Microsoft Windows

Microsoft Windows stands for ‘Microsoft Wide Interactive Network Development for
Office work Solution.’ Microsoft Windows is a series of graphical interface operating
system developed, marketed and sold by Microsoft. A user can easily interact with the
windows programs or applications by selecting relevant options, through the mouse or
by entering characters through the keyboard.
Versions of MS-Windows
Some important versions of MS-Windows are as follows.

Windows NT (New Technology)

A version of Windows introduced in July, 1993 and made specifically for businesses. It
offers better control over workstation capabilities to help network administrators.

Features

(i) It is based on High Level Language.

(ii) It is able to run on DOS, Windows 3 and Win 32 applications.

(iii) It has a 32-bit Windows applications.

(iv) It provides higher stability and security.

Windows 95

It is a graphical user interface based operating system. It was released on 24 th August,

1995 by Microsoft.

Features

(i) It is a mixed of 16-bit/32-bit Windows operating system.

(ii) It is consumer-oriented.

(iii) It supports FAT32 file system, multi-display, Web TV and the Internet Explorer.

Windows 98

It was developed in 1998. This was produced in two main versions. The first Windows
98 version was plagued with programming errors but the Windows 98 second edition
came out later was much better with many errors resolved.

Features

(i) It supports Internet Explorer 4.0.1.

(ii) Windows 98 was the first operating system to use the Windows Driver Model
(WDM).
(iii) It includes a FAT32 converter utility for converting FAT16 drives to FAT32
without formatting the partition.

(iv) It also supports many peripheral devices (USB, DVD etc).

Windows ME

Windows ME (Millennium Edition) launched in June 2000, but it has been historically
plagued with programming errors which may be frustrating for home users.

Features

(i) It is designed for single CPU.

(ii) It supports 8 or more CPU (the maximum 32 CPU).

(iii) The minimum internal storage is 64MB and maximum 4GB.

(iv) It introduced Multilingual User Interface (MUI).

Windows XP

It is an OS produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers. Microsoft released

Windows XP on 25th October, 2001.

Some versions of Windows XP are follows.

(i) Windows XP Home edition is a version made for home users.

(ii) Windows XP Professional is made for business users.

Features

(i) It has various users with independent profiles.

(ii) It has 3.75 GB free space on the disk and that the total size of the disk is 19.5
GB.

(iii) Atleast 64 MB of RAM internal storage.

(iv) It provides 1.5 GB of available space on the hard disk.

(v) It includes video adapter and monitor with Super VGA (Video Graphics Array) or
higher resolution.

(vi) It supports sound card, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM drive, speakers or headphones.

Windows Vista

It is an operating system developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers,

including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs and media center PCs. It
was released worldwide on 30th January, 2007.
Features

(i) It can be installed Pentium 4, higher, 512MB RAM, 32 MB video card and 40
GB hard disk.

(ii) It enhances the features of visual style.

Windows 7

It is an OS released by Microsoft on 22nd October, 2009. It is an upgrade of Windows

XP and Vista. It does not include some standard applications like Windows Movie
Maker, Windows Mail, etc.

Features

(i) It supports 64-bit processor.

(ii) It provides touch, speech, handwriting recognition.

(iii) It supports a playback of media in MP4.

(iv) It includes Windows Bio-metric framework.

(v) It provides multiple firewall.

Windows 8

It is a personal computer operating system that was developed by Microsoft and

released on 26th October, 2012.

Features

(i) It is a 64-bit logical CPU.

(ii) It provides 3D Graphic supports and Internet explorer-10.

(iii) It is based on Microsoft’s Metro design language.

(iv) It supports new emerging technology like USB 3.0, cloud computing.

Windows 10

It is a personal computer operating system developed and released by Microsoft on

29th July, 2015.

Features

(i) It is easy to used social media sites like Facebook, Twitter.

(ii) Windows 10 will also include a ‘game DVR’ mode to allow recordings of the last
30 seconds of play, all better for the social gaming.

(iii) Windows 10 interface to adapt based on the hardware it is running on.

Tit-Bits
 Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) provides a compare documents
combining information from several different application programs such as
graphs, charts, music, video, clipart, etc.
 To shut down the computer, we need to click Start button and then select Shut
down key.
 Windows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of
the Microsoft Windows OS.

Desktop

When we turn ON the computer then the first screen, which will be display on the
computer is known as desktop.

The background image of desktop is called wallpaper. A small arrow or blinking

symbol, moving on the desktop, is called cursor.

Desktop contains start menu, Task bar, icons, gadgets, etc.

Some important components of desktop are organised as follows.

Icons

A small image of a program, shown on the desktop with program name is known as
icon. Icons are small pictures that represent files, folders, programs and other items.

Users can open these programs by double click on icons. If you move an icon on your
desktop, this is called ‘dragging’ and after releasing it, it will be called ‘dropping.’

Some of the icons displayed on the desktop are as follows.

1. Computer: It is the most important icon on the desktop, which contains icons
of document folders, hard disk’s partition, each removable disk drive. e.g.
Floppy disk, CD, DVD, etc. It also allows the users to access drives, printers,
removable disk or other system applications.

2. Recycle Bin: It is also a form of icon on the desktop, which contains deleted
files, folders or shortcuts. If we delete a file or folder then it goes to recycle bin.
From recycle bin, we can restore the deleted files or folders on proper place.
Once the recycle bin is empty then we won't be able to restore those files and
folders again.

3. Network: It consists of all network connections, which make possible to connect

the computer from Internet.

4. Documents: This folder contains all your files which you have created and
saved in it. It also contains all types of file format Word processor, Spreadsheet,
PowerPoint, image, etc.
Task Bar

Initially, the long horizontal bar at the bottom of the desktop is known as Task bar.
When we open a program or any window, then the button of that program will be
displayed on the task bar.

Generally, task bar consists of three parts.

(i) Start button

(ii) Middle section

(iii) Notification area

Start Menu

This menu is the main gateway of our computer’s program such as files, folders and
settings. Start menu also contains most recently opened programs.

Start menu have following options.

1. All Programs: It contains a list of installed programs. When we install any

software, it automatically shows in this menu.

2. Favourites: It is a collection of book marked web pages.

3. Documents: It shows a list of most recently opened documents.

4. Setting: It includes Control Panel, Printers, Taskbar, etc.

5. Find: It searches for specific files or folders.

6. Log Off: It provides a password to protect from unauthorised access.

7. Turn Off (Shut down): To shut down or restart the system.

Structure of a Window
Window is a rectangular area which provides an environment to run many programs.

Some parts of the window are as follows.

Title Bar

It is located at the top of window or any dialog box, which displays the name of the
window or software program. Title bar contains atleast three small buttons.

1. Close Button: At the right edge of the title bar, there is a square containing a
[X] called the Close button. It helps to terminate the running program.

2. Minimize Button: It reduces to window to a button on the task bar. It helps to

shrink the window.

3. Maximize Button: It enlarges the window to occupy the whole desktop. It

expands the size of window fit to the desktop.

Scroll Bar

It appears at the right (or left) side or at the bottom of the window. A window can
display a document, i.e. larger than the window area, so with the help of scroll bar
arrow, the user can scroll a document in the window area to bring the view of hidden
portion of document. There are two types of scroll bars, i.e. Horizontal scroll bar and
Vertical scroll bar.

Menu Bar

Each window contains its own menu which performs specific actions when they have
been selected.

The menu bar consists of several options as follows.

1. File Menu Contains options like New, Open, Close, Save, Save As, Print, etc.

2. Edit Menu: Contains options like Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, etc.

3. View Menu: Like Normal, Toolbar, Print Layout, etc.

4. Insert Menu: Contains like Header, Footer, etc.

5. Help Menu: Helpful information.

Dialog Box

When we perform certain operation on our document and click on the Close button
without saving the document then dialog box will be appear on the screen.

Generally, dialog box contains message, Close button, Yes button, No button and
Cancel button.

Main Programs Inside the Windows

Notepad

It is a text editor program. Notepad is most commonly used to the edit or view text
files. The file format of Notepad files is .txt (text document).

To open Click on start button →All programs →Accessories →Notepad

WordPad

It is an another text editor program including some few features such as complex
formatting, pictures, etc. The extension of WordPad file is .rtf (rich text format).

To open Click on Start button →All programs →Accessories →WordPad

Paint

It is a drawing program, used to create drawing or edit digital pictures (images). The
extension of paint file is .png or .jpg or .bmp.

To open Click on Start button →All programs →Accessories →Paint

Calculator

It performs addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, etc.

To open Click on Start button →All programs → Accessories →Calculator

Media Player

Windows media player is an easy-to-use interface to play digital media files, organise
digital media collection, burn CDs, etc.

To open Click on Start button →All programs →Windows Media Player

Games

Windows have some games like Chess Titans, Hearts, Freecell, Mahjong Titans, Purble
place Solitaire, Spider Solitaire, etc.

To open Click on Start button →All programs →Games

Tit-Bits
 Standby drops the computer into a very low power mode.
 Hibernate is a feature of computer operating system where the contents of RAM
are written to non-volatile storage such as hard disk before power OFF the
computer.
 Clipboard is a temporary storage in computer memory that stores the cutted or
copied data.

Files

These are the collection of data stored on auxiliary storage media. In Windows, files
are the basic unit to store data. The name given to a file or document by the user is
called file name. Each file has a specific filename and has a file extension that
identifies the file type. Some common filename extensions are as follows.

.docx MS-Word document

.rtf WordPad document

.txt Notepad text file

.eml E-mail file

.exe Executable file

.xlsx MS-Excel file

.htm HTML file (Web page)

.html HTML file (Web page)

.pptx MS-PowerPoint presentation

ZIP File: Zip stands for Zone Information Protocol. This is an application that allows
for the compression of application files.

Executable File: When a file Contains instructions that can be carried out by the
computer, it is often called an executable file.

Folders

These are containers that you can use to store files. Folders can also store other
folders, i.e. sub-folders. You can create any number of sub-folders and each can hold
any number of files and additional sub-folders.

Windows Libraries

A library can contain files and folders stored on the local computer. Users interact
with libraries in ways similar to how they would interact with other folders.

Different types of library are as follows.

(i) Documents Library: It is used to organise and arrange Word processing

documents, Spreadsheets, Presentation and other text related files.
(ii) Pictures Library: It is used to organise and arrange your digital pictures.

(iii) Music Library: It is used to organise and arrange your digital music, such as
songs, etc.

(iv) Videos Library: It is used to organise and arrange your videos, such as clips,
recording, etc.

MS-Windows Short Cut Keys

Kyes Description
Delete Delete characters to the right of cursor
Backspace Delete characters to the left of the cursor
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 + Spacebar Opens the shortcut menu for the active window
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 + Alt + Del Restart the computer
Ctrl + Esc Display the Start menu
F5 Refresh the active window
Esc Cancel the current task
Window To display or hide the Start menu
Window + D To display the desktop
Window + L To Lock the keyboard
 Question Bank
1. In Windows NT, NT stands for

(a) New Terminology (b) New Technique

(c) New Technology (d) Normal Technique

2. If you are performing Windows 98 operating system to Windows XP you are

performing an

(a) push up (b) China (c) patch (d) update

3. Which of the following is not a feature of windows 98?

(a) It supports Internet Explorer 4.0.1,

(b) It also supports many peripheral devices USB, DVD

(c) It was the first operating system to use the WDM

(d) It provides multiple firewall.

4. In Windows ME, what does ME stand for?

(a) Millennium Edition (b) Micro expert

(c) Macro Expert (d) Multi Expert

5. Windows XP released in

(a) 2000 (b) 1998 (c) 1999 (d) 2001

6. Which of the following is an example of a system software?

(a) Windows 7 (b) MS Word 2010

(c) MS PowerPoint 2010 (d) Openoffice Writer

7. Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT are known as what?

(a) Processor (b) Domain names

(c) Modems (d) Operating systems

8. Which of the following is not a version of the Windows operating system

software for the PC?

(a) ME (b) 98 (c) XP (d) Linux

9. Which of the following is not an in-built software application found in MS

Windows?

(a) Paint (b) CD Player

 (c) Disk Defragmentor (d) MS Word

10. What is Windows Explorer?

(a) Personal Computer (b) Network

(c) File Manager (d) Drive

11. Background of screen is known as

(a) application (b) window (c) desktop (d) frame

12. The background image of desktop is called as

(a) graphics (b) deskcover (c) wallback (d) wallpaper

13. The desktop of a computer refers to

(a) the visible screen (b) the area around the monitor

(c) the top of the mouse pad (d) the inside of a folder

14. A blinking indicator that shows you where your next action will happen, is

(a) CPU (b) cursor (d) toolbar (d) boot

15. Graphical pictures that represent an object like file, folder, etc. are

(a) task bar (b) windows (c) desktop (d) icons

16. A/An …….. contains programs that can be selected.

(a) pointer (b) menu (c) icon (d) button

17. To open disk, mouse pointer is placed on disk icon and then

(a) mouse is dragged pushing the button

(b) mouse is double-clicked

(c) mouse is rotated around

(d) mouse is clicked after rotating it

18. When you want to move an icon on your desktop, this is called

(a) double clicking (b) highlighting

(c) dragging (d) pointing

19. To display the contents of a folder in Windows explorer, you should ……..

(a) click on it (b) collapse it (c) name it (d) give it a password

20. Factor making Windows popular is

 (a) multitasking capacity (b) desktop features

(c) user friendly (d) being inexpensive

21. All the deleted files go to

(a) Recycle Bin (b) Task Bar (c) Tool Bar (d) Computer

22. Generally, you access the recycle bin through an icon located

(a) on the desktop (b) on the hard drive

(c) on the shortcut menu (d) in the properties dialog box

23. Which of the following is used to access a file from the computer store?

(a) Insert (b) Retrieve (c) File (d) Print

24. The taskbar is located

(a) on the start menu (b) at the bottom of the screen

(c) on the quick launch toolbar (d) at the top of the screen

25. In the split window mode, one title bar looks darker than the other, because

(a) darker title bar shows window not in use

(b) darker title bar shows active window

(c) darker title bar shows unavailable window

(d) both (a) and (b)

26. Choices are referred to as

(a) options (b) exit (c) boot (d) folder

27. Date and time are available on the desktop at

(a) Keyboard (b) Recycle Bin (c) My Computer (d) Task Bar

28. Which of the following is appropriate method to shutdown computer?

(a) Click ‘Start’ then select ‘Shut down’

(b) Click ‘Start’ then select ‘Restart’

(c) Click ‘Start’ then switch user

(d) Switch off monitor

29. End menu is available at which button?

(a) End (b) Start (c) Turn off (d) Restart

30. When you install a new program on your computer, it is typically added to the
menu.

(a) All Programs (b) Select Programs

(c) Start Programs (d) Desktop Programs

31. Why do you log-off from your computer when going out from your office?

(a) Someone might steal your files, passwords, etc.

(b) In order to save electricity

(c) Logging off is essential to increase performance

(d) Logging off is mandatory before you go out

32. Which of the following refers to the rectangular area for displaying information
and running programs?

(a) Desktop (b) Dialog box (c) Menu (d) Window

33. Title bar, ribbon, status bar, views and document workspace are components of
……. Program.

(a) windows (b) browser (c) explorer (d) website

34. Active window means the

(a) active window is designated by a different color toolbar that other open
window

(b) window that is currently open

(c) both (a) and (b)

(d) window that is last used

35. To ‘maximize’ a window means to

(a) fill it to maximum capacity

(b) expand it to fit the desktop

(c) put only like files inside

(d) drag it to the recycle bin

36. To shrink a window to an icon,

(a) open a group window (b) minimize a window

(c) maximize a window (D) restore a window

37. Which of the following are lists of commands that appear on the screen?
 (a) GUIs (b) Icons (c) Menus (d) Windows

38. Commands at the top of a screen such; FILE-EDIT-FONT-TOOLS to operate and

change things within program comes under

(a) menu bar (b) tool bar (c) user friendly (d) Word processor

39. What is an on-screen display listing of available options of functions on a

computer?

(a) Document (b) View (c) Tool (d) Menu

40. Menus are the part of

(a) hardware (b) user interface (c) status bar (d) monitor

41. For creating a new document, you use which command at File Menu?

(a) Open (b) Close (c) New (d) Save

42. What menu is selected to cut, copy and paste?

(a) File (b) Tools (c) Special (d) Edit

43. Help menu is available at which button?

(a) End (b) Start (c) Turn off (d) Restart

44. It is easier to change the name of file using ……… process.

(a) transforming (b) christening (c) renaming (d) retagging

45. The steps involved to open a document are

(a) Select the document to Open from the File down menu

(b) Click on the Open option in the Tools menu

(c) Both (a) and (b)

(d) Can be different for different Word document

(d) None of the above

46. A computer message is “Do you really want to delete the selected file (s)”? The
user clicks ‘Yes’ key. It is called

(a) program response (b) user output

(c) user response (d) program output

47. A symbol or question on the screen that prompts you to take action and tell the
computer what to do next, is

(a) scanner (b) questionnaire

 (c) information seeker (d) prompt and dialog box

48. ……… menu type is also known as a drop down menu.

(a) Fly-down (b) Pop-down (c) Pop-up (d) Pull-down

49. A ……. Is an additional set of commands that the computer displays after you
make a selection.

(a) dialog box (b) sub menu (c) menu selecting (d) all of these

50. Anything written on the screen is called

(a) cursor (b) text (c) folder (d) boot

51. …… lets you leave a screen or program.

(b) Boot (b) Programs (c) Exit (d) Text

52. A ………. Is an icon on the desktop that provides a user with immediate access
to a program or file.

(a) kernel (b) buffer (c) shortcut (d) spooler

53. RTF stands for?

(a) Richer Text-Formatting (b) Rich Text Format

(c) Right Text fishing (d) Right Text Font

54. The extension of paint file is/are

(a) .png (b) .jpg (c) .bmp (d) all of these

55. Which of the following options is used to open calculator?

(a) Start button →All Program →Accessories → Calculator

(b) Start button →All Program → Calculator

(a) Start button →Accessories → Calculator

(d) All of the above

56. …….. is an easy-to-use interface to play digital media files.

(a) Wordpad (b) Notepad (c) Mediaplayer (d) Games

57. To start Spider Solitaire game, we used to follow

(a) Start →All Program → Games

(b) Start →All Program → Games → Spider Solitaire

(c) Start →All Program →Accessories → Games → Spider Solitaire

 (d) None of the above

58. When you cut or copy information it gets place in the ……. .

(a) clipart (b) clipboard (c) motherboard (d) both (a) and (b)

59. A clipboard

(a) is used to save data on disk in the event of a power failure

(b) is able to retain the contents even when computer is switched OFF

(c) is available only in Microsoft Word

(d) is a temporary storage in computer memory and temporarily stores the cut
or copied data

60. What is the command used to remove text or graphics from a document, the
information is then stored on a clipboard so you can paste it.

(a) Chop (b) Cut (c) Clip (d) Cart away

61. A saved document is referred to as a

(a) file (b) word (c) folder (d) project

62. The name given to a document by the user is called

(a) filename (b) program (c) data (d) record

63. A ……. Is a collection of information saved as a unit.

(a) folder (b) file (c) path (d) file extension

64. Information kept about a file includes

(a) print setting (b) deletion data (c) both (a) and (b) (d) size

65. A file is often referred to as a

(a) wizard (b) document (c) pane (d) device

66. Which of the following statements is a false conceiving file names?

(a) Every file in the same folder must have a unique name

(b) The file name comes before the dot (.)

(c) File extension is another name for the type

(d) The file extension comes before the dot (.) followed by the file name

67. File extensions are used in order to

(a) name the file (b) ensure the file name is not lost
 (c) identify the file (d) identify the file type

68. Which of the following contained at the end of the file name and help to
determine the type of file?

(a) File property (b) File type (c) File name (d) File extension

69. What are .bas, .doc, .htm examples of in computing?

(a) Extensions (b) Protocols (c) Database (d) Domains

(e) None of these

70. What is the default file extension for all word documents?

(a) WRD (b) TXT (c) DOC (d) FIL

71. You organise files by storing them in

(a) archives (b) lists (c) indexes (d) folders

72. ……… may be included in other folder while making hierarchical structure
folder.

(a) Mini folder (b) Small folder (c) Sub-folder (d) Object folder

73. Which of the following refers to containers used to store related documents
located on the computer?

(a) Labels (b) Indexes (c) Programs (d) Folders

74. You can keep your personal files/folders in

(a) My Flder (b) Documents (c) My Files (d) My Text

75. When embedding object into document, one of the following occurs

(a) embedded object becomes a part of the document

(b) embedded object remains outside object to the document, but loaded with
document

(c) both becomes a zip file

(d) both (a) and (b)

76. Which of the following shortcut keys represents the correct sequence for copy,
paste and cut commands?

(a) Ctrl + V’ Ctrl+C; Ctrl+V

(b) Ctrl + C; Ctrl+V; Ctrl+X

(c) Ctrl + X; Ctrl+C; Ctrl+V

 (d) Ctrl + C; Ctrl+X; Ctrl+V

77. Which of the following keys is used to delete characters to the left of the cursor?

(a) Alt + Delete (b) Shift (c) Esc (d) Backspace

78. To restart the computer, following combination of keys is used

(a) Del + Ctrl (b) Backspace + Ctrl

(c) Esc + Ctrl (d) Ctrl + Alt + Del

79. Which of the following shortcut keys is used to close current or active window?

(a) Alt+F4 (b) Ctrl+F4 (c) Alt+F6 (D) Ctrl+F6

Answer Key
1. c 2. d 3. d 4. a 5. d 6. a 7. d 8. d 9. d 10. c
11. c 12. d 13. a 14. b 15. d 16. c 17. b 18. c 19. a 20. b
21. a 22. a 23. b 24. b 25. b 26. a 27. d 28. a 29. b 30. a
31. a 32. d 33. a 34. c 35. b 36. b 37. c 38. a 39. d 40. b
41. c 42. d 43. b 44. c 45. c 46. c 47. d 48. d 49. a 50. b
51. c 52. c 53. b 54. d 55. a 56. c 57. b 58. b 59. d 60. b
61. a 62. a 63. b 64. d 65. b 66. b 67. d 68. d 69. a 70. c
71. d 72. c 73. d 74. b 75. a 76. b 77. d 78. d 79. a