Windows Operating System…

The Operating System

This may be described as that part of the computer, which performs routine basic “household” functions. These
functions include:
1. Defining the working environment – Windows provide a uniform way of executing most of the common commands
e.g. Opening and saving of files, Copying, Moving Operations etc.
2. Defining the file System – Different operating systems provide computers with different file systems which are so
discrete e.g. Windows runs on FAT 16 or 32, Windows NT runs on NTFS, Linux runs on a LINUX SWAP etc
3. Defining how files are stored and retrieved in various storage media e.g. Magnetic Disks, Magnetic Tapes or Optical
Disks i.e. creation of Tracks, Sectors etc which will be used to provide a Disk Address during Formatting Operation.
4. Co-ordinating all hardware components - This is through Plug ‘n’ Play feature in assistance with device drivers in
co-ordination of different hardware components
5. Sharing the available memory (RAM) to all applications being run - loading and off-loading each program
appropriately
6. Managing the processor use for all running applications, allocating time slice to each activity
There are quite a number of Operating Systems available, these include:-
ƒ MS-DOS ƒ Windows Me ƒ Solaris
ƒ PC-DOS ƒ Windows 2000/2003 ƒ MacOS
ƒ Windows 3.x (3.0, 3.1 or 3.11) ƒ Windows XP ƒ BeOS
ƒ Windows 9.x (95 or 98) ƒ Unix ƒ QNX
ƒ Windows NT (3.5 or 4.0) ƒ Linux ƒ Novell Netware etc.

History of Windows

Windows is the world’s most successful operating system, coming from a company known as Microsoft. It is asserted that 80%
of all PC’s produced have Windows Operating System running with in them hence its popularity. Below is a chart showing
Microsoft’s first Operating system to their current one.

M-SDOS
Micro Soft Disk Operating System

Stand-Alone Network
Operating Systems Operating Systems
Windows 3.0

Windows 3.1 Windows 3.11

Windows 95 Windows NT 3.5

Windows 98 Windows NT 4.0

Windows ME Windows 2000

Windows XP Windows 2003

Windows Longhorn

-1-
Windows Operating System…

What is Windows?

Microsoft Windows is a program that makes your PC easy to use by simplifying the computer user’s interface i.e. the way a user
communicates and interacts with it. Usually the interface between you and the computer consists of the screen and the keyboard;
you interact with the computer by responding to what is on the screen by typing in commands, or clicking icons on the screen.
With Windows, you can run a multiple programs; enter and move data around and perform multiple tasks simply by using the
mouse to point at objects on the screen. Windows owes its name to the fact that it runs each program or document within a
small section of the screen i.e. in its own separate window. You can have numerous windows on the screen at a time, each
containing its own program and/or document and can even be able to easily switch between programs without having to close
one down and open the next.

The Windows Screen

The new user interface is immediately apparent when you look at the initial Windows screen. Windows gives you an empty screen
with several icons and a bar at the bottom with a Start button and a clock/date. The Windows screen does not have to remain
empty, it just starts that way. The objects visible on the initial screen provide several quick applications.

Parts of the Windows Screen

1. The Desktop
The Desktop is your work area while in Windows. It is called the Desktop because Windows uses your whole screen in a way that
is analogous to the way to the way you use the surface of a desk. As you work in Windows, you move items around on the
desktop retrieve and put away items (as if in a drawer) and perform your other day-to-day tasks. You do all these using graphical
representations of your work projects. This makes it faster and easier than it would be with DOS.

2. The Window
When you want to do some work you open up a program or document with the mouse or keyboard and a window opens on the
Desktop. In Windows you do this for each task you want to work on, and each program either runs full screen or occupies part
of the screen termed as a Window. When many programs are open concurrently – hence the term Windows.

3. Icons
They are pictorial representation of commands, programs, documents etc. (The several small symbols with names under them.) An icon
represents an application or a document that is not in use at the moment but is available if you simply double-click on it. However, there are four
main types of icons:-
a. Program icon c. Command icon
b. File/Document icon d. Folder icon

4. The Taskbar
The bar at the bottom of the screen is the Taskbar. In addition to start button and the clock it contains a variable-sized button for
each application you have running. It also includes notifications area where icons alert you to incoming mails and faxes, your on-
line status, accessibility selections and where you can set the volume of your sound system or check on your printer status. You
can switch to another application that is running by simply clicking on one of the buttons.

Start Button Currently active Programs Programs running in Date &

the background Time

5. Start Button
It is the primary means of accessing your applications and data files. If you place the pointer over the start button, a pop-up label
identifies it with the words click here to begin.

-2-
Windows Operating System…

Some of the options on the start menu and their functions: -

(a) Programs: Provides the primary (d) Search: Allows you to
means of starting any programs installed locate files, folders and
on that computer. Click START > ALL computers on your network
PROGRAMS> Select a PROGRAM Parameters used here are:-
GROUP > Select the PROGRAM FILENAME, DATE, TYPE
within the group, by moving the mouse and CONTENT.
pointer until the application you want is
(e) Run: Command line
highlighted and then click the left mouse
similar to that of MSDOS,
button.
used mainly for: Opening
(b) My Recent Documents: It installed programs and
provides a list of the last 15 documents Installing programs.
that you have opened recently from any
(f) Shut Down: Allows you
of your Windows based applications. By
to leave Windows and either
clicking one of these, you first start the
shut down or restart your
application that is associated with the
computer, or simply log off
document and then load the document
and on to the network,
so you can work on it.
ALWAYS shut down in the
(c) Settings: Provides the means to start menu to gracefully leave
adjust many aspects of your system Windows.
through special CONTROL PANEL
window e.g. change screen saver, change
background picture(wallpaper), network
setting, install programs etc.

How to Run Your Programs

To start a program by using the Program Groups (Start Button), Click the start button, move to Programs, move to the
appropriate group program and select the program of your choice.

Switching Between Running Programs

If you have several applications open simultaneously, you can switch between them in a number of ways that are outlined below.
These applications will either be in windows or reduced to icons on the TASK BAR - or they won’t be visible at all if you are
running a full screen application. There may be a number of open windows but you can only be working on one window at a time.
The window that you are working on is called the active window. To switch between the applications use only of the following
methods:
1. If you can see the window of the application that you 3. Press Alt + Tab and stop at the program of your choice
want to switch to, just click anywhere on it. This brings
the selected window to the foreground. 4. Press Alt + Esc and stop at the program of your choice

2. Click the program’s button on the task bar

-3-
Windows Operating System…

Parts of a Window box

Control Menu Box or System Button
The Control Menu allows you to control the window's physical characteristics. You can select an option by either by clicking in it
or by typing the underlined letter. Double-clicking on the system button icon closes the window.

Minimize Button.
This button reduces the size of the window so that it is just an entry on the Taskbar.

Maximize Button / Restore Button

Maximize button enlarges the windows to run full screen or as large as the window containing it will allow. Upon maximizing it
switches to become the Restore Button, which returns a window back to its previous size prior to maximization

Close Button.
This button closes the window.

Window Frame.
You can adjust the size of the window by dragging the window frame in one direction. When the mouse is on the
frame, the mouse pointer becomes a two-headed arrow, which you click, and drag to increase or to decrease.

Vertical Scroll Bar / Horizontal Scroll Bar.

Clicking on the scroll arrows at either end of the vertical/horizontal scroll bars, scrolls the contents of the window up/down one
line at a time(vertical scroll) or left/right one column at a time (horizontal scroll). You can also drag on the Scroll Box, which
indicates the relative position of the window, towards the top/bottom or left/right sides of the window. Clicking on the scroll bar
outside of the scroll box moves the contents in greater increments.

Sizing Handle.
You can adjust the size of the window in two dimensions by dragging the size window-sizing handle diagonally.
The sizing handle in the lower-right corner provides a larger area to drag.

Menu Bar.

Contains a set of menu commands used to manipulate the contents of the window. You can open a menu by clicking on it.

Title Bar.

Identifies the window at hand, and/or the document within the window. You can move the window by dragging on the title bar.

Toolbar.
The tool bar contains command buttons or icons that are shortcuts for performing many common tasks.

-4-
Windows Operating System… Parts of a Window
Minimize Button
Control Menu Box or
System Button Maximize Button
Title Bar
Close Button

Menu Bar

Tool Bar

Address Bar

Disk Drives

Folders or
Directories

Vertical Scroll Box

Vertical Scroll Bar

Window Border

Horizontal Scroll Bar

Horizontal Scroll Box

Selected
Document file

Status Bar
Sizing Handle

Folder/Directory Content Pane

-5-
 Files & Folder Management

Folders are icons yellow in colour, used to group related files together. Just like in
the office, we group together documents containing similar topics together and file
them on one single paper folder, drawer or cabinet. In the same way, as the number
of documents you create from different applications increase, hence the need to
organize them together in a logical manner arises – the solution being use of
folders or directories.

Generally all folders originate from a storage media, which could be the 3½”
Micro-disk, 5¼” Floppy disk; this point or origin is termed as the Root
Folder/Directory.

The root folder is uniquely identified by special letters as follows:-

A:\ - This is assigned to the 3½” Micro-disk

B:\ - If available will be assigned to 5¼” or the 8” Floppy disk, Super disk, Jazz Disk etc.
C:\ - This is assigned to the First hard disk (if you have multiple drives)
D:\ - If available will be assigned to the second hard. If only one hard disk with a single partition is
available, the CD-ROM or DVD drive will take up this drive letter

Any folders originating from the root folder are termed as Parent folders or simply as Folders/Directories. Any
Folders found with in parent folders are termed asChild folder or simply as a Sub-Directory. An example of a
directory structure is as follows:-
A:\ or C:\ This level is termed as the ROOT

COURSES This level is termed as the PARENT

This level is
ACCOUNTING COMPUTER UNIVERSITY
termed as the
CHILD

CPA KATC ACCA UNISA JKUAT

FOUND DIPLOMA H. DIPLOMA

1. Creating Directories/Folders STAGE I STAGE II

Open the Windows Explorer

• Select the drive letter i.e. C: or a: to make the new directory
• From file menu choose new
• Select folder
• Type name of new folder and press enter
2. Selecting Files/Folders
Open the Windows Explorer and on the Directory/Folder Pane select directory containing files of your
interest
• For a single file, simply select it on the content Pane.
• For more than one file, select the first file, hold down the CTRL key and select any more additional files.
• For a group of consecutive files select the first file in the group, hold down the SHIFT key and select
the last file in that group.
3. Copying Files/Folders
Move to the source directory containing files of your interest

-6-
 • Select the files or folders and;
• From the edit menu choose copy
• Move the destination directory or drive, and select it on the directory pane
• From the edit menu choose paste.
4. Moving Files/Folders
Move to the source directory containing files of your interest
• Select the files or folders and;
• From the edit menu choose cut
• Move the destination directory and select it on the directory pane
• From the edit menu choose paste.
5. Renaming Files/Folders
• Select the file or folder and;
• From the filet menu choose rename.
• Type name for the file or folder and press enter
6. Deleting Files/Folders
Move to the source directory containing files of your interest
• Select the files or folders and:
• From the file menu choose delete
• Confirm and choose yes.
7. Recovering Deleted Files/Folders
Move to the recycle bin,
• Select the files or folders to be recovered;
• From the file menu choose restore.
8. Getting rid of Deleted Files/Folders Permanently
Move to the recycle bin,
• From the file menu choose empty recycle bin.

Working with Disks

Formatting a Disk

This is the process of preparing diskettes for use. Insert it into its drive.
1. Double-click the My Computer icon, and then click the icon for the disk you want to format. Be sure not to
double-click the disk icon, because you can't format a disk if it is open in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
2. On the File menu, click Format.

Note:
Formatting a disk removes all information from the disk. You cannot format a disk if there are files open on that
disk.

-7-