Windows 10

What is Windows 10?

Windows 10 is the latest operating system released by Windows.An operating system is software that runs on basic hardware.In other words, you can have the same hardware and most operating systems will run on it.Without an operating system, your computer (hardware) will just sit there doing nothing!

Windows had a long history of OSes: 95, 98, 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, and finally 10. (They skipped 9 to prevent confusion of 95 or 98).

W10 New Features

Every new version has new features, but the most notable and basic ones in Windows 10 includes:

- Cortana, a digital assistant similar to Siri.

- Minimalistic and simplistic UI. (Just solid colors everywhere.)

- Microsoft Edge. A new web browser replacing Internet Explorer.

- Redesigned Start Menu and Action Center

- Improved security.

W10: New Start Menu

“Live Tiles”

Program List

User

Settings

Power Options (Shutdown)

W10: New Action Center

The Action Center is an area for detailed notifications.If anything is happening or needs your attention, it’ll be here.

Detailed notifications.

Computer settings/toggles.Usually for Wifi or Bluetooth.

Open or close Action Center.

You can see more toggles by expanding.

W10: Searching and Cortana

There is a search bar that has Cortana integrated with it (if you have Cortana enabled).

You can also enable Cortana to be listening at all times. So when you say “Hey Cortana”, Cortana will activate and start listening to your questions. It is off by default.

You can click on the search bar and start typing for something you’re looking for.

Or click on the Mic Icon to activate Cortana.

Task Bar

The task bar is used to multitask and manage what you want your computer to do.

Show all running tasks/programs.

Quick Start/Quick Launch and running programs.

Currently running apps will have a light blue thin bar at the bottom.

File Explorer

The file explorer is used to manage your documents, photos, or videos.

Files and Folders/Directories

So what exactly is a “file”?A “file” is any item inside a computer’s storage. It can be anything from a text document to photos to videos.

Each “file” has an extension.

An extension is a group of letters that tell what that file is.

Directories, also called folders, do not have extensions. They are only used to HOLD files or other directories/folders.

Remember, FILES have extensions and can be many things while DIRECTORIES and FOLDERS only hold files and more folders.

File Extensions

Some examples of common file extensions:.EXE = Short for executable. A program that can be run.

Photos.JPEG/.JPG.PNG.GIF.BMP

Videos.MP4.AVI.WMV.MPEG

Text Documents.DOC.DOCX.TXT

Adobe PDF.PDF

Windows Shortcuts.LNK

Compressed Files.ZIP.RAR.7Z

File – Right Click Menu

So up til now, you’ve only used left click. We’re going to start using right click.

Right clicking brings up a “context menu”. This means that the menu that pops up will change depending on where you click (hence, the “context”).

When you right click on a file, you have many options. The most commonly used are:- COPY (to temporarily copy a file)- PASTE (to put the copied file where you want)- DELETE (to delete the item or file)- PROPERTIES (to check what that item or file is)

File Properties

Most of the time, you only worry about the file type/extension and the size of the object.

You generally do not want to change anything about it.