Computer Literacy

CSC 1100
Lecture 2
Using Computers and File
Management (With Windows
OS)
 Outline
Operating System
Starting and Manipulating Microsoft Windows
Working with the mouse
Closing Windows and shutting down the Computer.
Working with Menus  
Working with Disks 
Starting and closing a Program
Start menus and taskbar
Opening Multiple Programs
Creating documents  
Creating Folders
Moving and Copying Documents and Folders
Renaming Documents and Folders
Deleting Documents and Folders
Understanding the Explorer
Using a printer
Operating System
 It is a program/(system)
software that controls the
system’s hardware and
interacts with the user and
application software.

 The operating system acts

as an intermediary
between application
programs and the
computer hardware.
Operating Systems (O/S)
Functions of an operating system
 It Provides a user interface. In other words displays the
on-screen elements with which you interact.

 Loads programs into the computer’s memory so that you

can use them.

 Coordinates how programs work with the computer’s

hardware and other software.

 Manages the way information is stored on and retrieved

from disks.
 Manages resource sharing.
Types of an operating system
Operating systems can be categorized according to availability,
number of users, type of interface design and manufacturer:
 According to availability
• - Real-time operating systems
• - Non-real-time operating Systems

1) According to number of users

2) - Single-User/Single-Tasking Operating Systems
3) - Single-User/Multi-Tasking Operating Systems
4) - Multi-User/Multitasking Operating Systems
Types of an operating system
According to interface design
 - Command line interface
 - Graphical user interface

 According to manufacturer
 - Microsoft Windows operating systems
 - Linux
 - Mac OS etc
 Types of an operating system
Single-User/Single-Tasking Operating Systems:
 Allows a single user to perform just one task at a time
 Take up little space on disk
 Run on inexpensive computers
 Examples include; MS-DOS and Palm OS for palm handheld
computers.

Single-User/Multi-Tasking Operating Systems:

 Allows a single user to perform two or more functions at once.
 Commonly used on personal computers.
 Examples include; Microsoft Windows and MAC OS.
4) Multi-User/Multitasking
Operating Systems:
 Allows multiple users to
use programs that are
simultaneously running
on a single network
server.
 Here, each user is given a
user session on the server.
 UNIX, Linux are
examples.
 Maintenance can be easy.
 Requires a powerful
computer.
 Types of an operating system
Real-Time operating Systems:
- - Very first, relatively small OS.
- - Also referred to as embedded OSs
- - Built into a circuitry of a device, not loaded from a disk drive
- - RTOS is needed to run real-time applications.
- - A real time application is an application that responds to certain
inputs extremely quickly.
- - As the name suggests, there is a deadline associated with tasks and
a RTOS adheres to this deadline as missing a deadline can cause
affects ranging from undesired to catastrophic.
 Types of an operating system
The two most common types of user interfaces are graphical and
command line.
1) Graphical user Interfaces (GUI):

 Most common interface used in versions of;

Windows, MAC OS, in some versions of LINUX and
UNIX.
 Uses a mouse to work with graphical objects such as
windows, menus, icons, buttons and other tools.
 Can use Shortcuts to open programs or documents.
 It enables task switching.
 Advantage: It frees a computer user from memorizing and
typing text commands.
Graphical User Interface
 The User Interface - GUI Tools
Icons are pictures that represent computer resources, such
as printers, documents, and programs.
You double-click an icon to choose (activate) it, for
instance, to launch a program.
The Windows operating system offers two unique tools,
called the taskbar and Start button which help you run
and manage programs.
A menu groups related commands. For example, the File
menu's commands let you open, save, and print document
files.
In programs designed for the same GUI, menus and
commands are similar from one program to another.
2) Command Line Interface
 Older interface used in MS-
DOS, Linux, UNIX
 User types commands at a
prompt to execute tasks.
 User must remember all
commands.
 Windows also has an optional
command prompt that can be
used by administrators to run
non-GUI programs for
managing and
troubleshooting windows.
Personal Computers Operating Systems
DOS(Disk Operating System)
– It supports one user and one program at a time. In other
words it is s a Single user, single-task OS
– Uses a Command line interface
– Supports only 16-bit programs yet most modern programs
are either 32-bit or 64-bit.
– Oldest operating system.
– Advantages of using DOS:
– It doesn't require much memory or storage space
– Doesn’t require a powerful computer.
Personal Computers Operating Systems
 Microsoft Windows:
 Microsoft created the Windows operating system in the mid-
1980s. 
 Earlier windows versions include windows 3.0, 3.1, windows
95, 98, 2000, windows NT and many more.
 Most popular versions are Windows 7 (released in
2009), Windows Vista (2007), and Windows XP (2001).
 It comes preloaded on most new PCs, which helps to make it
the most popular operating system in the world
 Mostly Graphical user Interface.
 Latest windows versions have additional features such as;
Digital Media support, Advanced Networking and
Communications, Advanced Mobile Computing .
Personal Computers Operating Systems
 Macintosh Operating System(Mac OS):
 Used on Apple machines.
 It comes preloaded on all new Macintosh computers, or Macs.
 All of the recent versions are known as Mac OS
X (pronounced Mac O-S Ten), and their specific version names
are Lion (released in 2011), Snow Leopard (2009) and
Leopard (2007).
 Apple also offers a version called Mac OS X Server, which is
designed to be run on servers.
 Apple computers tend to be more expensive this is why Mac
OS X users are very few compared to Windows users ( which
are over 90%).
 Personal Computers Operating Systems
• Linux
– It is a 32-bit/64-bit OS that supports multiple users and
multiple processes at the same time.
– It is a free or inexpensive version of UNIX.
– It is very stable, fast and secure.
– Mostly uses a command line interface but also has a GUI
environment.
– It is Open Source which means that it can be modified
and distributed by anyone around the world.
– The most popular Linux distributions include Ubuntu,
Mint, and Fedora.
Windows Operating
System Basics
Using a computer
Starting your computer
– Check that it is plugged into the electricity
socket, press the button to power it.
– Some computers have a single button for both a
computer and the screen others have two.
• Powering up or booting
– Is a technical term for starting up a computer
and display windows desktop screen.
• A Cursor
– Is a symbol usually an arrow that you move
around the computer screen by moving the
mouse across your desktop.
Appearance of a Windows desktop

Icons

Icons

Start button
Task bar
Task bar
Start button
Common terms
Clicking
Briefly holding down the left or the right mouse
button.
By clicking on an item around a computer screen
means you have selected it.
Left , right and double clicking give different
functionalities.
Menu
A list of items displayed on a computer screen.
Taskbar
A horizontal bar across the bottom of the windows
desktop that displays a start button plus the name of
Common terms
Multi-tasking
Ability of windows to have several
applications and files open at the same
time.
Buttons

Maximize Restore
Minimize Close
Button Button
button Button
Common terms
Command button
A button that performs or cancels an action e.g. OK
and Cancel buttons.
Dragging with the mouse
Moving a selected item on the desktop by clicking on
it with the left mouse button, and holding the button as
you move the item.
Dialog box
A rectangular box that windows displays when it needs
further information before it can carry out a command
or when it needs to provide you with more information.
Common terms
Drop-down list box
Is a list of options that you can select
from.
Option buttons
A group of round buttons indicating
alternative choices.
Check boxes
A set of square boxes that you can select
or clear to turn options on or off .
Working with the Control Panel
The Control Panel is a part of the Microsoft
Windows GUI which allows users to view and
manipulate basic system settings such as adding
hardware, adding and removing software,
controlling user accounts, and changing
accessibility options.
The control panel helps the computer user to
change settings and customize the functionality
of your computer.
To access the control panel: Click on the Start
button- then click on Control panel in the menu
Working with the Control Panel
Exploring your computer
Computer drive
Is a physical storage device for holding files and folders in
a computer.
Viewing drive properties

Right click on hard disk

drive and click on
properties.
Drive properties
File Naming Conventions
• A computer file is a named collection of data that exists
on a storage medium such as a hard disk, a floppy disk, or
a CD.
• Is a computers’ basic unit of information in a storage.
• When you create a file, you must provide it with a valid
filename that adheres to specific rules, referred to as file
naming conventions.
• Special characters like / \ : ? < > * are not allowed in
Windows filenames.
• Reserved words like Aux, Com1, and Lpt1 are used as
commands or special identifiers in Windows. You cannot
use these words alone as a filename.
Directories and Folders
An operating system maintains a list of files
called a directory for each disk, CD-ROM or
DVD.
The main directory of a disk is its root
directory.
Most operating systems allow the user to divide
a directory into smaller lists called folders or
subdirectories.
A computer file’s location is defined by a file
specification (or path) which includes the drive
Example File Specification

• A:\DATA\GOOD.TXT
– A: is the Drive Letter
– DATA is the folder name
– GOOD is the filename
– .TXT is the filename extension
File Sizes and Dates
File size is usually
measured in bytes,
kilobytes or megabytes.
The file date is the date
the file was created or
last modified.
 File Management
Folders are the best way to organize and store your data

on your computer. Folders located inside other folders
are often called subfolders. Steps of creating a folder in
windows.
Go to the location (either a folder or the desktop) where
you want to create a new folder.
Right-click a blank area on the desktop or in the folder
window, point to New, and then click Folder.
Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.
 Moving/copying Files
To move files, first highlight the files and then choose
Edit, Cut from the menu, and Edit, Paste in the menu
of the target window.
Files can also be moved and copied by dragging.
Place the mouse pointer on a highlighted file and
move it while holding down the left mouse button.
Release button at the target point.
  
Deleting Files
When you delete a file, the operating system
changes the status of the file’s clusters to empty
and removes the filename from the FAT.
To delete data from a disk in such a way that no
one can ever read it, you can use special file
shredder software that overwrites empty sectors
with random 1s and 0s.
The Windows Recycle Bin is designed to protect
you for accidentally deleting hard disk files that
you actually need.
Questions
1. What are the differences between the command
line and GUI interfaces?
2. What is a non-real-time OS?
3. What are the characteristics of a non-real-time
OS?
4. Where can a non-real-time OS be applied?
5. Critically, discuss the following features of a
Windows Desktop:
I. Start Button
II. Taskbar
Questions cont …..
6. State the steps that you have to follow to create a
folder with three subfolders on the desktop?

7. Name and explain the four mouse operations

8. What is a water mark? What steps would you
follow to insert watermark in a word document?

9. What is the difference between the following types

of document views: draft view and outline view?

10. List any two examples of word processing

Applications