Computer Literacy

CSC 1100
Lecture 3
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
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.
 Operating systems can be categorized
according to availability, number of users,
type of interface design and manufacturer:
 According to availability
1) Real-time operating systems
2) Non-real-time operating Systems
3) According to number of users
4) Single-User/Single-Tasking Operating
Systems
5) Single-User/Multi-Tasking Operating
Systems
6) Multi-User/Multitasking Operating
 According to interface design
 Command line interface
 Graphical user interface
 According to manufacturer
 MS Windows operating systems
 Linux
 Mac OS etc
1) Real-Time operating Systems:
 Refers to multitasking operating system that aims at
executing real-time applications.
 A real time application is an application that responds to
certain inputs extremely quickly.

 Very fast and relatively small operating systems.

 Built into a device, not loaded from a disk drive.

 Real time applications are needed to run medical

diagnostics equipment, life-support systems, machinery,
scientific instruments and industrial systems.
1) Non-real-time operating Systems????
 Student should be able to define what a
non-real-time OS , its characteristics and
its application.
4) Multi-User/Multitasking
Multi-User/Multitasking Operating
Operating Systems:
Systems:
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
Questions
What are the differences between the
command line and GUI interfaces?
What is a non-real-time OS?
What are the of characteristics is a non-
real-time OS?
Where can a non-real-time OS be applied?