Windows

What is Microsoft Windows?

Windows is a graphical environment that introduces new, more streamlined ways of working with IBM PCs and compatibles. Windows not only gives you more control over the way you work, it unleashes the computer so that it may run at full power - unhampered by previous memory restrictions (under some conditions).

Windows Orientation

The computer screen is referred to as a desktop.

The desktop displays all your work in rectangular areas called windows.

Windows are arranged on the desktop just as actual work items are moved around on your actual desk.

If you want to leave an application for a while, just shrink its windows to an application icon and the application keeps running (instead of exiting it as in DOS).

Several applications can be run simultaneously and you can switch among them quickly.

When 2 or more applications are run (windows-specific as well as non-windows applications), you can transfer information from one to another. To do this, cut or copy the information from one application to the Clipboard (a windows application) and then paste it to another application.

Basic Skills There are 2 kinds of windows:

Application Windows contain running applications. The name of the application, the associated document, and the application's menu bar appear at the top of the application window.

Document Windows appear only in application which can open two or more documents at a time within the application's own workspace.

There are 3 kinds of icons:

Application Icons appear only after you start up an application and choose the Minimize command.

Document Icons represent document windows that are minimized and can appear anywhere within the application's workspace.

Program Item Icons are exclusive to the Program Manager application - they represent the applications and their associated documents that can be started up from the Program manager.

Parts of a Window:

Control-Menu Box Title Bar Window Title Menu Bar Scroll Bar Maximize, Minimize and Restore Buttons Window Border Window Corner Workspace Selection Cursor Mouse Pointer

Mouse Operation:

Clicking the mouse involves pressing down on the LEFT button of the mouse.

To select an application icon on a window, move the mouse icon to touch the application icon and click it twice in rapid sequence (this is known as a double click).

Switching Among Applications:

To switch among applications running simultaneously, use Alt-TAB. For example, if you are in Words and want to work on Excel without quitting Words, hit Alt-TAB to select the Excel window. You may use this Alt-TAB to choose from among any running applications, including the Program Manager.

Program Manager

The Program Manager starts automatically whenever you start Windows and continues to run as long as you are using Windows. To run a program, choose the program item icon and double click on it. When applications are run, the Program Manager runs in the background or on your desktop as an application icon.

It is also an organizational tool - you can use it to organize applications into groupings. Windows comes with a 5 group set up: Main, Accessories, Games, Windows Application, and Non-Windows Applications.

Groups can be created, deleted and renamed using the pull-down menu of the Program Manager. Similarly, so can icons.

When you want to end your Windows session, you must return to the Program Manager. You cannot quit the Program Manager without also quitting Windows.

The Program Manager window has the following unique elements:

Group Windows are the document windows that occupy the Program manager's workspace.

Group Icons are minimized group windows, which of course, cannot be moved outside the Program manager window.

Program Item Icons are inside of group windows and represent the applications and documents you can start from the Program Manager.

File Manager

The File manager is a powerful tool that can help organize your files and directories. There are two kinds of windows: Directory Tree Window (which contains the Directory Tree) and Directory Windows (of which there can be any number).

Some features of the File Manager:

Expanding a Directory: If you select a directory icon that contains a plus sign (+), the File Manager lists the subdirectories within that directory and the plus sign changes to a minus sign (-).

Collapsing a directory: Simply click the minus sign (-) in the directory icon next to the name of the directory you want to collapse.

Changing Info Displayed for Each File: Under the pull-down menu option View, the information displayed for each file can be changed (the order in which the files are displayed can also be changed).

Associating Documents with Application Programs: Select the text or graphic files, and choose the Associate option from the File pull-down menu.

Copying files from one directory to another: To copy a file from one directory to another, click on the file to be copied and drag the file over to the second directory window, then "drop" the file into that window.

Control Panel

The Control Panel is a program that lets you change the way your system is configured while you're using Microsoft Windows. When you double-click on the Control icon, a window with 12 icons appear; the icons are as follows:

Color Set the color of the desktop and many elements on it; Fonts Add or remove fonts for your printer and display; Ports Set the communications parameters for your serial ports; Mouse Customize the way you use the mouse; Desktop Choose patterns or images to decorate the desktop, etc; Network Control the connection to the network; Printers Install and configure printers; International Set international options such as country and language; Keyboard Adjust the keyboard repeat rate; Date/Time Change the system date and time; Sound Turn on/off warning beep that indicates an error condition;

Print Manager

When you print from a Windows application, the application sends the print file to the Windows Print manager. The Print Manager works in the background, sending the files to the printer while you continue working. As you send files to the Print manager, it forms a print queue. You can check the status of a file in the print queue any time and change its status up until the time it starts printing.

Windows Accessories

• Write: is a work processing application that can be used to create and print documents;
• Paint: is a paint program that you can use to create color drawings.
• Terminal: is a communications program that allows you to connect to other computers and exchange information.
• Calculator: is both a standard as well as a scientific calculator program.
• Calendar: combines a month-at-a-glance calendar and a daily appointment book.
• Cardfile: is like a set of index cards that sorts itself - you can use it to keep track of names, addresses, phone numbers, etc.
• Clock: displays an analog or digital clock.
• Notepad: is a text editor.
• Recorder: allows you to record a sequence of keystrokes and mouse actions - called a macro - to play back at a later time.
• PIF Editor: To run a non-Windows application with Windows, a program information file (PIF) may be needed to provide Windows special information. You can create a new PIF, or edit an existing one by using the PIF Editor.

Academic Computing Services, University of Missouri Kansas City