Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology (FEST)

Indus University, Karachi

LAB 02 Introduction of Windows (Graphical Objects)

Objectives: Upon successful completion of Lab 2, students will be able to

●Describe some of the basic functions of an operating system and Windows in particular ●Describe the parts of the Windows desktop environment ●Use the Start menu to launch programs ●Maximize, minimize, size, and close a window ●A computer running the Windows Vista operating system

Introduction to Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows (or simply Windows) is a metafamily of graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Microsoft. It consists of several families of operating systems, each of which cater to a certain sector of the computing industry. Active Windows families include Windows NT, Windows Embedded and Windows Phone; these may encompass subfamilies, e.g. Windows Embedded Compact(Windows CE) or Windows Server. Defunct Windows families include Windows 9x and Windows Mobile.

Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985, as a graphical operating system shell for MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal computer market with over 90% market share, overtaking Mac OS, which had been introduced in 1984.

Windows 10On September 30, 2014, Microsoft announced Windows 10 as the successor to Windows 8.1. It was released on July 29, 2015, and addresses shortcomings in the user interface first introduced with Windows 8. Changes include the return of the Start Menu, a virtual desktop system, and the ability to run Windows Store apps within windows on the desktop rather than in full-screen mode. Windows 10 is said to be available to update from qualified Windows 7 with SP1 and Windows 8.1 computers from the Get Windows 10 Application (for Windows 7, Windows 8.1) or Windows Update (Windows 7).

When a computer is powered on, you’ll hear some beeping as it does some hardware checks, and then the operating system loads. A computer running the Windows Operating System may display a login screen, or it may show the desktop immediately, depending on the setup. The Apple Macintosh family of computers runs a different operating system called Mac OS. When you purchase software, you must be sure to check the system requirements and purchase software for the operating system you are using. For example, software purchased for the Windows Operating System will not work on an Apple Macintosh. Parts of the Windows Desktop Turn on your computer and sign in if necessary in order to display the Windows desktop. An example of the Windows desktop is shown in Figure

OS_LAB MANUAL

Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology (FEST)

Indus University, Karachi

COMMON WINDOWS OBJECTS

Icons… • An icon is a symbol/picture that acts as a button to open up a folder, document, application or other object. • All icons need to be double clicked in order to openIcons vs. Programs • You double click on the icon to execute the program. • When inside of the program, you single click on the commands or icons for that program. (Examples: MS Office, Internet Explorer, Firefox, Windows Media Player, etc.)Different Types of Icons… • Application Icons open up a program (an executable file), like Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word, etc. • Folder Icons store and organize documents and applications. Often you will find folders within folders. • Document icons represent a specific file, like a word document, picture, etc. These files typically have an association with the program that is used to open them.

OS_LAB MANUAL

Faculty of Engineering, Science and Technology (FEST)

Indus University, Karachi

The Taskbar… • The taskbar is what you see at the very bottom of your screen. • Contains the “Start” button, which allows access to other Windows programs and features that are not on the desktop • System tray shows programs running in the background, the clock, volume control, etcWhat about Windows? • The “window” refers a program or document or other object that is open • You can have multiple windows open at once and easily switch back and forth between them. • You can move windows around, resize them or have a particular window expand onto the entire screen. Types of Windows… • Program Windows – Applications like Word, Internet Explorer • Document Windows – Open to a specific document within the applicable program window • Folder Windows – A folder, like “My Documents” that may contain other folders, documents, programs, etcParts of a Window • Title Bar – at the top of the window. – Most contain these buttons • Minimize • Maximize • Restore • Close

Scroll Bars… • Scroll bars often appear at the bottom and even more often on the right hand side of a window, if there is a lot of content. • Scroll bars are disabled when the content displayed is limited enough to fit within the dimensions of the window.

OS_LAB MANUAL