Lecture 2
Navigating in Windows
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In Summary:
An operating system (OS) is the computer program that manages all other programs on the
machine. You interact with the computer by using the OS through an interface such as a
command language or a graphical user interface (GUI). One such GUI is Windows XP. Others
include Mac OS X and Linux. All other programs on your computer (such as Word, Excel, and
PowerPoint) are called applications.
Windows XP
Windows XP is a Microsoft operating system released in 2001 and is, by far, the most
commonly used OS buy today’s computer users.
System Requirements
To install Windows XP on your computer you need to have the following minimum requirements:
CPU
PC with 300 megahertz (MHz) or higher processor clock speed recommended (233
MHz minimum required)
RAM
128 megabytes (MB) of RAM or higher recommended (64 MB minimum supported;
may limit performance and some features)
Storage
1.5 gigabytes (GB) of available hard disk space
Monitor
Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution video adapter and monitor
CD-ROM
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
Keyboard/mouse
Keyboard and Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device
Logging onto your Desktop
Although you may have seen someone enter a password to reach their desktop, by default the
desktop will load automatically for you. This is because the initial installation of Windows XP
asks for a username but does not prompt for a password, resulting in an auto-login for your first
user account.
A desktop is a GUI (graphical user interface) which consists mainly of icons.
An icon is a picture that represents an object or program (such as a file, folder, or shortcut).
These icons can represent various types of documents or places. They can also be created,
deleted, and arranged in different ways on your desktop and in other areas.
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Understanding your Desktop Layout
Desktop
The main area in Windows XP where icons, program windows, and dialog boxes
appear.
Start Menu
The menu used for launching applications that is brought up when one clicks on
the Start button on the taskbar.
My Documents
A standard Windows XP icon that represents a common folder which a user can
utilize to store files (such as documents or images).
My Computer
A standard Windows XP icon that gives you easy access to the drives, folders,
and files on your computer.
Recycle Bin
A part of the Windows system that holds files that are marked for deletion, but
which can be recovered if necessary. Once the Recycle Bin is emptied, the files
can no longer be recovered by conventional means.
Desktop view in Windows XP:
My Documents
My Computer
Recycle Bin
Start Menu
Desktop
Start
Button
Taskbar
Notification area
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Desktop view in Windows 7:
Recycle
Bin
 Take turns asking your partner the following questions about what they see on their computer
screen:



How many icons are on the desktop?
Are there any windows open?
What happens when you click on Start?
Understanding your Start Menu
The Start Menu is always available to you in Windows XP. You can return to the start menu at
any time by selecting the Start button on the taskbar.
The Start menu contains everything you need to begin using Windows. You can start programs,
open files, customize your system, get help, search for files on your computer, and much more.
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You can access the start menu through several ways:
 Move your mouse pointer to the green start button and select it.
 Hit the Windows key on your keyboard.
 Use the keyboard short-cut of Ctrl key + Esc key. (This means to hold one key down and
then push the other key. Both keys are basically pressed at the same time, then let go.)
To browse through the start menu and other menus you can move your mouse to the desired
position and the menu should appear. You can also click on the submenu and it will appear.
Once the sub-menu appears you may navigate to this section of the next menu. To familiarize
yourself with the Start Menu, browse through it and try some of the applications. These
applications can be opened by left clicking on them.
Current User
At the top left are fixed
items; shortcuts to things
like your Internet browser
or e-mail program.
The left side of the start
menu regularly updates with
links to the programs you
use most frequently.
Some commands have a
right-facing arrow; that
means additional choices
are available on a
secondary menu.
Displays all the programs
that are installed on your
computer.
Starting a Program
Follow the instructions below to start Internet Explorer.
1. Click the Start button.
2. If you do not see Internet Explorer listed, move your
mouse over All Programs.
The little arrow means that there
are more options hidden. Hover
your mouse over the arrow to see
what’s there!
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3. A list of programs will appear. Move your mouse to the right and click on Internet
Explorer to start the program.
The Application Window
When you are working on a personal computer, all applications open in their own window.
Practice 1: Start a program
Start the program Microsoft Word. Write the steps below:
1. Click the Start button.
2.
3.
4.
5.
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Practice 2: Review a Window
Look at the Microsoft Word window and answer the following questions.

Can you tell by looking at the monitor which program is open?

What happens if you use the scroll bar to scroll down?

What happens if you click on the middle size button?

What program is shown in the picture on the previous page?

What are the differences between the Microsoft Word window on your
monitor and the window shown in the picture on the previous page?
Exiting a program
Click the x button in the upper right corner of the window. Don’t be concerned if the x
looks a little bit different.
Practice 3: Start and exit the program Internet Explorer a few times until you
feel comfortable doing it. Try scrolling up and down.
Practice 4: Start and exit the program Microsoft Word a few times until you feel
comfortable doing it.
Using a Window
Whenever you open a program, file, or folder, it appears on your screen in a box or frame called
a window (that's where the Windows operating system gets its name). So a window is a frame
which contains the contents of files or folders. Windows can also display applications.
When an application is opened or data is viewed, they are displayed from within a window. A
window can change depending on the type of file, folder, or application opened. For now, we will
focus on windows showing files or folders.
My Computer, Calculator, Control Panel, and Date and Time are all examples of items that open
in a window. The advantage of this is that you may have several windows open, each running
a different application, and displaying different data. This is valuable when it comes to
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multitasking. Windows can be arranged so they do not overlap each other (tiled windows), or so
they do overlap each other (cascade windows), or a preference manually set by the user.
Parts of a window
Although the contents of every window are different, all windows share some things in common.
For one thing, windows always appear on the desktop—the main work area of your screen. In
addition, most windows have the same basic parts:





Title bar: Displays the name of the document and program (or the folder name if you're
working in a folder).
Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons. These buttons hide the window, enlarge it to fill
the whole screen, and close it, respectively (more details on these shortly).
Menu bar: Contains items that you can click to make choices in a program.
Scroll bar: Lets you scroll the contents of the window to see information that is currently
out of view.
Borders and corners. You can drag these with your mouse pointer to change the size of
the window.
Other windows might have additional buttons, boxes, or bars. But they'll usually have the basic
parts, too.
Here is a window view in Windows XP or earlier versions:
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Maximize
Control menu
Title bar
Minimize
Close
Menu Bar
Standard buttons
Scroll up
Scroll box
Vertical
Scroll bar
Scroll down
Status bar
Resizing corner
A window view in Windows 7:
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Opening and Closing a Window
As you may have learned earlier, when you open an application, file, or folder (represented by
an icon), the item will open in a window.
To open a Window use one of the following methods, you can double-click a desired icon (such
as a Microsoft Word document), or right-click on the desired icon and select Open.
Closing a window shuts down a program, file or folder. To close a window, you can select the
Close button on the Title Bar, click the Control menu icon on the top left portion of the Title Bar
and click Close, or right-click on any part of the Title Bar and click Close.
Note: If you close a document without saving any changes you made, a message appears that
gives you the option to save your changes.
Minimize, Maximize, and Restore
Windows allows you to have multiple programs open at any one time. Each program is said to
be open in its own window. Jumping between these open files is accomplished easily by
minimizing (hiding the window out of sight), maximizing (open to full your whole screen),
restoring (putting a maximized or minimized window back to its previous size), or closing the
open windows.
You will find the Minimize, Maximize, Restore and Close buttons on the horizontal title bar at the
top of each window. Each action can be accomplished from the title bar icons, the control menu
icon, or by right-clicking the title bar.
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
Practice 5: Open Microsoft Word and do the following.
1. Click on the Minimize button.
2. Restore the window (make it visible again).
3. Click on the Restore Down [or Maximize] button.
4. Click on the Maximize [or Restore Down] button.
 Answer the questions below.
1. Is the middle button always the same? _______________________
2. When you click on the Minimize button, did it close the program? ____________
When a window is active (its
taskbar button appears pressed
down), clicking its taskbar button
minimizes the window. That
means that the window
disappears from the desktop.
Minimizing a window doesn't
close it or delete its contents—it
merely removes it from the
desktop temporarily.
In the picture below, Calculator
has been minimized, but not
closed. You can tell it's still
running because it has a button
on the taskbar. Minimizing
Calculator leaves only its taskbar
button visible.
To restore a minimized window (make it show up again on the desktop), click its taskbar button.
You can also minimize a window by clicking the Minimize button, in the upper
-right corner of the window:
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Keeping a Track of Your Windows
If you open more than one program or document at a time, you can quickly start piling up windows on
your desktop. Because windows often cover each other or take up the whole screen, it's sometimes hard
to see what else is underneath or remember what you've already opened.
That's where the taskbar comes in handy. Whenever you open a program, folder, or document, Windows
creates a button on the taskbar corresponding to that item. The button shows the icon and name of the
item. In the picture below, two programs are open—Calculator and Minesweeper—and each has its own
button on the taskbar.
Each program has its own button
on the taskbar.
Notice how the taskbar button for
Minesweeper appears pressed
in. That indicates that
Minesweeper is the active
window, meaning that it's in front
of any other open windows and is
ready for you to interact with.
To switch to another window,
click its taskbar button. In our
example, clicking the taskbar
button for Calculator brings its
window to the front.
Click a window's taskbar
button to switch to that
window. Clicking taskbar buttons
is only one of several ways to
switch between windows.
Switching between windows
If you open more than one program or document, your desktop can quickly become cluttered
with windows. Keeping track of which windows you have open isn't always easy, because some
windows might partially or completely cover others.
The taskbar provides a way to organize all of your windows. Each window has a corresponding
button on the taskbar. To switch to another window, just click its taskbar button. The window
appears in front of all other windows, becoming the active window—the one you're currently
working in.
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Clicking the Calculator
taskbar button brings its
window to the front
To easily identify a window,
point to its taskbar button. A
small picture called a
thumbnail appears that
shows you a miniature
version of the window. This
preview is especially useful if
you can't identify a window
by its title alone.
See Previews of Your Open Windows
When you move your mouse
pointer to a taskbar button, a
small picture appears that shows
you a miniature version of the
corresponding window.
This preview, also called a
thumbnail, is especially useful if
you can't identify a window by its
title alone. Pointing to a
window's taskbar button
displays a preview of the
window. And if one of your windows has video or animation playing, you'll see it playing in the preview.
Moving a window
To move a window, point to its title bar with the mouse pointer . Then drag the window to the
location that you want. (Dragging means pointing to an item, holding down the mouse button,
moving the item with the pointer, and then releasing the mouse button.)
Changing the size of a window
To make a window fill the entire screen, click its Maximize button
window's title bar.
or double-click the
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To return a maximized window to its former size, click its Restore button
place of the Maximize button). Or, double-click the window's title bar.
(this appears in
To resize a window (make it smaller or bigger), point to any of the window's borders or corners.
When the mouse pointer changes to a two-headed arrow (see picture below), drag the border or
corner to shrink or enlarge the window.
A window that is maximized cannot be resized. You must
restore it to its previous size first.
Drag a window's border or corner to resize it
Note: Although most windows can be maximized and
resized, there are some windows that are fixed in size, such
as dialog boxes.
Hiding a window
Hiding a window is called minimizing it. If you want to get a window out of the way
temporarily without closing it, minimize it.
To minimize a window, click its Minimize button
. The window disappears from the desktop
and is visible only as a button on the taskbar, the long horizontal bar at the bottom of your
screen.
Taskbar button
To make a minimized window appear again on the desktop, click its taskbar button. The window
appears exactly as it did before you minimized it. For more information about the taskbar, see
The Taskbar
The taskbar is the long horizontal bar at the bottom of your screen. Unlike the desktop, which can get
obscured by the windows on top of it, the taskbar is visible almost all the time. It has four main sections:



The Start button
, which opens the Start menu. See The Start menu (overview).
The Quick Launch toolbar, which lets you start programs with one click.
The middle section, which shows you which programs and documents you have open and allows
you to quickly switch between them.
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
The notification area, which includes a clock and icons (small pictures) that communicate the
status of certain programs and computer settings.
The taskbar is located at the bottom of your screen. You're likely to use the middle section of the taskbar
the most, so we'll discuss that first.
The Quick Launch toolbar
To the immediate right of the Start button is the Quick Launch toolbar. As its
name implies, it lets you launch (start) programs with a single click. For
example, click the Internet Explorer icon
to start Internet Explorer.
The Quick Launch toolbar sits to the right of the Start button
You can customize the Quick Launch toolbar by adding your favorite programs to it. Locate the
program in the Start menu, right-click it, and then click Add to Quick Launch. (If you don't see this option,
you can also drag the program's icon to the Quick Launch toolbar.) The program's icon now appears in
the toolbar. To remove an icon from the Quick Launch toolbar, right-click it, click Delete, and then click
Yes.
By default, the Quick Launch toolbar also contains two special buttons. Click the Show Desktop button
to temporarily hide all open windows and show the desktop; click the button again to show all
windows again.
Note: If you don't see icons that you've added to the Quick Launch toolbar, and you see double chevrons
instead, it means that the icons won't fit in the toolbar. You can click the double chevrons to access
the hidden toolbar programs, but it's better to resize the toolbar to preserve one-click access to them.
The notification area
The notification area, on the far right side of the taskbar, includes a clock and a group of icons. It looks
like this:
These icons communicate the
status of something on your computer
or provide access to certain
settings. The set of icons you see
depends on which programs or services you have installed and how your computer manufacturer set up
your computer.
When you move your pointer to a particular icon, you will see that icon's name or the status of a setting.
For example, pointing to the volume icon
shows the current volume level of your computer. Pointing
to the network icon
displays information about whether you are connected to a network, the
connection speed, and the signal strength.
Double-clicking an icon in the notification area usually opens the program or setting associated with it. For
example, double-clicking the volume icon opens the volume controls. Double-clicking the network icon
opens Network and Sharing Center.
Occasionally, an icon in the notification area will display a small pop-up window (called a notification) to
notify you about something. For example, after adding a new hardware device to your computer, you
might see this:
The notification area displays a message after
new hardware is installed
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Click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the notification to dismiss it. If you don't do anything,
the notification will fade away on its own after a few seconds.
To reduce clutter, Windows hides icons in the notification area when you
haven't used them in a while. If icons become hidden, click the Show
hidden icons button to temporarily display the hidden icons. Click the Show
hidden icons button to display all icons in the notification area
Computer Networks and Logging On
A computer network is a collection of computers connected to each
other. A network can be as large as millions of computers, like the
Internet, or as few as two computers. Most companies use a network to
connect all of their computers.
To use a computer at work you will need to type your User name and
Password to enter the network. This is called Logging on. You will have
to remember your user name and password. Make sure you have them
written down in a safe place in case you forget. Your password should be
a secret.
Definition: Log on means to make a computer system or network recognize you so that you
can begin a computer session. Most personal computers have no log-on procedure -- you just
turn the machine on and begin working. For larger systems and networks, however, you usually
need to enter a username and password before the computer system will allow you to use
programs.
When you first turn on your work computer, the system will ask you to log on. When you are
finished using the computer you will log off. When you log off, the computer closes all open
applications, and takes you back to the Welcome Screen.
To log on:
1. In Windows XP and earlier: Click in the User name box and type your user name.
In Windows 7: click on your username.
2. Click the mouse (or press the Tab key) to move to the Password box.
3. Type your password.
4. Click the OK button
(or press the Enter key).
View in Windows XP and earlier:
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View in Windows 7:
 Write the information in the box
below:
My User Name:
My Password:
Restarting, Shutting Down, Logging Off, and Switching Users
Starting the Computer: to start the computer, press the power button.
Shutting Down: if you want to turn off the computer completely, click the Start button and then
Shut Down.
The menu for Restarting, Shutting Down, Logging Off, and Switching Users is different for
Windows XP and Windows 7.
In Windows XP, you will find the below options by going to Start > Turn Off Computer. You will
see all options after you click on the “Turn Off Computer” button.
Below is a chart explaining each feature and how to access it.
Restarting
Start > Turn Off Computer > Restart
Will restart the computer.
Shutting Down
Start > Turn Off Computer > Turn Off.
Will shutdown the computer (turn it off).
Logging Off
Start > Logoff > Logoff
Logs you off of the desktop, closing all open applications, and takes you back to the
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Welcome Screen.
Switching Users
Start > Logoff > Switch Users
Keeps you logged on and takes you back to the Welcome Screen, allowing you to log on
to another user account. (The welcome screen will show you if you are already logged
on.)
In Windows 7, however,
the computer will turn off
if you just click on the
“Shut Down” button.
To use a different option
in Windows 7, such as
Restart, Shut Down, Log
Off, or Switch Users,
click on the arrow next
to “Shut Down”, then
choose the desired
option.
If you could not locate
the menu, please refer to
the snapshot on the next
page.
 Practice 6:
Go to the menu that has the options to Restart, Log Off, Switch Users, etc.; click
on Lock.
What happens? ________________________________________________________
How could you unlock your computer? ________________________________________
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