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Unit 4

Using Computers
The purpose of this unit is to help you better understand how toyou’re
your computer more effectively and safely. In this unit, you will learn
how to use your computers Operating System. You will learn to create,
save, locate, and organize computer files. After completing this unit, you
will be able to:

 Start the computer

 Perform actions in the operating system environment
 Work with files in the operating system environment;

Outcomes  Work with folders;

 Open an application
 Navigate an application window
 Save a document
 Shut down the computer system

Before attempting this unit, you should attempt and complete the first
three units of this module.

Prescribed Reading

main screen area that you see after you turn on

desktop
your computer and log on to Windows
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

A bar that sits at the bottom of your screen, and

Terminology Taskbar
shows you which programs are running and allows
you to switch between them..
A button that is found at the bottom right corner of
Start button
your desktop, and is used to access programs,
folders, and computer settings
small pictures that represent files, folders, and
icon
programs

dragging Moving an item to a new place by using a mouse.

To drag, select the item and while pressing and
holding down the button, you move the mouse.

Right-click Clicking the right button of a mouse

Starting the Computer

Before you can use a computer system, you first need to ensure that it is
connected to power, and that all input and output devices as well as the
peripheral devices are connected to the computer. To start a computer
system:
 Find and press the power button on the system unit. It is
typically found in the front of the system unit, and is easy to
locate. Be sure to press it all the way down. It is usually
located either near the screen or on the central unit.

Power button
 Turn on the monitor if it does not turn on automatically (if it has
been previously turned off with the on/off button);

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 Wait while the operating system boots.

A computer system starts in a specific sequence. The power supply of the

system unit turns on first. It will then perform a power-on self test
(POST) to determine whether all the system components are in a good
working order. After completing the start up process, a Desktop of the
Windows operating system will be displayed on the screen. You may
need to get the login information from the owner of the computer or your
organizations’ IT specialist, before you are able to use the computer.

The operating system is the most important software that runs on your
computer. It manages the computer's memory, processes, and all of its
software and hardware. It also allows you to communicate with the
computer without knowing how to speak the computer's "language."
Without an operating system, a computer is useless.

Using a mouse
A mouse is a small device that you can use to move, select, and open
items displayed on your monitor. A touchpad or track pad is a pointing
device like a mouse that is built into laptop and notebook computers.

Images on how the mouse and the touch pad is used

Right and Left Click

To use the mouse, usually you click the left button. However you can
also right-click to display a hidden menu related to the object you are
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

in when clicking. This menu can vary depending on which

application you are using.

With right-clicking, you can operate different functions such as:

 Copy/cut or paste a text, file, or folder.

 Rename or delete a file or folder.

Using a Keyboard
A keyboard is used to input data by typing. Let us first look at the layout
of the keyboard and discuss the use of specific keys:

 ENTER or RETURN - Moves the cursor down one line and to

the left margin. Enter also process commands such as choosing
an option in a dialog (message) boxes and submitting a form.
 DEL or DELETE - Deletes the character at cursor and/or
characters to the right of the cursor and all highlighted (or
selected) text.

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 BKSP or BACKSPACE - Deletes the character to the left of

cursor and all highlighted text.
 SPACE BAR - Moves the cursor one space at a time to the right
 SHIFT KEY - Use the shift keys to type capital letters and to type
the upper character on keys with two characters on them
 CAPS LOCK - Locks the keyboard so it types capital letters (a
light goes on when caps lock is on)
 TAB - Moves the cursor five spaces to the right (number of
spaces are usually adjustable). Tab moves to the next field in a
form or table (Shift-Tab for previous field).
 ESC or ESCAPE - Cancels a menu or dialog box
 ARROW KEYS - Moves the cursor around document without
changing text
 FUNCTION KEYS or F KEYS - Access commands by
themselves or in combination with the three command keys;
CTRL, SHIFT, and ALT

Windows Overview
The main components of Windows when you start your computer are the
Desktop, Start Button, Taskbar, My Computer, Recycle Bin, and
Shortcuts to applications. After opening an application, you will also
have a window with an active application which will appear in your
desktop and taskbar.

Desktop fundamentals

The Desktop is the very first screen you see after Windows starts. There,
you find the icons for My Documents, My Computer, the Recycle Bin
and any Shortcuts for applications and files that you have created.
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

Desktop overview

Desktop and icons

The desktop is your work surface, and all of your open windows
appear on top of it. Different desktop and icons are discussed in details
below.

Icons
Desktop icons come in a variety of forms and to use any of the icons
just you need to double click on it. Some of the examples are shown
below:

Folder icon Utility Icon Recycle Bin My Computer

The Taskbar (Overview)

The Task bar shows the icons of application programs that can be
quickly launched or those that are open. Hover the mouse button over
any icon on the task bar, it displays the screen tip or miniature form
of the number of files open. Microsoft Windows is capable of
running more than one program at once. In other words, you can
write a letter in Microsoft Word, while surfing the Internet while

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using Microsoft Excel while checking your e-mail and so on! This is
called “multi-tasking” and is a feature of all computers

Start Button

By clicking the Start button, in the very bottom-left corner of the

screen, a vertical window will come up with the Start Menu. The list
of submenus in the pop-up window let you navigate and select the
application you want to run.

Recycle Bin (a waste basket

When you delete a file or a folder from your hard disk it goes into
Recycle Bin. You can retrieve it if you change your mind about
deleting. It remains in the basket as long as you haven‘t emptied the
bin.

My Computer

Double-clicking on the My Computer icon on the desktop will open

a window similar to the one shown below, where you can navigate
between the computer's drives and Control Panel tools. It displays
secondary storage devices and network storage available on this
computer. For example hard disk, DVD and flash disk if attached.
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

Managing Windows

If you can see a window that means the program is open and
running. It is possible to make the window bigger, smaller, or
close it using the buttons in the top right corner of any window.

Minimize button

Left click this button to shrink the window down to a small button
that will appear in the task bar (see below).

Maximize Button

Left click this button to make the window as large as it can be it

should take up your entire screen.

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Close Button

Left click this button to close the window. The program will close
and stop running. Make sure you save your work first

Restore Down

Restore Down: Left-click this button to make the window smaller without
minimizing it.
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

Unit 5

Computer File Systems

The purpose of this unit is to help the reader better understand how to use
their computer more effectively and safely. In this unit, you will learn
how to use your computers Operating System. You will learn to create,
save, locate, and organize computer files. After completing this unit, you
will be able to:

 Adjust your computers settings

 Organize files and folders
 Locate where your files are stored.

Outcomes  Identify the parts of your computer are.

 What an operating system is.
 What a computer program is.
 Print documents;
 Use the built-in help functions of the system.

Before attempting this unit, you should attempt and complete the first two
units of this module.

Prescribed Reading

containers for files and other subfolders

Folder
the basic unit of information storage on computers
File

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To permanently store a file in a specified location

Terminology Save
on your computer so that you can access it later.

Files and Folders

Folders are like containers, these may contain any number of
subfolders and file. Folders can store any type of file.

A File is the basic unit of information storage on computers. Files

should be given names and it is a good practice to use the relevant
filenames to the data store in it so that you can easily find particular
file when it is needed.

As you use your computer you will store many more file into C:
drive. You need to keep your work well organized so that you can
quickly go to the files that you want. Files can be organized in the
folders. Folders can contain subfolders. One of the important folders
is called Documents and is set up by windows. This is where
windows expects you to create your own folders and files to store
your work. For quick access files can be placed on Desktop. Below
is an example of files and folder saved on desktop.

Creating a New Folder

In this topic you will learn how to create a folder and files of various
Types. And also you will learn other operations like save, copy and
paste.

To create folder, make sure no file and folder is selected then press
right button of the mouse, select New then click on folder. It will
create a folder with the name New Folder then type the name of the
folder you wish.
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

Title Bar

Title Bar displays the name of the file or folder. The title bar is the
area at the top of a window and it contains items such as the
close/minimize/maximize buttons, and the name of the application
that is open.

Menu Bar

Displays the options like File, Edit, etc. clicking on it produces the
menu list.

Task Bar

Displays the program running and windows open

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Creating and saving files

Creating and saving documents and the retrieval of them at later stage is
one of the most crucial skills in using a computer. To accomplish this,
lets do the following:

 Click on the Start button, then

 Select All Programs, Microsoft Office, and Microsoft Word
2010. A new blank document will be displayed with the default
settings.
 Click in the open window. Then we type a few lines on it (your
name in the first line, then you press Enter on the keyboard and
your surname in the second line. Your document must appear as
shown below:

To save a document we should give a name to it and choose a location for

it. To initiate the saving process you can click on the File menu, Save
command.

Note: when saving a document for the first time Windows presents
you the My Documents folder. You can choose any other location
though. In the picture below the location Desktop is selected.
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

Save as menu

Resaving a Document
When you re-open an existing document a copy of its contents is
loaded into the memory of the computer. Any changes done on the
document will not take effect until you click on the Save button
again. For instance if you are editing a previously saved document
and you try to close it without saving it again (by clicking in the Save
tool), you will receive the following

If you click on Yes button any

changes you have done to the
document will take effect.
Conversely the No button discards
any changes; the Cancel button
simply put you back to square one.

Sometimes we want to change the location and /or the name of an

existing file (there are other ways to accomplish that), but when the
document is opened you should do the following:

From the Office Button, click on Save As command; this command

brings back the Save As dialog window where you be able to change
document properties (such as the name, location, the type of file, etc.) as

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explained in the previous point.

Note 1: If you click instead on the Save button on the Quick Access
Toolbar or on the Save command from The Office Button you will just
update the document on its original location and with its original name.
So the original information will be affected reflecting the changes you
have made next time you re-open the document.
Note 2: updating a document is the process of changing (adding to or
removing from) a document, anything: text, formats, settings (such as
margins) etc., for example, when you edit or format a document.

Retrieving Saved Documents

Retrieving saved documents shouldn’t represent a mammoth job.

Windows makes such task very easy. Very often documents are saved in
the special folder called My Documents.

To access it you just open it from the Start menu or right away from the
Desktop if you have that icon on it. If you have saved documents in other
drives such as Flash Drive (also known as memory stick) you can access
it in My Computer from the Start menu or also from the Desktop.

Files and folders manipulation

How to RENAME a folder/file
1. Select a folder/file
2. Click right button of the mouse
3. Click on rename
4. Type new name
5. Press enter key on the key board

How to COPY a folder/file

1. Select a folder/file
2. Click right button of the mouse
3. Click on Copy
4. Select drive/folder where you want paste
5. Click right button of the mouse
6. Click on Paste
 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

How to COPY multiple Files / Folders

1. Press and hold Shift key
2. Continue holding Shift key, then select a folder / file
3. Keep holding Shift Key select all the folders you want to
copy. This will cause all files from the first one through the
last one selected to be highlighted and selected.
4. Release the Shift key.
5. Click on Copy
6. Right click and paste the selected folders into your preferred
location.

How to DELETE folder/file

1. Select a folder/file
2. Click right button of the mouse
3. Click on Delete

Types of files
Windows recognizes many different types of files. File
Extensions are the basis of computer data transfer. A file
extension is the dot and letters at the end of a file name. The type
depends on in which application the file has been created. Below
are some of the examples of common file types identified by their
extension or by the icon.
FILE EXTENSION FILE TYPE
.txt A text file
.bmp Bit map File
.docx MS-Word file
.xlsx MS-Excel file
.Zip or .rar A compress file
.pdf A portable Document
Format file
.htm A web page file
.ppt MS-PowerPoint file
.accdb MS-Access file

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Working with Compressed Files & Folders

File compression is the practice of packaging a file or files to use less
disk space. The File Compression category includes software programs
that will archive your files and extract archived files such as ZIP and
RAR files. Many products in this category let you manage files and
protect them with encryption. Notable titles include WinZip, WinRAR,
and 7-Zip.

Working with compressed files and folders

Folders being compressed with the WinZip compressing software

Files Searching
To quickly locate the files on your computer you can use the search
facility. We will look for the file called UNAM.docx which is located
somewhere in C drive.

1. Double Click on the Drive C

 Module 1: Introduction to Computers and Computer Systems

2. At top right hand side you will see Search Box

3. Type the name of the file UNAM.docx
4. Press Enter on your keyboard
5. Search results will be displayed on the open window

Using Windows Help and Support

Windows Help and Support is the built-in help system for Windows.
It's a place to get quick answers to common questions, suggestions
for troubleshooting, and instructions for how to do things. To open

Windows Help and Support, click the Start button, and then
click Help and Support.

Search Help

The fastest way to get help is to type a word or two in the search box.
For example, to get information about wireless networking, type
wireless network, and then press ENTER. A list of results appears,
with the most useful results shown at the top. Click one of the results
to read the topic.

Search box in Windows Help and Support

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