using a computer

8/9/2019 using a computer

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Starting the Computer

To start the computer and press the power switch on the computer system unit. If themonitor light does not light up then press the monitor power button also.

The computer will then go through a start up procedure to load the necessary software tocreate a user interface for the user to operate through. This is known as the Booting UpProcess.

When the following screen appears you can begin to use the system.

This screen is referred to as the Desktop

Selecting an Application:

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If you right click your mouse on the emptydesktop, this menuwill appear. SelectArrange Iconsoption to place all theicons in a particular order.

The icons will not bethe same on eachcomputer. These areshort cuts toapplications and

system devices.Obviously each systemcan vary according tothe user’s requirements

ICONS Microsoft Office Tool Bar

Click on the start button todisplay this menu

Lists up to the last 15documents

Allows programs to be runor installed



Drag the mouse forward to highlight the word Programs. Notice another menu appears tothe right, displaying all the applications currently available on the system.

Select Microsoft Word from the above list and the following screen will appear:

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Select an application (program) by positioning themouse over the name and clicking the left-hand

mouse button.

Type your nameon the first lineand then press

the enter key



Saving a document

Click on File on the menu bar, then select the Save option.

This document is to be saved to floppy disk.Place a floppy disk in drive AClick on the Down Arrow in the Save in boxSelect 3½ floppy (A):Position the mouse in the File name box and type Practice1 as the filenameClick the OK button

The file is now stored on the floppy disk. (Notice the green light on the floppy driveindicating it is active).

Go back to your Word Processing Screen.

Type today’s date underneath your name. This updated document will be saved on the C:Drive.

Click File and then Save AsSelect the C: Drive within the Save In box

Now create a new Folder by clicking on this icon

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Note:

The first time a document

is saved, the Save As

screen appears which will

allow the User to enter ameaningful name and

select the drive and folder the file is to be stored in.



The following screen should open:

Type your name in full in the Name box.

Click the OK button

This new folder will now appear within the list of files and folders already contained on theC: Drive. To store the document in to it, its name must be placed in the Save In box. Todo this double click on it with the mouse.

Position the mouse in the File Name box and enter Updated Practice as the file name.

Click Save

There are now two separate files. One is stored in the floppy disk called Practice1 andthe other is stored on the C: Drive called Updated Practice

NOTE:

SAVING A DOCUMENT FOR THE FIRST TIME: FILE, SAVE

OR FILE, SAVE AS OR CAN BE USED.

SAVING A NEW VERSION OF A DOCUMENT: FILE, SAVE AS MUST BE USED!!!!

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NOTE: anyhighlighted text will beoverwritten as youtype!



Closing an Application

Notice the three icons at the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Click on the close icon to clear the document from the screen. Notice that MicrosoftWord is still open. Click on the Close icon again to close this application also.Click on the Start button on the Desktop. Select the Settings option

The following screen will appear:

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Minimise

This button willminimise the screenand place the name of the application or document onto thetaskbar

Restore / Maximise

This button has two functions.When the window is Full screensize it reduces it to a smaller size. If the window is already minimised itrestores it to Full screen size.

Close

This button closesthe window.

Click on the ControlPanel

Adjusts the monitor settings

Not all systems will have thesame icons appearing on thisscreen. This depends on thehardware and softwarespecification of the system.

Click on the System icon

This screen will state the

specification of the system



By clicking on the printer icon in the control panel, you can add printers andalso Set Default Printer by right clicking on the Printer icon you wish to bethe Default, and selecting default option from the menu which will pop up.

All programs using the Windows environment will now print from this printer unless youmanually choose another printer.

Finding a specific file or folder

From the Desktop, click Start and select the Find option:

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Notice the tick besidethe printer that isalready set as default.

NOW CLOSE THE ABOVE SCREENS

Click the Files or Folders option



The following window will appear:

If selecting the entire C: drive or an individual folder to search, check if the subfolders boxis required to be ticked.

Wild Cards = *

The symbol * is called a wild card i.e. it means anything

Therefore if you search for only Word documents which end in .docThen you type *.doc

If you search for a file with a certain name but which may be in several programsThen you type something like report1.*

If you type *.* it means you are looking for all files with any extension and you will getEVERYTHING!

When the result of the search appears on the screen, we can manipulate it in variousways.

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Enter the name of the file or folder in the Name box.

Use the Browse button to select the

drive and folder to be searched.

Click Find Now button to start thesearch

Search for any file of type.doc

C: Drive will be searchedincluding all the folders itcontains.

Total number of files/folders isdisplayed at the bottom of thescreen. If you are asked tocount the files remember tosubtract the folders from thetotal.

Remember:Folders are yellowFiles look like pages



To sort the list by any of the specified column heading, click on the column heading e.g. tosort by size click on the word “Size”. Note that this will sort the list into ascending or alphabetical order if not already in that order. If the heading is clicked again then the sortwill give the opposite effect i.e. descending order.

If you right click on any of the listed files a menu will be displayed to allow you to perform

various operations with the selected files.

If you want to move a file to a new location

Right click on the fileSelect CutMinimize the Find windowOn the Desktop, Double Click My Computer Icon

Open the drive you wish to useOpen the folder to be usedNow use the paste option to place the file in this location.

Use the above steps to place a copy of a file in another location, except use the COPYoption instead of the CUT option.

NOTE:If you want to select several files positioned together simultaneously

•

Select the first file• Hold the shift key

• Select the last file

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SEND TO will give youthe option of sending afile stored on the maindrive in the PC, to thefloppy drive

Use these two optionsin the same way as youwould text i.e. CUT isused when you want tomove a file.

COPY is used whenyou want to haveanother version of a file.

Use RENAME if youwant to change the

name of a file

Opens the selected file

Opens a new document andcopies the contents of theselected file to it

Prints the selected file

If you would like an icon onthe Desktop for quick andeasy access.

If you want to remove a filethat you no longer require.The file will be placed in therecycle bin on the Desktop,where you will be able toretrieve it, if necessary.



If you want to select several files which are not positioned together

• Hold the control key while selecting the required files

Windows Explorer Another way to move and manipulate files is within Windows Explorer. You have accessto this program from your Desktop under Start, Programs and the following icon:

Or you can right click Start, click the option Explore and the following screen will appear:

Practice makes perfect with this facility and actions happen very quickly, so be carefulwhere you move files to on someone else’s computer!Ask your Tutor for help with this part. YOU MAY ONLY PRACTISE ON A FLOPPYDISK AT THIS TIME!!!!!

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Retrieving deleted files/folders

From the Desktop double click the Recycle BinSelect the file/folder to be retrievedSelect File from the Menu Bar Select Restore

NOTE: Whilst it is important to empty your Recycle Bin regularly, it is better to have aroutine. If you delete files (called Housekeeping) at a certain time each month perhaps,then wait a week before emptying the bin – this is to allow for accidental file deletionsbecause programs will stop running if you have made a mistake and you can alwaysrestore from the bin again.

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Or you can right clickon the file and clickRestore

Look where the file

originally came from andwill go back there when youclick restore.



To rename a file:

Right click on the file, scroll down to rename.

Notice that it has becomeHighlighted and will beoverwritten as you type.It is ready for you to typein the new file name.Then Press Return.

To copy files from one location to another:

Highlight the file you want, right click on it then copy, go to the location where you wantit to be, then right click again and paste it in.

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NOTE:If you are making a copy within the same folder you will notice that it will call itself a ‘copy’,the reason for that is, there cannot be two files within the same folder with the same filename. But if you pasted it into a different folder it would be called the original filename

To move a file:

You would go through the exact same procedure though instead of copy you would beclicking on Cut. Right click on the file you want to move and click on Cut. This willmove the file from its original location and you can paste it to another location of your choice.

Properties of a Computer (i.e. – Computer Processor Type)

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Right click on MyComputer

Scroll down and click onProperties

You will now see all theinformation for your computer. You canhighlight thisinformation and copy &paste it into another document.



Using Windows online Help

Click START and select Help from the menu

The dialog box has three tabs, Contents, Index and Search. Click on the Index tab.

The Index gives an alphabetical list of every available help topic and can be searchedusing the scroll bar. The required topic can also be quickly found by entering it in the box

at the top of the dialog box.

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You can type in a few keywords in what you are looking for, or scroll down and choosefrom the options below:

Click on Display

You will now be faced with this screen:

Choose one of the topicsClick on Display

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What has happenednow – It has givenyou a detailed

summary of theinformation that yourequired.



The Correct Procedure to Shut Down your Computer

It is very important to shut down Windows in the correct manner.

Select Start and then select Shut Down

Make sure that Shut downis highlighted and then clickOK

When the message appears informing you to switch off, do so. Note some computersswitch themselves off. If the monitor light remains on switch the monitor off as well. Thenwait until it safe to switch off at the power.

If the computer freezes i.e. won’t allow you to do anything, then press the following keyssimultaneously to restart it

<Ctrl Alt> <Delete>

Perform the action once and you will get the option to end the task which is causing thesystem to freeze. Perform it twice and this will reboot the system.

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Find the program which isnot responding (it may or may not say it is notresponding), highlight itand press

End Task. If this does notunfreeze your system, youmay have to reboot asdirected below.



TIPS

Mouse techniques

Point position the mouse pointer until the tip of the pointer rests on therequired position

Click press and immediately release the left mouse button without moving the mouse

Double click the mouse button twice in rapid successionClick

Drag press the mouse button and hold it down while the mouse is moved, then release

the button at the appropriate location

Files and Folders

In order to assist in storing and finding files and programs on the hard disk, Windows usesFolders (directories). The hard (or floppy) disk, or CD, is split into many folders, eachcontaining all the files related to a specific task or program. A folder may also containother folders, thus sub-dividing the disk even further. The concept is much like organising

a filing cabinet by having separate drawers and files for each particular task.

A folder in Windows appears as a yellow icon

The name of the folder will be printed underneath it. When the icon is double clicked, thefolder opens, and its contents appear in a new window.

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Formatting a Floppy Disk

Before a new floppy disk is used, check if it needs to be formatted (the box will indicate if the disks are pre-formatted). Formatting the disk makes it compatible with the system.

Select Format and the following screen will be displayed:

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This menu willbe displayed

Use this option to copythe contents of one floppydisk to another

If the disk has not been formattedbefore then use the Full formatoption.Otherwise use the Quick formatoption to erase old files and make

the disk ready for re-using.



File Types

The icons above show a pictorial representation of some of the many file types available.You are not expected to know them all, but it is helpful if you can recognise the mostcommon. The yellow boxes are, of course, folders, not files.For example, the little icons that look like paint pots or pots of pencils are files associatedwith the program Paint and these sort of files have an extension called .bmp (or bitmapfiles). Paint can open any file that has the extension .bmp

If you right click over a file and select Properties, you will be able to have a good look atwhat the file extension is. Look at the following:

NOTE: To ensure a file is Read-Only tick the above box. Untick Archive.

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This is the icon

This is the file type

This is file name andthe extenstion.

Knowing the file type and the extension helps you if a programwill not open a file for you. For example, some desktoppublishing programs only accept pictures with certain fileextensions, eg .gif or .jpg

If you have been sent a file in your email, which you cannotopen, it may be that you do not have the software program inyour computer to do so. Finding out the file extension willallow you to identify the software required.



To change the screen saver on your computer:

Click on Start then go to Settings then Control Panel. Double click on theDisplay Icon.

Then when it is openedclick on Screensaver and scroll down to theone you want, click apply then ok.

NOTE: You can also set the minutes

that lapse when your computer becomes idle, your Screen Saver will then beactivated.

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Sizes of Files and Folders

To find out the sizes of a particular file or folder follow this simple procedure:

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Click on thearrow besideViews.Scroll down andclick on Details.

You can now see allthe information for allthe files.

If you click on Size itwill bring the largestfile to the top of the list,click again and it willbring the smallest fileto the top.

You can also see when

the file was lastmodified – again clickon Modified to bringthe recently modifiedfile to the top or clickagain to bring theoldest file to the top.



File Extensions:

Look at the file extensions below the icons

.mdb Access/Databases

.xls Excel/Spreadsheets

.bmp Bitmap files (associated with Paint)

.ppt PowerPoint

.pub Publisher

.doc Word Processing (Opened with Word)

.rtf Rich Text Format (Opened also with Word)

.txt Text Document (Opened with a Text Editor or aWord Processing Program)

.html html document – A Web Page

.gif image – A picture file

.jpeg image - A picture file

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Files and Folders Exercise 1 (Floppy disk should already have various files on it)

1. Create a folder in your floppy disk and name it Answers. Create a sub folder and

name it Exercise 1

2. Open MS Word and save a blank document to this sub folder and name it answer

file (record your answers in this document)

3. What is this key combination used for? Ctrl+Alt+Delete

4. Use the Help function to find information on print options and copy 3 lines of the text

into your answer file

5. Explain how to close, resize and maximise a window

6. How many files on your floppy disk are of the type .doc

7. How many files are stored on your floppy disk in total?

8. Create a folder within your floppy disk called Large (on the same level as the

Answers folder) e.g

9. Copy the two largest files into the Large folder

10. Explain the following file extensions

.doc .mdb

.bmp .txt

.rtf .xls

11. Print the answer file.

12. Delete the two sub folders Answers and Large

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31 /2 Floppy (A)

Answers Large



SAMPLE ANSWERS FOR EXERCISE 1

Re-booting the system Or End an application that has frozen the PC.

4 If you can’t print to a printer

Make sure that:

• The printer is turned on.

• The printer is in range.

• The printer is assigned to the infrared printer port.

• Infrared communication is turned on.

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6 This answer will vary depending on the number of previous Word Processingdocuments created.

7 This answer will vary.8 This answer will vary.

9 .doc - Word Processing file.bmp - Picture file.rtf - Rich Text Format (this is a text file containing formatting).mdb - Database file.txt - Text Document.xls - Spreadsheet file

Your Floppy should look similar to the following:

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Minimise

This button willminimise the screenand place the name of the application or document onto thetaskbar

Restore / Maximise

This button has two functions.When the window is Full screensize it reduces it to a smaller size. If the window is already minimised itrestores it to Full screen size.

Close

This button closesthe window.

Folders Answer & Large created

Subfolder & Answer fileLargest files moved



Files and Folders Exercise 2

Ask your Tutor for the Files & Folders Mock

1 Locate the Files & Folders Mock that is situated on your desktop.

2 Create a subfolder within Files & Folders and name it your Surname

3 Create the following structure within your Surname subfolder.

4 Open a Word Processing application and type your name and today’s date.

Save this document as answer file to your Surname folder.

5 What is the correct procedure of shutting down your computer? Record your

answer in your answer file document.

6 Explain how to set another printer as default. Record your answer in your

answer file document.

7 Use the online help facility to find information about CD Player. Copy two lines

of the text to your answer file document.8 How many files in the Files & Folders Mock (including sub folders) are of the

type *.xls. Record your answer to the answer file document.

9 Move the largest file from the Red Subfolder and put it in the Yellow subfolder.

10 Locate file31.doc from the Files & Folders Mock and move it to the Blue

subfolder.

11 What is the name of the most recently modified *.ppt in the Files & Folders

Mock. Record your answer to the answer file document.

12 Rename File25.txt to be called Orange.

13 Name three mouse techniques. Record your answer to the answer file

document.

Save, print one copy of your answer file. Your tutor will check your answers.

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Your Surname

Blue Yellow



SAMPLE ANSWERS FOR EXERCISE 2

5 The correct procedure of shutting down your computer is: save and close anyopened applications. Go to start and select shut down. Click OK. When themessage appears informing you to switch off, do so. Note some computers switchthemselves off. If the monitor light remains on switch the monitor off as well. Thenwait until it safe to switch off at the power.

6 Go to start, then settings and then printers. Right Click on the printer you want toset as default – a pop up menu will appear, click on Set as Default. You will now notice atick beside the printer.

7 Using CD Player

You can use CD Player to play audio compact discs on a CD-ROM drive connectedto your computer. To listen to a CD, you can use headphones that are plugged in tothe CD-ROM. If you have a sound card installed, you can listen to a CD over your

speaker system.

7 There are four files of the type .xlsThe recently modified .ppt is called Wine Tasting.13 Three mouse techniques – Point, Double Click & Drag.

A Sample View of your Files & Folders Structure that you have created:

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File.25 renamed toorange

Moved File31

Moved the largest filefrom the Red Subfolder and put into the YellowSubfolder



AN EXAMPLE OF FILES & FOLDERS STRUCTURE

using a computer

Documents