Transcript Introduction to Windows XP

Introduction to Windows XP
CIS 100: Introduction to Computers
Mr. A. Craig Dixon
Spring 2006
Types of Interfaces
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An interface is the set of tools used for communicating
with an operating system.
Early operating systems, like MS-DOS and UNIX, used
command-line interfaces.
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All input is done by keyboard
Requires the user to know special operating system
commands
Examples: dir, mkdir, copy, type, chkdsk
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Most modern operating systems, like Windows, Mac
OS, and Linux, employ a graphical user interface
(GUI)
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Input is accomplished by using the keyboard or mouse to
interact with onscreen elements
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The Windows Desktop
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After the user logs in on a Windows system, he or she is taken
to the Windows desktop.
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The desktop may contain icons, which are small pictures that,
when clicked, launch programs or open locations on your computer.
The desktop may also be decorated with a picture or pattern called
a wallpaper.
At the bottom of the desktop is the taskbar. Almost all running
programs appear on the taskbar.
On the far left of the taskbar is the Start button, which displays
the Start menu. Most programs can be launched from the Start
menu.
On the far right of the taskbar is the system tray. The system
tray contains small icons that represent programs that stay
active throughout your computing session.
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Anatomy of the Desktop
Icon
Cursor
Taskbar
Start button
System tray
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What is a window?
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Almost all Windows programs run in a region of the
screen called, conveniently, a “window.”
Most windows may be resized and / or overlapped to
maximize the available screen real estate.
Most windows can be displayed in three states
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Maximized – the window covers all available screen real
estate, excluding the taskbar
Restored – the window reverts to a smaller state, which may
be resized by the user
Minimized – the window is not displayed on the desktop, but
a button for it appears in the taskbar
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Anatomy of a window
Close button
Title bar
Menu bar
Restore /
maximize
button
Minimize button
Status bar
Window button in taskbar
Content area
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Mouse actions in Windows XP
There are five primary types of mouse actions that
Windows XP recognizes.
• Point – position the cursor over the item being pointed
to
• Click – point to an item, then click the left mouse button
• Double Click – point to an item, then click the left
mouse button twice in rapid succession
• Right Click – point to an item, then click the right mouse
button
• Drag-and-Drop – point to an item, click and hold down
the left mouse button, move the mouse (drag), and
release the left mouse button over another item (drop)
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Purposes of Mouse Actions
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Point – pointing and hovering (allowing the cursor to remain
stationary) over most items will display a tool tip, a small label
indicating the item’s name or purpose
Click – selects the clicked item, but usually attempts no further
action with it
Double click – attempts to interact with the item in some way
(launch a program, view a picture, or play a sound)
Right click – displays a context menu (sometimes called a popup
menu) containing common actions associated with the rightclicked item
Drag-and-drop – attempts to cause the dragged item to interact
with the item it was dropped on. For example, dragging a picture
file and dropping it on the Internet Explorer icon will allow the
user to view the picture using Internet Explorer (if possible)
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The Windows File System
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All drives installed in the computer are assigned a
drive letter
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A: is reserved for a floppy disk drive
B: is reserved for a second floppy disk drive, although this is
seldom seen nowadays
C: is reserved for the primary hard drive
CD and DVD drives, secondary hard drives, flash, Zip, tape,
and network drives are assigned subsequent letters which
are usually, but not always, in sequence
A single drive may be segmented into multiple partitions. In
this case, each partition has its own drive letter.
Drives may be organized into folders and subfolders,
giving the file system a hierarchical tree-like topology.
Appropriately, the lowest folder on a drive
(referenced by the drive letter) is called the root.
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Navigating the File System
To view the files and folders on your computer,
do one of the following:
• Double click the My Computer icon on the
desktop
• Click Start, then click My Computer
• Click Start, point to All Programs, point to
Accessories, click on Windows Explorer
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My Computer
This computer has a floppy drive, a hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive.
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Windows Explorer
Subdirectories of C: are BACKUP, CDROM, DELL, etc. Files in the root are
Dumplog, FRUNLOG, ZTECH, etc.
Local disk C:
can be
collapsed
DELL can be
expanded
Contents of C:
temp cannot
be expanded
(has no
subfolders)
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About Files
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In the early days of MS-DOS and Windows 3.x, all file
names were at most 8 characters long with a 3
character extension.
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This was called 8.3 file naming
An example file name would be README.TXT
Beginning with Windows 95, filenames grew to 255
characters (including spaces, which were not
previously possible) with longer extensions
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Despite these new capabilities, many files still adhere
to the old 8.3 naming system.
Most extensions still do not exceed 4 characters
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File Types
File extensions were meant to denote the type of data in the file. Many
files have also special icons to denote what type of files they are.
Denotes a folder (no extension)
Denotes a text file (extension .txt)
Denotes a Microsoft Word file (extension .doc)
Denotes a Microsoft Excel file (extension .xls)
Denotes a Microsoft Access file (extension .mdb)
Denotes a Microsoft PowerPoint file (extension .ppt)
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More File Types
Other file types have different icons depending on
which program the user prefers to use when opening
them. Some examples are:
• Web pages (extensions .htm and .html)
• Picture files (extensions .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .png, .tif, and
others)
• Sound files (extensions .mp3, .wav, .midi, and others)
• Movie files (extensions .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, and
others)
• Archive (compressed) files (extensions .zip, .tar, .jar, and
others)
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Copying Files
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Due to the volatile nature media, it is
desirable to keep multiple copies of a
file on several types of media
Copying a file from one location to
another can be accomplished in several
ways
The process of copying leaves copies on
both the source and destination media
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Copying a File
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Open My Computer and
navigate to the location of
the file to be copied.
Right click the file to be
copied. A context menu will
appear.
Click Copy from the context
menu.
Navigate to the destination
that the file will be copied to.
Right click in the white space
of the window. Another
context menu will appear.
Click Paste from this context
menu. Your file will appear in
its new location.
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Creating a Folder
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Open My Computer and
navigate to the location
where you want the folder
created.
Right click in the white space
of the window; a context
menu is displayed.
Point to New; a context
submenu is displayed.
Click Folder in the submenu.
A new folder appears with
the name New Folder.
Type a name for the folder
and press Enter.
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Deleting a File or Folder
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Open My Computer and
navigate to the file or
folder to be deleted.
Right click the file or
folder; a context menu will
be displayed.
Click Delete. You are asked
to confirm your choice.
Click Yes; the file or folder
disappears, BUT…
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Deleting (continued)
5.
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… it’s still on your hard
drive in a special
location called the
Recycle Bin.
From the desktop,
double click the Recycle
Bin icon. A window
listing all the files you
deleted appears.
Click File from the
menu bar, then click
Empty Recycle Bin.
You will be prompted to
confirm your choice.
Click Yes. Your file is
now permanently
deleted.
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The Recycle Bin
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The idea of the Recycle Bin was actually
stolen from Apple Macintosh, who called it
the Trash Can.
It gives the user a chance to recover files he
or she may have accidentally deleted.
The Recycle Bin icon will have papers in it if
there are files in the Recycle Bin; otherwise, it
appears empty.
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Recovering a Deleted File
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From the desktop,
double click the Recycle
Bin icon. A window
listing your deleted files
and folders appears.
Right click the file or
folder you want to
restore; a context menu
appears.
Click Restore. The file
or folder is returned to
the location from which
it was deleted.
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Selecting Multiple Files
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You can select multiple files to copy,
delete, or restore by using a
combination of keypresses and mouse
clicks.
There are two methods of selecting
multiple files:
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Semi-surgical selection
Surgical selection
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Semi-surgical selection
Semi-surgical selection is the process of selecting multiple files that are
displayed contiguously.
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Open My Computer and
navigate to the directory
containing the files or
folders you want to select.
Click the first file in the
contiguous block.
Press and hold the Shift
key.
Click the last file in the
contiguous block.
Release the Shift key.
Click “Syllabus for CIS 100”
Press and hold Shift
Click “CIS 100 – Project 2”
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Surgical selection
Surgical selection is the process of selecting multiple files that are not
displayed contiguously.
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Open My Computer and
navigate to the directory
containing the files or
folders you want to select.
Click one of the files you
want to select
Press and hold the Ctrl key.
Click all of the other files
you want to select.
Release the Ctrl key.
Click “Syllabus for CIS 100”
Press and hold Ctrl
Click “CIS 100 – Project 2”
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Renaming a File or Folder
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Open My Computer and
navigate to the file or
folder you want to
rename.
Right click the file or
folder; a context menu
will appear.
Click Rename. The old
file or folder name is
highlighted.
Type the new name for
the file or folder. The old
name will be
overwritten.
Press Enter.
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Shutting Down Windows
When you are ready to turn off your computer, it is important to shut
down Windows properly. Failure to do so can cause you to lose data or
corrupt critical files that will cause your computer to behave abnormally.
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Click Start, then
click Turn off
computer from the
Start menu.
The screen dims and
the Shut down
menu appears. Click
Turn off.
The computer
performs some shut
down procedures,
then powers itself
off.
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Lock-ups
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Windows is notorious for a condition known
as a lock-up.
There are two types of lock-ups:
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Program lock-ups – a particular program stops
responding to commands given by the user.
System lock-ups – Windows itself stops
responding to commands given by the user.
It may be difficult if not impossible to shut
down properly after either type of lock-up.
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Program Lock-ups
If a program locks up, try the following:
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Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys
simultaneously.
The task manager window
should appear, displaying all of
your currently running
programs.
Click on the program that has
stopped responding, (its status
may read Not Responding) then
click the End Task button.
You will be warned that you will
lose any unsaved information in
this program. Click OK.
The program should end,
although it may not.
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System Lock-ups
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Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys
simultaneously.
If the task manager appears, (it
probably won’t) click Shut Down from
the menu bar, then select Restart.
If the task manager does not appear,
release Ctrl, Alt, and Del, then press
them again. This is supposed to restart
the computer. Be patient; it may take a
few seconds.
If none of the above works, press and
hold your computer’s power button
until the computer powers off.
NOTE: Manually powering your computer off and back on (called a hard
reset or cold boot) can damage files and / or hardware. It is always best to
try Ctrl+Alt+Del (a soft reset or warm boot) first.
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