SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF

AGRICULTURE

INTRODUCTION TO MICROCOMPUTER
AND
APPLICATIONS

CIT 100
Lecture 4 – Computer Software
(INTRODUCTION TO WINDOWS)

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 1

 THE WINDOWS DESKTOP
 After the user logs in on a Windows system, he or she is
taken to the Windows desktop.
 The desktop may contain icons, which are small

pictures that, when clicked, launch programs or open

locations on your computer.
 The desktop may also be decorated with a picture or

pattern called a wallpaper.

 At the bottom of the desktop is the taskbar. Almost all
running programs appear on the taskbar.
 On the far left of the taskbar is the Start button, which
displays the Start menu. Most programs can be launched
from the Start menu.
 On the far right of the taskbar is the system tray/notification
area. The system tray contains small icons that represent
programs that stay active throughout your computing
session.
Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 2
 THE WINDOWS DESKTOP
Icons represent programs, files, or folders
Usually have additional
icons on the desktop
Icons
Double-click the desktop
icon to open its associated
program, file, or folder
Desktop

Taskbar

Start
button
Task bar area
Quick Launch toolbar
(single-click icons) Notification area
Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 3
 START BUTTON POP UP MENU

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 4

 NOTIFICATION AREA / SYSTEM
TRAY
 Contains icons for specialized programs that runs in the
background.

 Hover the mouse pointer over the icon and hesitate about a
second to display a tooltip.

If all icons don’t show, Left-, right-,

click the arrow to the or double-click
one of these icons
left of the notification to display its menu,
area dialog box, or options

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 5

 NOTIFICATION AREA / SYSTEM
TRAY
 Also contains an icon display of the computer’s system clock
Double-click
the system
clock icon to
display its
dialog box
and options
Click to select
or change the
date and time
components; click
OK when finished
6

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 6

 What is Window ??

 A window is a separate viewing area on a computer

display screen in a system that allows multiple viewing
areas as part of a graphical user interface ( GUI ).
 Almost all Windows programs run on a region of the screen
called “window.”
 Most windows may be resized and / or overlapped to
maximize the available screen real estate.
 Most windows can be displayed in three states
 Maximized – the window covers all available screen real estate, excluding
the taskbar
 Restored – the window reverts to a smaller state, which may be resized by
the user
 Minimized – the window is not displayed on the desktop, but a button for it
appears in the taskbar

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 7

 Anatomy of Window

Close button

Restore /
maximize
Title bar button
Menu bar
Minimize button

Status bar
Window button in taskbar

Content area
8

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 8

 Mouse action in Windows ??

There are five primary types of mouse actions that Windows (especially
XP) recognizes.
 A Left click is called a primary button, Right click is a secondary button
and between them is a scroll wheel(to some of mouse).
The following are different mouse actions:-
 Point – position the cursor over the item being pointed to
 Click – point to an item, then click the left mouse button
 Double Click – point to an item, then click the left mouse button twice
in rapid succession
 Right Click – point to an item, then click the right mouse button
 Drag-and-Drop – point to an item, click and hold down the left mouse
button, move the mouse (drag), and release the left mouse button over
another item (drop)
 Scroll down- scroll through documents and web pages if a mouse has
scroll wheel.

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 9

 Purposes of Mouse action

 Point – pointing and hovering (allowing the cursor to remain

stationary) over most items will display a tool tip, a small label
indicating the item’s name or purpose
 Click – selects the clicked item, but usually attempts no further action
with it
 Double click – attempts to interact with the item in some way (launch
a program, view a picture, or play a sound)
 Right click – displays a context menu (sometimes called a popup
menu) containing common actions associated with the right-clicked
item
 Drag-and-drop – attempts to cause the dragged item to interact with
the item it was dropped on. For example, dragging a picture file and
dropping it on the Internet Explorer icon will allow the user to view the
picture using Internet Explorer (if possible)

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 10

 Windows file system

 All drives installed in the computer are assigned a drive letter

 A: is reserved for a floppy disk drive
 B: is reserved for a second floppy disk drive, although this is seldom seen
nowadays
 C: is reserved for the primary hard drive
 CD and DVD drives, secondary hard drives, flash, Zip, tape, and network
drives are assigned subsequent letters which are usually, but not always,
in sequence
 A single drive may be segmented into multiple partitions. In this case,
each partition has its own drive letter.
 Drives may be organized into folders and subfolders, giving the
file system a hierarchical tree-like topology. Appropriately, the
lowest folder on a drive (referenced by the drive letter) is called
the root.

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 11

 File Types

File extensions were meant to denote the type of data in the file.
Many files have also special icons to denote what type of files they
are.
Denotes a folder (no extension)

Denotes a text file (extension .txt)

Denotes a Microsoft Word file (extension .doc or .docx)

Denotes a Microsoft Excel file (extension .xls or xlsx)

Denotes a Microsoft Access file (extension .mdb or mdbx)

Denotes a Microsoft PowerPoint file (extension .ppt or pptx)

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 12

 More File Types

Other file types have different icons depending on which program

the user prefers to use when opening them. Some examples are:

Web pages (extensions .htm and .html)

Picture files (extensions .jpg, .gif, .bmp, .png, .tif, and others)
Sound files (extensions .mp3, .wav, .midi, and others)
Movie files (extensions .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, and others)
Archive (compressed) files (extensions .zip, .tar, .jar, and others)

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 13

 Selecting multiple files & Folders
Adjacent files, folders
Click first file or folder
Hold down the Shift key
and click the last one

Non-adjacent files, folders

Hold down the Ctrl key

and click the
desired files, folders

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 14

 The Recycle Bin
 The idea of the Recycle Bin was actually stolen from Apple
Macintosh, who called it the Trash Can.
 The Recycle Bin is a folder with a fancy icon where files and
folders that you have deleted are stored.
 It gives the user a chance to recover files he/she may have
accidentally deleted.
 The Recycle Bin icon will have papers in it if there are files
stored in it; otherwise, it appears empty.

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 15

 Recovering a Deleted File

1. From the desktop, double

click the Recycle Bin
icon. A window listing
your deleted files and
folders appears.
2. Right click the file or
folder you want to
restore; a context menu
appears.
3. Click Restore. The file or
folder is returned to the
location from which it was
deleted.

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 16

 Shutting Down Windows

When you are ready to turn off your computer, it is important to shut down
Windows properly. Failure to do so can cause you to lose data or corrupt critical
files that will cause your computer to behave abnormally.

1. Click Start, then click

Turn off computer
/Shut down from the
Start menu.
2. The screen dims and
the Shut down menu
appears. Click Turn
off. (in Windows XP)
3. The computer
performs some shut
down procedures,
then powers itself off.

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 17

 Windows OS Features

They are GUI Based Operating System

They are Multitasking Operating System

They support Drag and Drop options

They support CUT, COPY and PASTE functionality

They are Plug and Play system

They have a Command Prompt

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 18

 GUI Components of Windows

Program Icons

Objects Icons

Pull Down/Drop down Menu

Popup Menu

Shortcut Menu

Toolbars

Dialog Box

Menu Bar

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 19

 Windows Applications

Notepad- This program is used for creating small text files.

WordPad- This program is used for creating large text files.
Paint: It is basically a drawing and coloring program.
Calculator: Perform arithmetic and scientific calculations.
Media Player: can play audio and video files on your computer.
Movie Maker: can put graphical pictures in sequence and
prepare multimedia presentations.
Windows Explorer: used for file and folder maintenance
activities on computer.
Internet Explorer: is basically a browser, using which activities
like net surfing, net search, e-mail etc. are performed.

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 20

Instructor : MKWAZU, Hussein 21