Unit 2:

Using Computer and Managing Files

Lecturer: IGIRANEZA Lahairoi Bayingana

 Content
 Starting and Restarting the Computer  Setting The Keyboard Language
 Shutting Down A Non-responding  Installing & Uninstalling A Software
Application
Applications
 Switching Off The Computer
 Using The Keyboard Print Screen Facility
 Viewing The Computer’s System
Information  Basic concepts of files, folders and disks
 Setting The Date and Time  Managing a filling system using windows
 Adjusting The Volume Settings  How to use a WordPad to create, save and
 Setting The Screen Resolution & Color print a file
Settings
 Setting The Desktop Background
 Setting The Screen Saver
 Starting up the computer

To start up the computer, you need to do the following:

 Make sure that the computer has been plugged into a power socket.
 To switch the computer on, press the Power button on the computer.
 The computer will now boot. This is when the computer loads the operating
system.
 After the computer has booted, a log on screen might appear. Logging on allows
registered users access to the computer.
 If you share the computer with other users, you might have to log in your details
by typing in your username and password, and then pressing the Enter key. After
the computer accepts the login details, the desktop display will appear on the
screen.
 Microsoft Windows

 Microsoft (MS) Windows: is a program which is referred to as the computer

operating system.
 MS Windows is the most common operating system on personal computers.
 It provides an easy interface between the computer and the user.
 It uses pictures (graphical representations) which look like push buttons on the
screen and you can use the mouse to press them. This interface is known as a
Graphical User Interface (GUI).
 There are other types of operating systems such as Macintosh Operating System
(MAC OS), Linux, UNIX etc.
 Microsoft Windows
Desktop
 The desktop : is the main screen area that
serves as a surface for your work.
 Icons : are small pictures that represent files,
folders, programs, and other items. When you
first start Windows, you'll see at least one icon
on your desktop: Recycle Bin (trash can).
 The taskbar : runs along the bottom of the
screen. It has three sections:
 Start button: gives you access to almost all
programs and files to work on.
 The middle section: shows you which
programs and files you have opened and
allows you to quickly switch between them.
 The Notification Area: displays little
pictures that tell you what is happening with
your computer. When you are printing, for
example, a picture of a printer appears in this
area. This area will also display the date and
time.
 Restarting The
Computer

To restart the computer:

1. Click Start button.
2. Click on power button in
the Start menu. Click
here
3. Click Restart. The
system will shut down
and restart again.
 Turning Off The
Computer
 To turn off the computer, you
first need to close all windows.
Never turn off your computer
while MS Windows is still Click
running. Doing so could result here
in loss or corruption of data.
 To turn off the computer:
1. Click Start button.
2. Click on power button in
the Start menu.
3. Click Shut down. The
system will shut down
 Shutting Down a Non-
Responding Application

To close a program that is not responding:

1. Press CTRL+ SHIFT+ ESC key
combination.
2. The Windows Task Manager will be
displayed.
3. Click the non-responding program from the
list.
4. Click End Task button. And close window
task manager.
Viewing computer’s System
Information

To view computer’s system information:

1. Type control panel in search box near start
button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click System and Security
4. Click System
The Control Panel window shows many icons.
Clicking on any of the icons allows you to view
and configure the various components of your
computer system.
 Setting the Date and
Time
To set the date and time:
1. Type control panel in search box near start
button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click on Clock and Region
4. Click on Date and Time
5. Click on Change date and time
6. Set the time by clicking the arrows next to the
digital time field.
7. Click OK button to close the Date and Time
Settings dialog box.
 Setting the Screen Resolution

 Screen resolution refers to the clarity of text and images displayed on the screen.
 At higher resolutions, such as 1920×1080 pixels, items appear:
• sharper and smaller. more icons can fit on the screen.
• At lower resolutions, such as 800×600 pixels, fewer items fit on the screen,
but they appear larger.
 The resolution you can set on the computer depends on computer’s
monitor/screen.
 Setting the Screen
Resolution

To set the screen resolution:

1. Type control panel in search box near start
button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click System and Security
4. Click System
5. Click on Display
 Setting the color

To set the colour for to be displayed on the

computer:
1. Right click on the desktop
2. Click on Personalize
3. Click on Colors
Setting Background(wallpaper)
of the Desktop
To set the background of the desktop:
1. Right click on the desktop
2. Click on Personalize
3. Click on Background
4. Click the picture or color that you want to use for your desktop background.
Under Picture position: click the arrow and choose whether to crop the picture to
• fill the screen
• fit the picture to the screen,
• stretch the picture to fit the screen
• tile the picture
• or center the picture on the screen.
Setting Background(wallpaper) of the
Desktop
 You can also make a picture stored on your computer as desktop background by right-
clicking the picture, and then click Set as Desktop Background.
Setting Screen saver
 A screensaver is a computer program that can be
set to turn on after a period of user inactivity
(when you leave your computer). It was first
used to prevent damage to older monitors but is
now used as a way to prevent viewing of desktop
contents while the user is away.
 To set screen saver:
 Go to Settings > Personalization > Lock
screen, and select Screen saver settings. In
the Screen Saver Settings window, choose a
screen saver from the drop-down list.
Setting the Keyboard Language
 You can enter text or edit documents in different languages (e.g. English and
Chinese) by changing the input language.
 The input language is the language that you use to enter text.
By default, the Language Bar is displayed in the taskbar. To switch between
different keyboard languages that you have set on your computer:
1. Open the program where you want to type.
2. Click the Language button in the taskbar.
3. Select the language to use.
 Setting the Keyboard
Language
To set the keyboard language:
1. Type control panel in search box near start
button
2. Click Control Panel
3. Click on Clock and Region
4. Click on Region
5. Click on Language preference
6. Choose Input Languages in dialog box.
7. click Add button to add a new language(e.g.,
Kinyarwanda)
8. Click next and install the language
Taking screen shot using print screen
facility
 To print the screen capture or send it to someone in an e‑mail, you first have to
paste it into MS WordPad or MS Paint and save it.
 To capture the screen shot
1. hold the CTRL +ALT key down while pressing Print Screen(PrtScr) key.
2. Click CTRL+C to copy
3. Open a new WordPad file and paste it there. The file will display a copy of the
screen contents.
4. Save the file.
Common Icons On Desktop
 Selecting & Moving Icons

By default, MS Windows stacks icons in columns on the left side of the desktop. But
you can move an icon by dragging it to a new place on the desktop:
1. To select a desktop icon, click the icon. The icon will be highlighted
2. To move the icon, drag the mouse then the icon will move to the location you
need it to be.
 Arranging Icons

You can arrange the icons on the desktop as follows:

1. Right-click on an empty area of the desktop.
2. point to Sort by.
3. Click one of the commands on the submenu, as explained in the table:
 Shortcut Icons
Shortcut: is a pointer to a file, document or
printer. It is represented by an icon containing a
curved arrow on the desktop.
 It does not create a copy of the item (file,
folder or application program) on the
desktop.
 Therefore deleting a shortcut to an item,
does not delete the item. It still exists on
your computer in its original location
 Creating Desktop Shortcut Icons
To create a desktop shortcut To create a desktop shortcut to
to a folder or file a Program:
1. Right-click the folder or file. 1. Search the name of the program in
2. Point to Send to. the search box near to the start
button.
3. In the sub-menu, click Desktop
(create shortcut). The shortcut 2. Locate the program.
icon appears on MS Windows 3. Right-click the program.
desktop. 4. Point to Send to.
5. In the sub-menu, click Desktop
(create shortcut). The shortcut icon
appears on MS Windows desktop.
 Deleting Desktop Shortcut Icons

To delete a shortcut icon:

1. Right click the shortcut icon (on the desktop) to delete.
2. Search for delete option in the menu then click it.
File management(Introduction to
Files and Folders)
Having an effective computer filing system can make a huge difference in your
everyday life. Firstly, it helps to save time, but most importantly, it helps you to be more
organized.
 Files are the stored contents such images, text, video and music. Three specific
types of files are Microsoft Word documents, Excel Worksheets and PowerPoint
presentations. In Microsoft Windows files are represented by icons or a name.
 If an office had thousands of paper files lying around it would be impossible to find
anything. This is why filing cabinets are used for paper files. Similarly, folders are
computer versions of filing cabinets that are used for storing computer files.
 Folders can contain other folders which themselves contain other folders and so on.
These are called subfolders. You may think of a folder as a cabinet and a subfolder
as one of its compartments.
 Drivers to store Files and Folders

 MS Windows uses several devices known as drives to store files and folders:
 Hard disk : the device for permanent storage. can hold very large amounts of data.
 Network drive: Typically a network stores data files that can be accessed through the
network.
 USB flash drive: is a portable device, store large amounts of data (up to 256GB).
 CD-RW (Compact Disc-Re-Writeable
 DVD-RW (Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk Re-Writeable)
 Drivers to store Files and Folders

 It is important to copy data files present on the hard-disk onto a secondary storage
medium in case the hard-disk fails. This process is known as data backup.
 In recent years, some users are using online storage facilities (e.g. MS SkyDrive,
Google Drive and Dropbox) available through Internet to store data files
 These can be easily accessed from any computer connected to Internet.
 Such storage is particularly useful to share data files with friends or
colleagues.
Navigating to Folder and Files
using file explorer
 File Path
A file path shows the location of where a file, web page, or
other item is located on the computer.
 As the figure shows, each file’s path starts with the
storage device(drive letter).
 After the drive letter, there is the name of the file’s folders
and sub-folders.
 A back slash (\) is used to separate the drive letter, and the
different folders and files. Finally, the file path ends with
the name and extension of the file.
 Finding a File Path

To find the path of the file:

1. Open the Computer window from
the Start menu.
2. Browse to the folder for which you want
the file path.
3. Click on the address bar to see the folder’s
address.
Creating and Naming Folders
An important part of having an effective file structure
is creating folders and sub-folders to organize your
files. To create a new folder:
1. Using the File explorer, go to the location where you
want to create a folder.
2. Open the Action menu by right clicking.
3. Hold the mouse cursor over the New option and select
the Folder option.
4. Enter a name for the new folder and press Enter on the
keyboard.
 Creating and Naming Files

 To create a new file:

1. Using the File explorer, go to the folder where you want to create a file, for
example, Documents.
2. Right click on an empty section of the folder.
3. Click on New, select the type of file that you want to create.
4. Enter a new name for the file.
5. Press Enter.
 File Naming and Convention

A file-naming convention (FNC) helps keep the computer clutter-free and allows
you to do the following:
 Know the contents of a file before you open it
 Navigate through long lists of files for the one that you are looking for
 Store different versions of the same document by naming them according to date
 File Naming and Convention

Best practices for naming files:

 Keep file names short, but meaningful.
 Include useful information, such as the name of the project or document on which
you are working on.
 Include the version number (e.g. v1 or -v1) and the date if there is more than one
more version. Dates should always appear as yyyy/mm/dd to organize the files in
order.
 File Naming and Convention

Things to avoid when naming files:

 Symbol characters, such as “\ / < > | “ ? [ ] ; = + & $ α β”
 Abbreviations that are not easy to understand.
 Simple words, such as “draft”, “current” or “document”.
 File Properties
The File properties window shows you a range of
information about a file, such as its file type, size,
author, title and when it was changed last.
The Properties window will also give you information
on how you can manipulate the file.
To see the properties of a file:
 right click on the file name.
 then click on Properties.
 Renaming Files

There are three different ways to rename files:

 Copying Files

 When you copy a file, a duplicate of the file is created and stored on the computer’s
clipboard. This duplicate file can then be copied onto any storage medium connected to the
computer, using the Paste command.
 There are three ways that you can copy and paste files:
 Moving Files

 When moving files, the file or files that you move are copied to a new destination, but then
deleted from its original destination. When doing this, you have not created a copy file, but you
have moved a file from one folder to another folder.
 There are three ways to move files:
 Deleting Files

 The Delete command enables you to remove files from the storage device. This command can
be used to either remove files that you do not need anymore, or to make more space on the
storage device.
 In Microsoft Windows, deleted files are moved to the Recycle Bin. The Recycle Bin is a
temporary folder where deleted files are stored until you remove them from the bin. There
are two ways to delete files:
 Deleting Files

To remove files from the computer permanently:

Restoring Files

 If you cannot find a file on the computer, or you have deleted it by mistake, you
can still recover the file by restoring it from the Recycle Bin to its previous
location.
 To restore files from the Recycle Bin, the following should be done:
1. Open the Recycle Bin by double-clicking on the icon that is usually found on the
desktop.
2. Browse through the folder and select the file(s) or folder(s) that you need to
restore.
3. Right click on the file or folder and from the Action menu, choose Restore.
4. The Recycle Bin will then restore the deleted file(s) or folder(s) to their original
location.
Searching for Files
If you are struggling to find a file on the computer,
you can always search for it. To search for a file in
Windows 10, you can do the following:
Next to the Start button, you can type to search for
the file you are looking for.
 File Types
Each file has a file extension identifying the
type of file and how the computer should
interpret it. Some of the common file
extensions are listed here.
Using a Text Editing
Application
MS Windows has two text editing programs:
• Notepad
• MS WordPad.
Opening MS WordPad
1. Search WordPad in search box next to
start button
2. Click on WordPad.
Using a Text Editing
Application
To save a file:
1. In the Quick Access toolbar, click Save
button. The Save As dialog box is
displayed.
2. Browse to the drive and folder where the
document file will be saved.
3. Type a name for your document in the
File Name: box.
4. Click Save button.
 Printing a Document

Almost all application programs have a

printing facility. To print from MS WordPad,
for example:
1. Open the document file to print.
2. Click File button in WordPad.
3. Click Print.
4. Click Print.
5. Enter the appropriate options (refer to the
following table).
6. Click Print button.
 File Compression

 File compression: is the process of reducing the size of a data file to the smallest
size possible.
 Compressed files take up less storage space and can be transferred to other
computers more quickly than uncompressed files.
 Typically compressed files are organised in a folder ending with the
extension .ZIP (MS Windows) or .SIT, or .HQX (Macintosh). A folder containing
compressed files is also known as an archive folder.
 File Compression

Compressing Files in Folders Extracting Compressed Files

To compress files in a folder on a drive: To extract compressed files from a
location on a drive:
1. Locate the file or folder that you want to
compress.  Locate the compressed folder that
you want to extract files or folders
2. Right-click the file or folder. A short-cut menu
from.
will be displayed.
 right-click the folder, click Extract
3. Point to Send to.
All, and then follow the instructions.
4. Click Compressed (zipped) folder. A new
compressed folder is created in the same location.
To rename it, right-click the folder, click Rename, and
then type the new name
Assignment 2

Define the following types of files and if one has more than one extension
give me the difference of those extensions(e.g : image files have more than
one extension: jpeg, png etc. ,so I want you to give me the difference
between these extensions).
 Text files
 Document files
 Locked document files
 Web pages
 Archives and compressed files
 Presentation files
 Spreadsheet files
 Database files
 Image files
 Animation files
 Video files
 Audio files
 Adobe Acrobat