time. Do not press the Enter key at the end of the line of text. WordPad automatically wraps the text to fit the ruler.

CHANGING THE APPEARANCE OF THE WINDOWS DESKTOP

In addition to manipulating open windows and using applets, the Windows Operating System allows us to adjust the appearance of the desktop and set some configuration features such as screen savers and energy saving options. We will use a shortcut menu to access the properties of the desktop. Right-clicking the mouse reveals a shortcut menu. The method is to click the rightmouse button instead of the left-mouse button.

Move your mouse pointer to an empty area on the desktop, and right-click to reveal the shortcut menu

 

Click the Personalize menu item with either the right- or left-mouse button to reveal the Personalization dialog box.

Click the Screen Saver option.

The purpose of a screen saver is to prevent burning an image into the monitor screen if the screen does not change over a long period of time. Feel free to take a few minutes to explore the variety of screen savers available by clicking on the drop-down arrow beside the screen saver name.

Choose a screen saver by clicking on a screen saver name and clicking the Preview button to view a sample of the screen saver. Click again when the screen saver is in preview mode to return to the desktop.

You can scroll through the Background list and click each background type. Some backgrounds are large pictures. You can adjust the position of a large picture to center or stretch. If a small picture is stretched, you will find that it becomes out of focus. After you’ve finished making selections, click the OK button to accept the Display Background options.

Close the Personalization window.

Using Windows Help

Most software, including the Windows Operating System, contains extensive help information. If you’re wondering how to use a feature, or are interested in more information about the features of the software you’re using, the Help feature is the first place to look. Let’s use the Windows Help feature to learn how to set up a printer.

Click the Start button.

Click the Help and Support menu item.

The Help and Support window will open.

In the Search box, type: “setting up a printer,”

Click the Search Help button.

After you click the Search Help button, you should see a list of results appear in a new window, as shown in the picture bellow.

Click the task “Getting started with printing”. If your version reveals other tasks, feel free to choose one.

Shutting Down Your Computer

When you have finished using your computer, it is important to shut it down properly. Windows will close any open applications, save settings, and remove temporary files that have been stored. When you’re ready, take the following steps to shut down your computer.

Click the Start button.

Click the arrow next to the Lock button.

Click the Shut Down option to turn off the computer.

The Sleep feature can be used when you wish to conserve energy. It will power down the hard drive and monitor and retain information in memory. If there is a power interruption, information in memory will be lost, so it is wise to save your documents before you use the Sleep feature.