Introduction to Windows XP

CIS 100: Introduction to Computers

Mr. A. Craig DixonSpring 2006

Introduction to Windows XP 2

Types of Interfaces 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. All input is done by keyboard Requires the user to know special operating system

commandsExamples: dir, mkdir, copy, type, chkdsk

Most modern operating systems, like Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, employ a graphical user interface (GUI)

Input is accomplished by using the keyboard or mouse to interact with onscreen elements

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The Windows Desktop After the user logs in on a Windows system, he or she is

taken to the Windows desktop. 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 buttonSystem tray

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What is a window? 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 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

Content area

Title bar

Minimize button

Restore / maximize button

Close button

Menu bar

Status barWindow button in taskbar

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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 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 right-clicked 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 All drives installed in the computer are assigned a

drive letter 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 ComputerThis computer has a floppy drive, a hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive.

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Windows ExplorerSubdirectories of C: are BACKUP, CDROM, DELL, etc. Files in the root are Dumplog, FRUNLOG, ZTECH, etc.

Contents of C:

Local disk C: can be collapsed

DELL can be expanded

temp cannot be expanded (has no subfolders)

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About Files 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.

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

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 TypesFile 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 TypesOther 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 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 File1. Open My Computer and

navigate to the location of the file to be copied.

2. Right click the file to be copied. A context menu will appear.

3. Click Copy from the context menu.

4. Navigate to the destination that the file will be copied to.

5. Right click in the white space of the window. Another context menu will appear.

6. Click Paste from this context menu. Your file will appear in its new location.

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Creating a Folder1. Open My Computer and

navigate to the location where you want the folder created.

2. Right click in the white space of the window; a context menu is displayed.

3. Point to New; a context submenu is displayed.

4. Click Folder in the submenu. A new folder appears with the name New Folder.

5. Type a name for the folder and press Enter.

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Deleting a File or Folder1. Open My Computer and

navigate to the file or folder to be deleted.

2. Right click the file or folder; a context menu will be displayed.

3. Click Delete. You are asked to confirm your choice.

4. Click Yes; the file or folder disappears, BUT…

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Deleting (continued)5. … it’s still on your

hard drive in a special location called the Recycle Bin.

6. From the desktop, double click the Recycle Bin icon. A window listing all the files you deleted appears.

7. Click File from the menu bar, then click Empty Recycle Bin.

8. You will be prompted to confirm your choice.

9. Click Yes. Your file is now permanently deleted.

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The Recycle Bin 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 File1. From the desktop,

double click the Recycle Bin icon. A window listing your deleted files and folders appears.

2. Right click the file or folder you want to restore; a context menu appears.

3. Click Restore. The file or folder is returned to the location from which it was deleted.

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Selecting Multiple Files 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: Semi-surgical selection Surgical selection

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Semi-surgical selection

1. Open My Computer and navigate to the directory containing the files or folders you want to select.

2. Click the first file in the contiguous block.

3. Press and hold the Shift key.

4. Click the last file in the contiguous block.

5. Release the Shift key.

Semi-surgical selection is the process of selecting multiple files that are displayed contiguously.

Click “Syllabus for CIS 100”

Press and hold Shift

Click “CIS 100 – Project 2”

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Surgical selection

1. Open My Computer and navigate to the directory containing the files or folders you want to select.

2. Click one of the files you want to select

3. Press and hold the Ctrl key.

4. Click all of the other files you want to select.

5. Release the Ctrl key.

Surgical selection is the process of selecting multiple files that are not displayed contiguously.

Click “Syllabus for CIS 100”

Press and hold Ctrl

Click “CIS 100 – Project 2”

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Renaming a File or Folder1. Open My Computer

and navigate to the file or folder you want to rename.

2. Right click the file or folder; a context menu will appear.

3. Click Rename. The old file or folder name is highlighted.

4. Type the new name for the file or folder. The old name will be overwritten.

5. Press Enter.

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Shutting Down Windows

1. Click Start, then click Turn off computer from the Start menu.

2. The screen dims and the Shut down menu appears. Click Turn off.

3. The computer performs some shut down procedures, then powers itself off.

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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Lock-ups Windows is notorious for a condition

known as a lock-up. There are two types of lock-ups:

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

1. Press the Ctrl, Alt, and Del keys simultaneously.

2. The task manager window should appear, displaying all of your currently running programs.

3. Click on the program that has stopped responding, (its status may read Not Responding) then click the End Task button.

4. You will be warned that you will lose any unsaved information in this program. Click OK.

5. The program should end, although it may not.

If a program locks up, try the following:

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System Lock-ups 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.