Operating System Windows

Operating System Windows

Microsoft introduced window in 1987. Since then several of windows listed below are introduced.

 
All the earlier versions except WINDOWS 95 are Graphic User Interface (GUI) between the user and MSDOS. But Windows 95 and later versions are independent operating systems with two interfaces:  the interface between user and the applications and the interface between application and computer devices and files.

As soon as the computer with Windows OS is booted, a screen is displayed containing desktop, commands pictorial form called icons, a taskbar and a start menu alosngwith a mouse pointer.

The icons are small pictures on the screen which represent objects- documents, applications, devices, etc. It has a text lable which describes the objects. Part of a desktop are briefed below.

Task Bar:

The long horizontal bar at the bottom of the desktop is the taskbar. The taskbar contains three elements. The start menu button, the button for open windows and the time of the day indicator at the end right end of the task bar.

Start Manu:

The start button when clicked opens the start menu. The start menu contains three kinds of selections: commands, cascade menus and dialogue box. Command selection run applications immediately e.g. Help, shutdown etc. Selections with the small arrowhead open cascade menus containing commands which can be selected.

Basic Mouse Operations:

Mouse is frequently used for windows operations. When a mouse is in operation, an arrow called pointer is displayed on the screen. It has three buttons on the top of it which are used for various actions. Some basic mouse operations are listed below.

Click:

Press and release the left button.

Double Click:

Click left button twice rapidly with a very small time gap between successive clicks.

Point:

Move pointer on the screen until it rests on the item of choice.

Drag and Drop:

Move the mouse pointer into the icon of the object to be dragged. Press left mouse button and hold down while the mouse cursor is moved to the desired destination (drag) and then release the mouse button to drop the object their.

Some basic terms used in windows operations are briefed below.

Selecting an object is pointing to it and clicking the mouse with left button. The selected object is highlighted and it is ready to be chosen. The command associated with an object can be activated by double clicking. It is also called choosing an object. One can also choose an object by first selecting it and then pressing enter key.

Working with Windows:

A window is a rectangular frame on the screen which can represent a folder on the desktop, a running program, or a document or a dialog box in a program. A document window is a subordinate window to the program window- also called parent window – that owns the document. Dialog boxes are interactive windows with which the application program communicates with the user.