It is the most widely used operating system for desktop and laptop computers. It is developed by Microsoft, Windows primarily runs on x86-based CPUs, although some versions run on Intel's Itanium CPUs. Windows provides a graphical user interface and desktop environment in which applications are displayed in resizable, movable windows on screen.
Windows comes in both client and server versions, all of which support networking, the difference being that the server versions are designed to be dedicated servers. The client versions of Windows may also share data over the network and can be configured to grant access to all or specific files only. Windows PCs are used to access a variety of servers on the network, including Windows servers, UNIX, Linux and NetWare servers and mainframes.
The Graphical User Interface (GUI) is introduced by Microsoft in the 1980s. It achieved widespread success with version 3.0 in the early 1990s. Subsequent versions are Windows 3.1 (the upgrade that introduced True type Fonts, making Desktop Publishing possible for many more users); 3.11 (Windows for Work-groups, which included Network support); 95 (the first 32-bit version); and 98. Windows 95 introduced many usability improvements, including long filenames; Windows 98 is very similar internally, except that it uses a new file system that supports larger Hard Disks, and it added a modified user interface more closely integrated with Web browsing.
TYPES OF WINDOWS
There are two types of windows that can appear on our Desktop: the application window and the document window. An application window contains a running program. Application windows have menu bars. A document window may appear inside an application window and may contain documents, files, groups or Document windows do not have menu bars.
HISTORY OF MICROSOFT WINDOWS
Following is a summary of Windows versions, starting with Windows7, the future version of Windows.
1983 Microsoft Windows was announced November 10, 1983.
1985 Microsoft Windows 1.0 is introduced in November 20, 1985 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1987 Microsoft Windows 2.0 was released December 9, 1987 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1987 Microsoft Windows/386 or Windows 386 is introduced December 9, 1987 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1988 Microsoft Windows/286 or Windows 286 is introduced June, 1988 and is initially sold for $100.00.
1990 Microsoft Windows 3.0 was released May, 22 1990. Microsoft Windows 3.0 full version was priced at $149.95 and the upgrade version was priced at $79.95.
1991 Following its decision not to develop operating systems cooperatively with IBM, Microsoft changes the name of OS/2 to Windows NT.
1991 Microsoft Windows 3.0 or Windows 3.0a with multimedia was released October, 1991.
1992 Microsoft Windows 3.1 was released April, 1992 and sells more than 1 Million copies within the first two months of its release.
1992 Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.1 was released October, 1992.
1993 Microsoft Windows NT 3.1 was released July 27, 1993.
1993 The number of licensed users of Microsoft Windows now totals more than 25 Million.
1994 Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11 was released February, 1994.
1994 Microsoft Windows NT 3.5 was released September 21, 1994.
1995 Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 was released May 30, 1995.
1995 Microsoft Windows 95 was released August 24, 1995 and sells more than 1 Million copies within 4 days.
1996 Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 was released July 29, 1996.
1996 Microsoft Windows CE 1.0 was released November, 1996.
1997 Microsoft Windows CE 2.0 was released November, 1997.
1998 Microsoft Windows 98 was released June, 1998.
1998 Microsoft Windows CE 2.1 was released July, 1998.
1998 In October of 1998 Microsoft announced that future releases of Windows NT would no longer have the initials of NT and that the next edition would be Windows 2000.
1999 Microsoft Windows 98 SE (Second Edition) was released May 5, 1999.
1999 Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 was released 1999.
2000 On January 4th at CES Bill Gates announces the new version of Windows CE will be called Pocket PC.
2000 Microsoft Windows 2000 was released February 17, 2000.
2000 Microsoft Windows ME (Millennium) released June 19, 2000.
2001 Microsoft Windows XP is released October 25, 2001.
2001 Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (Version 2002) for Itanium systems is released March 28, 2003.
2003 Microsoft Windows Server 2003 is released March 28, 2003.
2003 Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition (Version 2003) for Itanium 2 systems is released on March 28, 2003.
2003 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003 is released on December 18, 2003.
2004 Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 is released on October 12, 2004.
2005 Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition is released on April 24, 2005.
2005 Microsoft announces it's next operating system, codenamed "Longhorn" will be named Windows Vista on July 23, 2005.
2006 Microsoft releases Microsoft Windows Vista to corporations on November 30, 2006.
2007 Microsoft releases Microsoft Windows Vista and Office 2007 to the general public January 30, 2007.
2009 Microsoft releases Windows 7 October 22, 2009.
Windows 7 2009Windows 7 is a version of Microsoft Windows, a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs, and media center PCs.[4] Windows 7 was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009,[5] and reached general retail availability on October 22, 2009,[6] less than three years after the release of its predecessor, Windows Vista. Windows 7's server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 R2, was released at the same time.
which introduced a large number of new features, Windows 7 was intended to be a more focused, incremental upgrade to the Windows line, with the goal of being compatible with applications and hardware with which Windows Vista is already compatible.[7] Presentations given by Microsoft in 2008 focused on multi-touch support, a redesigned Windows Shell with a new taskbar, referred to as the Superbar, a home networking system called HomeGroup,[8] and performance improvements. Some standard applications that have been included with prior releases of Microsoft Windows, including Windows Calendar, Windows Mail, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Photo Gallery, are not included in Windows 7;[9][10] most are instead offered separately at no charge as part of the Windows Live Essentials suite.[11]
Windows Server 2008 (2007)
Windows Server 2008 is the name of the next server operating system from Microsoft. It is the successor to Windows Server 2003. It was known as codename Windows Server “Longhorn” until May 15, 2007, when Bill Gates announced its official title during his keynote address at WinHEC.
Windows Server 2008 is the server operating system containing many of the new client features from Windows Vista. This is a similar relationship to that between Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.
Beta 1 was released on July 27, 2005. Beta 2 was announced and released on May 23, 2006 at WinHEC 2006, and Beta 3 was released publicly on April 25, 2007.
Windows Server 2008 is the name of the next server operating system from Microsoft. It is the successor to Windows Server 2003. It was known as codename Windows Server “Longhorn” until May 15, 2007, when Bill Gates announced its official title during his keynote address at WinHEC.
Windows Server 2008 is the server operating system containing many of the new client features from Windows Vista. This is a similar relationship to that between Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.
Beta 1 was released on July 27, 2005. Beta 2 was announced and released on May 23, 2006 at WinHEC 2006, and Beta 3 was released publicly on April 25, 2007.
Windows Vista is a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. Prior to its announcement on July 22, 2005, Windows Vista was known by its codename “Longhorn”. Development was completed on November 8, 2006; over the following three months it was released in stages to computer hardware and software manufacturers, business customers, and retail channels. On January 30, 2007, it was released worldwide to the general public, and was made available for purchase and downloading from Microsoft’s web site. The release of Windows Vista comes more than five years after the introduction of its predecessor, Windows XP, making it the longest time span between two releases of Microsoft Windows.
Windows XP Media Center Edition (October 2005)
Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) is a version of Windows XP designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The last version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was released on October 12, 2004.
Windows Server 2003 (April 2003)
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. Introduced on April 24, 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server, it is considered by Microsoft to be the cornerstone of their Windows Server System line of business server products.
According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2003 is more scalable and delivers better performance than its predecessor, Windows 2000.
Windows XP (October 2001)
Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. The letters “XP” stand for eXPerience. Codenamed “Whistler”, after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort during its development, Windows XP is the successor to both Windows 2000 and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies are in use, according to a January 2006 estimate by an IDC analyst. It is succeeded by Windows Vista, which was released to volume license customers on November 8, 2006, and worldwide to the general public on January 30, 2007.
Windows ME Millennium Edition (July 2000)
Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me, is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft.
Windows 98 Second Edition (May 1999)
Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) is an update to Windows 98, released on May 5, 1999. It includes fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the significantly faster Internet Explorer 5. Also included is Internet Connection Sharing, which allows multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection through Network Address Translation. Other features in the update include Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and integrated support for DVD-ROM drives. However, it is not a free upgrade for Windows 98, but a stand-alone product. This can cause problems if programs specifically request Windows 98 SE, but the user only owns Windows 98.
Windows XP Media Center Edition (October 2005)
Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) is a version of Windows XP designed to serve as a home-entertainment hub. The last version, Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, was released on October 12, 2004.
Windows Server 2003 (April 2003)
Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. Introduced on April 24, 2003 as the successor to Windows 2000 Server, it is considered by Microsoft to be the cornerstone of their Windows Server System line of business server products.
According to Microsoft, Windows Server 2003 is more scalable and delivers better performance than its predecessor, Windows 2000.
Windows XP (October 2001)
Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. The letters “XP” stand for eXPerience. Codenamed “Whistler”, after Whistler, British Columbia, as many Microsoft employees skied at the Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort during its development, Windows XP is the successor to both Windows 2000 and Windows Me, and is the first consumer-oriented operating system produced by Microsoft to be built on the Windows NT kernel and architecture. Windows XP was first released on October 25, 2001, and over 400 million copies are in use, according to a January 2006 estimate by an IDC analyst. It is succeeded by Windows Vista, which was released to volume license customers on November 8, 2006, and worldwide to the general public on January 30, 2007.
Windows Millennium Edition, or Windows Me, is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit graphical operating system released on September 14, 2000 by Microsoft.
Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is an interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system that was designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor 32-bit Intel x86 computers. It is part of the Microsoft Windows NT line of operating systems and was released on February 17, 2000. It was succeeded by Windows XP in October 2001 and Windows Server 2003 in April 2003. Windows 2000 is classified as a hybrid kernel operating system.
Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) is an update to Windows 98, released on May 5, 1999. It includes fixes for many minor issues, improved USB support, and the replacement of Internet Explorer 4.0 with the significantly faster Internet Explorer 5. Also included is Internet Connection Sharing, which allows multiple computers on a LAN to share a single Internet connection through Network Address Translation. Other features in the update include Microsoft NetMeeting 3.0 and integrated support for DVD-ROM drives. However, it is not a free upgrade for Windows 98, but a stand-alone product. This can cause problems if programs specifically request Windows 98 SE, but the user only owns Windows 98.
Windows 98 (codenamed Memphis and formerly known as Windows 97) is a graphical operating system released on June 25, 1998 by Microsoft and the successor to Windows 95. Like its predecessor, it is a hybrid 16-bit/32-bit monolithic product based on MS-DOS.
Windows NT 4.0 is the fourth release of Microsoft’s Windows NT line of operating systems, released to manufacturing on July 29, 1996. It is a 32-bit Windows system available in both workstation and server editions with a graphical environment similar to that of Windows 95. The “NT” designation in the product’s title initially stood for “New Technology” according to Bill Gates, but now no longer has any specific meaning.
Windows 95 (August 1995)
Windows 95 was a consumer-oriented graphical user interface-based operating system. It was released on August 24, 1995 by Microsoft, and was a significant progression from the company’s previous Windows products. During development it was referred to as Windows 4.0 or by the internal codename Chicago.
Windows NT 3.51 is the third release of Microsoft’s Windows NT line of operating systems. It was released on May 30, 1995, nine months after Windows NT 3.5. The release provided two notable feature improvements; firstly NT 3.51 was the first of a short-lived outing of Microsoft Windows on the PowerPC CPU architecture. The second most significant enhancement offered through the release was that it provided client/server support for interoperating with Windows 95, which was released three months after NT 3.51. Windows NT 4.0 became its successor a year later; Microsoft continued to support 3.51 until December 31, 2001.
Windows NT 3.5 is the second release of the Microsoft Windows NT operating system. It was released on September 21, 1994.
One of the primary goals during Windows NT 3.5′s development was to increase the speed of the operating system; as a result, the project was given the codename “Daytona” in reference to the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (November 1993)
Windows for Workgroups 3.11 (originally codenamed Snowball) was released in December 1993. It supported 32-bit file access, full 32-bit network redirectors, and the VCACHE.386 file cache, shared between them. The standard execution mode of the Windows kernel was discontinued in Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
Windows NT 3.1 (August 1993)Windows NT 3.1 is the first release of Microsoft’s Windows NT line of server and business desktop operating systems, and was released to manufacturing on July 27, 1993. The version number was chosen to match the one of Windows 3.1, the then-latest GUI from Microsoft, on account of the similar visual appearance of the user interface. Two editions of NT 3.1 were made available, Windows NT 3.1 and Windows NT Advanced Server.
Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (October 1992)
Windows for Workgroups 3.1 (originally codenamed Kato), released in October 1992, features native networking support. Windows for Workgroups 3.1 is an extended version of Windows 3.1 which comes with SMB file sharing support via the NetBEUI and/or IPX network protocols, includes the Hearts card game, and introduced VSHARE.386, the Virtual Device Driver version of the SHARE.EXE Terminate and Stay Resident program.
Windows 3.1 (April 1992)
Windows 3.1x is a graphical user interface and a part of the Microsoft Windows software family. Several editions were released between 1992 and 1994, succeeding Windows 3.0. This family of Windows can run in either Standard or 386 Enhanced memory modes. The exception is Windows for Workgroups 3.11, which can only officially run in 386 Enhanced mode
Windows 3.0 (May 1990)
Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Windows, and came out on May 22, 1990. It became the first widely successful version of Windows and a powerful rival to Apple Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga on the GUI front. It was succeeded by Windows 3.1.
Windows 2.1x is a family of Microsoft Windows graphical user interface-based operating environments.
Less than a year after the release of Windows 2.0, Windows/286 2.1 and Windows/386 2.1 were released on May 27, 1988.
Windows 2.03 (December 1987)
Windows 2.0 is a version of the Microsoft Windows graphical user interface-based operating environment that superseded Windows 1.0. Windows 2.0 was said to more closely match Microsoft’s pre-release publicity for Windows 1.0, than Windows 1.0 did.
Windows 1.0 is a 16-bit graphical operating environment released on November 20, 1985. It was Microsoft’s first attempt to implement a multi-tasking graphical user interface-based operating environment on the PC platform.
Hardware basics
Monitor: The big TV-like thing. Probably has its own on/off switch as well as brightness,
Screen: The part of the monitor where all the action takes place — similar to a TV set screen.
System unit: The main body of the computer. Houses the main on/off switch plus access to the floppy disk and CD-ROM drives.
Mouse: Our main tool for navigating (getting around) and for making the computer do what we want it to do. I’ll talk about mice in more detail in a moment.
Keyboard: Laid out like a standard typewriter, the keyboard is used for typing and, in some cases, can also be used as an alternative to the mouse.
Computer software refers to the somewhat invisible stuff that makes the computer do whatever it is we want it to do. Any program that we purchase or download, as well as any pictures, music, or other stuff we put “in our computer” is software. Software is information that’s recorded to some kind of disk, such as a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or the hard disk that resides permanently inside our computer. So with the basic concepts of hardware and software covered, let’s start talking about how we use that stuff.
Mouse Basics
The one piece of hardware we need to get comfy with right off the bat is the mouse. To use the mouse, rest our hand comfortably on it, with our index finger resting (but not pressing) on the left mouse button. When the computer is on, we’ll see a little arrow, called the mouse pointer, on the screen. As we roll the mouse around on a mouse pad or on our desktop, the mouse pointer moves in the same direction as we move the mouse.
The following list explains basic mouse terminology we need to know:
• Mouse button (or primary mouse button): Usually the mouse button on the left — the one that rests comfortably under our index finger when we rest our right hand on the mouse.
• Right mouse button (or secondary mouse button): The mouse button on the right.
• Point: To move the mouse so that the mouse pointer is touching, or “hovering over,” some object on the screen.
• Click: To point to an item and then press and release the primary mouse button.
• Double-click: To point to an item and then click the primary mouse button twice in rapid succession — click click!
• Right-click: To point to an item and then press and release the secondary mouse button.
• Drag: To hold down the primary mouse button while moving the mouse.
• Right-drag: To hold down the secondary mouse button while moving the mouse.
Windows XP is geared toward two-button mouse operation. If our mouse has a little wheel in the middle, we can use that for scrolling. If our mouse has three buttons on it, we can ignore the button in the middle for now. I’ll show we how we can get some hands-on experience using our mouse in a moment. If we’re a lefty, we can configure a mouse for left-hand use. Doing so makes the button on the right the primary mouse button and the button on the left the secondary mouse button (so our index finger is still over the primary mouse button).
Components of Microsoft Windows
The desktop
The desktop, proper, is the large area of the screen. Everything else we see on the screen is actually resting on top of this virtual desktop. As mentioned, from the moment we start our computer, to the moment we turn it off, the desktop is always there — when it’s completely covered by some large program window.
The mouse pointer
The mouse pointer is the little indicator that moves when we move the mouse. As mentioned, to point to something, we rest this mouse pointer on it. Sometimes the mouse pointer appears as a hollow arrow. Other times, it has a different shape, depending on where it’s currently resting. When the computer is busy doing something, the mouse pointer turns to a little hourglass symbol. That means “Wait — the computer is doing something.” Wait until the mouse pointer changes back to a little arrow (or some other symbol) before we try clicking anything else on-screen.
The desktop icons
Each little picture on the desktop is an icon. Each icon, in turn, represents some program we can run, or some location on our computer where things are stored. The desktop icons on our computer probably won’t match the ones shown in the figure, because different computers have different programs installed. And all Windows users (including we) can easily add new desktop icons, and delete unused ones, to their liking. To open an icon, we either click or double-click it, depending on how our copy of Windows XP is currently configured. If we click a desktop icon and it doesn’t open up into a window, our computer is set up for double-clicking. We’ll have to double-click icons to open them for the time being. The section
The taskbar
The taskbar is the colored strip along the bottom of the desktop. In a sense, the taskbar is like the center desk draour of a real desk. It provides quick access to frequently used programs and features of Windows. Even when some large program window is covering the Windows desktop and its icons, the taskbar can remain visible on the screen so that we can get to the things if offers. As discussed in the sections that follow, the taskbar contains the Start button, the Quick Launch toolbar, and the Notifications area. If we don’t see the taskbar at all, it’s probably hidden (out of the way for the moment). Typically, to bring the taskbar into view, we must move the mouse pointer down to the very bottom of the screen. If the taskbar doesn’t slide into view automatically, we may have to drag it up. To do so, move the mouse button to the very bottom of the screen, hold down the primary (left) mouse button, drag the mouse pointer upward a half inch or so, and then release the mouse button.
The Start button
The Start button, as the name implies, is where we can start any program on our computer. When we click the Start button, the Start menu opens. The Start menu is divided into two sections. The left half of the menu provides access to frequently used programs. The right side provides access to frequently used folders (places where things that are “in our computer” are stored), as well as access to Help and Support and other features of Windows. Our Start menu won’t look exactly like the one in the figure. Again, that’s because it provides options, programs, and features that might be unique to our computer.
Icons
A pea-sized object on our computer screen is called an icon. There are probably some icons right on top of our desktop, as well as some smaller icons in the Quick Launch toolbar and Notifications area of the taskbar. Icons also appear within many of the program windows we open on our desktop. The appearance of an icon often gives us some clue about what kind of stuff is inside the icon and what is likely to appear when we open the icon. The following list summarizes the main types of icons we’ll come across:
Folder icon: Represents a folder, a place on the computer where files are stored. Opening a folder icon displays the contents of that folder. For example, in the My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, XP Bible on Max and 01Chap desktop icons are all folder icons. Two of those folders, My Pictures and 01Chap are currently open in the desktop. Each of those folders contains still more icons.
Program icon: Represents a program. When we open a program icon, we start the program it represents. For example, opening the Internet Explorer icon launches the Microsoft Internet Explorer program. There’s no real consistency to program icons. Each is just a “logo” of the underlying program.
Document icon: Represents a document; typically this is something we can change and print. The icon usually has a little dog-ear fold in the upper-right corner to resemble a paper document. For example, inside the window in the lour-right corner, many of the icons represent Microsoft Word documents (hence the letter W in the icon). The Grandmom icon in the upper My Pictures window is also a document icon. It represents a picture stored on disk. I’m currently viewing the contents of that folder in Thumbnails view, displays a small thumbnail-sized image of the actual photo, as opposed to some generic icon.
Shortcut icon: The little arrow in the lour-left corner of an icon identifies that icon as a shortcut to some program, document, folder, or Web site. Unlike most icons, which generally represent an actual file or location on our disk, shortcut icons just provide quick access to things.
We can manipulate virtually all icons by using the set of basic skills in the following list:
• As we know, we can open any icon by double-clicking it. If we’ve opted to switch to the single-click approach, we also can open the icon with a single-click. Whatever the icon represents will open in a window atop the desktop, as discussed in a moment.
• To move an icon, drag it to any new location on the screen. To move a bunch of icons, first select the icons we want to move by dragging the mouse pointer. Then drag the whole selection to a new place on the screen.
Tip Remember, to drag something means to rest the mouse pointer on the item we want to move, and then to hold down the mouse button as we move the mouse pointer to the new location. To drop the item at the new location, just release the mouse button.
• To see all the options available for an icon, right-click the icon to open its shortcut menu.
• To organize all the icons on the desktop, right-click an empty part of the desktop and choose Arrange Icons By on the shortcut menu that appears. Then click whichever option we prefer (Name, Type, and so forth). Choosing Name will arrange the icons into (roughly) alphabetic order (although some icons, such as My Documents, My Computer, and Recycle Bin, tend to stay near the upper-left corner of the screen).
• To have Windows XP automatically arrange icons for us, right-click an empty part of the desktop or the window and chooses Arrange Icons By from the menu, and then chooses Auto Arrange from the submenu that appears. After we have done this, however, we cannot move icons, because they will immediately jump back into their original place. To turn off the automatic arrangement, repeat this step. When Auto Arrange has a check mark next to it, that feature is currently turned on.
• If we prefer to put icons into our own order, and want them neatly arranged, choose Arrange Icons By → Align to Grid. After we do so, the icons will align on an invisible grid, creating a neater appearance.
FOLDERS
If we have worked with DOS or earlier versions of Windows, we are probably familiar with directories and subdirectories. Windows replaced the concepts of directories and subdirectories with the concept of folders. A folder is like a directory in that it holds programs and files. We can also put folders within folders just as we used to put directories within directories (subdirectories). We will want to use folders to organize our computer and the work we do on the computer.
Creating folder: Creating a folder is easy. If we are on the Desktop, click the right mouse button and select New. Choose Folder from the pop up menu and a new folder will be displayed on the Desktop. The current name of the folder “New Folder” will be highlighted so all we have to do is type in the folder name we prefer. We can use any characters in the name except the following: / \ *
< >? “
General operations related to folder
To move or copy an item, click on the item with the right mouse button and hold it down. Drag the item to the new location. To move an item, select the Move Here option. To make a copy of the item, select the Copy Here option. This technique works when we are working on the Desktop, in Windows Explorer and in My Computer.
To see what resides in the folder, double click on the folder.
RECYCLE BIN
Sometimes we will create documents or folders and later we will find that we no longer need them. It’s a good idea to keep our computer free of files and folders that are no longer needed. We can get rid of unneeded files and folders three ways:
Keyboard
The easiest way to delete a file, folder or program is to highlight the item by clicking on it with the right mouse button. Once the item is highlighted, press the Delete key on the keyboard.
Right Mouse Button
We can delete a file or folder by clicking on the unwanted item with the right mouse button. Choose Delete from the pop up menu. We will be shown the same confirmation message. To send the item and its contents to the Recycle Bin, click on Yes and the item will be deleted.
Drag and Drop
We can drag the unwanted item directly to the Recycle Bin. Point at the file or folder with the mouse, click the left mouse button and hold it down, and drag the file or folder to the Recycle Bin on the Desktop.
Restore in recycle bin
We can also restore the deleted files to there from where it was deleted. For this just open the recycle bin and right click on the icon of deleted item. Then, it will be restored in its own place.
DIALOG BOX
A dialog box is sort of like a window. Instead of representing an entire program, however, a dialog box generally contains some simple settings from which we can choose. The term dialog box comes from the fact that we carry on a kind of “dialogue” with the box by making selections from the options it presents. Controls within a dialog box are similar to the controls on any other kind of machine, be it a car, dishwasher, or stereo. Controls enable us to control how a program behaves and looks.
TITLE BAR
The title bar shows the System Menu icon, the title of the window or name of the program being run in the window, and the buttons for resizing and closing the window.
It consists of following options:
Minimize button:
When we click the Minimize button, the windows disappears and shrinks to a button in the taskbar.
Maximize/Restore button:
Clicking the Maximize button expands the window to full-screen size (a quick way to hide other windows that may be distracting we). When the window is full-screen size, the Maximize button turns into the Restore button. To return the window to its previous size, click the Restore button.
Close button:
Clicking the Close button closes the window, taking it off the screen and out of he taskbar as well. To restart the program in the future, we’ll need to go through whatever procedure we usually perform to start that program.
Sizing pad
The sizing pad in the lour-right corner of the window enables us to size the window. Just point to the sizing pad and then drag it outward to enlarge the window, or inward to shrink the window. We can actually size a window by dragging any edge or any corner of the window. The sizing pad just provides for a slightly larger target on which to rest the mouse pointer.
MENU BAR
Many windows that we open will have a menu bar across the top. The menu bar offers access to all the features that the program within the window has to offer. When we click on a menu option, a menu drops down.
TOOLBAR
Some windows also have a toolbar just below the menu bar. The toolbar provides one-click access to the most frequently used menu commands. Most toolbars provide ToolTips, a brief description that appears on the screen after we rest the mouse pointer on the button for a few seconds. Other programs, including WordPad, might show the descriptive text for the button we’re pointing to down in the status bar.
Toolbars are optional in most programs. We can turn them on and off using options from that program’s View menu. Some programs even offer customizable toolbars (although WordPad isn’t one of them). If a toolbar can be customized, right-clicking the toolbar and choosing Customize from its shortcut menu will take we to the options for customizing the toolbar. For future reference, keep in mind that if we’re looking to learn more about the toolbars in a specific program, we can open that program’s help system and search for the word toolbar.
Status bar
The status bar along the bottom of a window plays different roles in different programs. However, a common role is to display helpful information. For example, the status bar at the bottom of the WordPad window often displays the helpful message For Help, press F1 to let we know that help is available for the program. When we point to a toolbar button in WordPad, the status bar message changes to describe the purpose of that button.
System menu
The System menu enables us to move, size, and close the window by using the keyboard rather than the mouse. We might find this handy if we do a lot of typing and prefer not to take our hands off the keyboard to manage a window. To open the System menu, press Alt + Spacebar (hold down the Alt key, press and release the spacebar, and then release the Alt key) or click the System menu icon in the upper-left corner of the window. When the System menu is open, we can choose options in the usual manner. Click the option we want. Alternatively, on the keyboard, type the underlined letter of the option we want; for example, type the letter N to choose the Minimize option.
Networking in windows
Windows comes in both client and server versions, all of which support networking, the difference being that the server versions are designed to be dedicated servers. The client versions of Windows may also share data over the network and can be configured to grant access to all or specific files only. Windows PCs are used to access a variety of servers on the network, including Windows servers, UNIX, Linux and NetWare servers and mainframes.
Some shortcut key used in windows
General keyboard shortcuts:
• CTRL+C Copy.
• CTRL+X Cut.
• CTRL+V Paste.
• CTRL+Z Undo.
• DELETE Delete.
• SHIFT+DELETE Delete selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin.
• CTRL while dragging an item Copy selected item.
• CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item Create shortcut to select item.
• F2 Rename selected item.
• CTRL+RIGHT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word.
• CTRL+LEFT ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word.
• CTRL+DOWN ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph.
• CTRL+UP ARROW Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph.
• CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Highlight a block of text.
• SHIFT with any of the arrow keys Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text within a document.
• CTRL+A Select all.
• F3 Search for a file or folder.
• ALT+ENTER View properties for the selected item.
• ALT+F4 Close the active item, or quit the active program.
• ALT+Enter Displays the properties of the selected object.
• ALT+SPACEBAR Opens the shortcut menu for the active window.
• CTRL+F4 Close the active document in programs that allow we to have multiple documents open simultaneously.
• ALT+TAB Switch between open items.
• ALT+ESC Cycle through items in the order they oure opened.
• F6 Cycle through screen elements in a window or on the desktop.
• F4 Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
• SHIFT+F10 Display the shortcut menu for the selected item.
• ALT+SPACEBAR Display the System menu for the active window.
• CTRL+ESC Display the Start menu.
• ALT+Underlined letter in menu name Display the corresponding menu.
• Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu Carry out the corresponding command.
• F10 Activate the menu bar in the active program.
• RIGHT ARROW Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu.
• LEFT ARROW Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu.
• F5 Refresh the active window.
• BACKSPACE View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer.
• ESC Cancel the current task.
• SHIFT when we insert a CD into the CD-ROM drive Prevent the CD from automatically playing.
Dialog box keyboard shortcuts:
• CTRL+TAB Move forward through tabs.
• CTRL+SHIFT+TAB Move backward through tabs.
• TAB Move forward through options.
• SHIFT+TAB Move backward through options.
• ALT+ Underlined letter Carry out the corresponding command or select the corresponding option.
• ENTER Carry out the command for the active option or button.
• SPACEBAR Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box.
• Arrow keys Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons.
• F1 Display Help.
• F4 Display the items in the active list.
• BACKSPACE Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box.
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