WINDOWS DESKTOP
Chapter 5
The learner’s will be able to:
Explore the contemporary Windows Desktop
Perform the different mouse techniques
Be acquainted on the different screen elements
and their function
Manipulate a window
Shutdown, Restart and Sleep a computer
Desktop
Desktop
It can be customized according to the user's
preference
It is divided into 2 parts
1) icon - the upper portion that consists with small
graphics with text underneath
- it represents programs that are saved on
the Desktop or shortcuts that lead directly to
a program, folder, file, etc.
2) Taskbar - the bar along the bottom of the screen
- It is used to quickly access certain features
and some running programs.
icons
Mouse Techniques
Point position the mouse pointer to a certain location
Click press and immediately release the mouse
button to a selected item/icon
Double click click the mouse button twice in rapid
succession to an icon to open that folder.
Drag press the mouse button and hold it down while
the mouse is moved, then release the button at
the appropriate location
Right Click position the mouse pointer to a certain location
and press the right mouse button to display a
shortcut menu
Taskbar
It is displayed across the bottom of the screen.
It contains:
Start button on the left;
Search box
all the running and open program; and
System tray which consists of the Date/Time, network
connection and many other icon can be found in the right
Start Menu
Located at the bottom of the screen
This button is used to display the main fixed menu of
the computer, which includes:
Shutdown (Turn off)
This turn off your computer system completely.
It powers down your computer system in a
controlled way.
All open programs closes and the computer shuts
down the Operating System
CPUs, RAM and Hard disk drives are completely
powered off.
No Power consumption at all
Restart
It is when Windows turns your computer off and
back on again.
It saves your information to the hard drive, turns off
the computer for a moment, then turns it back on
again.
A restart is typically best when your PC is running
unusually slow.
Sleep
It is also known as Standby or Nap mode.
It is just similar to Hibernation, it is returned to its
previous state when the System is powered up
again.
Power is used to keep the computer’s state in
memory, Sleep reduces the power consumption
by stopping the power to the hardware
components i.e. peripheral devices, monitor and
the hard drive which are not being used.
It uses more power than Shutdown or Hibernate.
When the Computer is again turned on from Sleep
mode, the system will boot quickly and the data will
be retrieved from memory in a few seconds.
Sleep has a main advantage over Hibernation that
the Computer takes even less time to go from the
sleep state to the ‘fully-on’ state.
You should put the Computer to Sleep If you leave
your computer idle for a small amount of time.
You can put your computer to sleep to save
electricity and battery power.
Windows
A window is a boxed area in which you can view
programs, files, folders, drives, icons representing
programs, and other elements.
A WINDOW sits on the desktop much the same as
a book might sit on your desk.
All windows have similar features. This makes it
easier for the user to use, even when they are
unfamiliar with an application.
Let’s take a look at a typical WINDOW
(1) Menu bar Contains items that you can click to
make choices in a program.
(2) Title bar Displays the name of the document
and program (or the folder name if
you're working in a folder).
(3) Minimize button Hides the window to the
Taskbar
(4) Maximize button Enlarge the window to fill
the whole screen
(5) Close button Close the window
(6) Scroll bar Let’s you scroll the contents of the window to see information that is currently
out of view.
(7) Borders and corners You can drag these with your mouse pointer to change the size of the
window.
Moving a Window
1. To move a window, point to its title bar with the
mouse pointer
2. Then drag the window to the location that you
want
Changing the Size of a Window
To make a window fill the entire screen,
click its Maximize button
To return a maximized window to its former size,
click its Restore button (this appears in place
of the Maximize button) or,
double-click the window's title bar.
To resize a window (make it smaller or bigger),
point to any of the window's borders or corners.
When the mouse pointer changes to a two-headed
arrow (see picture below), drag the border or
corner to shrink or enlarge the window
Closing a Window
Closing a window removes it from the desktop and
taskbar.
If you're done with a program or document and don't
need to return to it right away, close it.
To close a window,
click its Close button