unit 2 - mba-windows os

7/31/2019 Unit 2 - Mba-windows Os

1/25

Windows Operating System

Microsoft Windows is a series of graphical interface operating systems developed, marketed, and sold byMicrosoft. Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs).[2]Microsoft Windowscame to dominate the world's personal computer market, overtaking Mac OS, which had been introduced in1984.

The most recent client version of Windows is Windows 7; the most recent server version is Windows Server2008 R2; the most recent mobile version is Windows Phone 7.5.

Date 16-bit 32-bit 64-bit Codename20 November1985

Windows 1.0

9 December1987

Windows 2.0

27 May 1988 Windows 2.10

13 March1989

Windows 2.11

22 May 1990 Windows 3.0

6 April 1992 Windows 3.1

Janus

27 October1992

Windows forWorkgroups 3.1

Kato, Sparta

27 July 1993 Windows NT 3.1 NT OS/2

8 November1993

Windows forWorkgroups 3.11

Snowball (LB)

21 September1994

Windows NT 3.5 Daytona

30 May 1995 Windows NT 3.51 Daytona
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interfacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsofthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_environmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interfacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-aboutcomnov-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-aboutcomnov-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-aboutcomnov-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_dominancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_%28computing%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_1.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_1.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.51http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.51http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_Family_Tree.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.51http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_1.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_%28computing%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_OShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_dominancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-aboutcomnov-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interfacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_environmenthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsofthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interface


2/25

24 August1995

Windows 95

Chicago

24 August1996

Windows NT 4.0 SUR, Cairo

25 June 1998 Windows 98

Memphis

5 May 1999 Windows 98 SE

17 February2000 Windows 2000

For SP1Asteroid

14 September2000

Windows Me

Millenium

29 August2001

Windows 2000 AdvancedServer Limited EditionWindows 2000Datacenter ServerLimited Edition

25 October2001

Windows XP Whistler

31 October2002

Windows XP MediaCenter Edition

Freestyle

24 April 2003 Windows Server 2003 Whistler Server

30 September2003

Windows XP MediaCenter Edition 2004

Harmony

12 October2004

Windows XP MediaCenter Edition 2005

Symphony

25 April 2005Windows XPProfessional x64 Edition

8 July 2006 Windows Fundamentalsfor Legacy PCs

Eiger

30 November2006

Windows Vista for Business use Longhorn

30 January2007

Windows Vista for Home use; released in fiftycountries

Longhorn

7 November2007

Windows Home Server Quattro

27 February2008

Windows Server 2008 LonghornServer

22 October2009[1]

Windows 7 7(Vienna)

22 October2009

Windows Server 2008 R2 WindowsServer 7

6 April 2011Windows Home Server2011

Vail

Future release Windows 8 8(Metro/vNext)

Future release Windows Server 2012 WindowsServer 8
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98_SE#Windows_98_Second_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition_2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition_2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition_2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Serverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Serverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server_2011http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server_2011http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server_2011http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2012http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2012http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2012http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server_2011http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Server_2011http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Microsoft_Windows#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Home_Serverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition_2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Edition_2005http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Media_Center_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98_SE#Windows_98_Second_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95


3/25

The term Windows collectively describes any or all of several generations of Microsoft operating systemproducts. These products are generally categorized as follows:

Early versions

Windows 1.0, the first version, released in 1985

The history of Windows dates back to September 1981, when Chase Bishop, a computer scientist, designed the

first model of an electronic device and project "Interface Manager" was started. It was announced in November1983 (after the Apple Lisa, but before the Macintosh) under the name "Windows", but Windows 1.0 was notreleased until November 1985. The shell of Windows 1.0 was a program known as the MS-DOS ExecutiveOther supplied programs were Calculator, Calendar, Cardfile, Clipboard viewer, Clock, Control Panel, NotepadPaint, Reversi, Terminal, and Write. Windows 1.0 did not allow overlapping windows. Instead all windowswere tiled. Only dialog boxes could appear over other windows.

Windows 2.0 was released in October 1987 and featured several improvements to the user interface andmemory management. Windows 2.0 allowed application windows to overlap each other and also introducedmore sophisticated keyboard shortcuts. It could also make use ofexpanded memory.

Windows 2.1 was released in two different versions: Windows/386 employed the 386 virtual 8086 mode tomultitask several DOS programs, and the paged memory model to emulate expanded memory using availableextended memory.Windows/286 (which, despite its name, would run on the 8086) still ran in real mode, bucould make use of the high memory area.

The early versions of Windows were often thought of as simply graphical user interfaces, mostly because theyran on top ofMS-DOS and used it for file system services. However, even the earliest 16-bit Windows versionsalready assumed many typical operating system functions; notably, having their own executable file format andproviding their own device drivers (timer, graphics, printer, mouse, keyboard and sound) for applicationsUnlike MS-DOS, Windows allowed users to execute multiple graphical applications at the same time, through
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsofthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintoshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_1.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system_shellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS_Executivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Calculatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardfilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClipBook_Viewerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Panel_%28Windows%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notepad_%28Windows%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Painthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_emulatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Writehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiling_window_managerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_shortcuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_memoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows/386http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_80386http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_8086_modehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_memoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows/286http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_modehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_memory_areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_file_formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_driverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows1.0.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows1.0.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_logo.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows1.0.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows1.0.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_logo.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows1.0.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows1.0.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_logo.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Device_driverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executable_file_formathttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_memory_areahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_modehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows/286http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_memoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_8086_modehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_80386http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows/386http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_memoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_shortcuthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiling_window_managerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Writehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terminal_emulatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Painthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notepad_%28Windows%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Control_Panel_%28Windows%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ClipBook_Viewerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardfilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Calendarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Calculatorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-DOS_Executivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system_shellhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_1.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintoshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Lisahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft


4/25

cooperative multitasking. Windows implemented an elaborate, segment-based, software virtual memoryscheme, which allowed it to run applications larger than available memory: code segments and resources wereswapped in and thrown away when memory became scarce, and data segments moved in memory when a givenapplication had relinquished processor control.

Windows 3.0 and 3.1

Windows 3.0, released in 1990

Windows 3.0 (1990) and Windows 3.1 (1992) improved the design, mostly because of virtual memory andloadable virtual device drivers (VxDs) that allowed them to share arbitrary devices between multitasked DOSwindows.[citation needed] Also, Windows applications could now run in protected mode (when Windows wasrunning in Standard or 386 Enhanced Mode), which gave them access to several megabytes of memory andremoved the obligation to participate in the software virtual memory scheme. They still ran inside the sameaddress space, where the segmented memory provided a degree of protection, and multi-tasked cooperatively.For Windows 3.0, Microsoft also rewrote critical operations from C into assembly.

Windows 95, 98, and Me

Main articles: Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Me

Windows 95, released in August 1995

Windows 95 was released in August 1995, featuring a new user interface, support for long file names of up to255 characters, and the ability to automatically detect and configure installed hardware (plug and play). It couldnatively run 32-bit applications, and featured several technological improvements that increased its stabilityover Windows 3.1. There were several OEM Service Releases (OSR) of Windows 95, each of which wasroughly equivalent to a service pack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_multitaskinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_%28Windows%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_memoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VxDhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_modehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_%28programming_language%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_filenamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug_and_playhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_packhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_95_Desktop_screenshot.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_3.0_workspace.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Service_packhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plug_and_playhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_filenamehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assembly_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_%28programming_language%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protected_modehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VxDhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_memoryhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.1xhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_3.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_%28Windows%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_multitasking


5/25

Microsoft's next release was Windows 98 in June 1998. Microsoft released a second version of Windows 98 inMay 1999, named Windows 98 Second Edition (often shortened to Windows 98 SE).

In February 2000, Windows 2000 (in the NT family) was released, followed by Windows Me in September2000 (Me standing for Millennium Edition). Windows Me updated the core from Windows 98, but adoptedsome aspects of Windows 2000 and removed the "boot in DOS mode" option. It also added a new feature calledSystem Restore, allowing the user to set the computer's settings back to an earlier date.

Windows Millennium Edition is often confused with Windows 2000 (because of its name), and has been said tobe one of the worst operating systems Microsoft ever released.

Windows NT family

The NT family of Windows systems was fashioned and marketed for higher reliability business use. The firstrelease was NT 3.1 (1993), numbered "3.1" to match the consumer Windows version, which was followed byNT 3.5 (1994), NT 3.51 (1995), NT 4.0 (1996), and Windows 2000, which is the last NT-based Windowsrelease that does not include Microsoft Product Activation. Windows NT 4.0 was the first in this line toimplement the "Windows 95" user interface (and the first to include Windows 95's built-in 32-bit runtimes).

Microsoft then moved to combine their consumer and business operating systems with Windows XP that wasreleased on October 25, 2001. It came both in home and professional versions (and later niche market versionsfor tablet PCs and media centers); they also diverged release schedules for server operating systems. WindowsServer 2003, released a year and a half after Windows XP, brought Windows Server up to date with WindowsXP. After a lengthy development process, Windows Vista was released on November 30, 2006 for volumelicensing and January 30, 2007 for consumers. And its server counterpart, Windows Server 2008 was releasedin early 2008. On July 22, 2009, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 were released as RTM (release tomanufacturing) while the former was released to the public 3 months later on October 22, 2009.

64-bit operating systems

Windows NT included support for several different platforms before the x86-based personal computer becamedominant in the professional world. Versions of NT from 3.1 to 4.0 variously supported PowerPC, DEC Alphaand MIPS R4000, some of which were 64-bit processors, although the operating system treated them as 32-bitprocessors.

With the introduction of the Intel Itanium architecture (also known as IA-64), Microsoft released new versionsof Windows to support it. Itanium versions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 were released at thesame time as their mainstream x86 (32-bit) counterparts. On April 25, 2005, Microsoft released Windows XPProfessional x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions to support the x86-64 (or x64 in Microsofterminology) architecture. Microsoft dropped support for the Itanium version of Windows XP in 2005Windows Vista was the first end-user version of Windows that Microsoft released simultaneously in x86 and

x64 editions. Windows Vista does not support the Itanium architecture. The modern 64-bit Windows familycomprises AMD64/Intel64 versions of Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008, in both Itanium and x64 editionsWindows Server 2008 R2 drops the 32-bit version, although Windows 7 does not.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98_Second_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Restorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_MEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.51http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_Activationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Tablet_PChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Serverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerPChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEC_Alphahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itaniumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86-64http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Professional_x64_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Itaniumhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DEC_Alphahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerPChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X86http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008_R2http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2008http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_Windows_Vistahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Serverhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Server_2003http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_theater_PChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Tablet_PChttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XPhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Product_Activationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.51http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_MEhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_Restorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_2000http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98_Second_Editionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_98


6/25

Windows CE

The latest current version of Windows CE, Windows Embedded Compact 7, displaying a possible UI for whatthe media player can look like.

Windows CE (officially known as Windows Embedded Compact), is an edition of Windows that runs onminimalistic computers, like satellite navigation systems and some mobile phones. Windows EmbeddedCompact is based on its own dedicated kernel, dubbed Windows CE kernel. Microsoft licenses Windows CE toOEMs and device makers. The OEMs and device makers can modify and create their own user interfaces and

experiences, while Windows CE provides the technical foundation to do so.

Windows CE was used in the Dreamcast along with Sega's own proprietary OS for the console. Windows CE isthe core from which Windows Mobile is derived. Microsoft's latest mobile OS, Windows Phone, is based oncomponents from both Windows CE 6.0 R3 and the current Windows CE 7.0.

Windows Embedded Compact is not to be confused with Windows XP Embedded or Windows NT 4.0Embedded, modular editions of Windows based on Windows NT kernel.

Future of Windows

Screenshot of Windows 8 Release Preview start screen (as of May 31st, 2012)

Windows 8, the successor to Windows 7, is currently in development. Microsoft posted a blog entry in Dutchon October 22, 2010 hinting that Windows 8 would be released in roughly two years. Also, during the pre-Consumer Electronics Show keynote, Microsoft's CEO announced that Windows 8 will also run on ARMCPUs. This Windows version will also be more suitable for tablets and netbooks, featuring a more touch-friendly interface and a Microsoft 'App' market where the ARM versions of the software will download appsSeveral new features will also be introduced, such as support for USB 3.0 and the ability to run Windows fromUSB devices (like USB Hard Disks or USB Flash drives) with Windows To Go.

Microsoft has also announced a version of Windows 8 for ARM devices, named Windows RT.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_7.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OEMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mobilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_OShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_6.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_Compact_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Embeddedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0_Embeddedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0_Embeddedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Showhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsofthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPUhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_To_Gohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_RThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Windows_8_Release_Preview_Start_Screen.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:WindowsCE7.pnghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_RThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_To_Gohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tablet_computerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPUhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Architecturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEOhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsofthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumer_Electronics_Showhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_8http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0_Embeddedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_4.0_Embeddedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_XP_Embeddedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_Compact_7http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_6.0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_OShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Mobilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreamcasthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OEMhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Embedded_CE_7.0


7/25

( a) THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF WINDOWS DESKTOP

Once Windows is loaded into the memory of the computer, the focus is placed on the desktop. The desktop isdesigned to act just like an actual desktop. The desktop is a window that covers your entire computer screen. Itis the interface through which all of the programs are accessed. All other programs run on the top of theWindows desktop

The Windows desktop is comprised of three key elements:

1) Icons

2) Start menu

3) Taskbar

1) Icons:

Icons can be further classified into five categories:

Folder Icons: When a folder icon is double clicked, a folder window is opened displaying the contents of thefolder.

Program Icons: When a Program icon is double clicked, the corresponding program is loaded into thememory of the computer and the application starts running in a Window.

Document Icons: When a document icon is double clicked, the document itself is opened. For e.g., (Wordprocessing program, spreadsheet, database etc.

Shortcut Icons: Shortcut icons provide an alternate way to open programs, documents, and folders

System Icons: System icons are mandatory programs or files that are located on your desktop. User is notallowed to delete the system icon, since deleting the system icon would mean deleting the actual program fromthe hard drive of the computer. Examples of System Icons are Recycle Bin, My Computer, and NetworkNeighborhood etc

? Recycle Bin: Any file that is deleted from the hard disk of the computer is moved to a separate folder calledRecycle Bin. The files stored in the bin can be restored to their original location by using the 'Restore' option ofRecycle Bin. To empty the Recycle Bin, simply right click on this icon and-select 'Empty Recycle Bin' option.

? My Computer: Double clicking the "My Computer" icon will open a window that displays the contents of thecomputer. All the files and folders available in the computer can be viewed here. It also allows you to displaythe system and hardware information.

? Network Neighborhood: "Network Neighborhood" icon displays windows from other computers andresources, like printer, connected to the network.

There is the taskbar, which is normally located at the bottom of the screen and contains (respectively from rightto left) the clock, active programs, open windows, quicklaunch icons, and the start button (which appears aseither a button that says start or a windows symbol depending on the operating system you are using).The rest of the screen not including the taskbar is the desktop background. This is where one can place files,


8/25

shortcuts, and executable programs in the form of icons for quick and easy use. Three icons that usually appearon most windows desktops are 'My Computer,' 'My Documents,' and 'Recycle Bin.' Behind the icons can beplaced the wallpaper, which is either a default image that came with the computer, or a saved image owned bythe user.

Application Window and Document Window

Windows (written with a capital W) is a registered trade mark of Microsoft Corporation. It issoftware developed and manufactured by Microsoft. It is your computer's Operating System. Ithas been named so because it uses different kinds of windows using which your computer andyou perform various tasks.

The rectangular boxes of various sizes are parts of windows and most of them have somecommon features, though there are really no rules that make a rectangular box a window. Theonly common feature is that they all have a title bar.

Take a look at the picture below. It shows a number of open windows on a computer's desktop.

Several open windows on a computer's desktop.


9/25

Now let us take a close look at a typical application window and learn about its various partsand how each of them work.

Parts of a typical application window.

(The parts of a computer window is shown in red.)

On the topmost part of a window there is always a bright colored (by default this color is blue,but you can change it) bar called the title bar. This bar has several parts

1. Control Icon: This is situated on the extreme left side of the title bar and differentapplications put different icons there. By clicking on it, you will get a menu (as pictured below)

which lets you move, re-size, minimize, maximize, and close the window. Of course, you cando all of these in other ways without using the control icon. But as I have said elsewhere, inmost cases, Windows lets you do the same task in various ways. So take your pick


10/25

Clicking on the control icon will reveal this menu.

2. Document name and Application name: These names (titles) appear on this bar and hencethe name title bar. Unless you have named your document (i.e., saved the file with a file name)most applications will put their names like Untitled, Document, Document1, Document2, etc.The above picture of a typical application window was created by using Windows free wordprocessor WordPad, and I had not named the document yet. So on the title bar, it says"Document - WordPad".

3. Minimize, Maximize, Close: These three buttons are always located on the extreme rightside of the title bar and their functions are obvious. Clicking on the minus (-) sign will minimizethe window and it will become just a button on the taskbar. Clicking on the square box sign willmaximize the window and it will expand to fill the entire desktop. Clicking on the X button willclose the window.

Just under the title bar is the menu bar. As the name suggests, it holds the menu of commands.As in a restaurant menu, the commands are grouped into categories. Instead of Appetizers,Soups, Entrees, Desserts, Hot Drinks, Cold Drinks, etc. we have things like File, Edit, View,Insert, Format, Help, etc. here. Clicking on File will let the individual commands available

under this category appear in a dropdown menu (a vertical menu literally falls from top tobottom), just like under appetizers a restaurant menu might have things like raviolis, egg rolls,spring rolls, chicken wings, chicken fingers, crab Rangoons, etc. Beginners should click on eachitem like File, Edit, View, etc. to make themselves familiar with which command is availableunder which category.

Under the menu bar comes the toolbar. This bar holds tools for the commonly executedcommands. Just clicking on the command's icon executes the command and hence saves timeneeded to find the command from the menu bar and then clicking on it. Most modern day

programs use the same icons for the commonly executed commands. Hence it is useful toremember the icons for each command. (Clue: Hover your mouse pointer over any of thesetools. It will reveal what it is used for).

In the picture of a typical application window above, there are eleven tools shown on the toolbarof WordPad. From left to right, they are used for performing the following commandsrespectively:

New | Open | Save | Print | Preview | Find | Cut | Copy | Paste | Undo | Insert date/time


11/25

In some large programs there may be more than one toolbar. This means the toolbar may appearin two lines. So that the window may not look clumsy, these programs usually offer the optionof Show/Hide Toolbar. And that option is usually available under the View category in themenu bar.

The large blank area in the middle of the application window that covers the most area of thewindow is for holding the document you are creating, or editing, or viewing.

Below the document area runs the status bar. In this area Windows notifies you about what iscurrently happening, such as when you are saving a file, it might tell you Saving ... or Done. Itmight also announce things like Press F1 for Help. Your browser's window states things likeWeb site found, Downloading files, 4 files remaining, Done. In the typical window's pictureabove, my mouse pointer is resting on the Print tool. See for yourself what the status bar issaying. Interesting, huh? Make it a habit of looking at the status bar (where available). You willfind useful information.

On the extreme right side of the status bar in some windows, you may see a square box withthree diagonal lines on its lower right corner. This box is marked with a red border in thewindows picture above. This indicates that this window can be re-sized. In fact, most windowscan be re-sized whether this box is present or not. Within this box in some windows, you maysee another small square box towards its upper left corner, and in the lower right corner, insteadof three, there are only two diagonal lines. That indicates this window cannot be re-sized.Again, even without that indicator, some windows cannot be resized. These are generallywarning messages, error messages, some dialog boxes, and the like. I just had to tell you aboutthis re-size option indicators!

When the document is too big (too long, too wide, or both) for the window to display in itsdocument holding area, Windows automatically inserts scrollbars and scroll boxes as shown inthe windows picture above. The vertical scrollbar is for scrolling up and down the windowThe horizontal scrollbar is for scrolling side to side. Scrolling is done either by clicking on thescroll arrows - one click at a time, or by pressing a scroll arrow with the mouse pointer andkeep it pressed, or by clicking directly on the scrollbar, or by dragging the scroll box with themouse pointer. If you have a scroll wheel in your mouse, you can place the mouse pointer onthe scroll box and move the wheel with your index or middle finger backward or forward to godown or up the page respectively. Each of these methods has a different result in terms ofscrolling speed. Try it out for yourself. You have to click on the lower scroll arrow to go down

the page and click on the upper scroll arrow to go up the page. Similarly, you have to click onthe right scroll arrow to see the right side of the page and click on the left scroll arrow to see theleft side of the page. Practice scrolling. It is one of the basic skills needed to use the computer.Also, note that by looking at the scroll box you can tell approximately how far down on thepage you have gone. If the scroll box is on the middle of the scrollbar, you are approximately inthe middle of the page. This is an approximation but you will find it useful at times, especiallywhen you are negotiating through a very long page. (Look at the scroll box in the verticalscrollbar of your window right now while you are reading this page. The scroll box is near thebottom. That means you have almost reached the end of this page). The scroll box is long when


12/25

the page is not too long and only little scrolling is needed to see the entire page. As the pagegets longer, the scroll box gets shorter. See how much information about a page's length (orwidth) and your location on the page can be gathered just by looking at the scroll box? Learn toobserve these small details and outsmart your peers.

We have discussed in considerable details about the various parts of an application window.What about other windows? Other widows (such as document windows, help windows, dialog

windows/boxes, warning windows and so forth) all have similar features but generally they willhave fewer features. Some windows may only have a title bar, a title and a close (X) button onit. Some may only have a title bar, a title, and a Close or OK button inside it. I have seen errormessages in a white rectangular box that does not even have a title bar. I am not sure whethersuch boxes can be called a window, but such things are really rare. If you have read andunderstood the features of a typical application window described above, I am confident thatyou will be able to figure out everything you encounter in any window that Windows maythrow on your way.

What are Window Indicators?Window Indicators will be just like the current Panel Indicators: they will have an icon which indicates the stateand clicking it brings up a menu.

Purpose

The "windicators" purpose is to banish the statusbar:

We can replace these (statusbar items) with a combination of windicators and temporary, cover status bars. Ireally liked the Chrome browsers use of overlay status messages, so kudos and thanks to them for theinspiration. The net result of those two steps, in apps where we can, is to save about 5% of the vertical space foryour stuffreal content.

The idea is to replace the statusbar with windicators and an temporarily overlay statusbar - like in Chrome.

Windicator ideas

There are already a few window indicators (or "windicators") ideas for Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat:

Online / offline status indicator and toggle options for the mail client, chat program or Gwibber, thebroadcast messages application.

An "unsaved" indicator, that tells people that the contents of the file they are working on have changedand potentially lets them save it or set autosave properties.

Progress indicators, which show that an action is in progress, and possibly also indicate the extent ofthe progress. The associated menu would enable one to pause or cancel the operation, and perhapsdefine the behaviour on completion of the action.

A "basket" indicator, which shows if any items have been selected for purchase, Sharing indicators, which would show if a document is shared with multiple people, and enable one to

setup such a share. Volume indicators, which would show the loudness of application audio streams, and enable one to set

the volume for that specific application.


13/25

File Handling in Windows:

Creating File

Deleting a File

Moving a File

Copying a File

Accessories

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories

In Accessories we find the following Utilities:

1. Accessibilitya. Accessibility Wizardb. Magnifierc. Narratord. On-Screen Key Boarde. Utility Manager

2. Entertainmenta. Sound Recorderb. Volume Controller

3. System Toolsa. Backupb. Character Mapc. Disk Cleanupd. Disk Defragmentere. Files and Settings Transfer Wizardf. Internet Explorerg. Scheduled Tasksh. Security Center

i. System Informationj. System Restore

4. Address Book5. Calculator6. Command Prompt7. Notepad8. Paint9. Program Compatibility Wizard10. Remote Desktop Connection11. Synchronize12. Tour Windows XP13. Windows Explorer14. WordPad15. Communication

Tools to meet special vision, hearing and ability needs

Windows Accessories TheWindows operating Systemsprovide you with some handy tools that I would like topoint your attention to. Some of the tools are for configuring your system to meet your vision, hearing andability needs, other tools are for helping you maintain your system for optimal performance.
http://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.html


14/25

Here is how you find your Windows tools. Click: Start > Programs > Accessories > Accessability

Let's start with a few vision, hearing and ability tools. The first one is:

The Magnifier

In all windows OS's

The Magnifier is a display utility that makes the computer screen more readable by people who have low visionby creating a separate window that displays a magnified portion of the screen. Magnifier provides a minimumlevel of functionality for people who have slight visual impairments.

Tip! Usually the Magnifier by default is set to show up at the top of the screen, but you can move it around byusing your left mouse button: Click ad hold down the left button and move the magnifier window to where youwant it, then let go of the button.

When you open the Magnifier a new window appears: The Magnifier Settings window From that window youcan change the level of magnification, change the tracking and the presentation. To get out of the magnifermode simply clickExit

Here is another tool:

The Narrator

From Windows 2000 and newer

The Narrator is a text-to-speech utility for people who are blind or have low vision. Narrator reads what isdisplayed on the screenthe contents of the active window, menu options, or text that has been typed.

Note1 The Narrator is designed to work with Notepad, WordPad, Control Panel programs, Internet Explorer

the Windows desktop, and some parts of Windows Setup. Narrator may not read words aloud correctly in otherprograms. Narrator has a number of options that allow you to customize the way screen elements are read.

The third tool I will mention is:

The On-screen Keyboard

OnScreen Keyboard is a utility that displays a virtual keyboard on the computer screen that allows people withmobility impairments to type data by using a pointing device or joystick. Besides providing a minimum level offunctionality for some people with mobility impairments, OnScreen Keyboard can also be helpful for peoplewho do not know how to type.


15/25

Note! The program in which you want to type characters must be active while you are using OnScreenKeyboard. The accessibility tools in the Windows operating system are intended to provide a minimum level offunctionality for users with special needs.

Windows tools to help you optimize your computers performance

In the Windows Accessories you wil also find some very handy tools that will help you keep your systemrunning smoothly. It's a good idea to get aquanted with these tools and how to use them.

You find the tools by clicking System Tools from the Accessories menu

The most important accessories to know are:

Back Up

Disk Cleanup

Disk Defragmenter

Backup!Where I come from, we have a saying "Real men do not back up!". The very same "real men" always come tome for help, when they run into trouble from NOT having backed up anything and their hard drive crashes.Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to help them - other than point out to them that in MY opinion "realmen" are smart men, who DO back up important files on a weekly or monthly basis, - time frame depending onhow much they use their computers and how important to them their work is.

So take my advice and learn how to Backup!

The Backup accessory in the Windows Accessories menu makes it easy to backup all your important files. Ifyou click through the backup wizard presented to you when you clickBackup from the System Tools menu you

will find several choices for backing up your files. If you took my advice on how to manage your files andsaved all your files in the Documents folder or on the D: drive (if you have one), backing up your personal filesis easy.

The Backup wizard gives you the oportunity to create a "System recovery Disk", too. This is a handy tool ifyou're not TOO sure how well rotected you are from virus and other malware. The restore dsc will include alldata on your computer and the iles neccesary to restore windows in the case of a major failure.

Note! Backing up means making a copy of files and store it on another media, such as aCD Rom disk, a Smartdrive or another hard drive. Choose the one that suites you the best. For the CD Rom backup option - of course -you will need a "Burner" to make a copy.

An external hard drive attached to yourUSB portis a good choice for backup media.

The next of the important accessories is:

The Disk Defragmenter

When you click the Disk Defragmenter from the Windows accessories > System Tools menu
http://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.htmlhttp://www.basic-computerskills.com/computer-terms.html


16/25

you will see this window.

The Disk Fragmenter sorts out the files on your drive(s) to optimize the space you are using. Defragmentingyou drive(s) perodically is a good tool for optimizing your computers performance.

If you click the Analyze button first, the defragmenter will analyze the specific drive selected in the windowand tell you, whether or not it is time to go through the defragmentation process.

WordPad and Notepad

Microsoft Windows includes two small programs for working with text. One is Notepad and the other is WordPad.

Notepad is a basic text editor that you can use to create simple, text documents. The most common use for Notepadis to view or edit text (.txt) files. Notepad has a limit on the size of a text file it can open. Because Notepad supportsonly very basic formatting, you cannot accidentally save special formatting in documents that need to remain puretext. I will sometimes paste text into Notepad and then copy it again. This strips out all the formatting that might begiving me problems in another program like Word.

With WordPad, you can create and edit simple text documents or documents with complex formatting and graphicsThis means you can have bold or underlined text, bulleted lists, font colors and images in your document. You can

save your WordPad file as a text file without formatting, or rich text file. Unfortunately, WordPad does not have anyspell check function i.e. WordPad can format and print text, but lacks intermediate features such as a spelchecker, thesaurus, and support for tables. As such, it is suitable for writing letters or short pieces, butunderpowered for work that relies heavily on graphics or typesetting.

Both Notepad and WordPad can be found in the Windows Start menu under "Programs" and"Accessories".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spell_checkerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spell_checkerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesaurushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thesaurushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spell_checkerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spell_checker


17/25

Using WordPad

WordPad is a basic word processor that is included in Windows. A word processor is a computer program that youcan use to create, edit, view, and print text documents. With WordPad, you can type letters, book reports, and othersimple documents. You can also change how the text looks, quickly move sentences and paragraphs around, andcopy and paste text within and between documents.

The WordPad window

To open WordPad, click the Start button , click All Programs, click Accessories, and then click WordPad.

WordPad window

There are four main parts of the WordPad window:

The toolbar. The toolbar contains buttons for basic commands, including saving and printing. To find out what a

button does, rest your mouse pointer on it. A box pops up showing the function of the button.

The format bar. The format bar contains buttons that you can use to format the text in your document. For example,

you can choose the font, color, and alignment of your text.

The ruler. Use the ruler to check the layout and placement of text in your document.

The document area. This is where you type your document, make changes to the text, and apply your formatting.


18/25

1. Selecting text

Whenever you want to do something to text in your document, such as copy it or format it, you need to select it first.

To select text, position the mouse pointer to the left of where you want to begin your selection. With the pointer

positioned, click and hold the left mouse button while you drag the pointer over the text that you want to select. The

selected text will be highlighted. Once you've completed your selection, release the mouse button.

Text selected in Notepad

2. Copying and moving text

If you have text in one part of your document that you want to appear in another part, there are two ways to move

the text around without having to retype it: You can copy and paste it to another location, or you can move it to

another location.

When you copy text, it is placed in the Clipboard. You can then paste it in a different location. The original text is

preserved.

When you move text to another location, the original text is not preserved. You might find this method useful when

you want to rearrange the sentences and paragraphs in your document.

To copy text and paste it in another location

Select the text that you want to copy.

On the Edit menu, click Copy.

Move the cursor to the location where you want to insert the copied text.

On the Edit menu, click Paste.

Tip

To quickly copy text that you've selected, press CTRL+C. To paste it, press CTRL+V.

To move text to a different location

Select the text that you want to move.

Point to the text that you've selected, and then click and hold the left mouse button.

Drag the selected text to the place in your document that you want it to appear.

Inserting and deleting text


19/25

WordPad makes it easy to insert and delete text wherever you want. To insert text, click where you want to insert

the text and then just start typing. To delete text, select the text that you want to delete, and then press DELETE.

Tip

If you make a mistake while you're editing the text in your document, you can always undo it. Press CTRL+Z to

undo your last action.

Formatting your document

Formatting refers to the how the text in your document looks as well as how it is arranged. WordPad lets you easily

change the formatting in your document. For example, you can choose from many different fonts and font sizes, and

you can make your text almost any color you want. You can also easily change how your document is aligned.

3. To change the font, font style, or font size

Select the text whose formatting you want to change.

On the Format menu, click Font.

In the Font box, type or select the font you want to use.

In the Font Style box, type or select the font style you want.

In the Size box, type or select the size you want to use.

Tip

You can also use the commands on the format bar to change the font, font size, and font style.

To change the color

Select the text whose color you want to change.

On the Format menu, click Font.

Under Color, click the color that you want.

Here's a picture of a document with some different fonts and colors applied:


20/25

Text formatting in WordPad

To change the alignment

You can align the text in your document (or a paragraph in your document) to either the left margin, the center, or

the right margin.

Select the paragraph whose alignment you want to change.

On the Format menu, click Paragraph.

In the Alignment box, click the alignment you want.

This picture shows how paragraphs look with different alignment:

Text alignment in WordPad


21/25

4. Saving your document

It's a good idea to save your document periodically while you are working on it so that in case your computer stops

working for some reason, you won't lose any of your work. Saving the document will also allow you to come back to

it later if you want to work on it again.

To save the document

On the File menu, click Save.

If you haven't saved the document yet, you'll be asked to provide a name for the document and location on your

computer to save it to:

In the Save in box, click the location where you want to save the document.

In the File name box, type a name for your document.

Click Save.

5. Printing your document

On the File menu, click Print. In the Print dialog box, use the Page Range box and the Number of copies box to

specify which pages you want to print as well as how many copies. When you're done, click Print.

Using Notepad

Notepad is a basic Windows utility. Its used for creating and/or editing unformatted text (.TXT) files. It has

limitations, but its surprisingly useful - so much so that I always put a shortcut to it on my desktop.

1. Notepad as your Digital Diary You can use Notepad as digital diary and automatically insert date time

information for every line you type in notepad. Open a new notepad file (Click Start > Run, type Notepad and

hit OK) and type .LOG at the top of the notepad file.

Now type few lines and close the Notepad file. Open the notepad file and you will see date time information

added to each line of text in your Notepad file. You can also add this information manually, just hit F5 key

where you want to insert date-time information.


22/25

2. Notepad as HTML Stripper Notepad strips all formatting from text that is pasted into it. Boldface, italics,

hyperlinks...all of it disappears, and you get the plain text instead. When youre copying and pasting in some

applications (particularly Microsoft Office), theres a "Paste Special - Unformatted" option. Unfortunately this

often fails to remove formatting, and the result can screw up your documents. By pasting the text into

Notepad first, and then copying and pasting that Notepad text into your new document, you absolutely

remove any and all text formatting - guaranteed clean text.

Ideally text on web pages is formatted for specific font type, color, size along with other CSS design

elements and images. You can rip off text only from any webpage using notepad. Just select and copy text

from any webpage and paste in a notepad file which can be saved (without any formatting baggage) for

future use.

3. Notepad as Printing cost saver Notepad can come handy when you are printing text laden pages in large

quantity. Extending the concept of using Notepad as HTML stripper, you can strip webpages of additiona

formatting and image using notepad and print more with less usage of ink, paper and money (of course).

4. Notepad as HTML webpage creator Notepad can be used to create your first HTML webpage as stepping

stone in the world webpages (and websites). Just type basic HTML tags and save the file with .html

extension. Test drive with code in following screenshot:

5. Notepad as Good and Evil script creator Notepad is a very simple text editor which can be used to create

complex script. You can create evil scripts likeformat of hard driveto useful scriptslike PC shutdown, which

can be executed with a click of a button.

6. Notepad as Text Replacer You can use notepad to replace word(s) in essay of text. For example, you want

to replace Microsoft with Yahoo in specific text file. Copy the text into notepad file and use Ctrl + H (or Edit

> Replace), enter Microsoft in first text field and Yahoo is second text field and click the replace button.

Notepad is also useful for replacing characters which are wildcards to most Windows applications. For

example, the asterisk is used as a general wildcard in most Windows applications (again, Office springs to

mind). If you have a file which contains asterisks and you want to delete or replace them with a "Replace

All", youre pretty much out of luck in Excel and Word. Searching and replacing * with nothing will

delete all of your text. The same thing happens with the question mark, which is a wildcard that represents a

single character (as opposed to the *, which can represent any number of characters).
http://rahulhackingarticles.wetpaint.com/page/Format+a+HDD+with+notepadhttp://rahulhackingarticles.wetpaint.com/page/Format+a+HDD+with+notepadhttp://rahulhackingarticles.wetpaint.com/page/Format+a+HDD+with+notepadhttp://technotip.org/notepad-bat-file-shutdown-windows-xp/http://technotip.org/notepad-bat-file-shutdown-windows-xp/http://technotip.org/notepad-bat-file-shutdown-windows-xp/http://technotip.org/notepad-bat-file-shutdown-windows-xp/http://rahulhackingarticles.wetpaint.com/page/Format+a+HDD+with+notepad


23/25

But Notepad doesnt use wildcards. So if you take your text and paste it into Notepad, you can search and

replace all the *s or ?s, and then paste the text back into your original file. Of course, all other text formatting

will have been removed too! But if you work with large Excel files (as I do) and sometimes get data with

asterisks sprinkled throughout, Notepad is a godsend.

7. Notepad as Window Explorer Skipper Sometimes specific files cannot be deleted. You can try notepad to

skip and bypass Windows Explorer to delete such files. Open Notepad, GOTO File > Open. Select all files

in file type dropdown menu. Now browse to folder and right click on file you want remove and click the delete

option. Sometimes, this might come handy!

8. Notepad as Fun appNotepad isnt that simple and has its share of flaws. Open Notepad and type this app

can breakand then save the file. Open the file and see for yourself notepad just broke something!

9. Notepad as creative designer tool Notepad can break things (i.e. text) sometimes but it can also create

some impressive text based designs. Like open your notepad, type Q33N and then format font size 72px

font type WingDings. See the screenshot below, 9/11 plan crash remember?

Besides, you can see more creative text designs made in notepad while downloading serial key crack filesthey usual have big graffiti made in notepad, seen those?

10. Quick Copier: Notepad is also handy to store a quick copy of any text. For example, say that Im writing a

comment on a site that isnt always reliable. Or say that Im concerned that my connection to the net might

crash. Its easy to pop open Notepad and throw a copy of my comment into it before hitting the "Submit"

button. That way if something goes wrong, I have a copy saved. And Notepad starts up more quickly and

uses far fewer system resources than Word.


24/25

11. To open files of unknown type: Notepad makes no changes to files that it opens (unlessyoumake changes, of course), its useful forexamining and editing files which could be screwed up by more

advanced programs. It can be used on HTML code quite nicely, for example. Likewise, if you have a file of

unknown type because the extension has been deleted, opening it in Notepad is a good way to make sure

that you dont screw it up merely by opening it. That way, you can example the contents of the file and

possibly figure out what type of file it actually is. The file type name can often be found amongst the code a

the beginning or end of the file.

Filename extension

File extension is usually three or more characters at the end of the computer file name. File extensions are useful for

computer operating systems, like Microsoft Windows or Apple MAC OS X, and basicaly tell them, what kind of data

file it is and with which application associated it is.

.png, .exe, .dmg and .txt.

We have collected a huge amount of information and created searchable file extension list. At present the File-

Extensions.org library contains thousands of file extensions and with each day the database is growing. A large

number of file type entries have detailed descriptions, including their current use and a list of applications associated

with it and which can handle the unknown file type, you were searching for.

If you encounter a file in your computer with an unknown file extension, then you are at the right place. You can

check our database for information about file extension you were looking for, including list of associated

applications.

Simply use the search box at the top-left corner of each page to check our database for a specific file extension.

You may also browse our database in alphabetical order using the navigation menu at the top.

Some file systems limit the length of the extension (such as the FAT file system not allowing more than three

characters) while others (such as NTFS) do not. Unix file systems accept the separator dot as a legal character.

Filename extensions can be considered a type ofmetadata. They are commonly used to imply information about the

way data might be stored in the file. The exact definition, giving the criteria for deciding what part of the file name is

its extension, belongs to the rules of the specific file system used; usually the extension is the substring which

follows the last occurrence, if any, of the dot character(example txt is the extension of the filename readme.txt, htm

the extension of mysite.index.html). Under Microsoft's DOS and Windows, extensions such as EXE, COM or BAT

indicate that a file is a program executable. This is different from UNIX-like file systems, where a suffix is not a

separate namespace.

With the advent ofgraphical user interfaces, the issue of file management and interface behavior arose. Microsoft

Windows allowed multiple applications to be associated with a given extension, and different actions were available
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Tablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metadata_%28computing%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_stophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windowshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX-likehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interfacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphical_user_interfacehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX-likehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windowshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DOShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_stophttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metadata_%28computing%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NTFShttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Tablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_system


25/25

for selecting the required application, such as a context menu offering a choice between viewing, editing or printing

the file.

Improvements

The filename extension was originally used to easily determine the file's generic type. The need to condense a file's

type into three characters frequently led to hard to make out extensions. Examples include using .GFX for graphics

files, .TXT forplain text, and .MUS formusic. However, because many different software programs have been made

that all handle these data types (and others) in a variety of ways, filename extensions started to become closely

associated with certain productseven specific product versions. For example, early WordStar files used .WS o

.WSn, where n was the program's version number. Also, filename extensions began to conflict between separate

files.

One example is [1] .rpm, used for both RPM - Package Managerpackages and RealPlayerMedia files;

[2] others being .qif, shared by DESQview fonts, Quicken financial ledgers, and QuickTime pictures,

[3] and .gba, shared between GrabIt scripts and Game Boy Advance ROM images.

Eventually, Windows introduced support for long file names, and removed the 8.3 name/extension split in file

names, in an extended version of the commonly used FAT file system called VFAT. VFAT first appeared in

Windows NT 3.5 and Windows 95. The internal implementation of long file names in VFAT is largely considered to

be a kludge, but it removed the important length restriction, and allowed files to have a mix ofupper case and lowe

case letters, on machines that would not run Windows NT well. However, the use of three-character extensions

under Microsoft Windows has continued, originally for backward compatibility with older versions of Windows and

now by habit, along with the problems it creates.

Note: File-Extensions.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_menuhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_texthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordStarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPM_Package_Managerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealPlayerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DESQviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledgerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickTimehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension#cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GrabIthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Advancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windowshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Tablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kludgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_casehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_casehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_casehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NThttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_casehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_casehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_casehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kludgehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_95http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_NT_3.5http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_systemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Allocation_Tablehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Windowshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_Boy_Advancehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GrabIthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension#cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickTimehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledgerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quickenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DESQviewhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filename_extension#cite_note-0http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RealPlayerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RPM_Package_Managerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WordStarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain_texthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Context_menu