COM 111 COMPUTERS APPLICATIONS

CHAPTER FOUR: WINDOWS BASICS

At the end of the chapter the learner shall be able to;

 Explain the process of booting a computer
 Start a computer system and log on to windows operating system
 Start a program using the all programs menu#
 Turn off and restart a computer
 Retrieve files, create a folder and a shortcut to a program

4.1 Windows operating system Boot up Process

Booting Up
It is useful to understand what happens behind the scenes when you switch on your computer from an idle
machine to an operable and functional system. There are essentially two forms of booting - the soft boot
and the hard boot. The warm boot or hard boot involves powering the computer up from an initial zero
power supply. A cold boot on the other hand takes place when a software application or operating system
triggers the computer to perform a reboot.

A successful boot is dependent on 3 conditions - the hardware, BIOS and operating system files to function
without errors. When an error occurs, you will be notified by error messages, beeping sounds or in the
worst scenario, a blank screen.

Boot-up Process
The boot-up process is a list of detailed procedures that the system undergoes to perform all system checks
and load all necessary files to bring the computer to an operable state.

The Windows boot-up process comprises of the following procedures:

a. The Power-On Self Test Phase
b. BIOS ROM Phase
c. Boot Loader Phase
d. Operating System Configuration Phase
e. Security & Logon Phase

4.2 Logging On to Windows

You must log on to the PC before you can use it. Each user is given a user name and a password which
must be entered in the log-on screen before Windows will start up. When you log on you will have access
to your own personal space.
The default Login screen for Windows XP computers is appears when you switch on the machine. To
login; Enter your user and password in the respective boxes.

When you enter your password, Windows will display a series of ●●●●●●●●●●●s to protect your
password from wandering eyes.
Press ENTER on the keyboard or click OK

4.3 Windows Desktop

Desktop is your work area on which program and files icons are located. It is basically a workspace where
you can access everything you need to operate your computer, such as system components, applications,
the Internet, etc.

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 1

The desktop contains:
Example using Windows XP
icons

Start button task bar System Tray

The desktop contains:

 Start button: one of the most important tools you will use while working with Windows. The
Start button allows you to open menus and start applications.
 Taskbar: primarily used to switch between open windows and applications
 Icons (or graphical pictures): represent applications, files, folders and other parts of the operating
system. By default Windows provides you with one desktop icon, the Recycle Bin. Learn more
about the Recycle Bin in a later module.
 My Computer. The My Computer icon provides access to the resources on your computer. You
can access your drives and other peripherals by clicking on the My Computer icon. You can also
access the Control Panel through My Computer.
 Internet Explorer. The Internet Explorer icon launches the Internet Explorer browser.
 My network places. If you are working on a network, this displays all of the computers on the
network
 System Tray. The part of the taskbar that holds the clock, volume control, and icons for other
utilities that runs in the background of your system.
 Recycle Bin. This is where you dump any files you want to delete.

4.4 Starting a Program

1. Click the Start button, the Start menu will pop up.
2. Point your cursor to All Programs. A Menu listing the different program categories pops up.

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 2

3. Point your cursor to Microsoft Office, another menu will appear to the right of the All Programs menu,
as shown below.

4. Click on Microsoft Word.

4.5. Parts of a Window

Windows contain buttons and menus to control the program and window. Windows are used in most
programs, but the good news is once you learn the window of one program, you will be familiar with the
windows for most programs since the window, menu and button layout appears in just about every window
program.

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 3

 1. Close Button Closes the window or program, removing it from the screen and the computer’s
memory.
2. Minimize Button Minimizes a program from view. The program is still ready for use and can be
found in the task bar.
3. Maximize Button Enlarges the window so that it fills the entire screen, allowing you to see your
entire workspace. Notice, when a window is maximized, this button is not shown.
4. Restore Button When a window is maximized, this button is shown. Clicking it will make the
window smaller.
5. Menu Bar Controls what a program does. The menu functions listed will change from program to
program, but the bar is always located at the top.
6. Status Bar Displays information about the program, such as instructions or special information.
7. Title Bar Displays the name of the program and name of the file in use.
8. Main Window .This is where you work within a program. If it is Microsoft Word, this is where
you would type, if it is a web browser this is where the web page would be displayed.
9. Toolbar. Have shortcuts to the menu items

4.6. System Management: Log off, Switch Users, Restart, Lock System
More than one person may use your computer. For example several coworkers may be able to access your
computer on a computer network. Windows allows everyone who uses your computer to have separate
computer accounts. A computer accounts tracks each person's unique settings, documents, and email
accounts.

Windows even enables you to log off the computer so someone else can log on without having to restart
the computer.

Command
 Click the Start menu
 Click the Arrow to the right of Shut Down
 Select and Click the appropriate option
a) Switch User allows someone else to log on to the computer. If you choose to Switch User, your
applications will continue to run in the background while the new user logs on.
b) Log Off: If you choose Log Off, your applications will close and the systems takes you to the log-
in window where you will be required to type in your username and password.
c) Lock; the system will be locked and cannot be access by anyone until you unlock it by entering
your password.
d) Restart: the system shuts down and restarts again (re-boots)
e) Sleep:- System is put to sleep where it slows down its activities, power usage etc. sometimes a user
password may be required to “wake” it up
f) Hibernate: Puts the system to an inactive state.

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 4

Windows 7 and Above

4.7 Working With Files and Folders

Computer folders are named memory spaces that can be used to store files.

Creating a Folder
Folders can be create in hierarchical tree format where folders can hold sub-folders etc.

Folder A
Folder B (Sub-folder of A)
Folder C (Sub-folder of B)

Create a folder on the C-Drive

Open the C-Drive
 Double Click the My Computer Icon on the Desktop OR
Click New, then select and click Computer

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 5

Double Click the Local Disk (C:) to open it

 Select and click New folder option on the Menu Bar. The folder will appear at the bottom of your list.
When it displays as a black rectangle with the words New Folder highlighted in blue, it is prompting
you to give it a name.
 Type in the name of the folder created and press Enter Key

To Create a folder in side another folder – Sub-folders.

 Double Click the proposed parent folder and open it
 Select and click New folder option on the Menu Bar. The folder will appear at the bottom of your list.
When it displays as a black rectangle with the words New Folder highlighted in blue, it is prompting
you to give it a name.
 Type in the name of the folder created and press Enter Key

Open your Folders

 Double click my computer and locate your file.
 Double click on the folder.
 The contents of the folder will be displayed in the open window. To get back to the previous
folder, click the Back Button.

Renaming a Folder
To rename an existing folder, move your mouse over the name and right click. A menu will appear. Close
to the bottom you will see the word Rename. Click it, and the black rectangle with the word highlighted in
blue will appear. Rename your folder and hit Enter.

Deleting a folder
 Right click on the folder and select delete or.
 Select the file, go to file menu and select delete
 A dialog box appears asking if you want to delete the folder, click yes

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 6

Once files are deleted they go to the recycle bin which is a holding or storage location for files not
required. Such files are still in the hard disk. These files can be retrieved from recycle bin as long as
recycle bin have not been emptied.

Copying files in folders

Copying file between folders allows you to have two duplicate copies of the file in different folders. A
copy of the file is left in the Source folder while a duplicate copy is maintained in any subsequent folder it
is copied to.

Source Folder
 Select the file from the Source folder
 Select and Click Organize menu
 Select and click copy
Destination folder
 Select and double click the Destination folder
 Select and click Organize menu
 Select and Click Paste

By dragging
Open the source and destination folders and place them next to each other

 Click on the file on source folder and hold the mouse left button down
 Drag it to the destination folder and release the button

Short cuts
Short cuts are icons placed on the Desktop that allows you to quickly open a program or file

Procedure of creating shortcuts

 Locate the item and right click
 Select Send to menu
 Select Desktop (create shortcut)

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 7

Recycle Bin
Windows provides us with a folder called recycle bin where all deleted files are stored. If you accidently
delete a file you can be able to retrieve it from the recycle bin and restore it to the folder it originally was
stored in. The Recycle bin icon is always place on the desktop.

The folder is the equivalent of dust bin in an office.

Retrieving files
 Select and double click the recycle bin Icon on the Desktop to open it
 Locate the file and right click on it and select restore.

4.8 Chapter Review Questions

1. Which of the following is not contained in the Windows desktop
(a) Recycle Bin (b) Task Bar (c) Start Button (d) File menu

2. Which of the following has the command for turning off the computers system
(a) Recycle Bin (b) Task Bar (c) Start Button (d) File menu

3. A user can create a folder on the desktop. True or false

4. Which of the following is not part of a window?

(a) Task Bar (b) Menu Bar (c) Title Bar (d) Close Button

5. Explain the steps you would follow to create a folder in my documents location.

COM 111 - Chapter 4: Intro. To Windows Page 8