IC3 Module 1 - Complete v1

Computer Courseware

Institute of Applied Technology

© 2005 by CustomGuide, Inc. 1502 Nicollet Avenue South, Suite 1; Minneapolis, MN 55403

This material is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by CustomGuide, Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of CustomGuide, Inc.

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The names of software products referred to in this manual are claimed as trademarks of their respective companies. CustomGuide is a registered trademark of CustomGuide, Inc.

CustomGuide, Inc. is independent from Certiport, Inc. and not affiliated with Certiport in any manner. This publication may be used in assisting students to prepare for an INTERNET & COMPUTING CORE CERTIFICATION™ Exam. Neither Certiport, Inc., its agents, nor CustomGuide, Inc. warrant that use of this material will ensure success in connection with any exam.

Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7

Chapter One: Computer Hardware ............................................................................ 11 Lesson 1-1: Introduction to Computers ...............................................................12 Lesson 1-2: Types of Computers ............................................................................14 Lesson 1-3: Central Processing Unit (CPU).........................................................16 Lesson 1-4: Measuring Memory ..............................................................................18 Lesson 1-5: RAM and ROM........................................................................................20 Lesson 1-6: Sharing Data, Files, Hardware and Software ............................22 Lesson 1-7: The Front of a Computer and Peripheral Devices ....................24 Lesson 1-8: The Inside of a Computer .................................................................26 Lesson 1-9: Specialized Input Devices .................................................................28 Lesson 1-10: Specialized Output Devices ...........................................................30 Lesson 1-11: Hard Disk ..............................................................................................32 Lesson 1-12: CD-ROM Drive.....................................................................................34 Lesson 1-13: DVD Drive.............................................................................................36 Lesson 1-14: Floppy Disks ........................................................................................38 Lesson 1-15: Zip and Jaz Drives.............................................................................39 Lesson 1-16: Other Storage Devices ....................................................................40 Lesson 1-17: Identifying Ports ................................................................................42 Lesson 1-18: Installing New Hardware ................................................................44 Lesson 1-19: Selecting a Personal Computer ....................................................45 Lesson 1-20: Computer Performance ...................................................................46 Lesson 1-21: Preventing Theft ................................................................................48 Lesson 1-22: Preventing Damage and other Hazards ....................................49 Lesson 1-23: Computer Maintenance ...................................................................50 Lesson 1-24: Identifying and Solving Computer-related Problems...........52 Chapter One Review ....................................................................................................53

Chapter Two: Computer Software ............................................................................. 59 Lesson 2-1: The Interaction of Hardware and Software................................60 Lesson 2-2: Software Development ......................................................................62 Lesson 2-3: Software Upgrades ..............................................................................63 Lesson 2-4: Word Processing ...................................................................................64 Lesson 2-5: Spreadsheets .........................................................................................65 Lesson 2-6: Databases ...............................................................................................66 Lesson 2-7: Presentation Software........................................................................68 Lesson 2-8: Accounting ..............................................................................................69 Lesson 2-9: Web Browsing........................................................................................70 Lesson 2-10: Web Authoring ....................................................................................71

4 IC3 Module 1 – Computing Fundamentals

© 2005 CustomGuide, Inc.

Lesson 2-11: Graphic and Multimedia Programs ..............................................72 Lesson 2-12: Utility Programs..................................................................................73 Chapter Two Review .....................................................................................................74

Chapter Three: Using an Operating System ..........................................................77 Lesson 3-1: Operating Systems ..............................................................................78 Lesson 3-2: Understanding Graphical User Interfaces ...................................80 Lesson 3-3: Understanding the Windows 2000 Screen..................................82 Lesson 3-4: Understanding the Parts of a Window ..........................................84 Lesson 3-5: Maximizing, Minimizing, and Restoring a Window...................86 Lesson 3-6: Closing a Window .................................................................................88 Lesson 3-7: Moving a Window .................................................................................89 Lesson 3-8: Resizing a Window ...............................................................................90 Lesson 3-9: Shutting Down or Restarting the Computer ..............................92 Lesson 3-10: Using the Task Manager to Shut Down a Program ...............94 Lesson 3-11: Starting a Program............................................................................96 Lesson 3-12: Switching Between Open Windows .............................................98 Lesson 3-13: Adding a Shortcut to the Start Menu .......................................100 Lesson 3-14: Moving and Deleting Desktop Icons and Creating Shortcuts...........................................................................................................................................102 Lesson 3-15: Understanding Drives, Folders, Files and Storage Devices...........................................................................................................................................104 Lesson 3-16: Using My Computer ........................................................................106 Lesson 3-17: Navigating to a File or Folder ......................................................108 Lesson 3-18: Creating a Folder and Viewing Folder Details .......................110 Lesson 3-19: Common File Types .........................................................................112 Lesson 3-20: Counting Files in a Folder .............................................................114 Lesson 3-21: Changing File Status.......................................................................116 Lesson 3-22: Sorting Files .......................................................................................118 Lesson 3-23: Using File Extensions and Renaming Files and Folders.....120 Lesson 3-24: Selecting Files and Folders...........................................................122 Lesson 3-25: Duplicating and Moving Files and Folders ..............................124 Lesson 3-26: Using the Folders Pane ..................................................................126 Lesson 3-27: Deleting Files and Folders ............................................................128 Lesson 3-28: Restoring a Deleted File and Emptying the Recycle Bin ...130 Lesson 3-29: Finding a File .....................................................................................132 Lesson 3-30: Viewing Recently Used Files ........................................................134 Lesson 3-31: Formatting a Floppy Disk..............................................................136 Lesson 3-32: Common Problems Associated with Files ...............................137 Lesson 3-33: A Look at the Control Panel .........................................................138 Lesson 3-34: Changing the Date and Time ......................................................140 Lesson 3-35: Adding Wallpaper to the Desktop ..............................................142 Lesson 3-36: Changing Screen Colors ................................................................144 Lesson 3-37: Adjusting the Screen Resolution ................................................146 Lesson 3-38: Adjusting the Screen Color Depth.............................................148 Lesson 3-39: Using a Screen Saver .....................................................................150 Lesson 3-40: Changing System and Program Sounds..................................152 Lesson 3-41: Adjusting the Mouse .......................................................................154 Lesson 3-42: Changing the Default Printer and Printer Settings .............156 Lesson 3-43: Installing New Software ................................................................158 Lesson 3-44: Removing Software.........................................................................160 Chapter Three Review ...............................................................................................162

Introduction 5


Index................................................................................................................................... 175

Introduction Welcome to CustomGuide: Microsoft Word 2003. CustomGuide courseware allows instructors to create and print manuals that contain the specific lessons that best meet their students’ needs. In other words, this book was designed and printed just for you.

Unlike most other computer-training courseware, each CustomGuide manual is uniquely designed to be three books in one: • Step-by-step instructions make this manual great for use in an instructor-led class or as a

self-paced tutorial. • Detailed descriptions, illustrated diagrams, informative tables, and an index make this

manual suitable as a reference guide when you want to learn more about a topic or process.

• The handy Quick Reference box, found on the last page of each lesson, is great for when you need to know how to do something quickly.

CustomGuide manuals are designed both for users who want to learn the basics of the software and those who want to learn more advanced features.

Here’s how a CustomGuide manual is organized:

Chapters Each manual is divided into several chapters. Aren’t sure if you’re ready for a chapter? Look at the prerequisites that appear at the beginning of each chapter. They will tell you what you should know before you start the chapter.

Lessons Each chapter contains several lessons on related topics. Each lesson explains a new skill or topic and contains a step-by-step exercise to give you hands-on-experience.

Chapter Reviews A review is included at the end of each chapter to help you absorb and retain all that you have learned. This review contains a brief recap of everything covered in the chapter’s lessons, a quiz to assess how much you’ve learned (and which lessons you might want to look over again), and a homework assignment where you can put your new skills into practice. If you’re having problems with a homework exercise, you can always refer back to the lessons in the chapter to get help.



How to Use the Lessons Every topic is presented on two facing pages, so that you can concentrate on the lesson without having to worry about turning the page. Since this is a hands-on course, each lesson contains an exercise with step-by-step instructions for you to follow. To make learning easier, every exercise follows certain conventions: • Anything you’re supposed to click, drag, or press appears like this. • Anything you’re supposed to type appears like this. • This book never assumes you know where (or what) something is. The first time you’re

told to click something, a picture of what you’re supposed to click appears either in the margin next to the step or in the illustrations at the beginning of the lesson.

Lesson 4-2: Formatting ValuesFigure 4-3The Numbers tab of the Format Cells dialog box.

Figure 4-4The Expense Report worksheet values before being formatted.

Figure 4-5The Expense Report worksheet values after being formatted.

Select a number category

Select a number format

Preview of the selected number format

Figure 4-3

Figure 4-4 Figure 4-5

In this lesson, you will learn how to apply number formats. Applying number formatting changes how values are displayed—it doesn’t change the actual information in any way. Excel is often smart enough to apply some number formatting automatically. For example, if you use a dollar sign to indicate currency (such as $548.67), Excel will automatically apply the currency number format for you.

The Formatting toolbar has five buttons (Currency, Percent, Comma, Increase Decimal, and Decrease Decimal) you can use to quickly apply common number formats. If none of these buttons has what you’re looking for, you need to use the Format Cells dialog box by selecting Format →Cells from the menu and clicking the Number tab. Formatting numbers with the Format Cells dialog box isn’t as fast as using the toolbar, but it gives you more precision and formatting options. We’ll use both methods in this lesson.

Comma Style button

1.1. Select the cell range D5:D17 and click the Comma Style button on the Formatting toolbar.Excel adds a hundreds separator (the comma) and two decimal places to the selected cell range.

You can also format values by using the Formatting toolbar or by selecting Format → Cells from the menu and clicking the Number tab.

2424 Microsoft Excel 2000

Lesson 4-2: Formatting ValuesFigure 4-3The Numbers tab of the Format Cells dialog box.

Figure 4-4The Expense Report worksheet values before being formatted.

Figure 4-5The Expense Report worksheet values after being formatted.

Select a number category

Select a number format

Preview of the selected number format

Figure 4-3


In this lesson, you will learn how to apply number formats. Applying number formatting changes how values are displayed—it doesn’t change the actual information in any way. Excel is often smart enough to apply some number formatting automatically. For example, if you use a dollar sign to indicate currency (such as $548.67), Excel will automatically apply the currency number format for you.

The Formatting toolbar has five buttons (Currency, Percent, Comma, Increase Decimal, and Decrease Decimal) you can use to quickly apply common number formats. If none of these buttons has what you’re looking for, you need to use the Format Cells dialog box by selecting Format →Cells from the menu and clicking the Number tab. Formatting numbers with the Format Cells dialog box isn’t as fast as using the toolbar, but it gives you more precision and formatting options. We’ll use both methods in this lesson.

Comma Style button

1.1. Select the cell range D5:D17 and click the Comma Style button on the Formatting toolbar.Excel adds a hundreds separator (the comma) and two decimal places to the selected cell range.

You can also format values by using the Formatting toolbar or by selecting Format → Cells from the menu and clicking the Number tab.

2424 Microsoft Excel 2000

Illustrations show what your screen should look like as you follow the lesson. They also describe controls, dialog boxes, and processes.

An easy-to-understand introduction explains the task or topic covered in the lesson and what you’ll be doing in the exercise.

Clear step-by-step instructions guide you through the exercise. Anything you need to click appears like this.

Icons and pictures appear in the margin, showing you what to click or look for.

Tips and traps appear in the margin.

Introduction 9


• When you see a keyboard instruction like “press <Ctrl> + <B>,” you should press and

hold the first key (<Ctrl> in this example) while you press the second key (<B> in this example). Then, after you’ve pressed both keys, you can release them.

• There is usually more than one way to do something in Word. The exercise explains the most common method of doing something, while the alternate methods appear in the margin. Use whatever approach feels most comfortable for you.

• Important terms appear in italics the first time they’re presented. • Whenever something is especially difficult or can easily go wrong, you’ll see a:

NOTE: immediately after the step, warning you of pitfalls that you could encounter if you’re not careful.

• Our exclusive Quick Reference box appears at the end of every lesson. You can use it to review the skills you’ve learned in the lesson and as a handy reference—when you need to know how to do something fast and don’t need to step through the sample exercises.

Currency Stylebutton

Other Ways to ApplyCurrency Formatting:• Type the dollar sign ($)

before you enter a number.

2.2. Click cell A4 and type Annual Sales.The numbers in this column should be formatted as currency.

3.3. Press <Enter> to confirm your entry and overwrite the existinginformation.

4.4. Select the cell range G5:G17 and click the Currency Style button onthe Formatting toolbar.A dollar sign and two decimal places are added to the values in the selected cell range.

5.5. Select the cell range F5:F17 and click the Percent Style button onthe Formatting toolbar.Excel applies percentage style number formatting to the information in the Tax column.Notice there isn’t a decimal place—Excel rounds any decimal places to the nearest wholenumber. That isn’t suitable here—you want to include a decimal place to accurately showthe exact tax rate.

6.6. With the Tax cell range still selected, click the Increase Decimalbutton on the Formatting toolbar.Excel adds one decimal place to the information in the tax rate column.Next, you want to change the date format in the date column. There isn’t a “Format Date”button on the Formatting toolbar, so you will have to format the date column using theFormat Cells dialog box.The Formatting toolbar is great for quickly applying the most common formatting options tocells, but it doesn’t offer every available formatting option. To see and/or use every possiblecharacter formatting option you have to use the Format Cells dialog box. You can open theFormat Cells dialog box by either selecting Format→ Cells from the menu or right-clickingand selecting Format Cells from the shortcut menu.

7.7. With the Date cell range still selected, select Format → Cells fromthe menu, select 4-Mar-97 from the Type list box and click OK.

Formatting a Worksheet 2525

Table 4-2: Number Formatting Buttons on the Formatting ToolbarButton Name Example Formatting

Currency $1,000.00 Adds a dollar sign, comma, and two decimal places.

Percent 100% Displays the value as a percentage with no decimal places.

Comma 1,000 Separates thousands with a comma.

Increase Decimal 1000.00 Increases the number of digits after the decimal point by one

Decrease Decimal 1000.0 Decreases the number of digits after the decimal point by one

Quick Reference

To Apply NumberFormatting:

• Select the cell or cell rangeyou want to format and clickthe appropriate numberformatting button(s) on theFormatting toolbar.

Or...• Select the cell or cell range you

want to format, select Format→ Cells from the menu, clickthe Number tab, and specifythe number formatting you wantto apply.


want to format, right-click thecell or cell range and selectFormat Cells from the shortcutmenu, click the Number tab,and specify the numberformatting you want to apply.

That’s all there is to formatting values–not as difficult as you thought it would be, was it? Thefollowing table lists the five buttons on the Formatting toolbar you can use to apply numberformatting to the values in your worksheets.

Currency Stylebutton

Other Ways to ApplyCurrency Formatting:• Type the dollar sign ($)

before you enter a number.

2.2. Click cell A4 and type Annual Sales.The numbers in this column should be formatted as currency.

3.3. Press <Enter> to confirm your entry and overwrite the existinginformation.

4.4. Select the cell range G5:G17 and click the Currency Style button onthe Formatting toolbar.A dollar sign and two decimal places are added to the values in the selected cell range.

5.5. Select the cell range F5:F17 and click the Percent Style button onthe Formatting toolbar.Excel applies percentage style number formatting to the information in the Tax column.Notice there isn’t a decimal place—Excel rounds any decimal places to the nearest wholenumber. That isn’t suitable here—you want to include a decimal place to accurately showthe exact tax rate.

6.6. With the Tax cell range still selected, click the Increase Decimalbutton on the Formatting toolbar.Excel adds one decimal place to the information in the tax rate column.Next, you want to change the date format in the date column. There isn’t a “Format Date”button on the Formatting toolbar, so you will have to format the date column using theFormat Cells dialog box.The Formatting toolbar is great for quickly applying the most common formatting options tocells, but it doesn’t offer every available formatting option. To see and/or use every possiblecharacter formatting option you have to use the Format Cells dialog box. You can open theFormat Cells dialog box by either selecting Format→ Cells from the menu or right-clickingand selecting Format Cells from the shortcut menu.

7.7. With the Date cell range still selected, select Format → Cells fromthe menu, select 4-Mar-97 from the Type list box and click OK.

Formatting a Worksheet 2525

Table 4-2: Number Formatting Buttons on the Formatting ToolbarButton Name Example Formatting

Currency $1,000.00 Adds a dollar sign, comma, and two decimal places.

Percent 100% Displays the value as a percentage with no decimal places.

Comma 1,000 Separates thousands with a comma.

Increase Decimal 1000.00 Increases the number of digits after the decimal point by one

Decrease Decimal 1000.0 Decreases the number of digits after the decimal point by one

Quick Reference

To Apply NumberFormatting:

• Select the cell or cell rangeyou want to format and clickthe appropriate numberformatting button(s) on theFormatting toolbar.


want to format, select Format→ Cells from the menu, clickthe Number tab, and specifythe number formatting you wantto apply.


want to format, right-click thecell or cell range and selectFormat Cells from the shortcutmenu, click the Number tab,and specify the numberformatting you want to apply.

That’s all there is to formatting values–not as difficult as you thought it would be, was it? Thefollowing table lists the five buttons on the Formatting toolbar you can use to apply numberformatting to the values in your worksheets.

Anything you need to type appears like this.

Whenever there is more than one way to do something, the most common method is presented in the exercise and the alternate methods are presented in the margin.

Tables provide summaries of the terms, toolbar buttons, or shortcuts covered in the lesson.

CustomGuide’s exclusive Quick Reference is great for when you need to know how to do something fast. It also lets you review what you’ve learned in the lesson.

Chapter One: Computer Hardware

Chapter Objectives:

• Learn the basic functions of various parts of a computer

• Discover the various types of computers and their roles

• Understand what a CPU does

• Learn how memory is measured

• See what’s on the front, back, and inside of a computer

• Learn about specialized input and output devices

• Understand the types and purposes of storage media

• Learn about the various ports on a computer

• Understand how hardware devices are installed on a computer

• Understand what determines a computer’s performance

• What you can do to prevent theft or damage

• Routine maintenance that can be performed by the user

Hardware is any physical part of a computer that you can see or touch. A computer’s monitor, CD-ROM or DVD drive, mouse, keyboard, and printer are all different types of hardware. This chapter takes a closer look at the physical parts that constitute a computer.

This chapter is broken up into several sections, since there are several different categories of hardware devices. First we’ll learn the basic functions of various parts of the computer and examine processing devices, such as computer’s CPU and memory. You’ll finally understand what those technical sounding words megahertz and gigabyte mean. From there we’ll take a good hard look at a computer from the front, back, and yes, even inside. Then we’ll move on to input devices, such as the keyboard and mouse, and output devices, such as the monitor and printer. The last part of this chapter discusses storage devices, such as hard drives and CD-ROM drives, and basic information regarding computer performance and routine maintenance that you can perform to keep your computer running in tip-tip shape.

That’s a lot of material to cover, so let’s get started!

Prerequisites • A desire to learn about

computers.



Lesson 1-1: Introduction to Computers

Your desk probably contains a jumble of equipment commonly known as a computer. But what is all that stuff? What does a computer do? Unlike many other tools or appliances that have limited purposes, a computer can do any number of things: • Write letters • Browse the Internet • Send e-mail messages to people around the world • Play games • Help you balance your budget

…and that’s just the beginning of what you can do with a computer!

Two basic components make up a computer: hardware and software. You simply can’t have one without the other. All computer parts that you can physically see or touch are called hardware. Hardware includes the computer’s monitor, case, keyboard, mouse, and printer. Computer programs that tell hardware how to operate are called software. We will learn more about software in the next chapter.

Figure 1-1 shows an example of a typical computer setup and its components, but don’t worry if your setup is different. More than likely, you have all the parts that you need, and those parts are properly connected. In any case, Table 1-1: Parts of a Computer provides more details about each individual component.

IT, short for Information Technology, is the broad subject related to computers and managing and processing information, especially within large organizations. Many large companies have departments full of computer experts called IT departments.

Figure 1-1

A typical computer setup.

Your computer setup may differ from the one shown in Figure 1-1. For example, you might have a computer case that is tall and skinny (tower case) or a flat screen monitor.

Figure 1-1

Chapter One: Computer Hardware 13


Table 1-1: Parts of a Computer Component Description Case or System Unit

The main computer box, technically known as the system unit, is the most important part of a computer. It contains the guts and brains of the computer—something we’ll talk about later. The system unit contains a lot of holes or ports where you plug in the rest of the computer system.

Monitor The monitor resembles a television set, and is where the computer displays information.

Keyboard The keyboard is the thing you type on to tell your computer what to do.

Mouse Like the keyboard, the mouse is another input device that you use to communicate with your computer.

Speakers Most computers can make sounds, just like a stereo system. In fact, you can even listen to audio CD’s on most computers or watch DVDs.

Printer A printer is where a computer writes down information or output, onto paper, or a hardcopy.

Quick Reference

A Typical Computer Includes the Following: • System unit • Monitor • Keyboard • Mouse • Speakers • Printer

Hardware: • A computer item you can

physically see or touch.

Software: • A computer program that

tells computer hardware how to operate.

Information Technology (IT): • Information Technology is

the broad subject related to computers and managing and processing information.



Lesson 1-2: Types of Computers There are several different types of computer systems out there. Here's a very brief description of the most common ones…

Table 1-1: Types of Computers Computer Description

Supercomputer

A supercomputer is the most powerful computer available at a given time. Capacity: Gargantuan – the largest in the world Speed: Extremely fast – the fastest supercomputer is the Earth Simulator, located at the Yokohama Institute for Earth Sciences in Japan. Cost: Extremely expensive – tens of millions of dollars Users: Only used by very large organizations that need their immense calculating power – weather forecasting and climate research are two of the most common uses of supercomputers

Mainframe

A mainframe is a big, powerful, expensive computer that can support many users at the same time. Large systems such as these centralize data processing and storage.

Capacity: Enormous - the capacity of several hundred or even thousands of PCs Speed: Very fast - much, much faster than a PC Cost: Very, very expensive - can usually only be afforded by large organizations Users: Only used by large businesses and organizations

Minicomputer

Minicomputers are mid-sized, multi-user computers that are smaller and less powerful than mainframe computers. Minicomputers are commonly used as servers in a network.

Capacity: Less than a mainframe computer, but greater than a microcomputer Speed: Slower than a mainframe computer, faster than a microcomputer Cost: $18,000 - $500,000 Users: Only organizations that cannot afford or do not need the processing power of a mainframe system

Networked Computer

A network is a group of computers that are connected so that they can share equipment and information. Most people on a network use workstations, which are simply PCs that are connected to the network. A server is a central computer where users on the network can save their files and information.

Capacity: (Workstation) Same as a PC, only needs a network card (Server) Greater than a PC, often more than 100 GE Speed: (Workstation) Same as a PC (Server) Generally faster than a PC, may use multiple CPUs Cost: (Workstation) Same as a PC (Server) More expensive than a PC but not as costly as a mainframe Users: (Workstation) People in a networked office or organization (Server) Generally a network administrator or engineer

IC3

Objective: 1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2, 1.1.1.3, and 1.1.1.9 Req. File: None



Computer Description

Microcomputer A microcomputer is a small, single-user computer with a microprocessor as its CPU. Desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet PCs, and many types of handheld devices are all types of microcomputers. See Table 1-2: Types of Microcomputers for more information.

Table 1-2: Types of Microcomputers Computer Description

PC

Mac

A PC is a personal computer, originally designed by IBM way back in 1981. Many different companies make PCs, but all of them are IBM-compatible. What this means, according to Bill Gates, is that they will all run Microsoft Windows.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 20 GB to 80 GB Speed: Fast. Average speed is from 1 GHz to 3 GHz Cost: Fairly inexpensive - under $1,000 - and getting cheaper every day! Users: Just about everyone uses a PC! Homes, offices, schools…

Developed by Apple, a Macintosh is a computer, but it is NOT a PC. Macs have a different operating system and use their own software and hardware.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 20 GB to 80 GB Speed: Fast. Average speed is from 500 MHz to 2 GHz Cost: Fairly inexpensive, but usually more than an equivalent PC Users: Just about everyone, especially in the education and design fields

Laptop

A laptop, or notebook, is a lighter and more portable version of a PC or Mac that can run on batteries.

Capacity: Average hard disk size is 10 GB to 40 GB Speed: Fast, but slightly less than a PC. Average speed is from 700 MHz to 2 GHz Cost: Fairly inexpensive, but more than an equivalent PC Users: People on the move, especially business people and students

Handheld/PDA

A PDA, or Personal Data Assistant, is a handheld computer that is generally used to keep track of appointments and addresses. Capacity: Much smaller than a PC - 8 MB to 64 MB of storage space Speed: Much slower than a PC - 8 MHz to 266 MHz Cost: Expensive when compared to the capacities of a PC Users: Business people and others who need to be organized

In addition to computers, there are also many other types of electronic devices that contain a microprocessor. Interactive books, cellular phones, and even calculators are all examples of computing devices that have been designed for specific purposes. Various types of non-computer equipment, such as mechanical devices and industrial equipment, contain microprocessors and memory as well, allowing them to process information in order to work more effectively and efficiently.

Quick Reference

Different Types of Computers Include: • Supercomputers • Mainframes • Minicomputers • Networked computers

(Workstations, Servers) • Microcomputers (PCs,

Macs, Laptops, Handhelds/PDAs)

Other Types of Devices that Contain a Microprocessor Include: • Interactive books • Cellular phones • Calculators • Mechanical devices

(clocks, etc.) • Industrial equipment

(engines, etc.)



Lesson 1-3: Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Inside the computer case, hidden amongst all the wiring and gizmos, is a particularly important part of the computer known as the central processing unit (or CPU, for short). The CPU is also known as the computer chip (because that’s what it is) or the microprocessor (or processor, for short).

Some say the CPU is the “brain” of the computer while others describe it as the heart. In any case, it’s the thing that makes your computer a computer. The CPU does all the work: It calculates, it processes, and it keeps things running smoothly. You might think of it as a talented stage manager. When it does its behind-the-scenes job well, you don’t notice it; you simply enjoy the performance.

Originally, CPUs were given wildly inventive names like 8088. The next few names in the series—the 286, the 386, and the 486—were actually just shortened names for 80286, 80386, and 80486. Then, what would have been the 586 was dubbed the Pentium. After that, the names became rather mysterious: Pentium Pro and Pentium MMX. Finally, the names returned to a semi-ordered numbering system (albeit a mix of Roman and Arabic numerals): Pentium II, Pentium III, and Pentium 4. And that’s where we are at the moment. Both the Pentium III and the Pentium 4 are still quite common.

Intel makes most CPUs. In fact, Intel is the company that came up with the name Pentium. However, AMD and VIA Technologies are two other well-known CPU manufacturers. Their CPUs are less expensive and use a different naming system (such as the AMD Athlon and the AMD Duron). Intel actually makes a less expensive version of the Pentium as well, which it calls the Celeron. The Celeron does what the Pentium does, but not as quickly.

Speaking of which, speed is what the CPU is all about, and each successive version of the CPU gets progressively faster. A CPU’s speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) or, for newer models, in gigahertz (GHz). A megahertz equals millions of cycles per second; a gigahertz equals billions of cycles per second. Higher numbers equate to higher speeds. You might see an Intel Pentium 4 at 3.06 GHz, a Pentium III at 1.40 GHz, and a Celeron at 2.20 GHz.

Figure 1-2

The Intel Pentium 4 is the fastest and most recent CPU available.

Figure 1-3

The CPU can get hot! Most CPUs have a built-in fan to keep them from burning out.

IC3

Objective: 1.1.1.4, 1.1.1.5, and 1.1.2.2 Req. File: None

A CPU’s speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) or gigahertz (GHz).

Figure 1-2

Figure 1-3

Central Processing Unit (CPU)



Another common measure of a CPU is how many bits it can handle at a time. A bit is the tiniest piece of information processed by a computer. Eight bits make up one byte, and one byte equals one character. Computers used to only be able to handle 8 or 16 bits; now they’re up to 32 and 64 at a time. Don’t worry if all of this seems a bit confusing—we’ll cover bits and bytes in greater detail in a later lesson.

Table 1-3: Common CPUs CPU Speed Description

1 GHz to 3 GHz

Intel Pentium 4 Processor The Pentium 4 is Intel’s most recent and fastest generation of CPUs, with processing speeds over 3 GHz.

450 MHz to 1 GHz

Intel Pentium III Processor Launched in 1999, Pentium III CPUs are still found in some new computers.

1.06 to 2 GHz

Intel Celeron Processor Intel’s Celeron CPU is an inexpensive processor designed for people on a budget. Celeron processors are very similar to Pentium processors, but they have less built-in memory.

500 MHz to 3 GHz

Intel Xeon Processor Don’t expect to see any Xeon-based computers at your local computer store—it’s designed for high-end servers.

850 MHz to 2.2 GHz

AMD Athlon Processor The Athlon processor is equivalent to Pentium processors—only it’s less expensive.

1.5 GHz to 1.8 GHz

AMD Sempron Processor The Sempron CPU is AMD’s answer to Intel’s Celeron processor. It has less built-in memory and is designed for people on a budget.

Older Processors

Here’s a summary of the other most common—and obsolete—processors out there:

Processor Release Date Average Speed Pentium II 1997 266 MHz Pentium 1993 133 MHz 486 1989 66 MHz 386 1985 25 MHz 286 1982 12.5 MHz 8088 1979 8 MHz

Quick Reference

• The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the computer’s main chip. It calculates and processes information.

CPU Speed is Measured In: • Megahertz (MHz) • Gigahertz (GHz)

CPU Speed is Measured In: • Intel Pentium 4 • Intel Pentium III • Intel Celeron • AMD Athlon • AMD Sempron



Lesson 1-4: Measuring Memory

Most people know that a computer has memory. But what does that really mean? You often hear techies toss around numbers like “60GB hard drive.” Okay, that sounds impressive, but what does it tell you? This lesson breaks memory into measurable units.

The first thing you need to know is that, at its most basic level, a computer only understands the concept of “on and off.” On is represented by the number one (1); off is represented by the number zero (0). Everything that a computer does is based on this combination of ones and zeros, which is known as the binary system. These ones and zeros are digits, known as bits, which are the smallest memory unit. The term bit is short for binary digit.

The second thing you need to know is that a computer saves information in bytes, not bits. So what is a byte? The term byte is short for binary digits eight. So one byte is made up of eight bits. And a byte is the equivalent of a character, which can be a letter, a number, or a symbol. So let’s say that you’re a self-involved poet whose latest creation is simply titled “I.” That one-word title would equal one byte.

Of course, it would be fairly tedious if a computer stored everything in single bytes. The next largest unit is the kilobyte. A kilobyte (abbreviated K or KB) equals 1,024 bytes or characters. Now let’s say you’re a short-story writer. The one-page, double-spaced masterpiece you submit to your editor would be the equivalent of a kilobyte.

After the kilobyte, the next largest unit is the megabyte. A megabyte (abbreviated M or MB) equals 1,048,576 bytes or characters. If you were a novelist, your latest bestseller would equal a megabyte.

Figure 1-4

A hard drive might have 60GB of memory.

Figure 1-5

A recordable CD (CD-R) can have up to 700MB of memory.

Figure 1-6

A memory chip might have 512MB of memory.

Figure 1-7

A zip disk can have between 100MB and 250MB of memory.

IC3

Objective: 1.1.1.6, 1.1.1.7 Req. File: None

Everything that a computer does is based on a combination of ones and zeros, which is known as the binary system.


Figure 1-6

Figure 1-7



Quick Reference Computers Function based on the Binary System: • On is represented by a

one (1). • Off is represented by a

zero (0). • Ones and zeros are

digits, known as bits.

Bit: • Short for binary digit. • Smallest memory unit. • Eight bits equal one byte.

Byte: • Short for binary digits

eight. • One byte equals one

character (letter, number, or symbol).

Kilobyte (K or KB): • 1,024 bytes

Megabyte (M or MB): • 1,048,576 bytes

Gigabyte (G or GB): • 1,073,741,824 bytes

Terabyte (T or TB): • 1,099, 511,627,776 bytes

The next unit after the megabyte is the gigabyte. A gigabyte (abbreviated G or GB) equals 1,073,741,824 bytes or characters. Let’s pretend you are a researcher. A whole shelf of books devoted to your favorite subject would be the equivalent of a gigabyte.

Finally, after the gigabyte comes the terabyte. A terabyte (abbreviated T or TB) equals 1,099,511,627,776 bytes or characters. Let’s imagine that you’re an egomaniac who owns an entire bookstore filled only with books by authors you like. Such a single-minded store would be the equivalent of a terabyte.

Okay, let’s review. The following table summarizes all the units of memory.

Table 1-4: Bits and Bytes Unit Abbreviation Size Example Equivalent

Bit — — — An atom or speck, the smallest unit of memory.

Byte — 8 bits

A single letter, a number, or a symbol.

Kilobyte K or KB 1,024 bytes

A one-page, double-spaced letter.

Megabyte M or MB 1,048,576 bytes

A best-selling novel.

Gigabyte G or GB 1,073,741,824 bytes

An encyclopedia set.

Terabyte T or TB 1,099, 511,627,776 bytes

A bookstore.

MB is an abbreviation for megabyte. GB is an abbreviation for gigabyte.



Lesson 1-5: RAM and ROM

So now you know that computer memory is measured in various byte-sized units: kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes, petrabytes, and philobytes. Okay, those last two were just made up to see if you were paying attention.

Next you need to know that computers have two major types of memory: random-access memory (or RAM) and read-only memory (or ROM). Let’s discuss these two types of memory in greater detail. • RAM (random-access memory)

When someone at a computer superstore tells you how much memory a new computer has, they’re really talking about RAM. RAM is the computer’s main memory, which it uses to process information. Whenever you work with a file on your computer or open a program, the data in that file or program is temporarily stored in RAM. RAM is volatile, however; the data is stored only as long as the computer has power. Once you shut off your computer, the data is gone. In order to avoid losing important data, you can and should save your files on a regular basis (this is where storage comes in, but more on that later). Think of RAM like a notebook: You can read from it and write to it. Technically, it could be called “read and write memory.” And, as with a notebook, you can overwrite it many, many times—provided you have an eraser!

• ROM (read-only memory) ROM is the computer’s low-level memory, which it uses to perform its most basic functions. This memory is permanent; the data remains even if you shut off the computer. This only makes sense because ROM is required to restart your computer. You never hear people discuss how much ROM you have because the manufacturer usually installs it, and you never touch it. It does all the behind-the-scenes work and then disappears once you’re underway, much like a party planner. You can also think of ROM like a novel: You can read from it, but you can’t write to it (and thus, its name).

Need some examples? Take a look at the following everyday computer operations to see how RAM and ROM take part in the flow of information: • Starting or “booting” the computer: Information in ROM provides instructions for the

microprocessor to load the operating system from storage to RAM. • Starting a computer application: The microprocessor loads the application from storage to

RAM.

Figure 1-8

RAM, or random-access memory, works like a notepad; you can read from it and write to it.

Figure 1-9

ROM, or read-only memory, works like a novel, you can read from it but not write to it.

IC3

Objective: 1.1.1.6 and 1.1.1.8 Req. File: None

When you work with a file on your computer, you’re using RAM.




• Creating documents: The file is stored in RAM until it is saved. • Closing files and exiting an application: The file and the application are both removed

from RAM.

The following table illustrates the main differences between RAM and ROM.

Table 1-5: Comparing RAM and ROM RAM ROM

Random-access memory Read-only memory

Main memory. Low-level memory.

Necessary to process information (example: work with a file).

Necessary to perform the most basic functions (example: start the computer).

Volatile: If not saved, data disappears when you shut off the computer’s power. It’s temporary.

Nonvolatile: Data remains even when you shut off the computer’s power. It’s permanent.

Often discussed when buying a computer. Seldom mentioned when buying a computer.

You can read from and write to it. Comparable to a notepad.

You can read from it, but you can’t write to it. Comparable to a novel.

Quick Reference

Computers have two types of memory: • Random-access memory

(RAM). • Read-only memory

(ROM).

RAM: • Computer’s main

memory, which is used to process information (example: work with a file).

Or… • Volatile: Unless saved,

data disappears when you shut off the computer.

• Comparable to a notebook; you can read from it and write to it.

ROM: • Computer’s low-level

memory, which is used to perform its most basic functions (example: start the computer).

• Nonvolatile: Data remains even when you shut off the computer. It’s permanent.

• You can read from it, but you can’t write to it. Comparable to a novel; you can only read it



Lesson 1-6: Sharing Data, Files, Hardware and Software

In Lesson 1-2: Types of Computers, you learned how large systems (such as mainframe computers or minicomputers) centralize data processing and storage. This lesson will show you how users interact with these centralized systems.

First of all, computers integrate into larger systems in a variety of different ways, including:

• Terminals that are connected to minicomputers or mainframe systems—describes the three types of computer terminals that can be used with mainframe systems.

• Desktop computers connected to minicomputers or mainframe systems. • Desktop computers connected to a network. • Desktop computers, laptops, and handheld devices connected to larger systems, such as

networks or the Internet.

Users can access data that is stored on a larger system from their very own computer in a process called networking.

A network is several computers, printers, and other devices that are connected together with cables or radio signals. This allows the computers to “talk” with each other and share information and resources (usually files and printers). Networks vary in size; they can be as small as two computers connected to each other by a cable, or they can span the entire globe—the Internet is actually the world’s largest network.

Figure 1-10

An example of how data is shared in a network.

IC3

Objective: 1.1.1.8, 1.1.1.9, 1.1.1.10 and 1.1.1.11 Req. File: None

Shared filesServer

WorkstationWorkstation

Network Figure 1-10



Networks allow users to: • Share Information: Networks allow you to share files and programs. Before networks,

people had to save their files on floppy disks to exchange information. This wasted a lot of time—especially if the computers were located in opposite ends of the building!

• Share Equipment: Computers connected to a network can share equipment to reduce costs. For example, rather than buying a printer for each computer, everyone can share one central network printer.

• Use Network Software: Software designed for networks lets people send and receive electronic mail (e-mail) with other users on the network, schedule meetings with other users on the network, and share databases. Using software stored on a network frees up resources and storage capacity on the individual PCs that are connected to the network.

In a network, PCs are connected to a larger system called a network server, which is usually a minicomputer or workstation. A server is a central computer where users on the network can save their files and information. Information can be easily transferred in a network by copying data from one PC to a shared network storage device (such as the server’s hard disk), and then copying the data from the shared network storage device to the other PC. Data kept on a network server’s hard disk is accessible to all users connected to the network. Transferring data from PC to PC over a network eliminates the need to transfer data using floppy disks, CD-Rs or CD-RWs.

Table 1-6: Terminals Connected to Mainframe Systems Computer Terminal Type Description Intelligent Terminal A stand-alone terminal that has its own processing capability.

Smart Terminal A stand-alone terminal that has its own processing capability, but less processing capability than an intelligent terminal.

Dumb Terminal A stand-alone terminal that has no processing capability of its own. Dumb terminals rely completely on the mainframe’s processor.

Quick Reference

Networks Allow Users to: • Share information • Share equipment • Share software

Types of Terminals Connected to Mainframe Systems: • Intelligent Terminal • Smart Terminal • Dumb Terminal



Lesson 1-7: The Front of a Computer and Peripheral Devices

The system unit or computer case is that plastic box that sits under your monitor or desk and is covered with slots, buttons, and lights. Computer cases come in several shapes and sizes. Older computers often have the horizontal desktop case, which has gradually been replaced by the vertical tower case. Manufacturers are now phasing out the tallest towers because the compact size of the smallest tower, known as a mini-tower, is attractive to consumers.

Everything outside of and connected to the system unit is called peripherals. You can add dozens of peripherals and accessories to make it more useful and fun. Common peripherals include printers, scanners, external hard drives, CD-ROM drives, and digital cameras. Many peripherals are considered to be input devices, because they allow you to talk to your computer by inputting information. Other peripherals are output devices, because they let your computer talk back to you. One more thing: all peripherals are considered to be part of a computer’s hardware.

Table 1-7: What’s on the Front or Outside of a Computer Case? Item Description System Unit or Computer Case

A plastic or metal case with slots, buttons, and lights in the front and holes in the back. This is the most important part of a computer because it contains the Central Processing Unit (CPU). The system unit directs the computer, performs calculations, and stores information.

Figure 1-11

The front of a computer case.

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Scanner

Speakers

Keyboard Mouse

Monitor Printer

CD-ROM or DVD player Floppy drive

Figure 1-11

System unit



Quick Reference Components Visible from the Outside of the System Unit May Include: • Floppy drive • CD-ROM or DVD drive • Zip drive or tape backup • Keyboard • Mouse • Scanner • Monitor • Speakers • Printer

Item Description Floppy Drive Reads and writes to 3½-inch floppy disks. A floppy disk can store about

1.5 MB of information—about as much as a novel.

Hard Drive or Hard Disk (Not shown)

The computer’s main, long-term storing device. Unlike floppy disks and CD-ROMs, you typically cannot remove a hard disk.

CD-ROM or DVD Drive CD-ROMs and DVDs for your computer can store lots of information and look exactly like CDs for your stereo and DVDs for your home DVD player. In fact, you can listen to audio CDs on a CD-ROM drive and even watch DVD movies on a DVD drive. The only real difference between a CD-ROM and a DVD is how much information they can store. A CD-ROM can store approximately 650MB (megabytes) of information, while a DVD can store much more—up to 17 GB (gigabytes) or 17,000MB on a double-sided DVD. Most CD-ROMs and DVD are read-only, meaning you can’t write information to them. You can buy special CD-ROM and DVD drives that can write or burn information to special CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, and DVD-RW discs.

Zip Drive (Not shown)

A special type of disk drive that can read and write to Zip disks. A Zip disk is a lot like a floppy disk, although they are faster and can store more information—from 100 to 250MB (megabytes).

Tape Backup (Not shown)

A device that you can use to store backups, or copies, of the information on a computer’s hard drive.

Keyboard The keyboard is the thing you type on to tell your computer what to do.

Mouse Like the keyboard, the mouse is another input device that you use to communicate with your computer.

Inpu

t Dev

ices

Scanner Scanners work like photocopiers, except the image is translated into a digital image in your computer rather than copied onto paper.

Monitor The monitor resembles a television set, and is where the computer displays information.

Speakers If visible, your computer speakers are similar to those on a stereo system (or at least a cheap stereo system). They allow your computer to play sounds.

Out

put D

evic

es

Printer A printer is where a computer writes down information or output, onto paper, or a hardcopy.



Lesson 1-8: The Inside of a Computer

Now that you know what’s on the outside, let’s crack open that mysterious computer case and look inside. But no tools required—we’ve done all the work for you. Just compare Figure 1-12 with Table 1-8: What’s Inside a Computer Case? to see what’s important.

Table 1-8: What’s Inside a Computer Case? Item Description Motherboard The main piece of circuitry in a computer. Everything connects to or is wired

to the motherboard.


The computer’s brain or heart, the CPU, is a computer’s main chip. The CPU, or microprocessor, is really nothing more than an incredibly fast and powerful calculator.

System Clock A system clock is an electronic device that issues a steady, high frequency signal that synchronizes all the internal components of a computer. As the computer’s clock speed increases, the number of instructions the CPU can execute per second also increases.

Hard Drive The hard drive, or hard disk, is the primary storage area of a computer.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

A computer’s temporary storage place, where it gets its work done. For example, when you use a word processor to type a letter, the letter is stored in the computer’s memory.

Figure 1-12

The side view of the guts of a tower case.

Everything plugs into a computer’s motherboard.

IC3

Objective: 1.1.2.2 Req. File: None

Figure 1-12

Power supply Central Processing Unit (CPU)

CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive

Floppy disk drive

Hard disk drive (HDD)

Ports

Expansion cards

Expansion slots

Random-access memory (RAM)

Motherboard

ROM-BIOS



Quick Reference Components Inside the System Unit May Include: • Motherboard • CPU (Central Processing

Unit) • Hard drive • System clock • RAM (Random Access

Memory) • ROM-BIOS • Expansion slots and

cards • PCMCIA cards (laptops

only)

Item Description ROM-BIOS A computer’s ROM-BIOS (stands for Read Only Memory – Basic

Input/Output System) is a special chip with instructions for the computer to communicate with other hardware parts.

Expansion Slot An expansion slot lets you add more features and capabilities to a computer by plugging in expansion cards.

Expansion Card A card that allows you to expand your computer’s capabilities, such as a modem card, a network card, a video card, or a sound card.

A video card is an expansion card that plugs into a computer’s motherboard and is responsible for all the text and images that appear on your computer’s monitor. Many computers don’t have a video card—all the video capabilities are instead built into the computer’s motherboard.

PCMCIA Cards Notebook computers are too small to use expansion cards, so they use special credit-card sized PCMCIA cards instead. You plug in a PCMCIA card, or PC Card, into a notebook computer to give it more features and capabilities. Nobody’s getting tested on this, but PCMCIA stands for Personal Computer Memory Card International Association.



Lesson 1-9: Specialized Input Devices

The keyboard and mouse are the two most common input devices for a computer, but there are many more. Most respectable laptops have a built-in touch pad or AccuPoint® Pointing Device or pointing stick that works like a mouse. Other mouse alternatives include track balls and light pens.

Other common computer input devices include scanners for copying images to a computer, joysticks for playing games, and microphones for recording sound. You can learn about these input devices by taking a look at the following table.

Table 1-9: Specialized Input Devices Input Device Description

Touch Pad

A touch pad is a small, touch-sensitive pad used as a pointing device on some portable computers. By moving a finger or other object along the pad, you can move the pointer on the display screen.

AccuPoint®

Pointing Device

An Accupoint® Pointing Device, or pointing stick, is another mouse substitute that is found on many laptop computers. An Accupoint® Pointing Device usually sits in the middle of the keyboard and resembles an eraser at the end of a pencil.

Track Ball

A track ball is essentially a mouse lying on its back. To move the pointer, you rotate the ball with your thumb, your fingers, or the palm of your hand.

Figure 1-13

There’s usually not enough room to use a mouse on an airplane or on the beach. It’s for this reason that most laptops have built-in touch pads and AccuPoint® Pointing Devices.

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Figure 1-13



Quick Reference Specialized Input Devices Include: • Touch pads • AccuPoint® Pointing

Devices • Track balls • Light pens • Scanners • Bar code readers • Joysticks • Microphones • Digital cameras • Web cams

Input Device Description

Light Pen

A light pen is an input device that utilizes a light-sensitive detector to select objects on a display screen. A light pen is similar to a mouse, except that with a light pen you can move the pointer and select objects on the display screen by directly pointing to the objects with the pen.

Scanner

A scanner is a lot like a photocopier. Instead of producing copies, a scanner converts images into digital information and stores it in a computer.

Bar Code Reader

A bar code is a series of vertical bars of varying widths, commonly found on consumer products and especially used for inventory control. A Bar Code Reader is a type of laser scanner that reads bar code and therefore identifies various items for pricing and inventory purposes.

Joystick

Mostly used for computer games, a joystick is a lever that moves in all directions and usually controls some type of movement on the computer.

Microphone

If your computer has a sound card (and most computers have one) you can plug in a microphone to digitally record sounds to your computer.

Web cam

A Web cam is a tiny digital video camera that usually sits on top of a computer’s monitor. People use Web cams for videoconferencing and to send live images over the internet.

Digital Camera

A digital camera lets you take pictures that you can transfer to a computer. Once you’ve transferred your pictures you can print them, insert them into a word processing document, or send them in an e-mail message. You can also edit digital photos.



Lesson 1-10: Specialized Output Devices

The monitor and printer are two of the most common output devices for a computer, but there are many more. Projectors and Plotters are used for specialized purposes, such as giving presentations or printing large documents like architectural blueprints.

Specialized computer output devices include control devices/robots, as well as voice synthesizers and other output devices for the physically challenged. You can learn more about these specialized output devices by taking a look at the following table.

Table 1-10: Specialized Output Devices Output Device Description

Projector

If you work in education, you are probably pretty familiar with projectors. Projectors are used for giving presentations. Projectors can be used to display pictures or diagrams, and, if you are using an overhead projector, you can even write or doodle onto the images being displayed.

Figure 1-14

A projector can be used when giving presentations.

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Figure 1-14



Output Device Description

Plotter

Don’t expect to find a plotter at your local computer store. Plotters are special, very expensive printers that are used to create large documents, such as posters and blueprints.

Control

Device/Robot

A control device is a device used to control an activity, process, or machine from a distance. Control devices usually include a tiny microprocessor, which allow them to function independently.

Voice Synthesizers

Voice synthesizers are just one of the many different types of output devices that have been developed for the physically challenged. A voice synthesizer automatically converts text into speech using an integrated text-to-speech processor.

Braille Translators

Braille translators allow the user to import information from virtually any word processor and turn it into Braille at the touch of a button. One can also create documents with the Braille Translator’s built-in word processor, as well as scan information from the World Wide Web.

Quick Reference

Specialized Output Devices Include: • Projectors • Plotters • Control Devices/Robots • Voice Synthesizers • Braille Translators



Lesson 1-11: Hard Disk

A hard drive or hard disk is a computer’s main storage device. Most hard drives are tucked away in the system unit of a computer and hidden from view. Although you normally can’t see a computer’s internal hard drive you can usually hear it whirring inside when you start the computer or a program. An external hard drive sits outside the computer’s system unit and plugs into a USB, Firewire, or SCSI port.

Just like storing files in a file cabinet, the hard drive is used to store files on a computer. Most computers have a single hard drive located inside of the computer case, labeled “C.” When a computer has more than one hard drive they are labeled “D,” then “E,” and so on. Unlike RAM, a hard drive retains its information even when you turn the computer off.

So what’s stored on a hard drive? Let’s take a look… • Operating System Files

A computer’s operating system, like Windows XP, is stored on the hard drive. • Program Files

Program files are the programs you work with, like your word processor, your Internet software, or your games. Programs usually come on floppy disks or CD-ROM’s and must be installed, or copied, to your hard drive in order to use the program.

• Data Files Whenever you create a document or data file on your computer, such as a word processing document, the computer stores it in its temporary memory (RAM). You must save your documents to the hard drive or they will be lost when you turn off your computer.

Figure 1-15

How information is stored in a file cabinet.

Figure 1-16

How information is stored on a hard disk.

Storage Notes: Internal Hard Disk

Speed: Very fast. Most hard disks have an average access speed of 8 to 15 milliseconds (ms). Capacity: Enormous. Many hard disks have more than 200 Gigabytes (GB) of storage. Cost: Hard disks are becoming more and more inexpensive. Byte for byte they are the most inexpensive way to store data.

Unlike diskettes and CD-ROMs, most hard disks reside inside of the computer or system unit and cannot be easily removed.

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Information on a hard disk is organized and grouped into folders or directories.

Taxes

Investments

Letters

Love Letters

Letter to Bill

Letter to Mary

A file cabinet’s information is organized and grouped into folders.

A folder may contain several files and even several subfolders.

A computer stores information on a hard disk.

A folder may contain several files and subfolders.

Figure 1-15

Figure 1-16



Most hard drives are connected to a computer’s motherboard through something called an IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) connection. You can also connect CD-ROM and DVD drives to an IDE connection. A slight problem with IDE is that it only supports a total of four devices or drives—which isn’t a big deal for most home users, but it is if you’re a business and need a server with lots of hard drives. So, there’s another way to connect hard drives to a computer: through a SCSI (pronounced—get this—skuzzy) port. SCSI connections are often faster than IDE and they can connect up to seven devices instead of four.

OK, so what else do you need to need to know about hard drives? • Hard Disk Size (or Capacity)

How much information (how many programs and data) a hard drive can store is measured in bytes, just like RAM. Hard drive sizes in newer computers range from 20 Megabytes (MB) all the way up to 200 Gigabytes (GB)! How big a hard drive should you get when you buy a computer? If you’re a home or small business user, try to get at least 40 Gigabytes. More is better in hard drives, because programs keep getting bigger and bigger.

• Average Access Time A hard drive’s average access time is how fast it can find information. Average access time is measured in milliseconds (ms), or 1/1000 of a second. The lower the access speed, the faster the hard drive. Most computers today have an average access time of 8 to 15 minutes.

Storage Notes: External Hard Disk

Speed: Very fast, though normally slower than internal hard disks. Capacity: Enormous – same as internal hard disks. Cost: Slightly more expensive than internal hard disks.

Quick Reference

Hard Drive: • A computer’s main

storage device is sometimes called the C: drive.

• Modern hard drives can store anywhere from 20GB to 250GB of information.

• Average access time is how fast a hard drive can find information.

• Hard drives are connected to a computer through either an IDE or SCSI interface.



Lesson 1-12: CD-ROM Drive

Another type of drive almost all computers have is a CD-ROM drive (CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory). CD-ROM drives play CD-ROM discs—the same kind of compact discs you can play in your stereo system. CD-ROMs can store lots of information: a single CD-ROM can hold more than 600 Megabytes (MB) of data—more than an encyclopedia set! Unlike a hard drive, most CD-ROMs can only read information—you can’t save, or record anything on them (that’s what the ROM in CD-ROM stands for: Read Only Memory!) On the other hand, CD-RW drives can read and write (or burn) to special CD-R and CD-RW discs (the RW in CD-RW stands for ReWritable.) The CD-ROM drive is usually labeled “D” on most computers.

The speed of a CD-ROM drive determines how quickly the computer can read information stored on the CD-ROM. Faster CD-ROM drives produce better sound and video quality. The original CD-ROM drive was no faster than an audio CD player, so the speed of all subsequent CD-ROM drives is measured by how many times faster they are than the original. Today’s CD-ROM drives are up to sixty times (60x) faster than the original.

Figure 1-17

A CD-ROM drive.

Figure 1-18

A CD-ROM drive can also play the same, great audio CDs that a stereo system does.

Figure 1-19

Newer CD-ROM drives can transfer data faster than older drives, as this table shows.

Storage Notes: CD-ROM

Speed: Much slower than a hard disk, but still faster than a diskette. Capacity: About 650 Megabytes (MB). Cost: Very inexpensive.

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CD-ROM Speed

Transfer Rate

8x 1,000 KB/s 10x 1,600 KB/s 12x 1,800 KB/s 16x 2,400 KB/s 24x 3,600 KB/s 32x 4,800 KB/s 40x 6,000 KB/s 48x 7,200 KB/s 60x 9,000 KB/s

Figure 1-17

Figure 1-18

Figure 1-19



Here are some things you can do with CD-ROMs: • Install Programs

More programs are coming on CD-ROMs because of their large storage capacity. Instead of installing and copying 20 floppies to your hard drive, you only have to install a single CD-ROM.

• Run CD-ROM Programs CD-ROM-based programs are usually the coolest programs available for your computer. CD-ROM programs often have rich, exciting multimedia content: high quality sounds, music, videos, and animations. For example, one of the most popular CD-ROM programs is a complete, searchable encyclopedia set which contains high quality pictures, sounds, music, and videos.

• Play Audio CDs Most CD-ROM drives are capable of playing audio CDs—the same kind your stereo uses. Play your favorite tunes on your computer while you work.

Table 1-11: Types of CDs CD Type Description CD-ROM The original, standard CD, CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc, Read-Only Memory. What

this means is that you can only read information from a CD-ROM; you can’t add new information.

CD-R If you have a CD-RW drive you can permanently store information on a CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) disc. The information you write or burn to a CD-R is permanent and can’t be changed or erased.

You can also use CD-R discs to create musical CDs that you can listen to in a stereo system.

CD-RW Unlike CD-R discs, a CD-RW (Compact Disc-ReWritable) disc can be written to many times. You can also modify and erase information on a CD-RW disc—if you have a CD-RW drive, of course.

Quick Reference

CD-ROM: • Stands for Compact Disc-

Read Only Memory. A CD-ROM drive lets you install programs, run CD-ROM based programs, and play audio CDs. A CD-ROM holds about 650MB of information.

CD-R: • Stands for Compact Disc-

Recordable. Lets you permanently write or burn information.

CD-RW: • Stands for Compact Disc-

ReWritable. Can be written to and modified many times.



Lesson 1-13: DVD Drive

Next generation DVD drives are quickly replacing CD-ROM drives in newer computers. A DVD (stands for Digital Versatile Disc) disc looks just like a CD-ROM, but it can store more than 4 Gigabytes (GB) of information—as much as seven CDs. There are even rumored to be future DVD discs that can hold up to 17 Gigabytes! Unfortunately there still really isn’t a lot of software that is available on DVD discs. Most people simply use their DVD drive to watch DVD movies. The CD-ROM drive is usually labeled D or E on most computers.

New rewritable DVD drives, that can record or burn information to special type of DVD discs have recently become available the market. Unfortunately for the consumer, the greedy DVD manufacturers couldn’t agree on a universal recordable DVD standard, so there are several different competing formats out there. Hopefully consumers will eventually make the decision for the DVD manufacturers, like they did between Betamax and VHS videotapes. Until then there isn’t really any clear answer regarding which recordable and rewritable DVD format to go with, although both DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs work in most newer DVD drives and players. We can tell you that the recordable DVD-RAM format is almost universally not compatible with most DVD players. Table 1-12: DVD Formats tries to make sense of all the available formats. For more information on recordable DVD standards, visit http://www.dvdrhelp.com/dvdplayers.php on the Web.

Table 1-12: DVD Formats DVD Format Description DVD-ROM The original, standard DVD. ROM stands for Read-Only Memory. This means

you can only read information from a DVD; you can’t add new information.

DVD-R If you have a DVD-RW drive you can permanently store information on a DVD-R (DVD-Recordable) disc. The information you write or burn to a DVD-R is permanent and can’t be changed or erased.

DVD-RW drives can also write to DVD-RW discs

Figure 1-20

A DVD disc looks almost identical to a CD-ROM disc.

Figure 1-21

The DVD logo.

Figure 1-22

A single DVD can store as much information as several CD-ROMs.

Figure 1-23

A DVD drive can also play the same, great movies that you can watch on a DVD player.

Storage Notes: DVD

Speed: Faster than a CD-ROM drive, but not as fast as a hard disk. Capacity: Usually about 4 Gigabytes (GB), although future DVD discs are rumored to hold up to 17 Gigabytes (GB). Cost: Slightly more than a CD-ROM but still very inexpensive.

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Figure 1-20

Figure 1-21 Figure 1-22 Figure 1-23



DVD Format Description DVD-RW If you have a DVD-RW drive you can use DVD-RW (ReWritable) discs, which

can be re-written up to 1,000 times. You can also modify and erase information on a DVD-RW disc. DVD-RW discs have some compatibility problems with older DVD Players and DVD ROM drives.

DVD-RW drives can also write to DVD-R discs.

DVD+R If you have a DVD+RW drive you can permanently store information on a DVD+R (DVD+Recordable) disc. The information you write or burn to a DVD+R is permanent and can’t be changed or erased.

DVD+RW drives can also write to DVD+RW discs.

DVD+RW If you have a DVD+RW drive you can use DVD+RW (ReWritable) discs, which can be re-written to up to 1,000 times. You can also modify and erase information on a DVD+RW disc. DVD+RW discs have some compatibility problems with older DVD Players and DVD ROM drives.

DVD+RW drives can also write to DVD+R discs.

DVD-RAM DVD-RAM is a rewritable DVD format that can be re-written to many times. DVD-RAM discs are beginning to look like an orphan format, since they won’t work in most DVD players.

Quick Reference

DVD: • Stands for Digital

Versatile Disc. A DVD disc looks like a CD-ROM, but can store much more information.

Recordable and Rewritable DVDs: • There are several

competing, non-compatible formats out there, including DVD-R /DVD-RW and DVD+R/ DVD+RW.



Lesson 1-14: Floppy Disks

Most desktop computers still have a diskette (or floppy) drive, although most laptops have dropped the all-but-obsolete diskette drive. Diskette drives read flat, 3½-inch diskettes. Diskette drives are as slow as a glacier when compared to hard drives and CD-ROM drives. Diskettes can only store a scant 1.44 Megabytes (MB) – just a little more than your typical novel.

So why are these relics from the 1980’s still around? Diskettes can still be useful for transferring and backing up small documents. The three most common uses include: • Transferring data files from one computer to another. To transfer data, simply copy or

save the data to the floppy disk, remove the disk from its drive, insert the floppy disk into the disk drive of another computer, then load the data into the RAM or copy the data to the other computer’s hard disk.

• Backing up, or duplicating, information in case of hard disk or hard disk drive malfunction and/or crash.

• Loading new programs onto a system by installing them from floppy disks onto the hard disk.

Figure 1-24

A relic of the past, diskettes don’t have the speed or capacity to be very useful in the 21st century.

Storage Notes: Diskettes

Speed: Very slow. Capacity: Very small – 1.44 Megabytes (MB). Cost: Very cheap.

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Figure 1-24

Quick Reference

Diskettes: • Are slow and can only

store 1.44MB. They are all but obsolete.



Quick Reference • Zip and Jaz drives are

removable storage devices that have features of both diskettes and hard disks.

Lesson 1-15: Zip and Jaz Drives

Removable storage drives have features of both hard drives and diskette drives. Removable storage drives work like a diskette drive because they read and write information on small, removable cassettes that are about the size of a diskette disk. They are like hard drives because each cassette can usually hold more than 100 megabytes (MB) and is much faster than a diskette disk, but still not quite as fast as a hard drive. Two of the most popular removable storage drives are the Zip drive and Jaz drive, both made by Iomega.

Zip disks can store 100 to 250 Megabytes (MB) on a removable disk—about 70 to 170 times as much as an old diskette disk. Zip drives are available in both 100MB and 250MB versions. You’ll need a 250MB version to read both 100MB and 250MB Zip disks. Zip disks are a great way to transfer and backup information—but they’re not much of a value when compared to newer CD-RW and even newer DVD-RW discs.

Jaz disks can store 1 to 2 Gigabytes (GB) on a single removable disk—as much as an older hard drive! Jaz drives are also fast, though not as fast as a hard disk, so they’re great for backing up information. Despite their huge storage capacities, Jaz drives really never caught on.

Figure 1-25

A Zip drive can store 100MB or 250MB on removable Zip disks.

Figure 1-26

A Jaz drive can store 1GB or 2GB on a removable Jaz disk.

Storage Notes: Zip Drive

Speed: Significantly slower than most hard disks. Capacity: 100 to 250 Megabytes (MB). Cost: Expensive when compared to costs of equivalent CD-RW discs and other storage devices.

Storage Notes: Jaz Drive

Speed: Slower than most hard disks, but faster than a Zip disk. Capacity: 2 Gigabytes (GB). Cost: Fairly expensive when compared to costs of equivalent CD-RW discs and other storage devices.

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Figure 1-25

Figure 1-26



Lesson 1-16: Other Storage Devices

We’ve covered the main storage devices that are out there, but it seems as though one or two new storage devices are invented and released every year; some catch on, some don’t. Here’s a run-down on some of the less common storage devices that are out there:

Table 1-13: Other Storage Devices Device Description

Tape Drive

A tape drive creates copies, or backups, of the files on a computer’s hard drive onto a tape cartridge. The backed-up files can be restored in case the original files are lost due to disaster or stupidity.

LS-120 SuperDrive

The LS-120 drive was meant to be an alternative to Zip disks, because it could store 120 MB of data on a disk; and a replacement for diskette drives, because it could also read and write to traditional 1.44 MB diskettes. Unfortunately LS-120 never really caught on with the general public.

Figure 1-27

Flash cards are most commonly used as the ‘film’ in digital cameras and can also be read by many PDAs and most computers.

Figure 1-28

A tape backup automatically makes a copy, or backup, of all the files on a computer’s hard drive.

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Figure 1-27

Figure 1-28



Device Description

Flash Cards

Flash cards are commonly used as the ‘film’ for digital cameras. Flash cards can store anywhere from a dozen to several hundred pictures, depending on how much memory they have. There are three different types of flash cards: CompactFlash cards, SmartMedia cards, and Memory Sticks. Flash cards can store anywhere from 4 MB all the way up to 1 GB. Wow!

USB Flash Drive

A USB flash drive is really another type of Flash Card that plugs into a USB port. USB flash drives range in sizes from 16 MB to 512 MB.

Quick Reference

Other Storage Devices Include: • Tape drives • LS-120 Super drives • Flash cards • USB flash drives



Lesson 1-17: Identifying Ports

When you look at the back of a computer, you may feel a bit overwhelmed by all the slots and holes. Fortunately, manufacturers have added some fairly standard icons and color coding to help you identify what should be plugged into your computer and where. Before long, you’ll recognize those icons and colors, and the configuration won’t seem so mysterious. It’s rather like hooking up cable and a DVD player to the back of your television—unless you’re one of those people who just wait for the cable guy to take care of that heinous task. In any case, this lesson will review each item piece by piece so you won’t get completely lost.

Before we begin, let’s define a couple of terms. The first thing you’ll notice is that the back of your computer has lots of holes. Those holes are called (depending on who you ask) jacks, ports, or connectors. You may notice that some of the connectors have holes, but some have what look like stickpins (which are aptly named pins). The ones that have holes are called female connectors; the ones that have pins are called male connectors. Let’s leave it at that.

Now let’s begin. Compare Figure 1-29 to Table 1-14: What’s on the Back of a Computer Case? The back of your computer may be arranged differently but should include the same elements.

Table 1-14: What’s on the Back of a Computer Case? Port Icon Description

The keyboard and mouse jacks look identical on most

Figure 1-29

The back of a computer case.

You may feel a bit overwhelmed the first time you look at the back of a computer.

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Figure 1-29

Power receptacle

Keyboard port Mouse port

Line-out jack (speakers/headphone) Line-in jack Microphone jack

Air vents

Parallel port (printer)

Serial port (COM1)

Expansion spaces

Phone jack Wall jack

USB ports

Video (monitor)

On/Off switch

Serial port (COM2)

Ethernet connector

Joystick port (MIDI)



Quick Reference Ports on the Back of a Computer Include: • Keyboard and Mouse • Serial or COM • Parallel or Printer • USB • Video or monitor • Line in, line out,

microphone • Joystick or game • Phone or modem • Ethernet or network • SCSI • Firewire

Port Icon Description

PCs, so look for colors and icons to help you with plugging in these devices. Some mice and keyboards use USB ports. Older mice may use a serial port.

Serial or COM

Serial (or COM) ports are a very versatile type of port. Some of the things you can plug into a serial port include a mouse, modem, scanner, or digital camera. Most computers have two serial ports: COM1 and COM2.

Parallel or Printer

You plug your printer into the parallel, or printer, port. Many newer printers may use a USB port.

USB

Designed to replace older Serial and Parallel ports, the USB (Universal Serial Bus) can connect computers with a number of devices, such as printers, keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras, PDAs, and more. Better yet, the USB port supports plug-and-play, so you can simply plug in a USB device and start using it. USB 1 ports can transfer information at a speed up to 12 Mbps (Megabytes per Second). Newer USB 2 ports can transfer information at a speed up to 480 Mbps. Most computers come with two USB ports.

Video or Monitor

You plug your monitor into the video port.

Line Out / Plug in your speakers or headphone into the Line Out

jack.

Line In

The Line In jack allows you to listen to your computer using a stereo system.

Microphone

You can plug a microphone into this jack to record sounds on your computer.

Joystick or Game

If you have a joystick, musical (MIDI) keyboard, or other gaming device, this is where you plug it in.

Phone or Modem

The phone or modem jack is where you plug your computer into a phone line.

Network or Ethernet < • • • > You can connect your computer to a network by plugging

in an Ethernet cable in this port.

SCSI

A SCSI port is one of the fastest ways to connect a hard drive, CD-ROM drive, or other device to a computer.

FireWire

A FireWire (IEEE 1394 or i.LINK) port lets you connect such devices as hard disks and digital camcorders to a computer. A FireWire port can transfer information at a speed up to 400 Mbps (Megabytes per Second).



Lesson 1-18: Installing New Hardware

Any time you add a new hardware gadget to your computer, you need to make sure your computer can talk with and operate it. Microsoft Windows communicates to your computer’s hardware components using a small piece of software called a driver. A driver is like a computerized operating manual that tells Windows how to communicate and operate all the hardware devices in your computer.

Whenever you want to install a new piece of hardware to your computer, such as a network card or a removable storage device, first you need to hook up the hardware device to your computer via the appropriate cable (or other connection device) connected to the correct port. Your computer is configured to know when a new hardware device has been added, either by installing the appropriate software (drivers) required to run the new hardware, or, if you’re lucky, the piece of hardware is a Plug and Play device. Plug and Play devices are devices that Windows can automatically detect and set up to work with your computer, making them a breeze to install. Most new devices are Plug and Play.

Figure 1-30

The Add Hardware Wizard.

Figure 1-31

The Add Hardware Wizard searches for new hardware.

Figure 1-32

Windows displays the detected hardware.

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Quick Reference

To Add New Hardware to Your Computer: 1. Plug the hardware device

into your computer, via the appropriate cable (or other connection device) connected to the correct port.

2. Your computer is configured to detect the new hardware device, either by installing the appropriate drivers or automatically if the new hardware is a Plug and Play device.


Figure 1-32



Lesson 1-19: Selecting a Personal Computer

Are you in the market for a new computer, but just don’t know what to look for? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. The computer market changes practically every day, and it can get pretty confusing trying to keep up with the latest products, trends, and consumer deals.

Before purchasing a personal computer, consider the following points:

• What are the purposes/tasks for which the computer will be used? • Which platform (PC, Macintosh, or UNIX) best supports the types of applications that I

want to run on the computer? If you plan to do a great deal of graphic or Web design work, a Macintosh computer might be the best choice for you. PCs are more convenient for general home or office use.

• Do I need portability? If your job involves off-site research or frequent traveling, a laptop computer might be the best choice for you. Laptops take up very little space and are just as powerful as desktop computers. Be aware, however, that laptops are more expensive than desktop systems and are often easy targets for computer theft.

• Do I need versatility? A desktop computer offers greater system resources and a larger screen, which makes it a great choice for various multimedia tasks. Desktops also cost considerably less than a laptop, and are generally more secure when it comes to computer theft.

Once you figure out exactly what you’re looking for in a computer, you’ll probably want to start looking for the best price. The price of a computer is affected by hardware (desktop vs. laptop, monitor type, processor speed, hard disk size and type, etc.), software (pre-packaged software that may come with the computer, such as anti-virus software), and integration (internal modem or network card, online service subscriptions, etc.) factors.

Other factors that go into a decision to purchase a computer include: • Warrantees and support agreements can impact the price of a computer but

provide assurance of ongoing support for purchased equipment. • Specific hardware and software standards may be enforced by certain

organizations; for example, everyone might have to use the same word processor. • The expected useful life of a computer refers to the length of time that the

computer can be expected to be useful. Computer owners can maintain or extend a computer’s useful life by upgrading or trading in older computers.

Figure 1-33

Selecting a personal computer can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for.

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Quick Reference

Before Purchasing a Personal Computer, Consider the Following Points: • What are the

purposes/tasks for which the computer will be used?

• Which platform best supports the types of applications that I want to run on the computer?

• Do I need portability? • Do I need versatility?

Other Factors to Consider: • Warrantees and support

agreements • Specific hardware and

software standards • The expected useful life

of a computer

Figure 1-33



Lesson 1-20: Computer Performance

Another huge factor to consider when searching for the right computer is performance. You want the best possible performance for the best possible price, right? Well, the price of a computer is affected by its components. Table 1-15: Factors that Affect Computer Performance describes the different types of hardware and software that affect the price and performance of a computer.

Table 1-15: Factors that Affect Computer Performance Factor Description

CPU Speed

Arguably the single most important factor that determines a computer’s performance is the speed of its CPU. The speed of the CPU is measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz). The faster the CPU, the faster the computer. The first PC in 1981 ran at 4.77 MHz, while today’s computers can run at speeds exceeding 3,000 MHz, or 3 GHz.

Amount of RAM

The amount of RAM, or memory, is another very important factor in a computer’s performance. Generally, the more RAM a computer has the better its performance. However, you usually won’t see much of an improvement after 1 GB of RAM.

Type of Video Card

Video cards have their own processor and memory, just like the computer does. The faster the processor and the more memory a video card has, the faster it can draw graphics on the screen. Video card performance is especially important if you’re interested in playing newer, 3D computer games.

Figure 1-34

There are lots of factors that determine a computer’s speed. Most of them are listed in Table 1-15: Factors that Affect Computer Performance.

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Figure 1-34



Quick Reference Computer Performance is Determined By: • CPU speed. • Amount of memory or

RAM. • Network or modem

connection speed. • The type and speed of the

video card. • A hard disk’s speed, free

space, and fragmentation. • How many programs are

running, or multitasking, at the same time.

Factor Description

Hard Drive Speed

A hard drive’s average access time is how fast it can find information. Average access time is measured in milliseconds (ms), or 1/1000 of a second. The lower the access speed, the faster the hard drive. Most newer computers have an average access time of 8 to 15 ms.

Another factor that determines hard drive performance is how fast it spins, in revolutions per minute (rpms). Faster IDE hard drives may have speeds as fast as 7,200 rpm, while high-end SCSI hard drives have speeds of 15,000 rpm.

Free Hard Disk

Space

Not only do you need a fast hard drive, you have to make sure that is has plenty of free storage space. Microsoft Windows uses this hard disk space to create a cache on the hard drive where it stores temporary information.

Network or Modem Connection Speed

Just about every new computer comes with a built-in modem. A modem translates a computer’s ones and zeros into audio tones, so that it can transmit information over phone lines to other computers. The network or modem connection speed affects computer performance by speeding up the transfer or download of files over a network or the Internet.

Hard Disk

Fragmentation

Normally a computer stores a file in the same location on a hard drive. Over time, a hard drive can become fragmented, and instead of storing a file in the same location it begins storing parts of it all over. When the computer needs to read a fragmented file, it must read several different parts of the hard drive instead of just one. Defragmenting a hard drive puts the fragmented files back together in one place. You should defragment your computer’s hard drive about once a month.

Multitasking

Considerations

Microsoft Windows can multitask, or run more than one program or task at a time—probably no different than your job. And, just like your job, the more programs or tasks you throw at Windows, the longer it takes to complete each one, and hence a drop in computer performance.



Lesson 1-21: Preventing Theft

Preventing theft When organizations develop security policies, it’s easy to get so caught up in procedures and firewalls that they overlook how to protect their physical property. If a hacker can’t get the information they want electronically, they can do much more damage by acquiring the actual equipment in which the information is stored.

Theft of a laptop computer, desktop computer, PDA, or mobile phone should always be reported to your company’s technical support department immediately, and your service provider should also be contacted in case of a missing phone. Computers with startup passwords have some protection, but determined attackers can still get through these barriers. Sensitive files with password protection are another crucial line of defense against theft. The contact information on a PDA or mobile phone is also valuable, and your professional image could be damaged if the contact information of business associates or clients is abused.

Another way to protect your computer hardware from theft is by keeping your computer locked to a desk or within a locked room. If you work for a large company or organization, most likely your equipment is protected behind security systems such as building alarms and video monitors.

Figure 1-35

Prevent theft of your sensitive files by password-protecting them.

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Quick Reference

Preventing Theft: • Always report the theft of

a computer, PDA, or mobile phone immediately. It is a good idea to keep your computer locked to a desk or within a locked room. Security systems, such as building alarms and video monitors, are commonly found in large companies or organizations.

Figure 1-35



Lesson 1-22: Preventing Damage and other Hazards

Nobody wants to leave their office with electric burns and a broken computer; that’s why keeping a tidy workspace and office is important.

Several main factors that can cause damage to computer hardware or media include:

• Heat and humidity: Extreme conditions such as high heat and humidity can damage computer hardware and media such as floppy or hard disks.

• Exposure to electric or magnetic fields: Electric or magnetic fields can damage media such as floppy or hard disks.

• Dirty or poorly maintained equipment: Poorly maintained equipment can prevent equipment such as a printer or mouse from operating properly. Damaged or poorly maintained cables can keep peripherals from communicating with the computer properly.

Exposed and/or jumbled wires and cables around the desk space are accidents waiting to happen. It’s a good idea to take precautions to prevent tripping or equipment damage from getting caught in one of these cables or cords by shortening them to the necessary length and by taping down cables that run along the floor.

The holes and sockets that these many cables connect to should be examined as well. For example, examine plugs, sockets, and leads for defects and repair any irregularities. And, if there are a lot of electrical devices plugged into one outlet, have a professional install another outlet nearby to spread out the power demands evenly. Make sure to leave proper air circulation around electrical equipment as well, to prevent over-heating.

Computers are also vulnerable to power irregularity (spikes) and power outages. “Spikes” in the power supply can damage your hard drive, and power outages can result in a loss of data or damage to files that were left open when the power went out. You can prevent power-related damage or loss by protecting electric wires so that they are not easily disconnected, using a surge protector, and/or using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).

Figure 1-36

Exposure to magnetic fields could cause electrical surges that can harm you and your computer.

Figure 1-37

High heat and humidity can damage computer equipment.

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Objective: 1.1.4.1, 1.1.4.2 and 1.1.4.3 Req. File: None

Quick Reference

Prevention: • Prevent damaged

equipment and personal injury by keeping your workspace and walking areas clear, distributing electrical plug-ins wisely, and maintaining proper air circulation around electrical equipment.

Figure 1-36

Figure 1-37



Lesson 1-23: Computer Maintenance

Cars require maintenance to keep them running at their peak performance. Some car maintenance tasks are simple and routine, such as changing the oil every 3,000 miles. Others are more complicated, such as installing a new radio. Computers are no different—they require routine maintenance to prevent and/or correct problems and to keep them running at their best performance.

Common problems that can occur if hardware is not properly maintained include a “sticky” or inoperable mouse, printer paper jams and smearing, and a slowdown in overall performance due to full or disorganized hard disks.

By now you’re probably wondering, “How does one maintain a computer?” There are quite a few simple maintenance procedures that can be safely performed by users, including:

• Cleaning the Mouse, Keyboard, and Printer Routine cleaning of these devices can prevent them from becoming damaged and/or working improperly.

• Carefully Clearing Printer Paper Jams Care must be taken to clear a paper jam without damaging the printer. No matter how stressed out you may be, try your best to stay calm; most printer problems can be fixed rather easily.

• Repairing a Hard Drive Over time, hard drives can become damaged, effecting their performance. Fortunately most of the hard drive damage is caused by normal wear and tear and is not serious. You can diagnose and correct most hard drive problems with a hard drive repair program. Microsoft Windows comes with a built-in hard drive repair program.

Figure 1-38

Routine hard drive maintenance keeps computers happy and running smoothly.

Figure 1-39

Most hard disk repair tools can be found in Microsoft Windows by right-clicking the hard drive, selecting Properties from the shortcut menu, and clicking the Tools tab.

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Objective: 1.1.4.5, 1.1.4.6 and 1.1.4.7 Req. File: None

Figure 1-38

Figure 1-39



• Defragmenting a Hard Drive Normally, a computer stores a file in the same location on a hard drive. Over time, however, a hard drive can become fragmented; instead of storing a file in the same location, it begins storing parts of it all over. When the computer needs to read a fragmented file, it must read several different parts of the hard drive instead of just one. Defragmenting a hard drive puts the fragmented files back together in one place. You should defragment your computer’s hard drive about once a month.

• Backing up a Hard Drive Even though a computer’s hard drive stores information when the computer is turned off, you should still back up the documents you create to some type of removable storage, such as a CD-RW or tape backup. This will give you an extra copy of your files in case your hard drive is damaged.

• Virus Protection A computer virus is actually a small computer program written, by a malicious person with the purpose of vandalizing computers. A virus can erase information on your hard drive and cause many other unwanted problems. Anti-Virus programs that protect computers against viruses, such as Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan, are available at most computer stores. If you’re even thinking about connecting to the Internet, you need to have AntiVirus software installed on your computer.

• Hard Drive Compression A computer can increase space on a hard drive by using a special program to compress, or squeeze together, the files stored on a hard drive. Most data compression programs can effectively double the amount of information that a hard drive can store. Sounds great—so why don’t many people use disk compression? First, data compression slows down your hard drive because the computer has to uncompress files before it can read them. Second, data compression often causes more problems in hard drives. Third, several programs won’t run on the computer with compressed hard drives. Don’t compress your hard drive unless you absolutely have to, and even then it might be better to start looking for a newer, larger hard drive instead of using data compression.

Maintenance procedures that should ONLY be performed by experienced professionals include:

• Replacing malfunctioning hardware components • Upgrading internal hardware components • Working with any electrical components

Make sure you install AntiVirus software on your computer to prevent malicious computer viruses.

Quick Reference

Maintenance Procedures Performed by Users Include: • Cleaning the mouse,

keyboard, and printer • Carefully clearing printer

paper jams • Hard drive repair and

defragmentation • Backing up a hard drive • Installing virus protection

software • Compressing the hard

drive

Maintenance Procedures Performed by Users Include: • Replacing malfunctioning

hardware components • Upgrading internal

hardware components • Working with any

electrical components



Lesson 1-24: Identifying and Solving Computer-related Problems

Common problems associated with computer hardware components include:

• Failed or “crashed” hard drive or floppy diskette drive

• Components not plugged in or powered up

• Hardware not connected or configured properly

• Malfunctioning monitor (not displaying or displaying incorrectly)

• Inoperable hardware devices (such as newly installed software not working or a printer not printing properly)

Following a defined, step-by-step procedure is the best way to solve these and many other computer-related problems. If you find yourself in a pickle, first attempt basic solutions; such as restarting your computer and/or checking to make sure all components are plugged in and powered up. If that doesn’t work, call up the manufacturer of the hardware or ask a computer-savvy friend to help you out. If you are having problems at work, contact your network administrator or tech support team. Once you find out what went wrong, you can avoid similar problems in the future.

Figure 1-40

Computer-related problems can pop up (or out!) at any time.

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Quick Reference

Common Problems Associated with Computer Hardware Components Include: • Failed or “crashed” hard

drive or floppy diskette drive

• Components not plugged in or powered up

• Hardware not connected or configured properly

• Malfunctioning monitor • Inoperable hardware

devices

Figure 1-40

?!



Chapter One Review

Lesson Summary

Introduction to Computers

• Be able to identify the main parts of a typical computer setup.

• Understand the difference between hardware and software.

Types of Computers

• Different types of computers include supercomputers, mainframes, minicomputers, networked computers, and microcomputers.

• Different types of microcomputers include PCs, Macs, servers, laptops, and PDAs.

• Other types of devices that contain a microprocessor include interactive books, cell phones, calculators, mechanical devices, and industrial equipment.


• The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the computer’s main chip. It calculates and processes information.

• CPU speed is measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz).

• Common CPUs include: Intel Pentium III, Intel Pentium 4, Intel Celeron, AMD Athlon, AMD Duron.

Measuring Memory

• Computers use the binary system, where on is represented by a one (1) and off is represented by a zero (0).

• A Bit is the smallest memory unit. Bit stands for binary digit.

• Eight bits make one Byte. A byte equals one character (letter, number, or symbol).

• 1,024 bytes make one Kilobyte (K or KB) which is equivalent to a one-page, double-spaced letter.

• 1,048,576 bytes make one Megabyte (M or MB) which is equivalent to a novel.

• 1,073,741,824 bytes make one Gigabyte (G or GB) which is equivalent to an encyclopedia set.

• 1,099, 511,627,776 bytes make one Terabyte (T or TB) which is equivalent to a small bookstore.

RAM and ROM

• RAM: Stands for Random Access Memory. This is the computer’s main memory, which is used to process information. You can read from and write to RAM. RAM is volatile, and any data disappears when you shut off the computer.

• ROM: Stands for Read Only Memory. This is the computer’s low-level memory, which is used to perform its most basic functions. You can read from ROM but you can’t write to it.



Sharing Data, Files, Hardware and Software

• Networks allow users to share information, share equipment, and share software.

• Types of terminals connected to mainframe systems are intelligent, smart, and dumb terminals.

The Front of a Computer and Peripheral Devices

• Components visible from the outside of the system unit may include the floppy drive, CD-ROM or DVD drive, Zip drive or tape backup, keyboard, mouse, scanner, monitor, speakers, and printer.

The Inside of a Computer

• Components inside the system unit may include the motherboard, CPU (Central Processing Unit), hard drive, system clock, RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM-BIOS, expansion slots and cards, and PCMCIA cards in laptops.

Specialized Input Devices

• Specialized input devices include touch pads, AccuPoint® pointing devices, track balls, light pens, scanners, joysticks, and microphones.

Specialized Output Devices

• Specialized output devices include projectors, plotters, control devices/robots, voice synthesizers, and Braille translators.

Hard Disk

• A hard drive is a computer’s main storage device, usually labeled C.

• Modern hard drives can store anywhere from 20GB to 250GB of information.

• Average access time is how fast a hard drive can find information.

• Hard drives are connected to a computer through either an IDE or SCSI interface.

CD-ROM Drive

• CD-ROM: Stands for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory. A CD-ROM drive lets you install programs, run CD-ROM based programs, and play audio CDs. A CD-ROM holds about 650MB of information.

• CD-R: Stands for Compact Disc-Recordable. Lets you permanently write or burn information.

• CD-RW: Stands for Compact Disc-ReWritable. Can be written to and modified many times.

DVD Drive

• DVD: Stands for Digital Versatile Disc. A DVD disc looks like a CD-ROM, but can store much more information.

• Recordable and ReWritable DVDs: There are several competing, non-compatible formats out there, including DVD-R /DVD-RW and DVD+R/ DVD+RW.

Floppy Disks

• Diskettes are slow and can only store 1.44MB. They are all but obsolete.



Zip and Jaz Drives

• Zip and Jaz drives are removable storage devices that have features of both diskette and hard disks.

Other Storage Devices

• Other storage devices include tape drives, LS-120 Super drives, flash cards, and USB flash drives.

Identifying Ports

• Ports on the back of a computer include: keyboard, mouse, serial or COM, printer or parallel, USB, video or monitor, line in, line out, microphone, joystick or game, phone or modem, Ethernet or network, SCSI, and/or Firewire.

Installing New Hardware

• To add new hardware to your computer, first you need to plug the hardware device into your computer via the appropriate cable (or other connection device) connected to the correct port.

• Your computer is configured to detect any new hardware devices, either by installing the appropriate drivers or automatically if the new hardware is a Plug and Play device.

• A Plug and Play device is a device that Windows can automatically detect and set up to work with your computer.

Selecting a Personal Computer

• Before purchasing a personal computer, consider the following points: What are the purposes or tasks for which the computer will be used? Which platform best supports the types of applications that I want to run on the computer? Do I need portability? Do I need versatility?

• Other factors to consider when selecting a personal computer include warrantees and support agreements, specific hardware and software standards, and the expected useful life of a computer.

Computer Performance

• Computer performance is determined by CPU speed, amount of memory or RAM, the type and speed of the video card, the hard disk speed, free space, fragmentation, and the number of programs running at the same time.

Preventing Theft

• Preventing Theft: Always report the theft of a computer, PDA, or mobile phone immediately. It is a good idea to keep your computer locked to a desk or within a locked room. Security systems, such as building alarms and video monitors, are commonly found in large companies or organizations.

Preventing Damage and Other Hazards

• Prevent damaged equipment and personal injury by keeping your workspace and walking areas clear, distributing electrical plug-ins wisely, and maintaining proper air circulation around electrical equipment.

Computer Maintenance

• Maintenance Procedures Performed by Users Include: Cleaning the mouse, keyboard, and printer; carefully clearing out paper jams; hard drive repair and defragmentation; backing up a hard drive; installing virus protection software; and compressing the hard drive.



• Maintenance Procedures ONLY Performed by Experienced Professionals Include: Replacing malfunctioning hardware components, upgrading internal hardware components, and working with any electrical components.

Identifying and Solving Computer-related Problems

• Common Problems Associated with Computer Hardware Components Include: Failed or “crashed” hard drive or floppy diskette drive, components not plugged in or powered up, hardware not connected or configured properly, malfunctioning monitor, and inoperable hardware devices.

Quiz

1. Minicomputers are larger than mainframe computers. (True or False?)

2. The following are all examples of Microcomputers, except: A. Mouse B. Laptop C. Mac D. PDA

3. What is the ‘brain’ or main chip of a computer called?

A. The RAM B. The ROM-BIOS C. The motherboard D. The CPU

4. The speed of a CPU is measured in what?

A. Bits per second (Bps) B. Horsepower C. Megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz) D. Lux

5. How much information can be stored in a kilobyte?

A. As much as a bookstore. B. As much as a novel. C. As much as an encyclopedia set. D. As much as a one-page letter.

6. What does RAM stand for? A. Read All Material B. Random Access Memory C. Running Around the Mountain D. Rapid Action Memory



7. You can read and write to a computer’s ROM. (True or False?)

8. A Dumb Terminal is a stand-alone terminal that has no processing capability of its own. (True or False?)

9. What is a System Clock?

A. The main piece of circuitry in a computer. B. An electronic device that synchronizes all the internal components of a computer. C. The primary storage area of a computer. D. An internal clock that allows the computer to display the current time.

10. Generally speaking, which of the following storage devices can hold the most information?

A. A hard disk B. A Zip disk C. A CD-ROM D. A DVD

11. Which of the following is NOT a type of computer port?

A. USB B. Parallel or printer C. Firewall D. Network or Ethernet

12. A Plug and Play device is a device that Windows can automatically detect and set up to work with your computer. (True or False?)

13. Which of the following does NOT affect a computer’ s performance? A. The amount of memory or RAM. B. The speed of the CPU. C. The type and speed of the video or graphics card. D. The number of keys on the keyboard.

14. Which of the following can cause damage to computer hardware or media? (Select all that apply.) A. Heat and Humidity B. Exposure to electric or magnetic fields C. Using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) D. Dirty or poorly maintained equipment

15. You should upgrade internal hardware components. (True or False?)

Quiz Answers 1. False. Mainframe computers are much more powerful than minicomputers.

2. A. A mouse is not a type of microcomputer.

3. D. The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is commonly referred to as the “brain” of the computer.



4. C. The speed of the CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz (GHz).

5. D. A kilobyte holds 1,024 characters; about as much information as a single page letter.

6. B. RAM stands for Random Access Memory.

7. False. A computer can read from ROM but not write to it.

8. True. Dumb terminals rely completely on the mainframe’s processor.

9. B. The System Clock is an electronic device that issues a steady, high frequency signal that synchronizes all the internal components of a computer.

10. A. A hard disk will generally have more storage capacity than a Zip disk, CD-ROM, or even DVD.

11. C. A FireWire is a type of port; a Firewall is a type of security device.

12. True. Plug and Play devices are extremely easy to install.

13. D. The number of keys on the keyboard does not affect a computer’s performance.

14. A, B, and D. Using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) can actually prevent damage.

15. True. There are certain maintenance procedures that should ONLY be performed by experienced professionals, and upgrading internal hardware components is one of them.

Chapter Two: Computer Software

Chapter Objectives:

• Learn how hardware and software interact

• Learn about different kinds of software

• Learn about word processors, spreadsheets, databases and more

• Identify the types and purposes of different utility programs

This chapter is all about software. Software is a computer program that tells computer hardware how to operate. Software is even more diverse than hardware—there are thousands and thousands of software programs out there. Software ranges from the Windows operating system that manages your computer, to the word processor you use to print letters, to the Web browser you use to peruse the Internet.

This chapter will give you an incredibly broad overview of the various types of software out there. We’ll learn about how hardware and software interact, and we’ll also take a look at the steps involved in developing software. Next we’ll take a quick tour of the most popular types of software applications, from word processors to graphic and multimedia programs. Finally, we’ll take a look at the different types and purposes of various utility programs.

Prerequisites • A desire to learn about

computers.



Lesson 2-1: The Interaction of Hardware and Software

The two basic components that make up a computer are hardware and software, and you simply can’t have one without the other. You already know that hardware includes the computer’s monitor, case, keyboard, mouse, and printer. This chapter will focus entirely on software.

Software refers to the various computer programs that tell hardware how to operate. An application program is a software program that helps you accomplish a certain task, such as writing a letter, browsing the Internet, or playing a game. Examples include word-processing programs, spreadsheet programs, database programs, and games. You may have used applications such as Microsoft Excel or Corel WordPerfect in the past, and if so, you know just how easy they are to use. All you have to do is tell the software what you’re trying to do, and then the software instructs the hardware.

Hardware and software interact in many different ways, including:

Figure 2-1

Microsoft Excel is an example of a software application program.

Figure 2-2

How hardware and software interact.

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Figure 2-1

Figure 2-2

Input You communicate with the computer via an input device; such as a mouse, a keyboard, or a joystick.

Process/Storage The computer processes data, makes calculations, directs the work of the hardware, and stores your files.

Output The computer communicates its results to you via an output device such as a monitor, a printer, or speakers.

Chapter Two: Computer Software 61


Quick Reference Examples of How Hardware and Software Interact Include: 1. Input 2. Processing/Storage 3. Output

• Input Input is the process of entering information into a computer. Data is inputted into a computer via an input (hardware) device, such as a keyboard, mouse, scanner, etc. Different devices enter different types of information; for example, a keyboard is used to enter text and numbers while a mouse is used for selecting items on the screen. The user interacts with software by giving commands, such as typing commands with a keyboard and selecting menu options with the mouse.

• Process/Storage A computer processes data by applying rules, or algorithms, to the data. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) does all the processing, such as applying addition rules when giving a sum function in a spreadsheet. The storage function is handled by any number of drives (hard, floppy, Zip, tape-backup, CD/DVD-ROM) or disks (compact discs or floppy diskettes).

• Output Output is the result of data processing, and refers to how the computer presents information to the user. Examples of computer output include text appearing on the screen in a word processor, calculated numbers appearing in a spreadsheet, and hard copy being produced by a printer.

An output is any device that lets the computer talk to you, such as a monitor, printer, or speakers.

Got it? Great! Continue on to the next lesson to learn how software is developed.



Lesson 2-2: Software Development

Computer programs and systems don’t appear out of thin air; there are a series of procedures that are normally followed. The development process consists of writing code, called programming, and then product testing and review. The following table identifies simple terms and concepts related to the software development process.

Table 2-1: Common Stages in Software Development Stage Description Programming/ Product Development

Write the programs necessary for the system using a high-level programming language, or code. Purchase any hardware required by the system.

Debugging Find and correct any errors, or bugs, in code. A fundamental step in the quality control process.

Beta Review The product is reviewed by external reviewers, such as customers. Another fundamental step in the quality control process.

Testing The software is subjected to a series of systematic tests. Another fundamental step in the quality control process.

Figure 2-3

The steps involved in the software development process.

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Figure 2-3

Testing

Beta review

Debugging

Programming/ Product Development

Quick Reference

Steps in the Software Development Process: 1. Programming/Product

Development 2. Debugging 3. Beta Review 4. Testing



Lesson 2-3: Software Upgrades

Software manufacturers often update their software through a process called upgrading. There are many different reasons why software is upgraded, including: • To add new features • To fix problems or “bugs” • To ensure compatibility with other products Software upgrades can be installed via floppy disks or CDs, downloaded from the Internet, or by taking advantage of automatic upgrade processes and procedures. Each software release is given a new name or number, such as Windows 95 or Windows 98, to help distinguish the software from older versions. You can keep yourself informed of the latest software upgrades and availability by reading industry news articles or frequently visiting a manufacturer’s Web site. Take a look at the following table to familiarize yourself with several common advantages and disadvantages of software upgrades.

Table 2-2: Benefits and Drawbacks of Upgrades Benefits Drawbacks Access to new functionality and features Incompatibility with older hardware and software

Fewer bugs Conflicts with existing programs

Ability to use new hardware and software Risks associated with being an “early adopter” of new technology

Figure 2-4

Not again! Software manufacturers release new versions of their software regularly to add features and fix bugs

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Quick Reference

Reasons for Software Upgrades Include: • To add new features. Or… • To fix problems or “bugs.” • To ensure compatibility

with other products, such as new hardware, software, or operating systems.

Figure 2-4



Quick Reference • A word processor is a

program that lets you create letters and documents.

Lesson 2-4: Word Processing

Perhaps the most widely used and recognized computer application, word processing software lets you create letters, reports, and many other documents on a computer. • Create Letters and Documents

Whether it’s a 500-page steamy romance novel or a quick thank-you note to your neighbor, a word processor makes writing things easier. Best of all, a word processor lets you change, or edit, the text in a document before it appears on paper. You can easily add, delete, or rearrange the text in a word processing document. Most word processors also allow you to check your documents for spelling and grammar errors.

• Format Text Most word processors can make the text in your documents look pretty—even if you’re a terrible writer. For example, you can use various fonts, or typefaces, create bulleted or numbered lists, and change the alignment of text on the page.

• Create Tables Tables are great: they are ranked right up there with the spell checker as one of the neatest word processing features. A table neatly arranges text and data in a grid, organized by columns and rows.

• Add Images Most word processors let you insert pictures and images to create all kinds of neat documents: newsletters, greeting cards, pamphlets, and more.

• Perform Mail Merges Mail merge letters are used to send the same or similar documents to many different people at once. Since they contain the recipient’s name, address, and other information, mail merge letters feel more personal—just like a typical sweepstake letter: If you have the winning number, Bob Boyarksi, You are the winner of $10 Million Dollars!

Although a word processor can be used to create tables, so can spreadsheets and databases. It is important to note that although different software programs can be used to perform the same task, one program might be more appropriate for a certain task than another. For example, if you were creating a table for your grocery list, a word processor would be more appropriate than a spreadsheet. If you were attempting something more complicated, however, such as organizing your financial records, a spreadsheet would be more appropriate than a word processor. Move on to the next lesson to learn more about spreadsheets.

Figure 2-5

A word processor lets you write letters, resumes, and much, much more.

Microsoft Word is the world’s most popular word processing software program.

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Figure 2-5



Quick Reference • A spreadsheet software

program organizes, calculates, and presents numbers.

Lesson 2-5: Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet programs are super-powered calculators. Have you ever found yourself using a calculator to add together more than 5 or 6 numbers? If so, you probably could be using a spreadsheet program to make working with numbers faster, easier, and more accurate. You can also analyze data and make it into charts with a spreadsheet. • Perform Calculations

A spreadsheet can add various cells, perform powerful formulas, and calculate and analyze information. The entire spreadsheet is updated and recalculated every time you change a value. That way you can change one number to see how it affects everything else.

• Manage and Organize Information Spreadsheets neatly arrange values in a grid, organized by columns and rows. You can use a spreadsheet to present information in a professional and easy-to-read format. You can also use a spreadsheet to store large collections of data, such as mailing and product lists.

• Format and Present Information You can enhance the appearance of all those numbers by using various fonts, or typefaces, borders, shading, and more.

• Create Charts Like the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words,” charts are often better at presenting information than hard-to-read numbers in a spreadsheet. A chart illustrates data, relationships, or trends graphically.

Figure 2-6

A spreadsheet program is useful for calculating and presenting information—even if it’s not what you want to see…

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Microsoft Excel is the world’s most popular spreadsheet software program.

Figure 2-6



Lesson 2-6: Databases

In its simplest form, a database is a collection of information that is organized into a list. Whenever you make a list of information, such as names, addresses, products, or invoices, you are, in fact, creating a database. Technically speaking, you don’t even have to use a database program to create a database.

A database program, however, is much more powerful than a simple list you keep on paper. A database program lets you: • Store Information

A database stores lists of information that are related to a particular subject or purpose. A database stores personal information, such as a list of aunt Mildred’s home recipes, or business information, such as a list of hundreds of thousands of customers. A database also makes it easy to add, update, organize, and delete information.

• Find Information You can easily and instantly locate information stored in a database. For example, you can find all the customers with the last name “Johnson” or all the customers who live in the 55417 Zip code and are older than 65.

• Analyze and Print Information You can perform calculations on information in a database. For example, you could calculate what percentage of your total sales comes from the state of Texas. You can also present information in a professional-looking printed report.

• Manage Information Databases make it easy to work with and manage huge amounts of information. For example, with a few keystrokes you can change the area code for hundreds of customers in the (612) area code to a new (817) area code.

• Share Information Most database programs allow more than one user to view and work with the same information at once. Such databases are called multi-user databases.

Figure 2-7

A database stores and manages information related to a particular subject or purpose.

Microsoft Access is the world’s most popular database software program.

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Field A specific type of information, such as the last names of your employees.

Record A collection of information about one person or thing, such as the name and address of one employee. Figure 2-6

Field Names A name that identifies the information in a field.



Quick Reference • A database program

stores, manages, and organizes lists of information.

Databases usually consist of several parts. The table on this page identifies the main components of a database.

Table 2-3: Database Objects Object Description

Tables

Tables store a database’s data in rows (records) and columns (fields). For example, one table could store a list of customers and their addresses while another table could store the customers’ orders. A database must always contain at least one table where it can store information—all the other database objects are optional.

Queries Queries ask a question about data stored in a table. For example, a query might ask Access to display only customers who are from Texas.

Forms Forms are custom screens that provide an easy way to enter and view data in a table or query.

Reports Reports present data from a table or query in a printed format.

Codes Programming codes help you perform routine tasks by automating them into a single command.



Quick Reference • A presentation software

program is used to create professional, convincing presentations, or slide shows.

Lesson 2-7: Presentation Software

A presentation program turns your ideas into professional, convincing presentations, or slide shows. If you’ve ever used an overhead projector, flip chart, or even a black board, you’ll love presentation software. A presentation program lets you create slides that include text, graphics, charts, and even digital movies. Once you have created a presentation, you can display it as an electronic slide show on any computer. • Create Professional Presentations

There really wasn’t much to the movie Star Wars I: Attack of the Clones, but it sure looked impressive. Presentation software can do the same thing for presentations, making even the dullest speech look more professional.

• Add Drawings, Charts, and Illustrations Presentations with pictures, graphics, and visuals are much more compelling and effective at conveying messages than ones that contain only boring text. A presentation software application like Microsoft PowerPoint makes it easy to add pictures and drawings to your slides, making them look as though you hired a professional graphic design company to create them.

• Outline What You Want to Say If you think way back to your high school speech class, you might remember that you learned to organize a presentation by writing down its major points in an outline (if only some public speakers could remember this). Most presentation software has built-in outlining tools to help you organize your presentation. Just remember to stick to that outline during your presentation!

Figure 2-8

Even if your presentation stinks, a presentation program can at least make it look pretty.

Microsoft PowerPoint is the world’s most popular presentation software program.

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Figure 2-8



Quick Reference • Accounting software

helps manage personal and/or business finances and balance accounts.

Lesson 2-8: Accounting

Personal finance and accounting software keep track of your personal or business finances. A personal finance program can show you what your current checking, savings, or credit card balances are, where you’re spending your money, and will even help you reconcile your account when you get a bank statement. Business accounting programs go a step further—they will create invoices, keep track of your receivables and payables, and even do payroll. Once you use a personal financing program for your home finances or an accounting program for your business, you’ll never know how you ever got along without one. • Balance Your Checkbook and Manage Finances

Accounting software automatically keeps a running balance of your bank accounts—if you remember to enter your checks and deposits. If you don’t, many account programs can download your banking statements.

• Write Checks and Pay Bills You can purchase special checks that you print out on your computer’s printer to save time and present a more professional image.

• Create Invoices If you run a business, an account program can print invoices and keep track of who owes you money.

• Perform Payroll Many accounting programs have a payroll module, which deducts, and tracks Social Security, Medicare, and state and federal employee taxes.

• Bank Online Online banking lets you view your current checking and savings balances, pay bills, and even accept online credit card payments.

Figure 2-9

Accounting software, like Intuit’s Quicken or QuickBooks (shown below) can help you pay bills, balance your bank account, and even perform payroll.

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QuickBooks is a very popular accounting software program for small businesses.

Figure 2-9



Quick Reference • A Web browser allows

users to view Web pages on the Internet.

Lesson 2-9: Web Browsing

Web addresses and pages are everywhere—on television advertisements, in magazine and newspaper articles, and even on business cards. Together, these Web pages make up what is know as the World Wide Web (WWW) or Web for short. To view a Web page you’ll need a piece of software called a Web browser. Luckily you won’t need to buy a Web browser, since it comes standard on most computers. In fact, Microsoft has spent a considerable amount of money and time in court determining that Windows is actually a Web browser. • Browse and View Web Pages

Web pages are written in a simple language called HTML, which stands for Hypertext Markup Language. A Web browser converts the HTML in a Web page into a readable format and displays that information on your computer screen.

• Find Information You can use a search engine to find just about anything on the World Wide Web. A search engine catalogs the billions of Web pages on the Internet so that you can find information on the topics that interest you. Google and Yahoo are two of the most popular search engines out there.

• Download Files The Internet is filled with files and programs that you can download, or save to your computer. You can download images and pictures, programs, even MP3 files that you can listen to.

• Shop You can spend lots of money on the World Wide Web. Anything that you can buy in a store you can probably buy on the Internet. People use the Internet to shop for books, computers, clothes, and even cars.

Figure 2-10

A Web browser lets you view Web pages on the Internet.

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Figure 2-10



Quick Reference • A Web Authoring

program lets users create Web pages in HTML that they can then publish to the Internet.

Lesson 2-10: Web Authoring

A few years ago, only the brainy computer types knew how to write their own Web pages. Today Web authoring programs make it easy for even a novice to get their own Web site up on the Internet for the whole world to see. • Create Web Pages

All those pretty Web pages you visit on the Internet are written in a simple language called HTML (stands for HyperText Markup Language). It’s actually possible to create a Web page by writing it directly in HTML using a simple text editor or word processor, but most people use Web Authoring software because it’s so powerful and easy to use.

• Insert Images Web Authoring software makes it easy to add pictures and graphics to a Web page, whether it’s a professional logo for a corporate Web site or a fake photograph for an online dating service.

• Add Hyperlinks You can easily add hyperlinks to a Web page that point to other sites of interest on the Internet.

• Publish Your Web Pages to the Internet A Web site isn’t any good if people can’t see it. Most Web Authoring programs have tools to help you upload, or save your Web pages on to the Internet.

Figure 2-11

Web Authoring software can help you create spectacular Web pages, like the newsletter shown here.

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Macromedia Dreamweaver is a very popular Web authoring software program.

Figure 2-11



Lesson 2-11: Graphic and Multimedia Programs

Graphic and multimedia programs come in all different shapes and sizes. Whether it’s the simple Microsoft Paint, the all-inclusive Microsoft Publisher, or the specialized Adobe Encore, beginners and professionals alike will have no problem finding a program that will best suit their creative needs. Graphic and multimedia programs can be used to promote creativity and to create professionally designed materials, as well as produce media such as audio and video.

Table 2-4: Common Graphic, Audio, Movie and Animation File Formats

Format Media Type

Description

BMP Graphic Also known as a bitmap, this is a generic graphics format used by Paintbrush and many other graphics programs.

GIF Graphic Picture file format commonly used on the Internet.

JPG Graphic Digital photographs are usually saved as JPEG files. Because of their small size, JPEG files are also commonly used on the Internet.

WAV Audio An uncompressed audio file format developed for Windows.

MP3 Audio A compressed audio file format that can be easily downloaded from the Internet.

MOV Video A movie clip file in Apple QuickTime format.

QuickTime Animation A QuickTime file can contain up to 32 tracks of audio, video, or MIDI files.

Figure 2-12

Create pictures and maps with the Paint program.

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Microsoft Publisher is a very popular desktop publishing software program.

Quick Reference • A graphic and

multimedia program can be used to promote creativity, create professionally designed materials, and produce media such as audio and video.

Figure 2-12

Paint Tools To see what a tool does, point to it for a second. The name of the tool will appear after a second.

Colors Select an outline color by clicking the color with the left mouse button. Select a fill color by clicking a color with the right mouse button.

Line tool Use this tool to draw lines Curve tool

Use this tool to draw curves

Fill tool Use this tool to fill shapes with a certain color



Lesson 2-12: Utility Programs

Just like cars require maintenance to keep them running properly, computers require various maintenance tasks as well, and these tasks can be taken care of by a utility program.

• File Compression: File compression is a way of reducing the size of one or more files so that they don’t take up a lot of space on the hard drive and can travel faster over a network. File compression is accomplished with software that uses mathematical equations (algorithms) to condense repeated data into smaller codes. Zip files are the most common forms of this, which uses the WinZip program. Microsoft Windows XP features built-in Zip compression.

• Hard Drive Compression: A computer can increase the space available on a hard drive by using a special program to compress, or squeeze together, the files stored on a hard drive. Most disk compression programs can effectively double the amount of information a hard drive can store. However, hard drive compression should not be performed unless it is absolutely necessary.

• Virus Detection: A computer virus is actually a small computer program written by a malicious person with the purpose of vandalizing computers by erasing information on their hard drive and causing other problems. Anti-Virus programs that protect computers against viruses, like Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan, are available at most computer stores. If you’re even thinking about connecting to the Internet, you need to have AntiVirus software installed on your computer.

• Hard Drive Defragmentation: Normally a computer stores a file in the same location on a hard drive. Over time, however, a hard drive can become fragmented, and instead of storing a file in the same location, it begins storing parts of it all over. When the computer needs to read a fragmented file, it must read several different parts of the hard drive instead of just one. Defragmenting a hard drive puts the fragmented files back together in one place. You should defragment your computer’s hard drive about once a month. Windows comes with a built-in disk defragmenter, but there are many other programs out there.

Figure 2-13

When a hard drive becomes full, use a compression program to create more space.

Figure 2-14

Make sure you install Anti-Virus software on your computer to prevent malicious computer viruses.

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Quick Reference

File Compression: • Reduces the size of one

or more files.

Hard Drive Compression: • Increases the space on a

hard drive by compressing, or squeezing together, files.

Virus Detection: • Virus detection software

should be installed on every computer in order to protect it from malicious computer viruses.

Hard Drive Defragmentation: • Over time, small errors

and fragmentation can degrade the performance of a hard drive. These problems can be corrected with defragmentation software




Chapter Two Review

Lesson Summary

The Interaction of Hardware and Software

• Examples of how hardware and software interact include input, processing/storage, and output.

Software Development

• Steps in the Software Development Process: 1. Programming/Product Development 2. Debugging 3. Beta Review 4. Testing

Software Upgrades

• Software is updated periodically in order to add new features, fix problems or “bugs”, and ensure compatibility with other products such as new hardware, software, or operating systems.

Word Processing

• A word processor is a program that lets you create letters and documents.

Spreadsheets

• A spreadsheet software program organizes, calculates, and presents numbers.

Databases

• A database program stores, manages, and organizes lists of information.

Presentation Software

• A presentation software program is used to create professional, convincing presentations, or slide shows.

Accounting

• Accounting software helps manage personal and/or business finances and balance accounts.

Web Browsing

• A Web browser allows users to view Web pages on the Internet.

Web Authoring

• A Web Authoring program lets users create Web pages in HTML that they can then publish to the Internet.



Graphic and Multimedia Programs

• A graphic and multimedia program can be used to promote creativity, create professionally designed materials, and produce media such as audio and video.

Utility Programs

• File compression reduces the size of one or more files. • Hard drive compression increases the space on a hard drive by compressing, or squeezing

together, its contents. • Virus detection software should be installed on every computer in order to protect it from

malicious computer viruses. • Over time, small errors and fragmentation can degrade the performance of a hard drive. These

problems can be corrected with defragmentation software.

Quiz

1. Software tells hardware how to operate. (True or False?)

2. Data can be inputted into a computer via: (Select all that apply.)

A. Keyboard B. Scanner C. Plotter D. Microphone

3. Which of the following is NOT a step in the software development process? A. Debugging B. PETA Review C. Programming D. Testing

4. Software manufacturers release product upgrades in order to: (Select all that apply.) A. Fix problems or “bugs” B. Comply with government standards C. Add new features D. Ensure compatibility with other products

5. A word processor is the only program that allows you to create tables. (True or False?)

6. Which of the following programs would be best suited for helping you calculate a monthly budget? A. A word processor B. A spreadsheet C. A database D. A graphic and multimedia program



7. Which of the following programs would be best suited for storing a list of customers and their orders? A. A word processor B. A spreadsheet C. A database D. Web authoring

8. A Web browser allows users to: (Select all that apply.)

A. Add hyperlinks B. Download files C. Shop D. Find information

9. A JPEG file is a generic graphics format used by Paintbrush and many other graphics programs. (True or False?)

10. Which of the following is NOT a type of utility program?

A. Virus detection B. Hard drive compression C. Hard drive defragmentation D. QuickTime

Quiz Answers 1. True. Software refers to the various computer programs that tell hardware how to operate.

2. A, B, and D. A plotter is a type of printer, which is an example of an output device.

3. B. Beta Review is a step in the software development process, but PETA Review is not. PETA has to do with the treatment of animals—not software development!

4. A, C and D. There are no government standards that stipulate the release of product upgrades.

5. False. Word processors, databases, and spreadsheets can all be used to create tables.

6. B. A spreadsheet would be the program best suited to help you balance your budget.

7. C. A database would be best suited for storing a list of customers and their orders.

8. B, C, and D. A Web Authoring program allows users to add hyperlinks.

9. False. JPEG files are very small and are commonly used on the Internet. Bitmap (BMP) files are used by Paintbrush and many other graphics programs.

10. D. QuickTime is a graphic and multimedia program.

Chapter Three: Using an

Operating System Chapter Objectives:

• Identify different operating systems

• Learn about graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

• Understand the Windows 2000 Screen

• Identify different elements of the Windows desktop

• Manipulate windows

• Learn how to shut down and restart the computer

• Learn how to use the Windows Start menu and taskbar

• Learn how to manage files and folders using Windows Explorer

• Using the Control Panel and changing its settings

• Display and update a list of installed printers

• Installing and removing software

This chapter includes the knowledge and skills required to perform the most frequently used functions of an operating system. Lessons include the ability to install and run software, control the workspace (desktop), perform file management, and change system settings (display, date and time, etc.). The operating system that we will be using is Microsoft Windows, the most popular PC operating system.

Prerequisites • A computer with

Windows 2000 installed.



Lesson 3-1: Operating Systems

An operating system is a software program that loads automatically and controls just about everything on your computer. Here’s what an operating system does: • Controls Your Computer’s Hardware

Windows controls the different devices of your computer system. It’s what makes your printer print, what makes graphics and text appear on your monitor, and what makes your mouse point and click.

• Runs Your Computer’s Programs An operating system is what runs all your programs. Without an operating system, your word processor, Web browser (Internet), and games wouldn’t work. An operating system lets your programs talk to your hardware, so, for example, your word processor can print things to the printer.

• Organizes Files An operating system stores information in files and folders on your computer’s local disk, just like you store files and folders in a filing cabinet.

An operating system is like an orchestra conductor who makes sure all the parts of your computer—your hardware and programs—work together. Operating systems have been around for a long time—here’s a brief history of the various operating systems out there:

Table 3-1: Types of Operating Systems Operating System Released Description MS-DOS 1980 MS-DOS stands for Microsoft Disk Operating System.

MS-DOS was one of the earliest PC operating systems that displayed boring lines of text on the screen instead of icons and pictures. You performed tasks in MS-DOS by typing text commands. MS-DOS file names could only be eight characters long.

Windows 3.1 1992 Windows 3.1 was the first successful operating system for the PC that featured a GUI (Graphical User Interface) that used easy to use pictures instead of hard-to-remember MS-DOS commands. Technically speaking, Windows 3.1 was not a true operating system, since it still required MS-DOS to operate.

Figure 3-1

MS-DOS is a text-based operating system from the Stone Age.

Figure 3-2

Introducing…the Start menu! Microsoft Windows 95 was a very popular operating system that featured long file names, better performance, and an easy-to-use interface.

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C:\>

A command prompt is where you type commands in MS-DOS.


Chapter Three: Using an Operating System 79


Operating System Released Description Windows 95 1995 The incredibly successful successor to Windows 3.1,

Windows 95 was a true operating system (no more MS-DOS). It featured long file names, better performance, and a greatly improved interface.

Windows 98 1998 Very similar with Windows 95, Windows 98 included several new and improved features. More importantly, Windows 98 came with support for many of the new hardware devices out there.

Windows ME 2000 Windows ME was the successor to Windows 98. ME stands for Millennium Edition or Mistake Eternal, depending on who you talk to. Windows ME was very similar to Windows 95 and 98 but it included new multimedia features, new utilities, and lots of new bugs.

Windows NT 1993 Windows NT (stands for New Technology) was a powerful 32-bit operating system that was faster, more secure, and much more stable than Windows 95 or 98. Windows NT was designed for use in large companies where stability and security were especially important.

Windows 2000 2000 Windows 2000 was the successor to Windows NT. Windows 2000 includes the best features of Windows 98 (easy Plug and Play hardware installation) and Windows NT (security and stability). Windows 2000 is still widely used in many businesses.

Windows XP Home 2001 Windows XP (stands for eXPerience) Home is designed for home and consumer computing and is the successor to Windows ME. Windows XP has the same technology found in Windows NT and 2000, so it’s much more stable than earlier versions of Windows.

Windows XP Professional 2001 Windows XP Professional is the business edition of Windows and is the successor to Windows NT and Windows 2000.

Windows CE / Pocket PC Varies Windows CE (stands for Consumer Electronics) is the operating system made by Microsoft used to power handheld computers or PDAs (Personal Data Assistants).

Palm OS® Varies The Palm OS is another operating system that can be found on handheld computers or PDAs.

UNIX Varies UNIX is an older, very powerful operating system that can run on a computer, mainframe, or network. UNIX features great performance, security, and reliability.

Linux Varies Linux is a newer UNIX-base operating system that is available for FREE on the Internet. Linux is becoming a popular alternative to Microsoft Windows.

Mac OS X 2001 Mac OS X is the latest operating system for Macintosh computers.

Quick Reference

An Operating System: • Loads automatically and

controls just about everything on your computer.



Lesson 3-2: Understanding Graphical User Interfaces

Operating systems were originally character based, and therefore the information displayed on a computer screen was strictly text. The only way users could interact with these archaic systems was by typing commands via a keyboard—which took a very long time!

Finally, computers started using graphical images, or icons, to represent a program or file on the screen. Along with the introduction of icons came the development of graphical user interfaces (GUIs), which have become standard on practically all operating systems in recent years. GUIs allow computer users to point at pictures and icons and then click the icon to manipulate that program or file, thus the phrase point-and-click. Obviously, the mouse is a manifestation of this point-and-click mentality because the mouse controls the onscreen cursor.

Figure 3-3 and Figure 3-4 make a good illustration of how much easier a GUI makes it to do things, like delete a file. The following table describes some of the most common icons you’ll see in the Windows 2000 GUI.

Figure 3-3

The procedure for deleting a file in a text-based operating system.

Figure 3-4

The procedure for deleting a file in a GUI-based operating system.

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Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

allow computer users to point and click.

Microsoft(R) MS-DOS (C)Copyright Microsoft Corp C:\>DEL LETTER.DOC

Figure 3-3

Figure 3-4



Quick Reference • Graphical User

Interface, or GUI, makes computers easier to operate by using pictures and icons to represent files and programs.

Table 3-2: Things You’ll See in the Windows 2000 GUI Object Object

You use the arrow or pointer to point and click at things.

The Recycle Bin stores your deleted files.

Click the Start button to access the programs on a computer.

Click the Close button to close the current window or program.

Double-click My Computer to access the drives and files on a computer.

Click the Minimize button to temporarily hide a window or program.

Double-click the Hard Drive to access the hard drive’s folders and files.

Click the Maximize button to expand a window or program to fill the entire screen.

Double-click the CD-ROM Drive to play or run the contents of the CD-ROM.

A thumbnail displays a tiny preview of a digital picture or photograph.

Folders hold files and subfolders, just like a filing cabinet.

It is important to be able to identify several common problems associated with operating systems, including:

• Incompatibility between an application program, file, or media type and the operating system: Application software and files must be compatible with the operating system being used.

• Corruption of fundamental files used by the operating system: Corrupt fundamental files and other problems sometimes require that an operating system be reinstalled or upgraded in order to solve problems such as instability.

• Denied access to a PC: Some operating systems require a specific logon procedure, and failing to provide the proper logon can lead to an inability to access the system.



Lesson 3-3: Understanding the Windows 2000 Screen

You might find the Windows screen a bit confusing and overwhelming the first time you see it. Nothing on the screen appears familiar to you—where do you even start? This lesson will help you become familiar with the main Windows screen, known as the desktop. There isn’t a step-by-step exercise anywhere in this lesson—all you have to do is look at Figure 3-5 and then refer to Table 3-3: Major Parts of the Windows 2000 Screen to see what everything you’re looking at means. And, most of all, relax! This lesson is only meant to help you get acquainted with Windows—you don’t have to memorize anything.

Table 3-3: Major Parts of the Windows 2000 Screen Item Description

Desktop The large, background area of the Windows screen. You can customize the desktop by adding shortcuts to your favorite programs, documents, and printers. You can also change the look of the desktop to fit your mood and personality.

My Documents

My Documents is a special folder that provides a convenient place to store files and documents you create on your computer.

My Computer My Computer lets you see the drives and folders on your computer. Double-click the My Computer icon on the desktop to browse through your files and folders.

Figure 3-5

The major parts of the Windows 2000 screen. More items may appear on your computer, depending on how it is set up.

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My Documents

My Computer

Recycle Bin

My Network Places

Internet Explorer

Start button Taskbar

Quick Launch Toolbar

System Tray Area

Desktop

Figure 3-5

Folder

Application (Word)

File (Word)

Application (Outlook)



Item Description

My Network Places

If you’re on a network, the My Network Places icon will appear on your desktop. You can double-click the My Network Places icon to browse through the computers in your workgroup and the computers on the network. If you’re connected to the Internet, the My Network Places icon will appear on your desktop since the Internet is a network too.

Recycle Bin The Recycle Bin stores all the files you delete from your computer. You can use the Recycle Bin to retrieve files you deleted by accident, or empty the Recycle Bin to create more disk space.

Taskbar The Taskbar usually appears at the bottom of your screen, and contains the famous Start button, which you use to start your programs. Whenever you open a program, document, or window, an icon for that program appears on the taskbar. This lets you see which programs are currently running so you can switch between them.

Start Button The Start button lets you quickly open your programs and documents. You can also use the Start button to find files and change the settings for Windows.

Quick Launch Toolbar

New in Windows 2000, the Quick Launch Toolbar gives you quick access to your most frequently used applications. Internet Explorer, Outlook Express, the Windows desktop, and several Web sites, called channels, are already included on the Quick Launch Toolbar by default.

File If you save a file on the desktop, an icon will appear with the file name and file type, and the program in which the file was created.

Folder Save a folder on the desktop to organize files or icons that may be saved on the desktop.

Application An application is a software program that runs on your computer. Usually application shortcuts are saved on your desktop so you can open them without wading through a bunch of menus.

Don’t worry if you find some of these things confusing at first—they will make more sense in the upcoming lessons, after you’ve had a chance to use them.



Lesson 3-4: Understanding the Parts of a Window

Located in every window are several little buttons, menus, and controls that you use to control the program and window. Once you find your way around a window for one program, you’ll be familiar with the windows for most programs since this window/menu/button concept appears in just about every Windows program.

No exercises or homework for you in this lesson, it’s just here to help you become familiar with the parts of a window. All you have to do is look at Figure 3-6 and then refer to Table 3-4: Parts of a Window to see a description of everything.

You’ll get a chance to use some of these buttons and menus later on.

Figure 3-6

The parts of a typical Window.

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Title bar

Close button Menu bar

Toolbars

Maximize button

Minimize button

Status bar

Main Window or Document Area

Figure 3-6

Scroll bar



Table 3-4: Parts of a Window

Part Description

Title bar Displays the name of the program or window.

Minimize button Hides a window from your screen, but keeps it running in your computer’s memory, ready for quick use. You can minimize a program you’re not using so that it is still running but out of sight.

Maximize/Restore button

Depending on the size of the window, this button toggles between Maximize and Restore. Here’s what each one does:

Maximize: Enlarges the window so that it fills the entire screen. This lets you see more of the contents of the window. The Maximize button only appears when the window isn’t maximized, or doesn’t fill up the entire screen.

Restore: When a window is maximized, or fills up the entire screen, clicking the Restore button returns the window to its previous size.

Close button Closes the window or program when you’ve finished working with it, removing it from the screen and the computer’s memory.

Menu Controls what the program does. The items listed on the menu change from program to program, but the menu’s location doesn’t—it’s always perched near the top of a window, right below the Title bar.

Toolbar Some (but not all) windows and programs have one or more toolbars, which contain buttons you point to and click to perform frequently used commands.

Main Window or Document Area

This is where all the action takes place. If you were using a word processor, this is where your letter would appear; if were browsing the Internet, this is where the Web pages would appear.

Scroll bar Sometimes a window is not large enough to display all the information at once. When this happens, you use the scroll bar to move or scroll through the information in the window.

Status bar Displays information such as instructions, messages about the state of the computer, or your location in the window.

Got everything down? Don’t worry if you don’t; this lesson is just a quick guided tour of a typical window. The rest of the lessons in this chapter focus on how to use a window’s controls, buttons, and menus.



Lesson 3-5: Maximizing, Minimizing, and Restoring a Window

One of the benefits of Windows 2000 is that it enables you to open and work with several programs at the same time. To make working with several programs at once easier, you can change the size of the windows. You can maximize or expand a window so it takes up the entire screen, minimize or collapse a window so that it only appears as a button in the Windows taskbar, or size a window somewhere in between. This lesson explains how to change the size of a window by maximizing, minimizing, and restoring.

First let’s look at how to maximize or expand a window. Some programs, such as word processors and Web browsers, are easier to work with and see if they fill the entire screen. To enlarge a window to fill your computer screen, you click the Maximize button.

11.. Click the WordPad window’s Maximize button—the middle button on WordPad’s Title bar. The WordPad program maximizes, filling the entire screen. You can change a maximized window back to its original size by clicking the Restore button. The Restore button appears in place of the Maximize button whenever a window is already in a maximized state.

Figure 3-7

The Minimize, Maximize, and Restore buttons appear in the upper right-hand corner of most programs.

Figure 3-8

A window in a restored state only fills up part of the screen.

Figure 3-9

A window in a maximized state fills up the entire screen.

Figure 3-10

A window in a minimized state appears only as an icon on the taskbar.

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Maximize

button

Restore button

Maximize button (or Restore button if the window is already maximized)

Minimize button

Figure 3-7

Figure 3-8




Quick Reference To Maximize a Window:

• Click the window’s Maximize button.

Or… • Double-click the window’s

title bar.

To Restore a Maximized Window:

• Click the window’s Restore button.

Or… • Double-click the window’s

title bar. To Minimize a Window:

• Click the window’s Minimize button.

To Restore a Minimized Window:

• Click the window’s icon on the taskbar.

22.. Click the WordPad window’s Restore button to restore the WordPad window back to its previous size. The window returns to its previous size. Just like you can keep several papers on top of your desk, Windows can run more than one program at a time. For example, you can work on a letter with your word processing program while your Web browser is open and downloading a file from the Internet. There is a potential pitfall with running several programs simultaneously—there isn’t enough room for them all to fit on your computer screen! Luckily, you can tuck programs away, keeping them running and ready for use but away from view by minimizing them.

33.. Click the WordPad window’s Minimize button to minimize the WordPad program. The WordPad program shrinks to an icon located in the Windows taskbar. WordPad is still open and running—it’s just hidden from view, tucked away and ready for future use. It’s important to note that minimized programs can still run in the background, meaning if a program’s doing something, such as downloading a file from the Internet, it will keep doing it even when the program is minimized. It’s easy to redisplay a minimized program or window when you’re ready to use it again. Here’s how:

44.. Find and click the WordPad icon in the Windows taskbar. The WordPad program springs back to life and appears on the screen.

It’s important that you get all this maximize/minimize/restore stuff down, because it will help you run more than one program at a time and be more productive with your computer.

Other Ways to Maximize and Restore a Window: • Double-click the Title

bar of the window to toggle between maximized and restored states.

Minimize button

WordPad icon



Quick Reference To Close a Window:

• Click the window’s Close button.

Or… • Right-click the program’s

icon on the task bar and select Close.

Or… • Press <Alt> + <F4>. To Close All Open Windows:

• Hold down the <Shift> key while you click the Close button of any window.

Lesson 3-6: Closing a Window

When you’re finished working with a window or program, you can close it to remove it from the screen and computer’s memory. You can close any window or program by clicking its Close button—the little button that appears in the upper-right corner of the window.

11.. Click the WordPad window’s Close button. The WordPad program closes. Notice the WordPad icon no longer appears in the Windows taskbar at the bottom of the screen. That’s all there is to closing a window or program. Here’s a tip: If a program has more than one window open, you can close all its open windows by holding down the <Shift> key when you click the close button for any window. Since you’re going to be working with the WordPad program in the next few lessons, you will need to open it again.

22.. Click the Start button. The Windows 2000 Start menu appears.

33.. Select Programs → Accessories → WordPad from the Start menu. The WordPad program reappears.

If a program happens to be minimized, you need to restore it by clicking its icon on the taskbar before you can see and click the window’s close button.

Figure 3-11

Click the Close button of the window you want to close.

Figure 3-12

The window disappears from your screen.

Close button

Other Ways to Close a Window: • Select File → Exit or

Close from the menu. • Right-click the program

icon on the task bar and select Close

• Press <Alt> + <F4>.

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Close button The icon for the window disappears from the taskbar.



Quick Reference To Move a Window

• Click and drag the window by its title bar. Release the mouse button to drop the window in the desired location on the screen.

Lesson 3-7: Moving a Window

Sometimes when you have several programs or windows open, you will find that one window covers the other windows or other items on your screen. When this happens, you can simply move a window to a new location on the screen—just like you would move a report or folder to a different location on your desk. Here’s how to move a window:

11.. Position the mouse pointer over the title bar of the WordPad program. Remember that the title bar is at the very top of a window or program and displays the name of the program or window.

22.. Click the title bar and move the mouse while still holding down the mouse button. Yep, it’s that click and drag stuff you learned earlier. An outline of the window follows your mouse as you drag the window, as shown in Figure 3-13, showing you where you are moving it.

33.. Release the mouse button to drop the window in a new location.

Figure 3-13

Moving a window to a new location on the screen

Title bar

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Move a window by dragging it by its title bar to a new location on the screen.

Figure 3-13



Lesson 3-8: Resizing a Window v

If you’ve been following the lessons in this chapter carefully, you should already know how to change the size of a window or program by minimizing, maximizing, and restoring it. This lesson explains how you can fine-tune the size of a window to meet your own specific needs.

11.. Make sure the WordPad program appears as a window and doesn’t fill the entire screen. A window must not be maximized (fills up the entire screen) or minimized (appears only as a button on the Taskbar) if you want to manually size it.

22.. Position the mouse pointer over the right edge of the WordPad window until it changes to a . The two arrows point in the directions that you can drag the window's border, in this case, left or right. Had you positioned the pointer over the top or bottom of the window, the pointer would have changed to a , indicating that you could drag the top or bottom of the window up or down.

Figure 3-14

Dragging a window’s edge changes the width of the window.

Figure 3-15

Dragging a window’s corner changes the height and width of the window.

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The mouse

pointer changes

shapes over the border of a

window

1. Point at the edge of the window until the pointer changes to a

2. Click and hold the mouse button and drag the edge of the window

3. Release the mouse button when the window is the size you want

Figure 3-14

Figure 3-15

1. Point at the corner of the window until the pointer changesto a

2. Click and hold the mouse button and drag the corner of the window

3. Release the mouse button when the window is the size you want



Quick Reference To Change a Window’s Size: 1. Point at the window’s

edge until the pointer changes to a double-arrow (like ).

Or… Point at the window’s

corner until the pointer changes to a double arrow (like ).

2. Click and hold down the mouse button and drag the edge or corner until the window is the size you want.

NOTE: Windows is very picky about where you place the pointer, and sometimes it can be tricky finding the exact spot where the pointer changes. It’s there—just move the pointer slowly over the border until you find it.

33.. Click and hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to the right one-inch to move the window border. Notice the window’s border follows as you drag the mouse. When the window is the size you want, you can release the mouse button.

44.. Release the mouse button. The window is displayed in the new size.

You’ve learned how to resize a window by adjusting the right edge of a window, but you can also change a window’s size by dragging its left, top, and bottom edges. You can also resize a window by dragging its corners just like you drag its edges, as shown in Figure 3-15.



Lesson 3-9: Shutting Down or Restarting the Computer

At the end of the day, when you’ve finished using your computer, you need to shut down Windows before you turn your computer off. Shutting down gives Windows a chance to tidy up after itself, saving information in the computer’s memory to the hard disk, cleaning up temporary files, and verifying that you’ve saved any changes you made to any files you were working on.

Should I turn my computer off at all? One of the great computer debates is whether or not you should turn your computer off at all. Some people turn off their computer whenever they’ve finished working on it, just like a television set. Others don’t turn their computers off—ever. People who turn their computers off at night say that keeping the computer on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week wears out the computer’s mechanical components and wastes electricity. Other people say that leaving your computer on keeps temperature fluctuations down, which is better for the computer’s delicate internal components. Plus, most new computers enter a standby or hibernation mode after a period of time, so they don’t really consume that much power. Which method is best? That’s a decision you’ll have to make on your own.

If Windows 2000 is working really slowly, or is causing problems, you can reset the program by restarting your computer. This option is also found in the shut down dialog box. This lesson will show you how to shut down your computer, and how to restart your computer.

11.. Save all of your work and exit all of the programs. Saving any files you’ve been working on is the most important step of all when you shut down your computer. You should also consider backing up vital information if you have a tape backup, Zip drive, or other backup device. You can also save important files to a floppy disk.

22.. Click the Start button. The Start menu appears.

33.. Select the Shut Down option from the Start menu. The Shut Down Windows dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-16.

Figure 3-16

The Shut Down Windows dialog box.

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Start button

Figure 3-16

Click the arrow and select Shut down…

…and click OK to shut down your computer.



Quick Reference To Shut Down Windows: 1. Save and close the files

you’ve been working on and exit all of the programs.

2. Click the Start button and select Shut Down.

3. Click the Shut Down list arrow and select Shut Down.

4. Click OK. To Restart Windows: 1. Save any files you’ve

been working on and exit all of the programs.

2. Click the Start button and select Shut Down.

3. Click the Shut Down list arrow and select Restart.

4. Click OK.

NOTE: Remember, using the correct procedure to shut down or restart your computer is very important. If you don’t do these procedures properly, you might lose a lot of important information.

44.. Click the Shut Down list arrow in the Shut Down Windows dialog box. Notice that there are a few options available in this list. Table 3-5: Options in the Shut Down List explains them.

55.. Select Shut Down. If you clicked OK, Windows would begin closing out the operating program and other programs that might be open. Instead, try restarting the computer. This allows you to get the feel of shutting down the computer without having to start it again manually.

66.. Click the Shut Down list arrow and select Restart from the list. The computer’s hard drive hums as Windows cleans up and shuts itself down.

NOTE: Leaving nothing to chance, Windows checks to make sure you’ve saved everything you’ve been working on, such as letters you’ve created in your word processing program. If Windows notices that you haven’t saved a file, it asks if you want to save the changes you’ve made to the file before it completes the shut down procedure.

After a few moments, the computer begins to start itself up again. 7. Log on to Windows once again.

Go on to the next lesson.

Table 3-5: Options in the Shut Down List Shut Down Option Description

Stand by Use Stand by if you have a laptop and are going to leave your computer briefly, but want to conserve as much energy as possible while you are away. After you return your computer to its original running state, you will be able to pick up exactly where you left off. (Make sure you save everything you were working on first!)

Shut down Use this option if you want to turn your computer off. It saves your Windows settings and any information stored in memory to the hard disk.

Restart Restart saves Windows settings, writes information stored in your computer’s memory to the hard disk, and restarts your computer. Use this option to reset your computer if Windows or your Windows-based programs start acting flaky. You often have to restart your computer after installing new software.

Log Off As… This option appears only if your computer is connected to a network. This option closes all your programs and disconnects your computer from the network, preparing your computer to be used by someone else.



Lesson 3-10: Using the Task Manager to Shut Down a Program

Sometimes you will find that programs lock up and freeze while you’re using them. When this happens, you can’t exit the program as you normally would, but you can close it without affecting other open programs by using the Task Manager. The Task Manager keeps track of all of the programs running on your computer, and has information on your computer’s performance. This is a very useful feature that, hopefully, you won’t have to use very often.

11.. Press <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete>. The Windows Security dialog box appears.

22.. Click the Task Manager button in the dialog box. If you have any programs open, they appear in the dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-17. If a program is functioning properly, the status will be “Running.” If the program is frozen, the status will be “Not Responding.” You won’t have to use this function until a program stops working properly, so here’s what to do if one of your programs freezes.

33.. Select the program with the status Not Responding. Click the End Task button. Windows closes down the program, and the program disappears from the Task Manager list. In addition to closing programs, there are two other things you can do with in the Task Manager: • Switch to: Select the program you want to switch to and click this button. • New Task: Click this button to start another program.

Figure 3-17

The Windows Task Manager.

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Other Ways to Open the Task Manager: • Right-click the taskbar

and select Task Manager from the shortcut menu.

Figure 3-17

A list of all the programs that are open and their status is listed.

Close button



Quick Reference To Close a Program Using the Task Manager: 1. Press <Ctrl> + <Alt> +

<Delete>. Or… Right-click the task bar

and select Task Manager from the shortcut menu.

2. In the Application tab, select the program that is not responding.

3. Click the End Task button.

44.. Click the Close button to close the Task Manager. Most of the time, you will use the Applications tab of the Task Manager, but here is some helpful information on the other two tabs in the dialog box: • Processes: Displays information on the hardware, such as the CPU, memory

usage, and other behind the scenes information. • Performances: Includes graphs for CPU usage, and totals for handles, threads

and other processes.

That’s about all there is to know about the Task Manager. Don’t forget to use this great resource when you’re in a jam.



Lesson 3-11: Starting a Program

To do just about anything with your computer, you need to run a program. A program is a complex set of instructions that tells your computer how to do something. Your word processor is a program and so is the Solitaire game that comes with Windows. The easiest way to start a program is by clicking the Windows Start button and then selecting the program from the Programs menu. This lesson explains one of the most basic operations you can do with Windows: starting a program.

11.. Click the Start button. Remember that the Start button resides in the bottom-left corner of the computer screen. The Start menu pops up.

22.. Point to the word Programs. A menu listing the different program categories pops out to the side of the Start menu, as shown in Figure 3-18.

Figure 3-18

Click on the Start button to open the Start menu, and then point to Programs to open the Programs menu.

Figure 3-19

Click Accessories to open the Accessories menu, and then click WordPad to open the WordPad program.

Figure 3-20

The WordPad program.

Start button

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Programs

menu

Accessories

menu

Figure 3-19

Figure 3-20

Any programs that are currently running appear as icons on the taskbar

Figure 3-18



Quick Reference To Start a Program: 1. Click the Start button. 2. Point to the Programs

option. 3. Click the menu and any

submenus where the program you want to run is located.

4. Click the name of the program you want to run.

33.. Point to the word Accessories. Another menu, the Accessories menu, shoots out from the Programs menu, as shown in Figure 3-19. The program you want to load, called “WordPad,” is located here, in the Accessories menu. Can you find it?

44.. Click the word WordPad. The WordPad program appears onto the screen in its own window, as shown in Figure 3-20. WordPad is a simple word processing program that is included with Microsoft Windows.

NOTE: The Programs menu is merely a list of the programs that should be available on your computer. Normally when you install a program onto your computer, it adds itself to the Start menu. Occasionally, old MS-DOS programs or programs that are poorly written may not put themselves on the Start menu when you install them, and you will have to find and add the program to the Program menu yourself. You’ll learn how to manually add programs to the Start menu in an upcoming lesson.

Great! You’ve just started your first program. Turn the page and we’ll examine the parts of the WordPad window.

WordPad program

Almost all programs run in their own separate window on the screen.



Lesson 3-12: Switching Between Open Windows

You can have several programs or windows open and running simultaneously, but you can only work in one window at a time. The window you’re working with is called the active window and always appears on top of any other windows that you have open. If you think about it, you do the same thing when you work at your desk. When you want to work on a piece of paper, you place it on top of everything else on your desk.

This lesson explains how to switch between the programs you’re running. There are actually several ways to switch between windows, and we’ll cover all of them in this lesson. First, you need to make sure you have several programs running…

11.. Make sure the WordPad program is still open. The WordPad program should still be up and running from the previous lesson. If it isn’t, open it by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs → Accessories → WordPad. Notice an icon for the WordPad program appears on the taskbar. Next, you need to open another program that comes with Windows 2000—the calculator.

Figure 3-21

You can only work in one window at a time. Notice that WordPad appears in front of the other window and has a blue title bar.

Figure 3-22

Click any part of the Calculator window or its button on the taskbar so that it appears in front of all the other windows.

Figure 3-23

Pressing <Alt> + <Tab> lists all the programs that are currently running.

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Calculator

Click any part of a window to switch to that window.

The taskbar displays icons for each open window. Click an icon to switch to its window.

Figure 3-21

Figure 3-22

Figure 3-23

The active window’s icon is pressed down on the taskbar.



Quick Reference To Switch between Open Programs:

• Click the program’s icon on the taskbar.

Or… • Click any part of the

window you want to appear on front.

Or… • Press and hold down the

<Alt> key and press the <Tab> to display the task list. Press the <Tab> key until the program you want is selected, then release the <Alt> key.

22.. Start the calculator by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs → Accessories → Calculator from the menu. The calculator program appears in front of the WordPad program. An icon for Calculator program also appears in the taskbar, next to the WordPad icon. Notice the Calculator icon is pressed down, indicating it is the active window, or is the window that appears in front of the others. You can make WordPad the active window by clicking its icon on the taskbar.

33.. Click the WordPad button on the taskbar. The WordPad program appears in front, and its icon on the taskbar depresses, indicating it is now the active window. You can also switch to a window by clicking any part of the window that you can see.

44.. Click any portion of the Calculator window to make it active. If you can’t see the Calculator window at all, it’s because the Calculator window is completely covered by the WordPad window, in which case you will have to click the Calculator icon on the taskbar instead. Yet another method of switching between windows is a famous keystroke combination in Windows: <Alt> + <Tab>.

55.. Press and hold down the<Alt> key. While holding down the <Alt> key, press and release the <Tab> key. The task window appears, as shown in Figure 3-23. The task window lists all the windows and programs that are currently running. Move on to the next step to see how you can retrieve a program or window from the task list.

66.. Still holding down the <Alt> key, press and release the <Tab> key until the WordPad program is selected, then release the <Alt> key. When you release the <Alt> key, the selected window or program is activated and displayed in front of any other windows.

NOTE: <Alt> + <Tab> is especially useful when you use programs that fill the entire computer screen, such as MS-DOS programs and some games. When you can’t see the taskbar or any part of another window, <Alt> + <Tab> is the only way you can switch between programs.

NOTE: When you’re working with multiple programs, be careful you don’t accidentally run a second copy of the same program. This wastes memory and makes things confusing. For example, if you’ve been using the Calculator program and want to bring it back up, make sure you check the taskbar to see if it’s already running. If it is (a Calculator icon appears on the taskbar) use any of the methods you’ve learned in this lesson to switch to it. If a program is already running and you load it again from the Start menu, a second copy of the program opens and two icons for the programs will appear on the taskbar.

Think you have a handle on switching between programs and windows? Good, because when you work with Windows, you’ll find yourself switching between programs and windows throughout the day.

WordPad

button on the taskbar



Lesson 3-13: Adding a Shortcut to the Start Menu

Normally, when you install a Windows-based program, it automatically adds its own menu and icon to the Program menu. You can also manually add your favorite programs and files to the Program menu, making them easy to find and open.

11.. Click the Start button and select Settings → Taskbar and Start Menu. The Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box appears.

22.. Click the Advanced tab. The Advanced tab appears in front of the dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-24. The Customize Start menu section is what’s important here—it allows you to add and remove programs to and from the Start menu.

33.. Click Add. The Create Shortcut dialog box appears, asking you to specify the name and location of the file you want to add to the Start menu. If you know the specific name and location of the program or file you want to add, you can type its name and location directly in the Command line text box, for example C:\WINNT\NOTEPAD.EXE. Most of the time you won’t know the name and location of the file and will have to browse through the contents of your computer in order to find it.

Figure 3-24

The Start Menu Programs tab of the Taskbar Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-25

The Browse window.

Figure 3-26

Select a Program folder to place the program in.

Figure 3-27

The Remove Shortcuts/Folders dialog box.

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Other Way to Add Programs to the Start Menu: • Locate the program file

in My Computer or Windows Explorer and drag the program down to the Start button. The only problem with this method is that is places the program at the very top level of the Start Menu (although you can move it to a folder later).

Figure 3-24

Figure 3-25


Use Windows Explorer to add, remove, and organize programs on the Start menu

Rearranges the Programs menu so it is displayed in the default order

Click Browse… …and select the program file you want to add to the Start menu

Add a program to the Start menu

Remove a program from the Start menu



Quick Reference To Add a Program to the Start Menu: 1. Click the Start button

and select Settings → Taskbar and Start Menu…

2. Click the Advanced tab and click Add.

3. Click the Browse button, open the program’s folder and double-click the program name.

4. Click the Next button, open the program’s folder, and double-click the program name.

To Remove a Program from the Start Menu: 1. Click the Start button

and select Settings → Taskbar and Start Menu…

2. Click the Advanced tab and click Remove.

3. Open the program’s folder, select the program, and click Remove.

4. Click Close and then click OK.

44.. Click the Browse button. A Browse window appears, as shown in Figure 3-25.

55.. Browse to the WINNT folder in your hard disk and double-click the Notepad program file. Windows enter the name and location, C:\WINNT\NOTEPAD.EXE.

66.. Click Next. The Select Program Folder window appears, as shown in Figure 3-26. Here, you must double-click the menu where you want the program to appear.

77.. Double-click the Accessories menu folder. Yet another dialog box appears. Here, you can type a name you want to see on the menu since the program names aren’t always very intuitive. For example, instead of “Notepad” you could type “Notes.” For now, however, we’ll just use the program name.

88.. Click Finish and then OK. If you’ve selected an MS-DOS program, Windows will prompt you to choose an icon for the program. Windows adds the Notepad program to the accessories menu and closes the dialog box. Check to make sure it’s there.

99.. Click the Start button, and select Programs → Accessories from the menu. Yep, there’s the Notepad program.

1100.. Click anywhere in the desktop area to close the Start menu. Removing an item from the Program menu is even easier than adding one, as you will see in the next few steps:

1111.. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar and select Properties from the taskbar shortcut menu, and if necessary click the Advanced tab. The Advanced tab appears in front of the Taskbar Properties dialog box.

1122.. Click Remove. The Remove Shortcuts/Folders dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-27. Here you must locate the program you want to remove from the Start menu.

1133.. Click the expand button beside the Accessories folder to expand it. The Accessories folder expands and displays its contents.

1144.. Find and select the Notepad program under the Accessories folder, then click the Remove button The Notepad program is removed form the Start menu.

1155.. Click Close and then click OK.

Deleting a program from the Start menu doesn’t remove the program from your computer—only its shortcut on the Start menu. A shortcut is a quick way to start a program or open a file or folder without having to go to its actual location. Shortcuts are especially useful for programs, files, and folders you use frequently. All of the Programs in the Start Menu are actually shortcuts that point to the program files, located elsewhere on your computer. We’ll learn how to create shortcuts on the Windows desktop in the next lesson. You can tell the difference between a shortcut and original file because the shortcut displays an arrow ( ).

Most of the programs on your computer are located in their own subfolder in the Program Files folder in the C: drive.



Lesson 3-14: Moving and Deleting Desktop Icons and Creating Shortcuts

We just learned how to add a shortcut to the Start menu, but how about adding a shortcut to the Windows desktop? This lesson will show you how create, delete, move, and rename desktop folders and icons. You can create folders on your desktop to organize important information, or create shortcuts that will instantly take you to your most frequently used programs.

First, let’s talk about how to move items around on your computer screen by clicking and dragging them with the mouse. To click and drag something: 1) Move the mouse pointer over the object you want to move, then click and hold down the

mouse button. 2) While you are still holding down the mouse button, move the mouse until the pointer is

over the place you want to put the object. 3) Release the mouse button.

Let’s try dragging a desktop icon to another location on the desktop.

Figure 3-28

Clicking and dragging with the mouse.

Figure 3-29

Dragging the My Computer icon on the desktop.

Figure 3-30

The moved My Computer icon.

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Drag Place the pointer over an object and press and hold down the left mouse button. While you are still holding the button, move the mouse to the where you want to place the object and then release the mouse button.

Hold down the left mouse button while you drag the mouse across your desk.

Figure 3-28


1. A shadow of the icon follows the mouse cursor as it is being dragged.

2. The icon is moved from its original location to a new place on the desktop.



Quick Reference To Select and Move Desktop Icons: 1. Point to the object you

want to click and drag and click and hold down the mouse button.

2. While you’re holding down the mouse button, drag the object to the desired location on the screen.

3. Release the mouse button.

To Open an Item from the Desktop:

• Double-click the item.

To Create a Shortcut Icon: 1. Select the object. 2. Press and hold down the

<Ctrl> + <Shift> keys. 3. Click and drag the object

onto the desktop. Or… 1. Select the object. 2. Right-click the object and

l t C t Sh t t

11.. Click the My Computer icon and hold down the left mouse button. Depending on the layout of your screen, the My Computer icon should be located on the left side.

22.. While holding down the left mouse button, drag the mouse down and to the right. A shadow of the My Computer icon follows your mouse pointer, indicating where the icon will be located as shown in Figure 3-29.

33.. Release the left mouse button. The icon is moved to a new location on the desktop, as shown in Figure 3-30. One of the advantages of keeping things like folders on the desktop is that they are easily accessible.

44.. Double-click the My Documents icon on the desktop. A window opens on the desktop, showing all the files that are located in the My Documents folder.

NOTE: You can open any object on the desktop by double-clicking it. If there is a program or folder that you often use, you may want to create a shortcut icon on the desktop. Try creating a shortcut to a Windows accessory.

55.. Click the Start button and select Programs → Accessories from the menu. You might use the Address Book often, so add a shortcut to it on the desktop.

66.. Press and hold down the <Ctrl> + <Shift> keys. Click and drag the Address Book option onto the desktop. An icon with a little arrow on it appears on the desktop.

NOTE: If you decide you don’t really need a shortcut and want to delete it, don’t worry. When you delete a shortcut you only delete the icon, not the object to which it points. To delete a desktop icon or shortcut, simply right-click it and select Delete from the shortcut menu.

To copy an icon, press and hold down the <Ctrl> key while clicking and dragging the icon.

Other Ways to Create a Shortcut: • Right-click the object

(file, folder, application) that you want to create a shortcut of and select Create Shortcut. Then drag the shortcut icon onto the desktop.



Lesson 3-15: Understanding Drives, Folders, Files and Storage Devices

In order to understand file management, you need to understand how your computer stores information. For example, filing cabinets store information in files, which are organized and grouped in folders, which are kept in big drawers. Likewise, computers store information in files, which are organized and grouped in folders, and stored not in big drawers, but on disks. See the diagrams above for a clear illustration. There are a few types of devices computers use to store information:

Table 3-6: Common Storage Devices Type Size Description

Diskette

1.44 MB Diskettes are the square plastic things that look like coffee coasters. Floppy drives can’t hold a lot of information, but they’re ideal for moving small files between computers.

Figure 3-31

How information is stored in a file cabinet.

Figure 3-32

How information is stored on a disk. The hierarchical structure of drives, folders, and files

Figure 3-33

The hierarchical structure of drives, folders, and files

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Taxes

Investments

Letters

Love Letters

Letter to Bill

Letter to Mary

A file cabinet’s information is organized and grouped into folders.

Information on a disk is organized and grouped into folders or directories.

A computer stores information on disks.

A folder may contain several files and subfolders.

Figure 3-31

Figure 3-32

In the C: drive…

In the Program Files folder…

In the Accessories folder…

The WordPad.EXE file

The operating system organizes files and folders in a hierarchical system of drives, folders, and files. For example, the

WordPad.EXE file is located in:

So its path name (location) would be: C:\Program Files\Accessories\ WordPad.EXE

Figure 3-33



Type Size Description

Hard Disk

Over 200 Gigabytes (GB)

Hard disks hide permanently inside your computer. Your computer’s hard disk is its main filing cabinet—where it stores almost all of its programs and files.

CD-ROM

650 Megabytes (MB)

Compact discs, or CD-ROMs, look like the audio discs you play in your stereo. CD-ROMs are inexpensive and they can store a lot of information, which is why they’re used to install software for store games and programs with a lot of multimedia. Unlike floppy or hard disks, most CD-ROMs can only read information—you can’t save anything on them.

Network

Drive

Variable, depending on size of host

Network drives appear to be similar to hard disks when you see them in My Computer. But really, network drives are just folders saved on a computer within the network. Therefore, their size depends on the capacity of the host computer.

Removable

Drive

100 to 250 Megabytes (MB)

Removable storage drives have features of both hard disks and floppy disks. They are like a floppy drive because they read and write information on small, removable cassettes that are about the size of a floppy disk. They are like hard drives because each cassette can usually hold more than 100 MB and is almost as fast as a hard drive. Two of the most popular removable storage drives are the Zip drive and Jaz drive, both made by Iomega.

Most computers come with a diskette drive, a hard drive, and a CD-ROM drive. Your computer labels these drives with letters, as shown in .

Just like liquids are measured in quarts and gallons, computers save their information in units called bytes. Unlike gallons, computers use the metric system, so 1,000 bytes make up a kilobyte and 1,000,000 bytes make up a megabyte.

Table 3-7: How Memory is Measured Term Description Size

Byte A byte can store a single character, such as the letter j or numeral 8.

A single character.

Kilobyte (K or KB)

A kilobyte (K) is about 1,000 bytes (1,024 to be exact). A kilobyte is equivalent to a page of double-spaced typing.

1,024 bytes

Megabyte (MB or MEG)

A megabyte (MB) is about one million bytes—about as much text as an average-length novel.

1,048,576 bytes

Gigabyte (GB or GIG)

A gigabyte (GB) is over one billion bytes, and holds more information than several dozen encyclopedias!

1,073,741,824 bytes



Lesson 3-16: Using My Computer

When you want to see what’s in a file cabinet, you simply pull open one of its drawers. You can view the information stored on your computer’s drives in much the same way—by opening the drive you want to access. This lesson will show you how to look at the drives, folders, and files in your computer.

11.. Double-click the My Computer icon to open it. The My Computer window appears, as shown in Figure 3-34. My Computer lists all your drives and several special folders (Printers, Control Panel, Dial-up Networking, and Scheduled Tasks) that contain other information. Since your computer may have different drives, the contents of your computer may differ from those shown in Figure 3-34. Want to see what’s inside something? All you have to do is double-click the drive, folder, or file you want to open.

Figure 3-34

My Computer displays the drives, folders (directories), and files that are in your computer.

Figure 3-35

The Local Disk (C:) Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-36

The My Computer toolbar.

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A root folder, or directory, is the first folder from which all the other folders branch. When you double-click the C: Hard Drive icon, the window shows the contents of the root folder of the C drive.

My Computer

Double-click My Computer…

to view the contents of your computer.

Figure 3-34

Figure 3-35

Moves back or up to the previous folder or level

Moves forward to the last subfolder or level

Moves back or up to the previous folder or level

Search for files and folders on your computer or on the network

Displays the folders in a separate pane (i.e. Windows Explorer)

Displays a history of files you have opened recently

Undo your last action

Deletes the selected file(s) or folder(s)

Change how the contents are of the folder are displayed

Figure 3-36

Copies the selected file(s) or folder(s)

Moves the selected file(s) or folder(s)

Program Files

Stuff

WINNTRoot Folder (Hard Disk)



One more note of interest: Notice My Computer appears in its own window, with its own little buttons, scroll bars, and menus? The My Computer window works just like the other windows you’ve been working with. You can move it, resize it, and minimize it. You can even open more than one copy of My Computer at a time.

22.. Double-click the (C:) Local Disk icon. The contents of the (C:) drive appear in the window. What do all those symbols in the window mean? Each item you see has an icon, or symbol, to help you identify what type of item it is. Double-click an icon to open it. To move back to the previous folder or level, click the Up button on the toolbar.

33.. Click the Up button on the toolbar to move back to the My Computer level.

NOTE: If the toolbar is not visible, select View → Toolbars → Standard Buttons from the menu.

You move up one level, from the C: drive back to My Computer. Now that you know the procedure for displaying the contents of a drive, move on to the next step lesson to open a folder.

44.. Close the My Computer window.

Getting the hang of opening and exploring your computer? Good, because we’ll be doing a lot more snooping inside the contents of your computer throughout the rest of this chapter.

Local Disk (C:)

Up button

3½ Floppy (A:)

Quick Reference

To View the Contents of Your Computer: • Double-click the My

Computer icon on the Windows Desktop.

To Navigate to a Folder or File: • Follow the above step to

open My Computer and then double-click the drive or folder to navigate through the levels of your computer.



Lesson 3-17: Navigating to a File or Folder

Your computer stores related files together in folders, just like you do with your file cabinet. In the previous lesson, you learned how to use My Computer to view the contents of your computer, and how to open a disk drive and display its contents. In this lesson, we’ll go a little bit further and show you how to open a folder.

Windows 2000 gives you your very own folder named “My Documents” as a convenient location to store all your files. Here’s how to open the My Documents folder (and any other folder).

11.. Double-click the My Documents folder on the Windows desktop. The contents of the My Documents—several files and subfolders—appear in the window. The My Documents folder contains several folders, or subfolders. If you think about it, you probably do the same thing—keep several subfolders inside a larger folder—in your own file cabinet.

Figure 3-37

Double-click a folder to open it and view its contents.

Figure 3-38

The file and folders appear in the window.

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My Documents

The Address bar displays the name of the current drive and folder

Figure 3-37

Figure 3-38



Quick Reference To Open a Folder

• Double-click the folder.

To Move Back or Up to the Previous Level or Folder

• Click the Up button on the toolbar.

Or… • Click the Back button on

the toolbar. Or… • Click the Address Bar on

the toolbar and select the appropriate drive or folder.

22.. Double-click the My Pictures folder.

NOTE: This is where the comparison we’ve been using between a file cabinet and a computer begins to break down a bit. When you file things in your file cabinet, you probably never have more than two, possibly three nested folders (i.e. a folder inside another folder). Your computer’s folders, on the other hand, can contain as many subfolders as you want, nested as deep as you want, so you can have a folder inside a folder inside a folder—ad infinitum.

The contents of the My Pictures folder appear in the window. Notice the Address bar displays the current folder you are in: My Pictures. You can open any of the files within this folder by double-clicking. Instead of clicking the Up button several times to jump back through several levels of folders you can click the Address bar to quickly jump to the root directory of any of drive on your computer.

33.. Click the Address Bar list arrow. A list your computer’s drives and the folder you are currently in appears. You can click any folder or drive to go to that folder or drive.

44.. Select the (C:) Local Disk from the list. You return to the root directory of the C: drive. The Address bar is a fast way to select a drive; especially if you are in a folder that is nested several levels deep.

You can think of the Address Bar as your compass because even when you’re exploring unfamiliar folders nested deep in the far recesses of your computer, it always tells you where you are. If you get really lost, you can always click the Address Bar and jump back to the familiar C: drive.

All this moving around your computer, opening disk drives and folders is a little boring, but it’s something you have to get used to if you want to have any degree of proficiency with Windows. Going back to our trusty file cabinet metaphor, imagine what would happen if you didn’t know how to open the drawers and folders in your file cabinet. How would you find your tax returns if you were audited or be able to find your insurance policy number if you were in a car accident? Opening disk drives and folders and being able to navigate through the contents of your computer are among of the most important Windows skills you can learn.

My Pictures

Address Bar



Lesson 3-18: Creating a Folder and Viewing Folder Details

Windows 2000 comes with the My Documents folder which you can use to save your files in, but sooner or later you’ll want to expand your horizons and create your own folders inside the My Documents folder or on the network to help you better organize your files. This lesson will show you how to create a new folder to hold and organize your files.

11.. Double-click My Computer on the desktop. The My Computer window appears after you double-click the My Computer icon.

22.. Double-click the Local Disk (C:) icon. The contents of the (C:) hard drive appear.

33.. Right-click an empty area of the (C:) drive window. A shortcut menu appears.

Figure 3-39

To create a new folder, right-click any empty area of the window to open a shortcut menu, select New → Folder from the shortcut menu.

Figure 3-40

A newly created folder.

Figure 3-41

The Temp Folder Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-42

A file’s path name, or location, is determined by first by the drive, then by the folder(s), then by the file name.

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Other Ways to Create a Folder: • Select File → New →

Folder from the menu.

Figure 3-39

Figure 3-40

Figure 3-41

In the C: drive…

In the Program Files folder…

In the Accessories folder…

The WordPad.EXE file

The WordPad.EXE file is located in:

So its path name (location) would be: C:\Program Files\Accessories\WordPad.EXE Figure 3-42



Quick Reference To Create a New Folder: 1. Open the disk or folder

where you want to place the new folder.

2. Right-click any empty area in the window and select New → Folder from the shortcut menu. Or…

Select File → New → Folder from the menu.

3. Type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

To View Folder Details: • Click the Views button

on the toolbar and select the view you want to use. (Select Details to view information about each item in the folder).

Or… • Right-click the folder and

select Properties from the shortcut menu.

44.. Select New → Folder from the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 3-39. A new folder appears with a temporary name “New Folder” as shown in Figure 3-40. Now all you have to do is move on to the next step and give the new folder a name.

55.. Type Temp Folder as the name for the new folder, and then press <Enter>. Your new Temp Folder is located in the root directory, or first folder, of the C: drive. You can create a folder inside any existing folder the same way—by opening the folder and then repeating Steps 3-5. You can create as many folders as you like to develop a your own filing system to help organize your files and folders. Open the Temp Folder to display its contents.

NOTE: A file name can contain up to 255 characters, including spaces. File names cannot contain the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > |

66.. Double-click the Temp Folder to open it. The contents of the Temp Folder appear in the window. That’s right, there’s nothing there. The Temp Folder is an empty folder, since you just created it. You can stack folders within folders to further organize your files. Create another subfolder.

77.. Select File → New → Folder from the menu. A new folder appears in the window.

88.. Type Junk Folder and press <Enter>. Now the Temp folder you created has its own subfolder, “Junk Folder.”

99.. Click the Up button. You are back in the Local Disk directory. You can choose how you want to view the items in folders. For example, instead of just viewing a bunch of icons, you can use a view that shows more information about the items.

1100.. Click the Views button on the toolbar. A list of options drops down: • Large Icons: Displays the items with large icons. • Small Icons: Displays the items with small icons. • List: Lists the items in columns with small icons. • Details: Lists the items with information about file size and type, and when it

was last modified. • Thumbnails: This is especially effective in folders containing graphics; a

preview of the file or the folder’s contents is shown. 1111.. Select Details from the list.

The window view changes and information is shown about all the items in the directory. You can also view the details about a specific file or folder.

1122.. Right-click the Temp Folder and select Properties from the shortcut menu. A dialog box appears, showing the properties of the folder, such as the folder’s name, location on the computer, and size. The location of a folder or file is also called the path, kind of like a street address. A path contains the drive letter, followed by a colon, followed by any folders (which must be separated by backslashes \), and then finally comes the name of the file. For example C:\Program Files\Accessories\WordPad.EXE (see Figure 3-42 for an illustration).

Up button



Lesson 3-19: Common File Types

In this lesson, we’ll take a closer look at files. When you’re viewing the contents of your computer, you’ve probably already noticed that everything has its own picture or icon to represent what it is. Except for a few exceptions, folder icons always look like little manila folders ( ). Files, on the other hand, come in a variety of types and icons.

There are two parts to every file: the file name, which you’ve already seen and are familiar with, and the file extension, a three letter extension that tells Windows what type of file it is (see Figure 3-44). Since Windows assigns pictures or icons to the types of files it recognizes, it normally hides these file extensions from view. Whenever you open a file by double-clicking it, Windows automatically opens the file in the program it knows created the file. For example, Microsoft Word always adds the file extension .DOC to its files, so when you double-click a .DOC file, Windows knows it has to open the file in Microsoft Word.

Table 3-8: Common File Types File Description

Unknown File Type

Windows doesn’t know what type of file this is, so you can’t readily open it by double-clicking it. That doesn’t mean the file isn’t important – it’s probably a very important file for Windows or a program. Leave these files alone unless you absolutely know what they are for.

Word Document (.doc)

This is a document created in Microsoft Word, a word processing program. Word documents normally have a .DOC extension.

Excel Workbook (.xls)

This is a spreadsheet created with the program Microsoft Excel. Excel spreadsheets normally have a .XLS extension.

Access Database (.mdb)

This is a database created with Microsoft Access. Access databases normally have a .MDB extension.

PowerPoint Presentation

(.ppt)

This is a presentation created with Microsoft PowerPoint. PowerPoint presentations normally have a .PPT extension.

Figure 3-43

Files display different types of icons to help you identify what type of file they are.

Figure 3-44

Every file has a three-letter extension, which is normally hidden from view, so Windows knows what type of file it is.

To View File Extensions: • Select Tools → Folder

Options from the menu. Click the View tab. Make sure the Hide file extensions for known file types option is unchecked and click OK.

IC3


Figure 3-43

Figure 3-44

Letter to Sue.TXT

File Name Can be up to 255 characters (although older MS-DOS programs will only see the first 8 characters, such as Letter~1.txt).

File Extension Usually hidden from view, these three characters tell Windows what type of file it is and what type of icon to assign to it.



File Description

Image Files

(.jpg and .gif)

There are many different image file types, but JPEGs and GIFs are two of the most popular. JPEG (.jpg) images use millions of colors, such as photographs. GIF (.gif) images use 256 colors, such as logos.

Text File

Text or ASCII files are simple files that only contain text – no formatting, graphics, or any fancy stuff. Text files usually have a .TXT extension.

Audio Files Audio files are stored in a number of different formats, such as the .WAV or .MP3 file.

Video Files Video files are also stored in a number of different formats, such as .WMV, .MPG, and .AVI.

Compressed Files (.zip)

Compressed files or folders take up less space on a hard disk, and are easier to transfer over a network. These files are usually compressed by a third party, such as WINZIP.

Temporary Files These files are created by Windows or other programs and are deleted when no longer used.

Shortcut File

Shortcut files point to files and folders elsewhere on your computer so that you can quickly open that file, folder, or program without having to go to its actual location.

Setup Program File (.exe)

Setup files are special executable (.EXE) program files, except instead of running a program when opened, they install software programs onto your computer.



Lesson 3-20: Counting Files in a Folder

Since a folder is meant to organize your files and documents, it might be useful to be able to see how many files are in a folder with the click of a few buttons. Though you may not need to use this feature very often, here’s how to do it if the situation arises:

11.. Open My Computer. Right-click your Practice folder and select Properties from the shortcut menu. If you don’t know where your Practice folder is located, ask your instructor for help. The Practice Properties dialog box appears.

22.. Notice the Contains section of the dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-45. The dialog box indicates that the Practice folder contains eleven files and one folder. This number is somewhat deceptive, however. The number of files in the folder, eleven, includes the number of files in the subfolder, two. So, when you open the Practice folder you will see nine files and one folder, which contains two files.

Figure 3-45

The Practice Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-46

The Properties dialog box for selected files.

Figure 3-47

Using the window to count selected files.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Practice folder

Other Ways to Count Selected Files: • Refer to the left column

of the My Computer window to count selected files and their file names.

• Refer to the status bar to count selected files.

Figure 3-45

The folder contains 11 files, and 1 folder.

Figure 3-46

The four selected files are all Text Document files.

Figure 3-47

The window and status bar display the number of selected files, their file size, and file names.



Quick Reference To Count Files in a Folder (including files in subfolders): 1. Right-click the folder and

select Properties from the shortcut menu.

2. Find the number of files (including files in subfolders) and the number of subfolders in the Contains section of the Properties dialog box.

To Count Files of the Same File Type: 1. Select the files of the

same file type you want to count.

2. Right-click the selected files and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

3. Find the number of files selected at the top of the Properties dialog box and the type of selected files in the Type section of the Properties dialog box.

33.. Click Cancel to close the dialog box. For more selective counting, it is possible to count the number of files in a selected group.

44.. Double-click the Practice folder to open it. Select the first file in the folder, press and hold down the <Shift> key, and select the last file in the folder. Release the <Shift> key. Now count the number of files that are selected.

55.. Right-click the selected files and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Notice the top of the dialog box counts the items selected: 9 files, 0 folders. What if you wanted to count a number of files of the same type? Here’s how…

66.. Click the Views button on the toolbar and select Details from the list. Click the Type column heading. The files are sorted by file type in the window. To count the number of files of a specific type, you must first select them. Try counting all the text files in the folder.

77.. Select the first text document, press and hold down the <Shift> key, and select the last text document. Release the <Shift> key. The computer will be able to tell how many files are selected, and since they are all the same file type, it can tell you what type of file they are.

88.. Right-click the selected files and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-46. Notice that the dialog box counts four selected files, but it is also able to identify the file type. The Type section of the dialog box says, “All of type Text Document.”

99.. Click Cancel to close the dialog box. Now you know the foolproof way to count files in a folder.

Other Ways to Select Multiple Files: • Press and hold down

the <Ctrl> key to select non-adjacent files.



Lesson 3-21: Changing File Status

The default attribute of a file is that when it is opened, the user can read and change it or even delete it, meaning it has read-write status. But sometimes you may want to make the file even more secure. If you want people to be able to read the file but not change or delete it, you can change the status to read-only.

This lesson will show you how to change the status of files in the Properties dialog box.

11.. Navigate to your Practice folder. If you don’t know where your Practice folder is located, ask your instructor for help.

22.. Right-click the Letter.rtf file. Select Properties. Make sure the General tab is selected. A dialog box appears, displaying the properties of the file. The Attributes section appears at the bottom of the General tab. This is one place you can change the file’s status. Notice there are two options in the Status section of the dialog box: • Read-only: Specifies whether this file or folder is read-only, which means that

it cannot be changed or accidentally deleted. If multiple files are selected, a check mark means that all the files are read-only.

A filled box means that some files are read-only and some aren't. • Hidden: Specifies whether the file or folder is hidden, which means that you

cannot see or use it unless you know its name. If multiple files are selected, a check mark means that all the files are hidden. A

filled box means that some files are hidden and some aren't. 33.. Check the Read-only check box in the Attributes section of the General

tab. Click OK. The Letter.rtf file now has read-only status, which means when the file is opened it can be read, but not changed or edited. Changing a file from read-only back to read-write status is easy.

Figure 3-48

The Letter Properties dialog box.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Letter.rtf

Figure 3-48

Check the Read-only checkbox to change the status of the file.



44.. Right-click the Letter.rtf file. Select Properties. Uncheck the Read-only check box and click OK. The file will now allow users to read and write or edit the file.

NOTE: Changing the file status is not as secure as protecting a file with a password. A password-protected file is much more protected than a read-only file.

Quick Reference

To Change File Status: 1. Right-click the file. 2. Select Properties from

the shortcut menu. 3. Check the status you

want: Read-only or Hidden.

4. Click OK.



Lesson 3-22: Sorting Files

When you work with files and folders on your computer, you may find that you need to change how you view information on the screen. This lesson will show you how to change the appearance of items using one of four view modes: Large Icons, Small Icons, List, or Details. Experiment to find the view that works best for you. You’ll also learn how to sort files and folders: by name, date (when they were created), size, and type.

11.. Navigate to and open your Practice folder. Windows normally displays items as large icons by default, as shown in Figure 3-49.

22.. Verify that you are viewing your computer’s contents as large icons by selecting View → Large Icons from the window. You can display more items in a window at a time by using List view. Try switching to List view now.

33.. Select View → List from the menu. The items are displayed as small icons in a list. Details view displays information about each item, including the name, size, type of item, and when it was created or last modified.

44.. Select View → Details from the menu. You can sort items in a variety of ways: alphabetically by name, by size, or even by the date they were last modified or saved. If you’re in Details view all you have to do is click the heading for the column you want to use to sort the items.

55.. Click the Name heading to sort the items by name. The list is sorted alphabetically by name. Clicking the heading again sorts the items in reverse order (Z-A). You can have Windows arrange and organize items so they appear in neat columns and rows, instead of a cluttered mess.

Figure 3-49

A bullet (•) appears next to the current view. Here the window is displayed in Large Icons view.

Figure 3-50

The window displayed in Details view.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Practice folder

Other Ways to Change Views: • Select a view from the

View button list arrow on the toolbar.

Figure 3-49 Figure 3-50 While in Details view, click the column heading you want to use to sort the items. Click the column heading again to sort the items in reverse order.



Quick Reference To Change How Items are Displayed:

• Select View from the menu and select from one of the four view modes (Large Icons, Small Icons, List, or Details).

Or… • Select a view from the

View button list arrow on the toolbar.

To Change How Items are Sorted: 1. Follow the above step to

display the window in Details View.

2. Click the column heading you want to use to sort the window. Click the column heading again to sort in reverse order.

To Automatically Arrange Icons:

• Select View → Arrange Icons → Auto Arrange from the menu.

66.. Select View → Arrange Icons → Auto Arrange from the menu. A check mark ( ) appears by Auto Arrange when this feature is on. Now, whenever you change the size of a window, or add, move, or delete a file, Windows will automatically rearrange the items.

77.. Select View → Arrange Icons → by Name from the menu. The list is sorted alphabetically by name.

Table 3-9: Different Methods of Viewing Items View Description

Large Icons

Files and folders are displayed as large icons. This is a good view for when you’re learning how to use Windows or have trouble clicking a file with the mouse.

Small Icons

Files and folders are displayed as small icons.

List

Files and folders are displayed as small icons in a list. This is a great default view, because it allows you to see as many files as possible.

Details

Displays information about every file and folder, such as its name, size, type, and when it was last modified is displayed. You can change the order the list is sorted by clicking the column headings.

Thumbnails

New in Windows 2000, Thumbnails view is very useful if you are working with pictures and graphics because it previews every graphic file instead of only displaying an unhelpful file name.



Lesson 3-23: Using File Extensions and Renaming Files and Folders

A file extension is the three-letter tag that follows the name of a file, as shown in Figure 3-51. As you know, file extensions help the computer identify and categorize file types. For example, a .DOC file is a word processing file and a .JPG file is a type of image. When you’re renaming files, you should be careful not to change the file extension so you can revisit the file in the future. But unless you have customized Windows to show file extensions, you won’t have to worry about them when you rename a file or folder.

In this lesson, you will learn how to rename files and folders that don’t display file extensions, as well as how to rename an existing folder.

11.. Open My Computer. The My Computer window appears after you double-click the My Computer icon.

22.. Double-click the (C:) Local Disk icon. The contents of the (C:) Local Disk appear.

Figure 3-51

Right-click a file or folder to display a list of things you can do to it.

Figure 3-52

A renamed folder.

Figure 3-53

The file extensions help the computer identify the file.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.5, 1.3.2.6 and 1.3.2.7 Req. File: Open Me.txt

To View File Extensions: • Select Tools → Folder

Options from the menu. Click the View tab. Make sure the Hide file extensions for known file types option is unchecked and click OK.


Figure 3-53

Letter to Sue.TXT

File Name Can be up to 255 characters (although older MS-DOS programs will only see the first 8 characters, such as Letter~1.txt).

File Extension Usually hidden from view, these three characters tell Windows what type of file it is and what type of icon to assign to it.



Quick Reference

• File Extensions help the computer identify files. They are not shown by default.

To Rename a File:

• Right-click the file, select Rename from the shortcut menu, type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

Or… • Click the file to select it,

select File → Rename from the menu, type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

33.. Right-click an empty area of the (C:) drive window. A shortcut menu appears.

44.. Select New → Folder from the shortcut menu. A new folder appears with a temporary name “New Folder” as shown in Figure 3-52. Move on to the next step and give the new folder a name.

55.. Type Rename Me as the name for the new folder, and then press <Enter>. Your new Rename Me folder is located in the root directory, or first folder, of the C: drive. You can create a folder inside any existing folder the same way—by opening the folder and then repeating Steps 3-5. You can create as many folders as you like to develop your own filing system to help organize your files and folders.

NOTE: A file name can contain up to 255 characters, including spaces. File names cannot contain the following characters: \ / : * ? " < > |

NOTE: Make sure to be careful when renaming files. Make sure to make it unique from other file names that might be similar. Also, if there is a chance you may forget the file’s new name, write it down so that you will be able to find it again.

66.. Double-click the Rename Me folder to open it. The Rename Me folder is empty since you just created it.

77.. Click the Up button to move back to the root directory. You can easily change the name of a folder. Here’s how:

88.. Right-click the Rename Me folder icon. A shortcut menu appears, with a list of things you can do to the selected folder.

99.. Select Rename from the shortcut menu, type Junk and press <Enter>. The “Rename Me” folder is renamed “Junk.” Now use the same process to rename a file.

1100.. Navigate to your Practice folder. If you don’t know where your Practice folder is located, ask your instructor for instructions.

1111.. Right-click the Open Me file. A shortcut menu appears, with a list of things you can do to the selected file.

1122.. Select Rename from the shortcut menu, type Poems as the new name for the file, and then press <Enter>. The Open Me file name is renamed to Poems. That’s all there is to renaming files and folders.

Other Ways to Create a Folder: • Select File → New →

Folder from the menu.

Up button

Other Ways to Rename a Folder: • Select the folder and

select File → Rename from the menu.

Open Me



Lesson 3-24: Selecting Files and Folders

By now, you know that you must select a file or folder before you can do something to it, such as move or delete it. In this lesson, you will learn how to select more than one file and/or folder at a time, so you can move, copy, or delete a group of files at the same time.

11.. Navigate to your Practice folder. If you don’t know where your Practice folder is located, ask your instructor for help. First, let’s review how to select a single file.

22.. Click the Grocery List file to select it. The Grocery List file is highlighted, indicating that it is selected. Once selected, you could delete, move, or copy the file. To deselect a file, just click in any empty area on the window.

33.. Click any empty area of the window to deselect the Grocery List file. The Grocery List file is no longer selected.

Figure 3-54

To select several files that are next to each other, hold down the mouse button and drag a rectangle around the files you want to select.

Figure 3-55

When you want to select a group of consecutive files, select the first file you want to select, hold down the <Shift> key and click the last file.

Figure 3-56

Use the <Ctrl> key when you want to select several random files.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Grocery List.txt

Move the pointer to an empty area in the window.

Hold down the mouse button and drag a rectangle around the files you want to select.

Figure 3-54

Press and hold down the <Ctrl> key while you click each file you want to select.

Click the first file you want to select, press and hold down the <Shift> key and click the last file you want to select.




Quick Reference To Select Multiple Files:

• If the files are next to each other, you can click and drag a rectangle around the files you want to select.

Or… • If the files are next to

each other, you can click the first file you want to select, press and hold down the <Shift> key and click the last file you want to select.

• If the files aren’t next to each other, you can select random files by holding the <Ctrl> key and clicking the files you want to select.

You can select more than one file or folder at a time, so you can delete, move, or copy a whole bunch of files at once. Like so many Windows functions, there are several ways to select multiple files. If the files you want to select are next to each other, you can move mouse pointer to empty area on the screen, hold down the mouse button and drag a rectangle around the files you want to select, as shown in Figure 3-54.

44.. Move the pointer to any empty area in the folder window, click and hold down the mouse button and drag a rectangle around several files, as shown in Figure 3-54. The only problem with this method is that it only works when you want to select files that are next to each other.

55.. Click any empty area of the screen to deselect the files. Another method of selecting adjacent files and folders is to click the first file you want to select, hold down the <Shift> key as you click the last file of the group of files you want to select.

66.. Click the Grocery List file to select it (the first file in the group), press and hold the <Shift> key as you click the Zip Me file (the last file in the group). You’ve selected the Grocery List file, the Zip Me file, and all the files that are in between them.

77.. Click any empty area of the screen to deselect the files. To select random, or non-adjacent, files and folders, hold down the <Ctrl> key, and then click each item you want to select.

88.. Click the Grocery List file to select it, press and hold down the <Ctrl> key, click the Resume file and the Zip Me folder, then release the <Ctrl> key. Remember, you can move, copy, or delete any selected files all at once. Holding down the <Ctrl> key also lets you click and deselect any selected files. To select all the files and folders in the window, select Edit → Select All from the menu.

99.. Select Edit → Select All from the menu. All the files in the window are selected.

1100.. Close the window to end this lesson.



Lesson 3-25: Duplicating and Moving Files and Folders

You probably don’t reorganize the folders in your file cabinet very often—and you probably won’t need to move or copy the folders on your computer very often either. When you find you do need to move or copy a folder however, you can do so by using one of two simple methods: • Dragging-and-dropping. • Using the Move To and Copy To buttons (known as the Copy and Paste method in

previous versions of Windows).

You’ll learn how to use both methods in this lesson.

11.. Create a new folder called My Stuff in your C: drive.

22.. Drag the My Stuff folder to the Temp Folder, as shown in Figure 3-57. Already forgot how to click and drag? If so, here it is one more time: position the mouse over the My Stuff folder, click and hold down the left mouse button as you move the pointer to the Temp Folder, then release the mouse button. The My Stuff folder is moved inside the Temp Folder. Let’s make sure we really moved the My Stuff folder.

33.. Double-click the Temp Folder to open it. Yep, there’s the My Stuff folder. You’re probably already beginning to suspect that there are several methods for doing exactly the same thing in Windows. Here’s another popular method for moving folders you might want to know—using Windows’ new Move To button.

44.. Click the My Stuff folder to select it. Once you have selected the folder you want to move, you can use the Move To button to move it to another location.

Figure 3-57

To move a folder, drag it to a new location on your computer, in this case to the Temp Folder.

Figure 3-58

The Browse For Folder dialog box lets you specify where you want to move or copy a file or folder.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Temp Folder created in Lesson 3-18: Creating a Folder and Viewing Folder Details

To copy a folder, hold down the <Ctrl> key as you drag the folder to the new location.

Move To button Other Ways to Move a File or Folder: • “Cut” the file or folder by

selecting Edit → Cut from the menu or pressing <Ctrl> + <X>, moving to the desired location and then “paste” the file or folder by selecting Edit → Cut from the menu or pressing <Ctrl> + <X>.




Quick Reference To Move a Folder:

• Drag the folder to the desired location (you might have to open another My Computer window).

Or… 1. Click the folder to select it

and click the Move To button on the toolbar.

2. Select the folder or disk where you want to move the folder and click OK.

To Copy a Folder:

• Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag the folder to the desired location (you might have to open another My Computer window).

Or… 1. Click the folder to select it

and click the Copy To button on the toolbar.

2. Select the folder or disk where you want to move the folder and click OK.

55.. Click the Move To button on the toolbar. The Browse for Folder dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-58. This is where you tell Windows where you want to move the selected folder. The Browse for Folder dialog box displays the drives and folders on your computer in a hierarchical view. A

plus symbol or a minus symbol beside a folder means a folder contains several subfolders. Normally, these subfolders are hidden. You can display the hidden folders within a folder by clicking the plus sign beside the folder.

66.. Click the Plus Symbol to the left of the My Computer icon. My Computer expands and displays its contents. The Local Disk (C:) is where you want to move the My Stuff folder.

77.. Click the Local Disk (C:) icon and click OK. The My Stuff folder is moved from the Temp Folder back to the root directory of the C: drive.

NOTE: Make sure to remember where you moved the file—lost files can be rather difficult to try and find again.

88.. Click the Up button on the toolbar to move back to the root directory. If you can move a folder you can copy a folder—because all you need to do to copy a folder is hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag the folder to where you want it copied.

99.. Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag the My Stuff folder to the Temp Folder. Although you can’t see it, the My Stuff folder has been copied to the Temp Folder. Let’s make sure.

1100.. Double-click the Temp Folder to open it. The contents of the Temp Folder appear in the window. Sure enough, the My Stuff folder has been copied. Although we won’t step through it, you can also copy a folder using the Copy To button. Just select the folder, click the Copy To button, specify where you want to copy the folder and click OK.

1111.. Click the Up button to move back to the root directory.

We’ve worked on copying and moving folders to locations on the same drive, but you can also copy a folder to a different drive by simply dragging to the drive icon where you want it copied. If you can’t see the drive or folder where you want to move or copy something to, you can do a couple of things: you can use the Cut, Copy, Paste method, or you can open a second My Computer window and drag the folder from one window to the other.



Lesson 3-26: Using the Folders Pane

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to perform basic file management in the Folders pane. Although the Folders pane looks a little different from the rest of the My Computer screen, all the file management procedures you already know work exactly the same.

11.. Open My Computer. Click the Folders button on the window toolbar to open the Folders pane. Basically, the Folders pane is another way to navigate through your computer.

22.. Navigate to and click your Practice folder in the left Folders pane. The contents of the Practice folder appear in the right pane of My Computer.

33.. Click the plus symbol beside the Practice folder in the left Folders pane to display the subfolders. The Practice folder expands and displays all the subfolders inside it, and the plus symbol changes to a minus symbol. Since you can see all the files in the right pane, it’s much easier to move and copy files between folders.

44.. Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you click and drag the Open Me file in the right pane to the Zip Me folder in the left Folders pane, as shown in Figure 3-59. It doesn’t matter if you click and drag a copy of the Open Me file to the Zip Me folder in the left pane or the right pane—they’re the same folder. Move on to the next step and create a new folder while the Folders pane is displayed.

55.. Create a new folder named 2003 in the Practice folder. Need a refresher on how to create a folder? First you need to click the Practice folder in the left folder pane to select it and display its contents in the right pane. Next, right-click any empty area in the right pane of the window, select New → Folder from the shortcut menu, type 2003, and press <Enter>.

Figure 3-59

You can move and copy files using click and drag in Windows Explorer.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Open Me.txt and Zip Me folder Figure 3-59



66.. Move the 2003 folder to the Zip Me folder by dragging the 2003 folder from the right pane to the Zip Me folder in the left pane. Verify that the 2003 folder was moved inside the Zip Me folder.

77.. Click the plus symbol beside the Zip Me folder to display its subfolders. The Zip Me folder expands and displays the 2003 folder inside it. Try deleting a folder using Windows Explorer—you already know the technique.

88.. Click the 2003 folder to select it, press the <Delete> key, and then click Yes to confirm the deletion. It doesn’t matter if you use the left or right pane to select a folder—they’re the same folder, and you can rename, copy, move, and delete folders in either pane of the window.

99.. Close the window to end this lesson.

As you can see, the Folders pane can be very useful.

Quick Reference

To Open a File or Folder:

• Double-click the file or folder.

To Move a File or Folder:

• Drag the file or folder to the desired location in either pane of the window.

To Copy a File or Folder:

• Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag the file or folder to the desired location in either pane of the window.

To Create a New Folder: 1. Click the disk or folder

where you want to put the new folder.

2. Right-click any empty area in the window and select New → Folder from the shortcut menu.

3. Type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

To Delete a File or Folder: • Select the file or folder

and press the <Delete> key. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

To Rename a File or Folder: • Right-click the file or

folder, select Rename from the shortcut menu, type the new name and press <Enter>.



Lesson 3-27: Deleting Files and Folders

You can delete a file or folder once you are done with it, but be cautious. Before you delete a folder, make sure it doesn’t contain any important files. If you don’t know what the contents of a folder are, you shouldn’t delete it. Deleting a file isn’t quite as dangerous as deleting a folder, but you should always consider whether or not you might need it again in the future. Don’t delete a file unless you’re absolutely sure you will never need it again. And NEVER delete a file if you don’t know what it is.

11.. Navigate to your Practice folder. If you don’t know where your practice files are located, ask your instructor for help.

22.. Click the Text File to select it, and then press the <Delete> key. A dialog box may appear, asking you to confirm the file deletion.

33.. Click Yes to delete the selected file. The Text File is deleted and disappears from the window. Deleting a folder is just as simple.

44.. Go to the C: drive. Click the Temp Folder in the C: drive to select it, and then press the <Delete> key. A dialog box may appear, asking you to confirm the folder.

Figure 3-60

A dialog box appears to confirm a deletion.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 and 1.3.2.7 Req. File: Text file.txt and Temp folder

Figure 3-60



Quick Reference To Delete a File: • Select the file and press

the <Delete> key. Click Yes to confirm the folder deletion.

Or… • Click the Delete button

on the toolbar. Or… • Right-click the file and

select Delete from the shortcut menu.

To Delete a Folder: • Select the folder and

press the <Delete> key. Click Yes to confirm the folder deletion.

Or… • Click the Delete button

on the toolbar. Or… • Right-click the folder and

select Delete from the shortcut menu.

55.. Click Yes to delete the selected folder and all its contents. The Temp Folder and all its contents are deleted and disappear from the window. Windows places any deleted files or folders in the Recycle Bin in case you change your mind later on and decide you want to restore the file or folder. We’ll discuss the Recycle Bin in the next lesson.



Lesson 3-28: Restoring a Deleted File and Emptying the Recycle Bin

Just like a wastebasket, the Recycle Bin stores all of the files and folders you have deleted. If you change your mind and decide you need a deleted file it’s easy to find and retrieve it. This lesson will show you how to open the Recycle Bin and see what’s inside, restore a previously deleted file, and empty the Recycle Bin to free up some space on your hard disk.

Figure 3-61

To restore a deleted file from the Recycle Bin, right-click the file and select Restore from the shortcut menu.

Figure 3-62

You can empty the Recycle Bin by right-clicking it and selecting Empty Recycle Bin from the shortcut menu.

IC3


Empty the Recycle Bin

Restore all files in the Recycle Bin

Figure 3-61

Figure 3-62



Quick Reference To Restore a Deleted File: 1. Double-click the Recycle

Bin to open it. 2. Find and right-click the

deleted file and select Restore from the shortcut menu.

To Empty the Recycle Bin:

• Right-click the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin from the shortcut menu.

11.. Double-click the Recycle Bin to open it. You may need to move or minimize the My Computer window if the Recycle Bin isn’t visible. The Recycle Bin opens and displays all the files you have recently deleted. If you accidentally delete a file or folder, you can retrieve it from the Recycle Bin. New in Windows 2000 are the Empty Recycle Bin and Restore All Files button, which make it easy to empty the Recycle Bin and restore any deleted files.

22.. Find and right-click the Text File (deleted in the previous lesson) and select Restore from the shortcut menu, as shown in Figure 3-61. Restoring a file pulls it out of the Recycle Bin and puts it back in its original location, the Practice folder.

33.. Close the Recycle Bin window. Now, make sure the Text File is in its original location.

44.. Verify that the Text File has been retrieved to the Practice folder. There is a theoretical limit to how many deleted files and folders the Recycle bin can hold. The maximum size of the Recycle bin is normally set 10 percent of the hard drive. So for example, if you have a 10GB hard drive, the maximum amount of files the recycle bin could hold would be 1GB. When the Recycle Bin reaches its limit, Windows automatically starts deleting files from the Recycle bin, starting with the oldest file. You can adjust the properties for the Recycle Bin, so for example, you could adjust its maximum size from 10 percent of the hard drive to 5 percent, by right-clicking the Recycle Bin and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu. Usually it’s best to let Windows automatically handle the Recycle Bin, but you can also manually empty the Recycle Bin if you find you need more free space on your computer.

55.. Right-click the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin from the menu. A dialog box may appear and ask you to confirm your deletion.

66.. Click Yes if asked to confirm the deletion. All the files and folders are permanently deleted from your computer. Notice the Recycle Bin icon no longer displays any trash, indicating it is empty.

NOTE: Be careful when emptying the Recycle Bin. Since Windows automatically erases the oldest files from the Recycle Bin, you really shouldn’t have to manually empty the Recycle Bin much at all. A lot of users empty the Recycle Bin just about every time they delete something—and then later kick themselves because they realize they needed the file they just permanently erased.

One final word about the Recycle Bin—any files you delete from a floppy disk are not placed in the Recycle Bin. So be extra careful when you’re deleting files from a floppy disk, because the Recycle Bin won’t be able to restore them.

Recycle Bin

contains deleted files

Recycle Bin

does not contain deleted

files



Lesson 3-29: Finding a File

It’s just as easy to misplace and lose a file in your computer as it is to misplace your car keys—maybe easier! Luckily, Windows comes with a great feature called Find, which can track down your lost files. Find can search for files even when you can’t remember the exact file name or location.

You can search for a file by: • The file name or any part of the file name • The date the file was created or modified • The type of file, such as a Microsoft Word document or graphic file • The text it contains • The size of the file

You can set one or several of these criterions to search for a file. For example, you might look for a Microsoft Word document that you created last month with the word “May” somewhere in the name.

11.. Click the Start button and select Search → For Files or Folders. The Find dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-63.

22.. Type Bubbles in the Search for files or folders named box, make sure the (C:) hard disk appears in the Look in box, and then click the Search Now button. Windows searches through the C: hard disk, and displays the names and locations of all the files its finds that have the word Bubbles in their names. You can open any of these files by double-clicking them.

33.. Double-click the Soap Bubbles file located in the Windows folder. The Soap Bubbles file, a bitmap picture of several bubbles, opens in the Paint program.

Figure 3-63

The Search Results window.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Soap Bubbles.bmp

Figure 3-63

Type the name of the file you want to look for

Search for text in the file. This type of search can be slow.

Specify the drive or folder you want to look in

Start the search

The results of your search appear here

Search Options lets you search for files by date, type, and size



Quick Reference To Find a File: 1. Click the Start button

and select Search → For Files or Folders from the Start menu.

2. Enter part of the file name in the Search for files or folders named box. You can also search for files using other criteria—using the Containing text box or by clicking the Search Options link.

3. Click Search Now to start searching for the file(s).

44.. Close the Paint program and delete the Bubbles text in the Search for files or folders named box. If you only know part of the file name, just enter the part of the file name that you know. For example, searching for the word “Bubble” will find every file or folder with a name containing the word “Bubble” such as Bubble.BMP, Bubble boat.DOC, etc. If you remember the date when you created a file, but not its name, you can also search for a file by date. Instead of entering the name of the file in the Named box, click the Date tab and tell Windows to search for all files within a certain number of days or between certain dates. Let’s take a look at the Date tab so you’re more familiar with it.

55.. Click the Search Options link. The Search Options dialog box appears. You can click the Date check box to select files that were either created, modified, or last accessed, and then specify the number of days or a date range when the files were either created, modified, or last accessed. By clicking the Type check box, you can search for specific types of files, for example WordPad documents. You can also search by files based on size by checking the Size check box and entering the size range in the Size boxes. Another way you can search for files is by using the Containing text box and entering the text they contain. For example, if the only thing that you remembered about a file was that it was about how to Install a spark plug you could search for files containing the text “Install”.

66.. Click the Containing text box, type Install and then click the Search Now button. Windows searches through the C: hard disk and displays the names and locations of all the files it finds that contain the word “install.” A lot of files should appear in the search results area of the Find window.

NOTE: File searches based on the text they contain are much slower than searches based on other criteria. Also, if you’re searching for a file that contains a phrase, make sure you enter the exact sequence of the phrase. For example, if you’re looking for a file that contains the phrase ACME Widget Company and you tell Windows to search for a file containing the text ACME Company, Windows won’t find the file because you didn’t include the word Widget.

You can cancel a search in progress, especially if you’re getting too few or too many results, by clicking the Stop Search button at any time.

77.. Click the Stop Search button to cancel the search, and then close the Search window.

Search Options lets you search for files by date, type, and size.



Lesson 3-30: Viewing Recently Used Files

Windows remembers the files that you used most recently so you can quickly retrieve them without having to dig through several browse windows. This lesson shows you how you can use the Documents option in the Start menu to open a recently used file.

First, we need to open a file and close it so it appears in the recent documents list.

11.. Navigate to your Practice folder and open the Grocery List file. Close the file once you have opened it. You could retrieve the Grocery List by opening Notepad and selecting File → Open from the menu. You could retrieve the Grocery List by opening My Computer or Windows Explorer, opening the C: drive, and double-clicking the file. Or you could just select the Grocery List from the Documents menu, as we’ll see in the next step.

22.. Click the Start button and select Documents. The Documents menu appears, listing your recently used files, as shown in Figure 3-64. Can you find your Grocery List?

33.. Select the Grocery List from the Documents menu. The Grocery List opens in Notepad, where you can review and make changes to the file.

44.. Close the Notepad program. Although there’s really no need to, you can remove the list of documents from the Documents menu.

55.. Click the Start button and select Settings → Taskbar and Start Menu and click the Advanced tab. The Advanced tab appears in front of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-65.

Figure 3-64

The My Documents menu keeps a listing of the files you most recently used.

Figure 3-65

Clear the My Documents list in the Advanced tab of the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

IC3

Objective: 1.3.2.6 Req. File: Grocery List.txt




Quick Reference To Open a Recent File:

• Click the Start button → Documents and select the file you want to open.

To Clear the List of Recently Used Files: 1. Click the Start button

and select Settings → Taskbar and Start Menu and click the Advanced tab.

2. Click Clear to clear the list and click OK.

66.. Click the Clear button to remove the contents of the Documents menu. Initially, it appears as though nothing has happened, but Windows has removed the list of files from the Documents menu.

77.. Click OK to close the Taskbar Properties dialog box. Verify that the Documents menu has been reset and is empty.

88.. Click the Start button and select Documents. The Documents list is empty. As you create and open files, they will appear in the Documents list.



Quick Reference To Format a Floppy Disk: 1. Insert the floppy you want

to format into the floppy drive.

2. Open My Computer or Windows Explorer, right-click the floppy drive and select Format from the shortcut menu.

3. Select the formatting options and click Start.

Lesson 3-31: Formatting a Floppy Disk

Before you can use a floppy disk, you must format it so that you can save information on it. You can also format a disk to erase any files that are saved on it and prepare it for new files. You can save yourself a lot of time by buying pre-formatted disks—just make sure they are formatted in IBM format!

Unless you have an extra floppy handy, you don’t have to walk through this lesson’s step-by-step exercise, but when you need to format a floppy, here’s how to do it:

11.. Insert the floppy disk you want to format into the floppy drive.

NOTE: Formatting a floppy disk completely erases any information stored on it, so make sure the disk you want to format doesn’t contain any information you may need.

22.. Double-click the My Computer icon to open it. The My Computer window appears.

33.. Right-click the drive containing the floppy disk you want to format (usually A:), and select Format from the shortcut menu. The Format dialog box appears. There are several options you can specify when formatting a floppy disk—see Figure 3-66 to see what they are.

44.. Click Start. The floppy drive whirrs as it formats the floppy disk. Formatting a floppy disk usually takes about a minute. When the format is complete, the Format Results dialog box appears with information about the formatted disk.

NOTE: Don’t use a floppy disk that has bytes in bad sectors—throw it away. A floppy disk with bad sectors is not reliable and should not be entrusted with your valuable data.

55.. Click Close to close the Results dialog box and click Close again to close the Format dialog box.

Figure 3-66

The Format dialog box.

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Shortcut menu

Figure 3-66



Lesson 3-32: Common Problems Associated with Files

A novelist has been laboring over an epic-length masterpiece for eight years. There are a few printed manuscripts, but the most complete and updated work is saved in one place: on a computer hard drive. Unfortunately, the novelist never backed up the work on another computer or external storage device like a floppy or zip disk. Then, on one tragic night, an electrical fire engulfed the computer and all manuscripts, eight years of work erased in a few hours.

This is a tragic tale that could easily have been prevented with a simple backup copy of the novel. No matter how much you trust your computer or the safety of its location, you should always save a backup of your information. In many organizations, the computer support department backs up the information on a centralized network system. Smaller organizations or individuals may depend on responsible individuals finding their own backup methods, such as floppy or zip disks.

But no matter how many backup files you save, you should always keep a backup in a different location than your computer. For example, let’s say that you store your backups at your desk. If the entire building burns down, it will destroy both the computer and the backup files. You could also choose to store your files in a fireproof safe. Some Web sites even offer storage space on their servers, so that even if your entire town is wiped out by a hurricane in Virginia, your work is safely stored on a server in Minnesota.

Other common problems associated with working with files include:

• Files that cannot be found: Make sure to name and store files systematically so that you do not misplace something important.

• Hard drive becoming too full: If your computer starts acting sluggish or working improperly, your hard drive may be too full. A utility program, such as hard drive compression, can usually take care of this for you, but you may end up having to replace your hard drive altogether.

• Denied file access: Some files are protected by passwords or other security systems. If you do not provide the proper username or password, you may be prevented access to protected files.

Figure 3-67

Once you have created backup files, make sure they are stored in a safe place.

Figure 3-68

Misplaced files can be extremely hard to find!

IC3


Quick Reference • Backing up information on

a regular basis is a very important file management task.

Common Problems Associated with Files Include: • Files that cannot be found • Hard drive becoming too

full • Denied file access




Lesson 3-33: A Look at the Control Panel

The Control Panel is the place to go when you want to change the various settings of your computer and Windows. You’ll be seeing a lot of the Control Panel in the upcoming lessons, so this lesson will just be a quick introduction. No exercises here—just a guided tour of the Control Panel to help you become familiar with it.

11.. Open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings → Control Panel. The Control Panel appears, as shown in Figure 3-70. Your Control Panel may look slightly different, depending on your computer setup.

22.. Look at the various icons in the Control Panel and refer to Table 3-10: What’s in the Control Panel to see what they do. If you’re curious, you can even go ahead and double-click any of the icons in the Control Panel to display the dialog box that lives behind each one—just don’t touch anything on those dialog boxes for now!

NOTE: Some systems (such as centrally managed computer networks) have system administrators that perform all system settings-related tasks. If you are denied access to a system setting, this is most likely the case.

33.. When you’re finished, close the Control Panel.

Ready to start customizing your computer? Then move on to the next lesson and let’s start!

Table 3-10: What’s in the Control Panel Item Description Accessibility Options

Allows you to change the settings for the mouse, keyboard, sound, and display to make the computer easier to use for those who are physically challenged.

Add New Hardware Starts a Wizard that walks you through the installation of new hardware to your system, such as a network card or CD-ROM player.

Figure 3-69

Open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings → Control Panel.

Figure 3-70

The Control Panel.

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Control Panel

Other Ways to Open the Control Panel: • Open My Computer

and double-click the Control Panel folder.




Quick Reference To Open the Control Panel:

• Click the Start button and select Programs → Settings → Control Panel.

Or… • Open My Computer and

double-click the Control Panel folder.

Item Description Add/Remove Programs

Installs or removes programs and additional Windows components on your computer.

Date/Time Changes the date, time, and time zone information on your computer.

Display Changes how your things are displayed your screen. You can adjust the resolutions, how many colors to use, the color scheme, and a lot more.

Fonts Displays all the fonts that are installed on your computer and allows you to install or remove fonts.

Game Controllers This is where you can adjust your computer’s joystick (if you have one).

Internet Options Changes your Internet settings.

Keyboard Adjusts the rate at which the cursor blinks, the rate characters are repeated when you hold down a key, and country and language settings for the keyboard.

Modems Lets you see what modems are installed in your computer and what COM port they use, and adjust their properties, such as how they dial numbers.

Mouse Adjusts your mouse settings, such as if the buttons are configured for a left-handed or right-handed user, the double-click speed, and the speed of the mouse pointer.

Multimedia Changes settings for your computer’s multimedia devices, such as the sound card’s volume and recording levels and the size of the window in which digital video plays on your computer.

Network If you’re connected to a network, this allows you (or preferably your network administrator) to configure your network settings, such as the what type of network hardware, software, and protocols you’re using.

Power Management

Changes your computer’s power management settings, which reduces how much power your computer system uses—especially important for laptop users.

Printers Displays all the printers that are currently installed for use on your computer, enables you to add and remove printers and change each printer’s default settings.

Regional Settings Changes how numbers, currencies, dates and times are displayed throughout Windows.

Sounds Changes system and program sounds.

System Provides advanced information about your computer system and allows you to change its settings. You shouldn’t touch this one unless you really know what you’re doing.



Lesson 3-34: Changing the Date and Time

Your computer has its own built-in clock that has many purposes, including determining when you created or modified a file. For this reason, you should make sure the date and time are set correctly in computer. This lesson will show you how to set the date and time for your computer if you find it needs adjusting.

The far right area of the taskbar normally displays the time your computer thinks it is. To display the date, you merely need to move the pointer over the clock and wait a few seconds.

11.. Move the pointer over the clock on the taskbar and wait a few seconds. A small box that displays the date appears. To change the date or time, double-click the clock on the taskbar.

22.. Double-click the clock on the far right edge of the taskbar. The Date/Time Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-71. To change the time setting, click on the area of the clock you want to adjust and then adjust the settings using the up or down arrows.

Figure 3-71

The Date & Time tab of the Date/Time Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-72

Using the time and dates control in the Date/Time Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-73

The Time Zone tab of the Date/Time Properties dialog box.

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Display the

Current Date

Figure 3-71

Figure 3-73

1. Click the number you want to adjust (hour, minute, or second)

2. Click the up or down arrow to increase or decrease the selected hour, minute, or second

Figure 3-72

Select the month Change the year by clicking the up or down arrows

The current day is highlighted. To change the day, click the correct day



Quick Reference To Display the Current Date:

• Point at the clock on the taskbar for several seconds.

To Change the Date and/or Time: 1. Double-click the clock on

the taskbar. 2. Adjust the date and time

using the calendar and clock controls, as shown in Figure 3-72 and click OK.

To Change Time Zones: 1. Double-click the clock on

the taskbar. 2. Click the Time Zone tab

and select the time zone from the list box and click OK.

NOTE: It is very important that you understand the purpose and consequences of a system setting change before actually changing the setting. For example, changing the date and time incorrectly can cause files to be stored with incorrect date/time stamps. Avoid this, and many, inconveniences by exercising extreme care when changing system settings.

33.. Click the hour part of the time and click the clock’s up-arrow to advance the time one hour, as shown in Figure 3-72. You could adjust the minutes the same way—by clicking the minute part of the time and then clicking the up or down arrows. You can also manually type the numbers in using the keyboard. You can change the date in the right area of the dialog box. Change the month and year by clicking their corresponding text boxes, located above the calendar.

44.. Click the Month list arrow and select January from the list, then click the Year text box and click the up arrow to advance the year several years. The calendar actually displays the days in the selected month. The current day is highlighted. To change the day, just click the day you want.

55.. Click on day 1 in the calendar, to change the date to January 1. If you use a laptop, you may need to adjust which time zone you’re in. You can do this using the Time Zone tab of the Date/Time Properties dialog box.

66.. Click the Time Zone tab. The Time Zone tab appears in the front of the dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-73. You can click the Time Zone list arrow to select your current time zone from a list of all available time zones. Also note the Automatically adjust clock for daylight savings changes box. When this box is checked, Windows will automatically adjust your computer’s clock when daylight saving time changes, meaning one less clock you have to change.

77.. Click Cancel to close the Date/Time Properties dialog box without applying the date and time changes you’ve made.

The built-in clock in your computer should keep track of the date and time even when you turn your computer off. If your computer doesn’t keep the proper time and date, it means there is probably something wrong with your computer’s built-in clock.



Lesson 3-35: Adding Wallpaper to the Desktop

Most of us don’t work in a sterile work environment—we decorate our desktops with pictures, plants, and Dilbert calendars. Similarly, Windows lets you give your computer personality to reflect your own personal tastes. In this lesson, you will learn how to start personalizing Windows by adding wallpaper to the Windows desktop. Wallpaper in Windows is a graphical picture you can stick to the desktop—the blank, background area of the Windows screen.

11.. Right-click a blank area on the desktop, and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Display Properties dialog box appears.

22.. Click the Background tab. The Background tab appears in front of the Display Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-74. This is where you can select a file to use as wallpaper.

Figure 3-74

The Background tab of the Display Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-75

Windows with the Carved Stone wallpaper.

Desktop

shortcut menu

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Figure 3-74

Figure 3-75

Preview of how the selected wallpaper will look on the desktop

Select from several preset images to use as wallpaper…

Or click here to use your own picture or graphic as wallpaper

Specify how the graphic should be displayed (centered, tiled, or stretched)



Quick Reference To Add or Change Wallpaper: 1. Right-click a blank area

on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

2. Make sure the Background tab is selected, then select the wallpaper you want to use from the preset list or click Browse and specify the name and location of your own picture or graphic you want to use as wallpaper.

3. Select how you want the wallpaper to be displayed (centered, tiled, or stretched) from the Display list (optional).

4. Click OK.

33.. In the Wallpaper section, select the Coffee Bean file from the list. A preview appears of what your desktop will look like with the selected wallpaper. Notice the Display combo box—you can display your wallpaper using one of three different methods: • Center: Centers the image in the middle of your desktop. Use this setting if you

have a large picture you want to display, such as a scanned picture. • Tile: Makes a repeated pattern from the image. Use this setting for small to

medium sized pictures and for all the default files listed in the Wallpaper box. • Stretch: Stretches the image so that it fills the entire screen.

44.. Click the Display list arrow and select Tile. You’re ready to add your wallpaper.

55.. Click Apply. The Coffee Bean design appears in a tiled pattern on your screen. If you want to use a picture that isn’t listed in the Wallpaper section, such as a scanned picture of your family, you can click the Browse button.

66.. Click the Browse button. A Browse dialog box appears, asking you to specify the name and location of the file you want to use as your wallpaper.

77.. Close the Browse dialog box. To remove wallpaper from your screen, just repeat steps 1 and 2, and select (None) from the Wallpaper section.

NOTE: Remembering the system setting changes that you’ve made can make it much easier to modify or remove them. If you are unsure about a system setting change, make sure to keep track of your actions so you don’t get stuck with an unintended setting.

88.. In the Wallpaper section, select (None) from the list, and then click OK. The Display Properties dialog box closes, and the wallpaper is removed from the screen.

Here’s one more wallpaper tip: if you’re surfing the Web with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (the Web browser that comes with Windows 2000) and happen to see a graphic or picture you like, you can use it as your wallpaper. Just right-click the graphic and select the Set as Wallpaper option from the shortcut menu to save the image from the Internet and display it as wallpaper.



Lesson 3-36: Changing Screen Colors

Another way to personalize Windows is to change the screen colors. Windows screen colors include all the basic parts of a window: the title bar, the menu, any scroll bars, etc. Windows comes with an assortment of color schemes you can use, and if you don’t like any of the color schemes, you can create your own.


22.. Click the Appearance tab. The Appearance tab appears in front of the Display Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-76. This is where you can change the colors of the various window elements, or you can use a color scheme to change the appearance of many screen elements all at once.

33.. Click the Scheme list arrow and select the Desert scheme from the list. The preview area of the dialog box displays how your screen will look with the selected color scheme. You can also change the colors for the various elements of a window. First, you need to select the item or element.

44.. Click the Title bar of the Active Window in the preview area of the dialog box. The words “Active Title Bar” should appear in the in Item combo box. You can also select an item by selecting it from the Item combo box—but it’s more intuitive to click the item from the preview area. Next, you can change the color and the font (if it’s used) of the selected item.

Figure 3-76

The Appearance tab of the Display Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-77

The Desert color scheme.

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Figure 3-76

Figure 3-77

Select a color scheme here

1. To change the color of a specific item, click the item in the preview area (which also displays how your screen will look)…

…or select it from the Item list.

2. Once you have selected an item, change it’s color by selecting a color from the color palette



Quick Reference To Change Windows Color Scheme: 1. Right-click a blank area


2. Click the Appearance tab.

3. Select a color scheme from the Scheme list and click OK.

To Change the Color of a Specific Windows Item: 1. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 of

the previous instructions. 2. Select the item from the

Item list or by clicking it in the Preview area.

3. Select a color from the color palette and click OK.

55.. Click the Color list arrow. A color palette appears below the Color box. Select the color you want use for the selected item.

66.. Select the Red color from the color palette. The preview area of the dialog box displays the active title bar in red. To make and confirm your changes, you would normally click Apply or OK. However, since you don’t want to keep these changes for now you can click Cancel instead.

77.. Click the Cancel button to close the Display Properties dialog box without saving any of your screen color changes.

You can always return to the original Windows color scheme by opening the Display Properties dialog box, clicking the Appearance tab, and selecting the Windows Standard scheme from the scheme list.

Color Palette



Lesson 3-37: Adjusting the Screen Resolution

Screen Resolution has to do with how much information can fit on the computer screen. Obviously, you can’t adjust how large or small your computer’s monitor is (without buying a new one that is), but you can make all the images on your screen larger or smaller so you can see more information at once.

11.. Right-click a blank area on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Display Properties dialog box appears.

22.. Click the Settings tab. The Settings tab appears in front of the Display Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-79. The Screen area is where you can change the resolution setting. Look at the numbers of pixels that are displayed—that is the current display resolution.

33.. Slide the bar in the Screen area all the way to the left. The number of pixels should change to 640 by 480. If your slider is already set at 640 by 480, move the slider one notch to the right, to 800 by 600.

Figure 3-78

Lower resolution (640 by 480) displays larger images on the screen; higher resolutions (800 by 600) displays smaller images but lets you see more information at once.

Figure 3-79

The Settings tab of the Display Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-80

The Display Properties warning dialog box.

Figure 3-81

Click Yes to keep the new resolution, click No to switch back to the original resolution setting.

IC3


Drag the slider to select the display resolution

640 by 480 pixels

800 by 600 pixels Figure 3-78

Figure 3-79

Figure 3-80

Figure 3-81



Quick Reference To Change the Screen Resolution: 1. Right-click a blank area


2. Click the Settings tab. 3. Slide the Screen Area

slider to the right or left to select the resolution you want to use.

4. Click OK.

44.. Click Apply. A dialog box, similar to the one shown in Figure 3-80 appears.

55.. Click OK to confirm the change in resolution. If you’re unlucky and have an older computer, Windows may have to restart the computer to resize the screen. If you’re lucky, Windows will resize the screen without restarting your computer. Windows asks you if you like the new resolution setting, as shown in Figure 3-81. If you do like it, click the Yes button, if you don’t, click the No button. If you don’t do anything, Windows assumes you don’t like the new resolution setting, or your monitor can’t display the new resolution, and switches back to the original resolution.

66.. Click No to return to the original resolution setting.

For a more complete description of the various resolution settings you can use, see Table 3-11: Common Screen Resolutions. The highest resolution you can display depends on how much memory is installed on your video card. Most video cards have enough memory to display at least 800 by 600 resolution.

Table 3-11: Common Screen Resolutions Resolution Description

640 by 480

No longer supported in most computers, 640 by 480 used to be the lowest resolution setting. Larger and cheaper monitors have made 640 by 480 resolution effectively obsolete.

800 by 600

This has been the standard resolution setting for most computers, and is the lowest setting on newer monitors. This is a good in-between resolution, allowing you to display quite a bit of information on the screen without having to use a magnifying glass to read it. Use this setting if you have a 15-inch or 17-inch monitor.

1024 by 768

The new standard, 1024 by 768 puts a lot of information on your screen, but the images can start getting small and difficult to read at this point (unless you have a large monitor). Use this setting if you have a 17-inch or larger monitor or when you want to see a lot of information at the same time, for example if you’re working on a large spreadsheet, graphic files, or multiple windows.

Higher

resolutions

Depending on how expensive the graphics card in your computer is, there may be several higher modes of resolution which continue to display more and more information and smaller and smaller images.

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Lesson 3-38: Adjusting the Screen Color Depth

Another change you can make to your display settings is the number of colors that are displayed on the screen at once, or the color depth. Why would you want to change the number of colors displayed on your screen? Perhaps you want to use higher color depth settings to make videos and photographs more realistic. Or some finicky games also require you to use a specific color depth.


22.. Click the Settings tab. The Settings tab appears in front of the Display Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-83. The Colors combo box is where you can select the color depth you want to use. The Colors combo box displays the current color depth setting.

33.. Click the Colors list arrow and select 16 Colors. If your Color box is already set to display 16 Colors or if there isn’t a 16 Color option, then select 256 Colors.

NOTE: If 16 Colors is the only option that appears in the Colors combo box it means your video card is not properly installed. You’ll need to reinstall the video drivers (software) that came along with your computer or video card.

Figure 3-82

You can change the number of colors displayed on your screen, resulting in more realistic images.

Figure 3-83


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16 Colors

High Color (16 bit)

Change the color depth here

Figure 3-82

Figure 3-83



Quick Reference To Change the Screen Resolution: 1. Right-click a blank area


2. Click the Settings tab. 3. Click the Colors list and

select the Color Depth setting you want to use.

4. Click OK.

44.. Click Apply. A dialog box appears, asking you confirm the changes you’ve made to the display settings.

55.. Click OK to confirm the display setting changes. Windows may have to restart the computer to change the display setting. A dialog box will appear, asking you if you like the new display settings. Here again, click Yes if you want to keep the new settings and No if you want to switch back to the original color depth. If you don’t do anything, Windows assumes you don’t like the new resolution setting, or your monitor can’t display the new resolution, and switches back to the original display settings.

66.. Click No to return to the color depth setting.

For a more complete description of the various color depth settings you can use, see the table below. The maximum color depth, or simultaneous number of colors you can display at once, depends on how much memory is installed on your video card. Most video cards have enough memory to display at least High Color (16-bit) resolution.

Table 3-12: Common Color Depths Color Depth Description

256 Colors

No longer supported on many computers, 256 colors was the standard color depth years ago. Most computers and video cards these days are fast enough to run with more colors without taking a performance hit, making this color depth almost obsolete.

16-bit

16-bit color displays roughly 65,000 colors at once. This is the point where pictures become photo-realistic. This is a good color depth setting because it can display photo-realistic images without slowing your computer down. You have to really squint to see much difference between 16-bit color and higher levels of color depth.

24-bit

24-bit color displays 16.7 million colors at once. Depending on how expensive the graphics card in your computer is, there may be several higher modes of color depth, which continue to display more and more colors on the screen.

32-bit

32-bit color displays 16.7 million colors at once. 32-bit color is faster and more efficient than 24-bit color.

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Lesson 3-39: Using a Screen Saver

A screen saver is a moving image that appears on the computer screen when you haven’t used your computer for a while. Screen savers were originally used to protect screens from screen burn, which could occur when an static image was left on the screen for hours and hours. You may have seen examples of screen burn on older cash machines. You don’t have to worry about screen burn with today’s monitors, but many people still like to use screen savers for entertainment and to personalize their computers. This lesson will show you how make a screen saver appear if your computer hasn’t been touched for a while. You will also learn how to conserve power by having the monitor switch to a low-power standby mode or even turn itself off if the computer has been idle.


22.. Click the Screen Saver tab. The Screen Saver tab appears in front of the Display Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 3-83.

33.. Click the Screen Saver list arrow. A list of the available screen savers appears.

44.. Select the Starfield Simulation screen saver from the list. A preview of the Flying Windows screen saver appears in the preview area of the dialog box. You can also preview the screen saver in full screen mode by clicking the Preview button. You can change the settings for the selected screen saver by clicking the Settings button.

Figure 3-84


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Screen Saver

settings

Figure 3-84

Displays how the screen saver will look

Select a specific screen saver here

Specify how much time must elapse before Windows displays the selected screen saver.

Change the energy saving features of your monitor

Assign a password to your screen saver to protect your computer from unauthorized use. Windows will not clear a screen saver until this password is typed correctly. To assign a password, add a check here and click the change button.



Quick Reference To Set Up a Screen Saver: 1. Right-click a blank area


2. Click the Screen Saver tab.

3. Click the Screen Saver list and select a screen saver.

4. (Optional) Specify how much time must elapse before Windows displays the selected screen saver in the Wait box and click the Password Protected check box and click Change to assign a password to the screen saver.

5. Click OK.

To Adjust the Energy-Saving Features of your Monitor: 1. Follow the preceding

Steps 1 and 2. 2. Click the Settings button

in the Energy Saving Features section and adjust the interval after which the monitor shuts off.

55.. Click the Settings button. A dialog box appears with settings for the selected screen saver. The options listed in this dialog box will differ depending on the screen saver. There may be options for how many and what type of objects should appear on the screen, how fast the objects should move, or if you want to hear sounds when the screen saver is active—it depends on which screen saver is selected.

66.. Click Cancel to close the Options for Flying Windows dialog box. You can assign a password to your screen saver to protect your computer from unauthorized use by clicking the Password protected check box. Windows will not clear a screen saver until this password is typed correctly. You can easily change the amount of time it takes before Windows displays the selected screen saver.

77.. Click the Wait box and type 15. You can also click the Wait box up arrow until the number 15 appears. Now the screen saver will appear when you don’t use your computer for 15 minutes. Instead of using a screen saver, if you have an Energy Star compliant monitor you can conserve power by switching the monitor to a low-power standby mode or even have the monitor turn itself off if the computer hasn’t been used for a while. Most monitors made in the last five years are Energy Star compliant.

88.. Click the Power button in the Energy saving features of monitor section. The Power Management dialog box appears.

99.. Click the Turn off monitor list arrow and select After 30 minutes. This setting will cause your monitor to turn itself off when the computer hasn’t been used for 30 minutes. To turn the monitor back on, simply press a key on the keyboard or move the mouse—you don’t need to push the monitor’s on/off switch.

1100.. Click OK.

EnergyStar

compliant logo



Lesson 3-40: Changing System and Program Sounds

Computers still have a long way to go before they can talk to you, but they can give you simple audio feedback, as long as your computer has a sound card and speakers. This lesson shows you how to assign sounds to events performed on your computer. An event is an action performed by you or a program. For example, when you press an incorrect key, the computer sometimes utters a simple beep. If you have a sound card, you can choose to play a sound other than a boring beep whenever you press an incorrect key. Other events you can assign sounds to include when you start or quit Windows.

11.. Open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings → Control Panel from the menu. The Control Panel opens.

22.. Double-click the Sounds and Multimedia icon. The Sounds Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-85. The Sounds Properties dialog box displays the events to which you can assign sounds and the available sounds that you can associate with the events. There are also a number of sound schemes available that you can use to change the sounds assigned to many different system events all at once.

33.. Select the Exit Windows in the Events list. You can listen to the sound that is currently assigned to any event by selecting the event and then clicking the triangular play button in the Preview area of the dialog box. The sound assigned to the Exit Windows event (if one is assigned) appears in the Name box.

Figure 3-85

The Sounds Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-86

The Browse for Sound file dialog box.

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Sounds and Multimedia

Figure 3-85

Figure 3-86

Displays the events to which you can assign sounds

Click to hear the selected sound.

Select the sound scheme you want to use

Select a preset sound from the selected sound scheme

Click to use your own sound file



Quick Reference To Use a Sound Scheme: 1. Click the Start button

and click Settings → Control Panel.

2. Double-click the Sounds icon.

3. Select a scheme from the Schemes list.

4. Click OK.

To Assign a Sound to a Specific Windows Event: 1. Follow the above Steps 1

and 2. 2. Select the event from the

Event list. 3. Click the Browse button

and specify and the location and name of the sound file you want to assign to the event. Click the Play button to listen to the selected sound.

4. Click OK.

44.. Click the Play button in the Preview area of the dialog box to listen to the sound assigned to the Exit Windows event. If you don’t hear a sound, either the Exit Windows event doesn’t have a sound assigned to it (you can check this by looking at the Name box) or else your computer doesn’t have a soundcard and/or speakers, the volume is turned off, or the soundcard drivers are not installed correctly. To assign a different event to the selected sound, click the Browse button to select the sound.

55.. Click the Browse button. A Browse window appears, as shown in Figure 3-86. Select the location and file for the sound you want to hear every time the selected event occurs.

66.. Double-click the Microsoft Sound. The Microsoft Sound is now assigned to the Exit Windows event. You can listen to The Microsoft Sound by clicking the triangular play button in the Preview area of the dialog box.

77.. Click the Play button in the Preview area of the dialog box to listen to The Microsoft Sound. You can quickly assign sounds to many system events at the same time by using a sound scheme. A scheme is a set of events and the sounds associated with them. Table 3-13: Common Sound Schemes lists the sound schemes that ship with Windows.

88.. Click the Schemes list arrow and select the Utopia sound scheme. Windows may ask you if you want to save your current sound scheme—you can answer No to this. Now Windows will use the Utopia sound scheme for any system events.

NOTE: Windows 2000 may not have installed all the sound schemes during installation. To make sure all the sound schemes are installed, open the Control Panel, double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon, click the Windows Setup tab, select the Multimedia option and click Details, and make sure the Multimedia sound schemes options is checked in.

99.. Click Cancel to close the Sounds Properties dialog box without saving your changes.

Table 3-13: Common Sound Schemes Scheme Description

Jungle Sounds you might hear in the jungle: lions roaring and bird chirping

Utopia A no-nonsense scheme: clicking, whooshing, and sliding sounds

Windows Default Window’s standard beep sounds (boring!)

Musica Sounds you might hear in an orchestra: drums, clarinets, trumpets

Robotz Industrial, mechanical sounds you might hear in some futuristic factory



Lesson 3-41: Adjusting the Mouse

A common complaint many users have about Windows is they don’t like how the mouse works. The mouse either is too slow or too fast, does not respond very well to your double-clicks, or worst of all if you’re left-handed, its buttons are in the wrong places!

This lesson shows you how to adjust the mouse settings to make it easier for you to work with.

11.. Open the Control Panel by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings → Control Panel from the menu. The Control Panel opens.

22.. Double-click the Mouse icon to change the mouse settings. The Buttons tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-87.

Figure 3-87

The Buttons tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-88

The Motion tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box.

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Mouse icon

Figure 3-87

Figure 3-88

Specify if you are right-handed or left-handed to switch the functions of the left and right mouse buttons

Drag the slider to change the double-click speed

Double-click this area to test the double-click speed

Drag the slider to change the pointer speed

Adjust how much your pointer moves when you move your mouse faster

Specifies whether the mouse pointer snaps to the default button (such as OK or Apply) in dialog boxes

Specify weather you want to open items by clicking them once (like the Web) or twice (the traditional method)



Quick Reference To Open the Mouse Properties Dialog Box:

• Click the Start button, select Settings → Control Panel and double-click the Mouse icon.

To the Left and Right Mouse Buttons:

• Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, click the select either the Right-handed or Left-handed option and click OK.

To Change the Double-Click Speed:

• Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, drag the Pointer Speed slider to a new position, and click OK.

To Change the Pointer Speed:

• Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, click the Motion tab, drag the Pointer Speed slider to a new position, and click OK.

Many people complain that the double-click speed setting for Windows is too fast. To adjust the amount of time between clicks, drag the Double-click speed slider to the right or left. You can test the double-click speed by double-clicking the jack-in-the-box in the Test area box.

33.. Slide the Double-click slider to Slow, and then double-click the jack-in-the-box in the Test area. Jack jumps out of his box when you complete a successful double-click.

44.. Slide the Double-click slider to Fast, and then double-click the jack-in-the-box in the Test area. You probably won’t be able to double-click fast enough to make Jack go in or out of his box with the double-click setting this fast. You will have to experiment with the Double-click slider, adjusting it to find a double-click speed that suits your own personal preferences. Most people find that the double-click speed works best somewhere in the middle or somewhat to the left of the Double-click speed bar.

55.. Click the Motion tab. The Motion tab of the Mouse Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-88. Here you can also adjust how fast the mouse pointer moves across your screen when you move the mouse by dragging the Pointer speed slider to the right or left. Now that you understand how to adjust the mouse to your liking, you can close the Mouse Properties dialog box to end the lesson.

66.. Click Cancel to close the Mouse Properties dialog box without saving your changes.

Double-click

Test Area



Lesson 3-42: Changing the Default Printer and Printer Settings

Sometimes, you may want a little more from the relationship between your computer and your printer. Perhaps you have more than one printer connected to your computer and want to change the default printer. Maybe you want to take advantage of some of your printer’s more advanced features, or maybe you are having trouble printing and want to look at your printer’s settings to find out what’s wrong.

This lesson will show you how to change which printer your computer uses as the default printer (where your computer prints everything unless you choose a different printer from the printer list) and how to view and change the default settings for your printer.

11.. Click the Start button and select Settings → Printers from the menu. The Printers window appears.

Figure 3-89

Right-click any printer in the Printers folder to change its settings.

Figure 3-90

The Printer Properties dialog box will be different for every printer, depending on the printer’s features.

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Default Printer

Figure 3-90

Set Printing Preferences

Clicking a tab lets you view and change those settings for your printer

Figure 3-89



Quick Reference To Change the Default Printer: 1. Open the Printers folder

by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings → Printers.

2. Right-click the desired printer and select Set as Default from the shortcut menu.

To View/Change a Printer’s Properties:

• Open the Printers folder, right-click the appropriate printer, and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

22.. Right-click the printer you want to set as your new default printer and select Set as Default Printer from the shortcut menu. The default printer displays a black checkmark. Any documents you print will now be sent to the new default printer. You can also view the properties for all of your printers in the Printers folder. Here’s how:

33.. Right-click the printer whose properties you want to view and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The Properties dialog box for your particular printer appears, as shown in Figure 3-90. Keep in mind that every printer is different, so the Properties dialog box for your particular printer may look a lot different from the one shown. All Printer Properties dialog boxes let you change the default options for your particular printer—what port it uses, its print quality, etc.

44.. Click Cancel to close the Properties dialog box, then close the Printers folder.

Printers folder

Other Ways to Open the Printers Folder: • Open My Computer and

double-click the Printers folder.



Lesson 3-43: Installing New Software

Most programs come with specific instructions that explain their own installation better than this lesson ever could. Still, if you’ve misplaced the instructions or never had them to begin with, for example if you’ve downloaded a program off the Internet, this lesson will help you install most programs.

11.. Find the Program’s disk (or disks) and insert it (or the first disk) into the disk drive. If your software comes on more than one disk, dig through the box until you find a disk labeled Disk 1, Installation, or Setup. Actually, if you’re installing a newer program from a CD-ROM you might not have to do much more—a lot of CD-ROM’s will automatically start the installation program when the CD is inserted. You can move on to Step 8 if this is the case. Finally if you’re installing a program from a file located on your hard drive or a network drive skip to Step 6.

Figure 3-91

The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box.

Figure 3-92

The installation program for every software program is different-—but most of them work the same way.

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Add/Remove

Programs

Figure 3-91

Figure 3-92



Quick Reference To Install Software: 1. Find the Program’s disk

(or disks) and insert it (or the first disk) into the disk drive.

2. Click the Start button and select Settings → Control Panel.

3. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

4. Click the Install button and then click Next.

If this doesn’t work, click Cancel, close the Control Panel, open My Computer find the disk drive or folder where the program you want to install is located, and find double-click the installation program (usually called SETUP).

5. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the program.

22.. Click the Start button and select Settings → Control Panel from the menu. The Control Panel appears.

33.. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-91.

NOTE: Some systems (such as centrally managed computer networks) have system administrators that perform all software-related tasks. If you are denied access to add/remove a program, this is most likely the case.

44.. Click the Add New Programs button, click the CD or Floppy button, and click Next. Windows searches your floppy drive and CD-ROM for the program you want to install. Most programs come with a special program called SETUP or INSTALL, which installs the main program onto your computer. If you’re installing a program from a CD-ROM or floppy disk, you’ll probably only have to follow the first four steps—and you can skip ahead to Step 8. If Windows can’t find the installation program move on to Step 5.

55.. Click Cancel to close the Install window and close the Control Panel. If you’re installing a finicky program, a program that you’ve downloaded from the Internet, or a program located on a network, you’re probably going to have to install the program yourself.

66.. Open My Computer. You have to open the disk drive or folder where the setup program is located. For example, double-click the CD-ROM icon if you’re installing from a CD-ROM. If you’re installing a file you’ve downloaded from the Internet, find and open the folder where you saved the file.

77.. Find and double-click any files called Setup or similarly named files.

88.. Follow the onscreen instructions to install the program.

Every program is different, and so is its installation program. Most installation programs have more in common with each other than they have differences. Most use a step-by-step Wizard to guide you through the installation process, most let you specify where you want to install the program (although they have their own default folder in mind), and most let you specify which program components you want to install.

Most installation programs create their own folder and icons in the Start menu, which can be both a blessing and a curse—a blessing because you don’t have to manually add an icon to the Programs menu, a curse because if you’ve installed a lot of software onto your computer, your Programs menu will be cluttered with dozens of folders and programs. You can always reorganize the Programs menu and reduce the amount of folders and clutter—something you learned back in a previous lesson.

Add New Programs

Most programs have a special installation program used to install them onto your computer. These programs are usually named Setup, Install, or something similar.



Lesson 3-44: Removing Software

You’ve finally finished that adventure game you’ve spent 100 hours on, and since you no longer need the game, you decide to reclaim the 200 megabytes it occupies on your hard drive. So how do you remove, or erase, a program that you no longer need from Windows? You’ll learn how in this lesson.

Before Windows 95, removing programs from the computer was a very messy process—so messy in fact, that most people never removed programs they no longer needed. The unused programs just sat there, taking up valuable space on the hard drive. Times have changed, and removing most programs is a breeze with Windows 2000. The following steps should remove all but the most belligerent, obsolete programs from your computer.

11.. Click the Start button and select Settings → Control Panel from the menu. The Control Panel window appears.

22.. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. The Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3-93. Hopefully, most of the programs installed on your computer should appear somewhere on this list, in alphabetically order.

NOTE: Some systems (such as centrally managed computer networks) have system administrators that perform all software-related tasks. If you are denied access to add/remove a program, this is most likely the case.

Figure 3-93

The Add/Remove Programs Properties lists all the Windows programs that are installed on your computer.

Figure 3-94

The Confirm File Deletion dialog box.

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Add/Remove

Programs

Figure 3-94

Figure 3-93

All the programs that are installed on your computer appear here

Select the program that you want to delete or add/remove components from…

…and click its Change/Remove button



Quick Reference To Remove a Program: 1. Click the Start button

and select Settings → Control Panel.

2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

3. Find and select the program you want to remove from your computer, and then click its Change/Remove… button.

4. Finish removing the selected program by following the on-screen instructions.

33.. Find and select the program you want to remove from your computer, and click its Change/Remove… button. Be absolutely sure you want to remove the program, as it will be completely erased from your hard disk. If you created any files or documents with the program you want to remove, it’s probably a good idea to back them up, although removing a program usually doesn’t affect any files it created.

44.. Finish removing the selected program by following the onscreen instructions. Since every program is different, the steps for removing the programs may differ slightly as well. They usually involve nothing more than confirming that you want to really want to delete the program and possibly having to select which components of a program you want to delete. You may also have to restart your computer. After following the prompts and instructions, the selected program is deleted from your computer. Of course, you can always reinstall the program, should you ever decide you need it again.

What if the program I want to remove doesn’t appear in the list? Sorry, but then there is no easy way to remove the program. It was probably written for an older version of Windows or even MS-DOS and cannot be automatically removed by Windows. There are still several things you can try to remove the program:

First, check the menu group where the program is located in the Start menu. Usually there are several additional programs or icons. If one of the options says something like “Uninstall Brand X Software” you’re in luck—you can click that option and remove the program.

Second, you can purchase and install an Uninstall program to remove the obtrusive program. Uninstall programs are great for removing older Windows programs, and they’re usually safe to use too. The only disadvantage is that you have to buy them. How many older Windows programs do you need to remove from your computer? If it is only one or two, then the prospect of paying $30 to $50 for an Uninstall program isn’t very appealing.

Third, you can try erasing the program the old-fashioned way—by opening My Computer or Windows Explorer and finding and deleting the folder where the program is located. Be very careful and make sure you know what you’re doing when you remove or erase the program yourself—you don’t want to inadvertently delete something that shouldn’t be deleted!



Chapter Three Review

Lesson Summary

Operating Systems

• An operating system loads automatically and controls just about everything on your computer.

Understanding Graphical User Interfaces

• A Graphical User Interface, or GUI, makes computers easier to operate by using pictures and icons to represent files and programs.

Understanding the Windows 2000 Screen

• Be able to identify the main components of the Windows screen.

Understanding the Parts of a Window

• Be able to identify a window’s title bar, menu, minimize, maximize, and close buttons.

Maximizing, Minimizing, and Restoring a Window

• To Maximize a Window: Click the window’s Maximize button, or double-click the window’s title bar.

• To Restore a Maximized Window: Click the window’s Restore button, or double-click the window’s title bar.

• To Minimize a Window: Click the window’s Minimize button.

• To Restore a Minimized Window: Click the window’s icon on the taskbar.

Closing a Window

• To Close a Window: Click the window’s Close button, or right-click the program’s icon on the task bar and select Close, or press <Alt> + <F4>.

• To Close All Open Windows: Hold down the <Shift> key while you click the Close button of any window.

Moving a Window

• Click and drag the window by its title bar. Release the mouse button to drop the window in the desired location on the screen.

Resizing a Window

• Point at the window’s edge until the pointer changes to a double-arrow (like ), or point at the window’s corner until the pointer changes to a double arrow (like ). Then click and hold down the mouse button and drag the edge or corner until the window is the size you want.



Shutting Down or Restarting the Computer • To Shut Down Windows: Save and close files you’ve been working on and exit all of the

programs. Click the Start button and select Shut Down. Click the Shut Down list arrow, select Shut Down from the list, and click OK.

• To Restart Windows: Save any files you’ve been working on and exit all your programs. Click the Start button and select Shut Down. Click the Shut Down list arrow and select Restart from the list, and click OK.

Using the Task Manager to Shut Down a Program

• Press <Ctrl> + <Alt> + <Delete> to open the Task Manager. Or, right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager from the shortcut menu. In the Application tab, select the program that is not responding and click the End Task button.

Starting a Program

• Click the Start button and point to the Programs option. Click the menu and any submenus where the program you want to run is located. When you have found the program, click it.

Switching Between Open Windows

• Click the program’s icon on the taskbar, or click any part of the window you want to appear on front, or press and hold down the <Alt> key and press the <Tab> to display the task list. Press the <Tab> key until the program you want is selected, then release the <Alt> key.

Adding a Shortcut to the Start Menu

• To Add a Program to the Start Menu: Right-click a blank area of the task bar and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Click the Start Menu Programs tab and click Add. Click the Browse button, open the program’s folder, and double-click the program name. Click Next button, open the program’s folder and double-click the program name.

• To Remove a Program from the Start Menu: Right-click a blank area of the task bar and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Click the Start Menu Programs tab and click Remove. Open the program’s folder, select the program, and click Remove. Click Close and then click OK.

• The items in the Programs menu are only shortcuts that point to the actual program files, which are located elsewhere on your computer. Deleting a shortcut from the Programs menu doesn’t delete the actual program.

Moving and Deleting Desktop Icons and Creating Shortcuts

• To Create Desktop Icons:

• To Move Desktop Icons: Click the object you want to move and hold down the mouse button. While you’re holding down the mouse button, drag the object to the desired location on the screen and then release the mouse button.

• To Delete an Item from the Desktop: Right-click the item and select Delete from the shortcut menu.

• To Rename a Desktop Icon: Right-click the icon and select Rename from the shortcut menu.

Understanding Drives, Folders, Files and Storage Devices

• Be able to identify the common storage devices used to store files, and understand the hierarchical system of drives, folders, and files on your computer.



Using My Computer

• To View the Contents of Your Computer: Double-click the My Computer icon on the Windows Desktop.

• To Navigate to a Folder or File: Follow the above step to open My Computer and then double-click the drive or folder to navigate through the levels of your computer.

Navigating to a File or Folder

• To Open a Folder: Double-click the folder.

• To Move Back or Up to the Previous Level or Folder: Click the Up button on the toolbar. Or, click the Back button on the toolbar. Or, click the Address Bar on the toolbar and select the appropriate drive or folder.

Creating a Folder and Viewing Folder Details

• To Create a New Folder: Open the disk or folder where you want to place the new folder. Right-click any empty area in the window and select New → Folder from the shortcut menu, or select File → New → Folder from the menu. Type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

• To View Folder Details: Click the Views button on the toolbar and select the view you want to use. (Select Details to view information about each item in the folder). Or, right-click the folder and select Properties from the shortcut menu.

Common File Types

• Be able to identify common file types.

Counting Files in a Folder

• To Count Files in a Folder (including files in subfolders): Right-click the folder and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Find the number of files (including files in subfolders) and the number of subfolders in the Contains section of the Properties dialog box.

• To Count Files of the Same File Type: Select the files of the same file type you want to count. Right-click the selected files and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Find the number of files selected at the top of the Properties dialog box and the type of selected files in the Type section of the Properties dialog box.

Changing File Status

• Right-click the file. Select Properties from the shortcut menu and check the status you want: Read-only or Hidden. Click OK.

Sorting Files

• To Change How Items are Displayed: Select View from the menu and select from one of the four view modes (Large Icons, Small Icons, List, or Details), or select a view from the View button list arrow on the toolbar.

• To Change How Items are Sorted: Follow the above step to display the window in Details View. Click the column heading you want to use to sort the window. Click the column heading again to sort in reverse order.

• To Automatically Arrange Icons: Select View → Arrange Icons → Auto Arrange from the menu.



Using File Extensions and Renaming Files and Folders

• File Extensions help the computer identify files. They are not shown by default.

• To Rename a File: Right-click the file, select Rename from the shortcut menu, type a name for the folder and press <Enter>. Or, click the file to select it, select File → Rename from the menu, type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

Selecting Files and Folders

• If the files are next to each other you can click and drag a rectangle around the files you want to select. Or, if the files are next to each other you can click the first file you want to select, press and hold down the <Shift> key and click the last file you want to select. If the files aren’t next to each other you can select random files by holding the <Ctrl> key and clicking the files you want to select.

Duplicating and Moving Files and Folders

• To Move a Folder: Drag the folder to the desired location (you might have to open another My Computer window). Or, click the folder to select it and click the Move To button on the toolbar. Select the folder or disk where you want to move the folder and click OK.

• To Copy a Folder: Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag the folder to the desired location (you might have to open another My Computer window). Or, click the folder to select it, click the Copy To button on the toolbar, and select the folder or disk where you want to move the folder. Click OK.

Using the Folders Pane

• To Open a File or Folder: Double-click the file or folder.

• To Move a File or Folder: Drag the file or folder to the desired location in either pane of the window.

• To Copy a File or Folder: Hold down the <Ctrl> key while you drag the file or folder to the desired location in either pane of the window.

• To Create a New Folder: Click the disk or folder where you want to put the new folder. Right-click any empty area in the window and select New → Folder from the shortcut menu. Type a name for the folder and press <Enter>.

• To Delete a File or Folder: Select the file or folder and press the <Delete> key. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

• To Rename a File or Folder: Right-click the file or folder, select Rename from the shortcut menu, type the new name, and press <Enter>.

Deleting Files and Folders

• To Delete a File: Select the file and press the <Delete> key. Click Yes to confirm the folder deletion. Or, click the Delete button on the toolbar. Or, right-click the file and select Delete from the shortcut menu.

• To Delete a Folder: Select the folder and press the <Delete> key. Click Yes to confirm the folder deletion. Or, click the Delete button on the toolbar. Or, right-click the folder and select Delete from the shortcut menu.



Restoring a Deleted File and Emptying the Recycle Bin

• To Restore a Deleted File: Double-click the Recycle Bin to open it, then find and right-click the deleted file and select Restore from the shortcut menu.

• To Empty the Recycle Bin: Right-click the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin from the shortcut menu.

Finding a File

• Click the Start button and select Search → For Files or Folders from the Start menu. Enter part of the file name in the Search for files or folders named box. You can also search for files using other criteria using the Containing text box or by clicking the Search Options link. Click Search Now to start searching for the file(s).

Viewing Recently Used Files

• To Open a Recent File: Click the Start button → Documents and select the file you want to open.

• To Clear the List of Recently Used Files: Click the Start button and select Settings → Taskbar and Start Menu and click the Advanced tab. Click Clear to clear the list and click OK.

Formatting a Floppy Disk

• Formatting a floppy disk erases any previous files stored on it and prepares the disk so that you can save information on it.

• To Format a Floppy Disk: Insert the floppy you want to format into the floppy drive, open My Computer or Windows Explorer, right-click the floppy drive and select Format from the shortcut menu. Select the formatting options you want to use and click Start.

Common Problems Associated with Files

• Understand why it is important to backup your files to a storage device, at a different location, and/or in a weatherproof or fire resistant container.

• Common problems associated with files include lost files, the hard drive becoming too full, and denied file access.

A Look at the Control Panel

• The Control Panel is where you can change the various settings of your computer and Windows.

• Open Control Panel by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs → Settings → Control Panel, or by opening My Computer and double-clicking the Control Panel folder.

Changing the Date and Time

• Point at the clock on the taskbar for several seconds to display the current date.

• To Change the Date and/or Time: Double-click the clock on the taskbar, adjust the date and time using the calendar and clock controls, and click OK.

• To Change Time Zones: Double-click the clock on the taskbar, click the Time Zone tab, select the time zone from the list box, and click OK.



Adding Wallpaper to the Desktop

• To Add or Change Wallpaper: Right-click a blank area on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Make sure the Background tab is selected, and then select the wallpaper you want to use from the preset list or click Browse and specify the name and location of your own picture or graphic you want to use as wallpaper. Select how you want the wallpaper to be displayed (centered, tiled, or stretched) from the Display list and click OK.

Changing Screen Colors

• To Change Windows Color Scheme: Right-click a blank area on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu, click the Appearance tab, select a color scheme from the Scheme list and click OK.

• You can change the color of a specific Windows object (such as the Title bar) by opening the Appearance tab of the Display Properties dialog box, clicking the object in the Preview area or select it from the Item list, specifying its color from the color palette, and clicking OK.

Adjusting the Screen Resolution

• Screen Resolution has to do with how much information can fit on the screen. Higher screen resolutions can display more information on the screen at once but at the price of making everything appear smaller.

• To Change the Screen Resolution: Right-click a blank area on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu, and click the Settings tab. Slide the Screen Area slider to the right or left to select the resolution you want to use, and click OK.

Adjusting the Screen Color Depth

• Color depth has to do with how many colors are displayed on the screen at the same time.

• To Change the Screen Resolution: Right-click a blank area on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu, click the Settings tab, click the Colors list and select the Color Depth setting you want to use, and click OK.

Using a Screen Saver

• To Set Up a Screen Saver: Right-click a blank area on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu, click the Screen Saver tab, click the Screen Saver list and select a screen saver, and click OK.

• You can password protect your screen saver by clicking the Password Protected check box and clicking Change to assign a password to the screen saver.

• You can adjust the energy-saving features of your monitor by opening the Screen Saver tab of the Display Properties dialog box, clicking the Settings button in the Energy Saving Features section, and adjusting the interval after which the monitor shuts off.

Changing System and Program Sounds

• To Use a Sound Scheme: Click the Start button and click Settings → Control Panel, double-click the Sounds icon, select a scheme from the Schemes list, and click OK.

• To Assign a Sound to a Specific Windows Event: Click the Start button, select Settings → Control Panel and double-click the Sounds icon. Select the event for which you want to assign a sound, then click the Browse button and specify and the location and name of the sound file you want to assign to the event. Click the Play button to listen to the selected sound, and click OK.



Adjusting the Mouse

• Open the Mouse Properties dialog box by clicking the Start button, selecting Settings → Control Panel from the menu, and double-clicking the Mouse icon.

• To Switch the Left and Right Mouse Buttons: Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, select either the Right-handed or Left-handed option, and click OK.

• To Change the Double-Click Speed: Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, drag the Pointer Speed slider to a new position, and click OK.

• To Change the Pointer Speed: Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, click the Motion tab, drag the Pointer Speed slider to a new position, and click OK.

• To Add Pointer Trails: Open the Mouse Properties dialog box, click the Motion tab, click the Show pointer trails box, and click OK.

Adding a Printer

• To Add a Printer: Open the Printers folder by clicking the Start button and selecting Settings → Control Panel, then double-click the Printers folder. Double-click the Add Printer icon and click Next. Specify how the printer is connected (local or network) and click Next. Select the printer’s manufacturer and model. If your printer doesn’t appear in the list, insert the disk that came with the printer and click the Have Disk button. Click Next. Select a port to use with the printer (usually LPT1:) and click Next. (Optional) Specify whether or not you want to use the printer as the default printer and assign a name to the printer if you want. Click Next. Specify if you want a test page to be printed and click Finish.

• To Delete a Printer:

Installing New Software

• Find the Program’s disk (or disks) and insert it (or the first disk) into the disk drive. Click the Start button and select Settings → Control Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Click the Install button and then click Next. If this doesn’t work, click Cancel, close the Control Panel, open My Computer to find the disk drive or folder where the program you want to install is located, and double-click the installation program (usually called SETUP). Follow the on-screen instructions to install the program.

Removing Software

• Click the Start button and select Settings → Control Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. Find and select the program you want to remove from your computer, and then click its Change/Remove button. Finish removing the selected program by following the on-screen instructions.

Quiz

1. An operating system is built-in to a computer’s ROM-BIOS. (True or False?)

2. Which of the following is a text-based operating system?

A. Windows 95. B. Windows 2000. C. Windows CE. D. MS-DOS.



3. A Graphical User Interface, or GUI, has become standard on most operating systems. (True or False?)

4. The little bar that lists a program’s name and is found at the top of a window is called the:

A. Windows bar. B. Program bar. C. Title bar. D. Very top of the window bar.

5. You can open or restore a minimized window by clicking its icon on the taskbar (True or False?)

6. You can move a window to a different position on your computer screen by dragging it by its:

A. Title bar. B. Status bar. C. Move handle. D. Tail.

7. Why would you use the Task Manager?

A. To provide feedback on your boss’s performance. B. To close locked up or frozen programs. C. To make a to-do list. D. To manage large-scale projects.

8. Which of the following statements is NOT true? (Select all that apply.) A. You can’t add or remove programs from the Start menu. B. Most programs add themselves to the Start menu’s Programs menu. C. Deleting a program from the Start menu deletes the program from your hard disk. D. You can open recently used documents by clicking the Start button, selecting

Documents, and selecting the file you want to open.

9. Computers store information on which types of disks. (Select all that apply).

A. Floppy disks. B. Hard disks. C. Compact discs (CD-ROMs). D. Removable disks.

10. Drives are named with one letter. Most computers have a floppy disk called (A:) and a hard disk called C: (True or False?)

11. The purpose of your computer’s folders is to: (Select all that apply). A. Lose your important files. B. Store related files and programs in the same place. C. Make it difficult to delete things unless you really know what you’re doing. D. Organize related files and information on your computer.



12. .TXT, .DOC, and .BMP — these are all examples of:

A. Three meaningless letters with a period in front of them. B. File extensions. C. Types of advanced degrees in computers. D. How confusing computers are.

13. Which program(s) can you use to view and manage the contents of your computer? (Select all that apply).

A. Netscape Navigator. B. My Computer. C. System Sleuth. D. Windows Explorer.

14. You open a file or folder by double-clicking it. (True or False?)

15. Do this to display the contents of a certain drive or folder: A. Right-click the drive or folder. B. Click the drive or folder while holding down the <Alt> key. C. Double-click the drive or folder. D. Triple-click the drive or folder.

16. To view an object’s properties, right-click the object and select and select Properties from the shortcut menu. (True or False?)

17. When you’re browsing the contents of your computer, do this to move back or up to the previous level or folder. (Select all that apply.)

A. Click the Up button on the toolbar. B. Click the Back button on the toolbar. C. Press <Ctrl> + <Z>. D. Click the Address Bar on the toolbar and select the appropriate drive or folder.

18. Which of the follow statements is NOT true?

A. You can move a file or folder to a new location by clicking and dragging it. B. You can rename a file or folder by right-clicking it, selecting Rename from the

shortcut menu, typing the new name and pressing <Enter>. C. A plus symbol next to a folder in Windows Explorer indicates the folder is locked

and cannot be modified or deleted. D. Holding down the <Ctrl> key while you’re clicking and dragging something copies it

instead of moving it.

19. Delete a file or folder by clicking it, pressing the <Delete> key, and confirming the deletion. (True or False?)

20. Do this to select multiple files and folders: (Select all that apply). A. Click and drag a rectangle around any adjacent files you want to select. B. Select File → Select Multiple Files from the menu, and then click the files you want

to select. C. Click the first file you want to select, press and hold down the <Shift> key and click

the last file you want to select. D. Hold down the <Ctrl> key and click the files you want to select.



21. Which of the following statements is NOT true? (Select all that apply).

A. You can find a file on your computer by clicking the Start button, selecting Find → Files and Folders, enter what you want to search for and click Find Now.

B. Open Windows Explorer by clicking the Start button and selecting Programs → Windows Explorer.

C. To save a file in a location other than the program’s default folder you have to save the file, then use My Computer or Windows Explorer to move the file to the desired location.

D. You can display the contents of a drive or folder using Large Icons, Small Icons, List, or Details View.

22. The three-letter extension of a file is normally displayed in Windows 2000. (True or False?)

23. Your computer’s date and time function needs to be updated frequently. (True or False?)

24. Which of the following are ways to personalize your computer? (Select all that apply). A. Choose a screen saver. B. Sign your name on your monitor with a Sharpie. C. Change Windows’ color scheme. D. Add wallpaper to the desktop.

25. What happens when you change color depth?

A. The brightness of your screen changes. B. You change the number of colors displayed on your screen. C. The size of the objects on the screen change. D. The shade of colors changes.

26. Used only for advanced networking settings, the Control Panel should never be touched by ordinary users (True or False?)

27. Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. You can change the color of individual Windows objects, such as the title bar and

scroll bars. B. You can change the colors for all Windows objects at once using a color scheme. C. Double-click the clock on the taskbar to adjust the time and date your computer

thinks it is. D. You can only use preset patterns as your desktop wallpaper.

28. 640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768 are all examples of:

A. Color depths. B. Dimensions for the three largest patios in the world. C. Screen resolutions. D. Multiplication problems that you would need to use a calculator to solve.



29. You can change the mouse’s double-click speed by clicking the Mouse icon in the Control Panel (True or False?)

30. What does the little check mark next to a printer indicate in the Printer Folder?

A. The printer power is on. B. The printer needs a maintenance check. C. The printer is broken. D. It is the default printer.

31. Your computer comes with all the programs you need already installed. (True or False?)

Homework 1. Start the WordPad program by clicking the Windows Start button, pointing to

Programs → Accessories and clicking Microsoft WordPad.

2. Use Help to find out how to resize the window.

3. Click the Save button on the Standard toolbar to save your document and exit WordPad.

4. Right-click the desktop and change the wallpaper.

5. Create a shortcut for the WordPad program by holding down the <Ctrl> and <Shift> keys and dragging the WordPad icon onto the desktop.

6. Double-click the WordPad icon to open the program.

7. Click the WordPad window’s Maximize button.

8. Click the WordPad window’s Restore button.

9. Move the WordPad window to the left-hand side of your computer screen.

10. Open the Calculator by clicking the Window’s Start button and selecting Progams → Accessories → Calculator from the menu.

11. Click the WordPad icon on the taskbar.

12. Close both the Calculator and the WordPad program by clicking each window’s Close button.

13. Open My Computer.

14. View the contents of your C: hard disk.

15. Create a new folder in the root directory of your C: hard disk.

16. Rename the new folder “Project Files.”

17. Insert a floppy disk in the (A:) drive and copy the Project Files folder there.

18. Delete the Project Files folder from the C: drive.

19. Open the Recycle Bin and find the deleted Project Files folder. Would you know how to retrieve it?

20. Open Windows Explorer and view the contents of the (A:) drive.



21. Use the Windows Explorer View menu to display the contents of the (A:) drive in List view.

22. While you're still in List view, sort the files in alphabetical order.

23. Use the Start menu's Find feature to find all the files named "readme.txt" on your C: drive. Open one of these files by double-clicking it.

24. Go to the Printers folder and set the default printer for your computer.

Quiz Answers 1. False. An operating system is software that the computer loads when it first starts up.

2. D. MS-DOS is a text-based operating system.

3. True. Almost all operating systems these days use a graphical user interface.

4. C. The little bar along the window’s top that lists the program name is the Title bar.

5. True. Clicking the icon of a minimized program on the taskbar restores the window.

6. A. Move a window by dragging its Title bar.

7. B. The Task Manager is the best solution for locked up or frozen programs.

8. A and C. You can easily add and remove programs from the Start menu—and deleting programs from the Start menu leaves the original program intact.

9. A, B, C, and D. Computers can store their information on any of these disk types.

10. True. Drives are named using one letter. In general, computers have a floppy disk called (A:) and a hard disk called C:

11. B and D. Your computer’s folders store related files and programs in the same location and organize related files and information on your computer.

12. B. File extensions, which are used to identify the file type.

13. B and D. My Computer and Windows Explorer both display the contents of your computer and allow you to manage your computer’s files and folders.

14. True. Double-clicking a file or folder opens it.

15. C. Double-click a folder to open it and display its contents.

16. True. Right-clicking an object and selecting Properties from the shortcut menu displays the properties of the object.

17. A, B, and D. Any of these will bring you back to the previous level or folder.

18. C. A plus symbol next to a folder in Windows Explorer means the folder contains subfolders.

19. True. You can use the <Delete> key to delete files and folders from your computer.

20. A, C, and D. You can use any of these methods to select multiple files and folders.

21. C. You can easily save a file in a different location by opening the drive and/or folder where you want to save the file and clicking Save.

22. False. File extensions are normally hidden in Windows 2000.

23. False. It’s not a good idea to update your computer’s date and time on your own.

24. A, C and D. Choosing a screen saver, adding wallpaper to the desktop, and changing the Windows color scheme are all ways to personalize your computer.



25. B. Screen depth changes the number of colors displayed on your screen.

26. False. The Control Panel is where you go to make changes to Windows and your computer. While there are a few technical areas in the Control Panel, most of it is straightforward and easy to understand.

27. D. You can use your own pictures and graphics as wallpaper in addition to Windows preset wallpaper settings.

28. C. These are all examples of screen resolutions.

29. True. The double-click speed is probably one of the first things you should adjust if you’re having trouble double-clicking with the mouse.

30. D. A checkmark next to a printer in the Printer Folder indicates it is the default printer.

31. False. Your computer comes with basic applications, but you will need to purchase and install more programs on your computer.

Index 175


Index

1 16-bit color ..........................................149

2 24-bit color ..........................................149 286 processor.........................................17

3 32-bit color ..........................................149 386 processor.........................................17

4 486 processor.........................................17

8 8088 processor.......................................17

A Access, Microsoft ..................................66 accounting software...............................69 AccuPoint pointing device.....................28 adding

hardware ............................................44 programs to Start menu....................100 software ...........................................158 wallpaper .........................................142

Alt + Tab key combination ....................98 Athlon processor....................................16 average access time, hard drive .............33

B back up

hard drive...........................................50 tape drive ...........................................41

backup files understanding ..................................137

bit...........................................................19

BMP graphics file format ......................72 browsing

contents of your computer ....... 106, 108 byte ................................................ 19, 105

C C drive .................................................105 case, computer .......................................24 CD-R .....................................................35 CD-ROM....................................... 35, 105 CD-ROM drive................................25, 34 CD-RW..................................................35 Celeron processor ..................................16 Central Processing Unit...............See CPU client/server network .............................23 Close button...........................................88 closing a window...................................88 color depth, changing ..........................148 color scheme........................................144 COM port ..............................................42 compression...........................................50 computer

back of ...............................................42 inside of .............................................26 laptop.................................................15 networked ..........................................14 overview ............................................60 PDA...................................................15 ports...................................................42 server .................................................14

computer case ........................................24 computer, viewing contents of.............106 Control Panel.......................................138

Mouse icon ......................................154 copying

folders..............................................124 cpu .........................................................46 CPU .................................................16, 26 cutting

folders..............................................124

176 IC3


D database................................................. 66 date

finding file by.................................. 132 sort files by.......................................118 sorting files by .................................118

Date/Time Properties dialog box ........ 140 date/time, adjusting............................. 140 default printer...................................... 156 deleting

files ................................................. 128 folders ......................................124, 128 Recyle Bin....................................... 130

delsecting files .................................... 122 desktop

wallpaper, adding to........................ 142 Details view .........................................118 diplay

screen resolution, changing............. 146 display

color depth, changing...................... 148 screen colors ................................... 144 screen saver, adding ........................ 150 wallpaper, adding ............................ 142

documents list in Start menu............... 134 dragging and dropping ........................ 102

resizing a window ............................. 90 window to new position .................... 89

drives types of............................................ 105

Duron processor.................................... 16 DVD drive .......................................25, 36 DVD+R................................................. 37 DVD+RW ............................................. 37 DVD-R.................................................. 36 DVD-RAM ........................................... 37 DVD-ROM ........................................... 36 DVD-RW .............................................. 37

E emptying Recycle Bin......................... 130 End Task button .................................... 94 EnergyStar compliant monitor ............ 151 Ethernet port ......................................... 43 Excel, Microsoft.................................... 65 Exiting Windows 2000.......................... 92 expansion card ...................................... 26 expansion slot ....................................... 26 Explorer

dragging and dropping in ................ 126

F file extensions ......................................112 file management.................................. 104

files changing status.................................116 counting ...........................................114 deleting ............................................128 displaying details .............................118 extensions ........................................112 finding..............................................132 recently opened................................134 selecting multiple.............................122 sorting ..............................................118 types of ............................................112

finding files ..................................................132

Firewire port ..........................................43 flash cards ..............................................41 floppy disk

displaying properties of ...................106 formatting ........................................136 viewing contents of..........................106

floppy disk ...........................................104 floppy disks

description of .....................................38 floppy drive......................................25, 38 folder path............................................112 folders

copying ............................................124 creating ....................................110, 120 deleting ....................................124, 128 moving .............................................124 opening ............................................108 Program Files folder ........................101 renaming ..................................110, 120 root folder ........................................109 selecting multiple.............................122

Folders button ......................................126 Folders pane

using.................................................126 Format command.................................136 fragmentation.........................................50

G game port ...............................................43 gb ...........................................................19 GHz........................................................16 GIF graphics file format ........................72 gigabyte .................................................19 gigabyte (GB or GIG)..........................105 gigahertz ................................................16 graphical user interface..........................80 graphics card..........................................46 GUI ........................................................80

H hard disk ..............................................105

Index 177


viewing contents of..........................106 hard drive...............................................25

back up...............................................50 compression.......................................50 external ..............................................32 fragmentation...............................47, 50 free space ...........................................47 internal...............................................32 maintenance.......................................50 repair..................................................50 speed..................................................47

hardware ................................................12 installing ............................................44

hub, network ..........................................23

I IDE ........................................................32 information technology (IT) ..................12 input.......................................................60 input device

AccuPoint pointing device.................28 joystick ..............................................28 light pen .............................................28 microphone ........................................28 scanner...............................................28 touch pad ...........................................28 trackball .............................................28

input devices keyboard ............................................25 mouse.................................................25 scanner...............................................25

installing hardware ............................................44 software ...........................................158

Iomega ...................................................39 IT 12

J Jaz drive.................................................39 joystick ..................................................28 joystick port ...........................................43 JPG graphics file format ........................72

K kb ...........................................................19 keyboard ................................................25 keyboard port.........................................42 kilobyte ..........................................19, 105 kilobyte (K or KB)...............................105

L laptop .....................................................15

Large Icons view ................................. 118 light pen.................................................28 line in jack .............................................43 Linux .....................................................78 List view.............................................. 118 LPT port ................................................42 LS-120 SuperDrive................................41

M Mac OS X..............................................78 Maximize button....................................86 maximizing a window ...........................84 mb..........................................................19 megabyte ...............................................19 megabyte (MB)....................................105 megahertz ..............................................16 memory............................................26, 46

byte ..................................................105 compared to ROM .............................20 gigabyte ...........................................105 kilobyte............................................105 measurements ..................................105 measuring ..........................................18 megabyte .........................................105

MHz.......................................................16 microphone............................................28 microphone jack ....................................43 mimimizing a window...........................84 Minimize button ....................................87 modem.................................................139 modem port............................................43 monitor ..................................................25 monitor port...........................................43 motherboard...........................................26 mouse ....................................................25

double-click speed, change..............154 dragging and dropping.....................102 pointer.................................See pointers settings, change ...............................154

mouse port .............................................42 Move To button ...................................124 moving

folders..............................................124 window ..............................................89

MS-DOS................................................78 multitasking ...........................................47 My Computer ......................................106 My Computer ........................................83 My Documents ......................................83 My Network Places ...............................83

N network port ..........................................43

178 IC3


networks................................................ 23 client/server network......................... 23 components ....................................... 23 peer-to-peer network......................... 23 workgroup......................................... 23

notebook ............................................... 15

O opening

folders ............................................. 108 My Computer.................................. 106

operating system ................................... 78 output .................................................... 60 output devices

monitor.............................................. 25 printer................................................ 25 speakers............................................. 25

P Palm OS................................................ 78 PalmPilot............................................... 15 palmtop ................................................. 15 parallel port ........................................... 42 parts of a computer ............................... 12 parts of a window.................................. 85 pasting

folders ............................................. 124 path ......................................................112 PCMCIA cards...................................... 26 PDA ...................................................... 15 peer-to-peer network............................. 23 Pentium processor................................. 16 peripheral devices ................................. 24

CD-ROM drive ................................. 25 DVD drive......................................... 25 floppy drive....................................... 24 hard drive .......................................... 25 Zip drive............................................ 25

pictures using as wallpaper........................... 142

Pocket PC.............................................. 15 pointers

trails, display................................... 155 pointesr

speed, change .................................. 155 ports ...................................................... 42

COM ................................................. 42 Ethernet............................................. 43 Firewire............................................. 43 game.................................................. 42 IEEE 1394......................................... 43 joystick.............................................. 42 keyboard ........................................... 42 line in ................................................ 42

line out ...............................................42 LPT ....................................................42 microphone ........................................42 modem................................................43 monitor...............................................42 mouse.................................................42 network ..............................................43 parallel ...............................................42 phone .................................................43 printer.................................................42 SCSI ...................................................43 serial...................................................42 USB ...................................................42

PowerPoint, Microsoft ...........................68 presentation software .............................68 printer.....................................................25 printer port .............................................42 printers

default, changing..............................156 processor

286 .....................................................17 386 .....................................................17 486 .....................................................17 Athlon ................................................16 Celeron...............................................16 Duron .................................................16 Pentium..............................................16

Program Files folder ............................101 programs

adding to Start menu ........................100 closing................................................88 installing ..........................................158 maximizing ........................................86 minimizing.........................................86 removing..........................................160 removing from Start menu ...............100 restoring .............................................86 starting ...............................................96 switching between .............................98

Q QuickBooks ...........................................69 Quicken..................................................69

R RAM ................................................26, 46

compared to ROM .............................20 measuring...........................................18

Recycle Bin............................................83 emptying ..........................................130 retrieving deleted files from.............130

removable drive ...................................105 removing software ...............................160 renaming

Index 179


folders ...................................... 110, 120 repair

hard drive...........................................50 resizing a window..................................90 resolution, changing.............................146 Restart option.........................................93 Restore button........................................87 restoring a window ................................84 ROM......................................................20 ROM-BIOS............................................26 root folder ............................................109

S safety precautions ..................................49 scanner.............................................25, 28 screen

color depth, changing ......................148 colors, changing...............................144 resolution, changing.........................146 wallpaper, adding.............................142

screen saver .........................................150 scroll bars...............................................84 SCSI.......................................................32 SCSI port ...............................................43 searching

for files.............................................132 selecting

multiple files and folders .................122 serial port ...............................................42 Setup programs....................................159 shortcuts

in Programs menu............................101 Shut Down options ................................93 Shutting down Windows 2000...............92 Small Icons view .................................118 software .................................................12

accounting..........................................69 database .............................................66 installing ..........................................158 presentation........................................68 removing..........................................160 spreadsheet ........................................65 Web Authoring...................................71 Web browser ......................................70 word processing.................................64

sound assigning to system events...............152 chaging system sounds ....................152

sound card ports.....................................43 speakers .................................................25 spreadsheet ............................................65 Stand by option......................................93 Start button ............................................83

Start command.......................................96 Start menu

adding menus to...............................100 adding programs to ..........................100 Documents list .................................134 removing programs from.................100

starting programs............................................96

Status bar ...............................................84 storage device

CD-ROM drive..................................34 DVD drive .........................................36 flash card ...........................................41 floppy drive .......................................38 hard drive...........................................32 Jaz drive.............................................39 LS-120 SuperDrive............................41 tape drive ...........................................41 USB flash drive .................................41 Zip drive ............................................39

storage devices types of ............................................105

SuperDrive.............................................41 switching between program...................98 system unit.............................................24

T tape backup............................................25 Task Manager ........................................94 Task Manager button .............................94 Task window..........................................98 taskbar

clock ................................................140 switching between programs .............98

taskbar ...................................................83 telephone port ........................................43 terabyte ..................................................19 thumbnail...............................................81 time zone, changing.............................140 title bar...................................................84 touch pad ...............................................28 track ball ................................................28 turning off

monitor, automatically.....................151 turning off computer..............................92 types of computers.................................60

U USB flash drive .....................................41 USB port................................................42

V video card ..............................................46

180 IC3


Video port ............................................. 42 virus, computer ..................................... 50

W wallpaper............................................. 142 Web Authoring software ....................... 71 window

closing..........................................84, 88 maximizing ....................................... 86 maximizing button ............................ 84 minimizing ...................................84, 86 moving .............................................. 89

resizing...............................................90 restoring .......................................84, 86 switching between .............................98

Windows 2000 exiting ................................................92

Windows, operating system ...................78 word processing .....................................64 Word, Microsoft.....................................64

Z Zip drive ..........................................25, 39