what is windows 95?

Windows 95 Foundation - What is Windows 95? - Slide No. 1© Cheltenham Computer Training 1995-2002

What is Windows 95?

Windows 95 Foundation


What’s Wrong with DOS?

Conventional

Memory

Upper

Memory

Extended

Memory

Expanded

Memory

• Does not use the advanced features of modern CPUs – Based on the Intel 8088 Processor

– Only used up to 640 KB of memory

– Designed for diskettes, not large hard disks!

– Cluttered user interface


What’s Wrong with Windows 3.1x?

• Not optimized for today's high powered systems• Non-intuitive for first time users• Poor networking support• Cluttered user interface


Windows 95 Hardware Requirements

• Intel 80386-based processor - minimum– Beware of 80386sx chips

• 8MB RAM recommended minimum– Although 16 MB is recommended for decent performance

Windows 3.1 would run OK in 4 MB of RAM

For Windows 95 buy a BIG PC

For serious work use a minimum of 8 MB of RAM - regardless of what Microsoft may tell you!


Friendly Installation Wizard

• Automatic hardware detection/configuration• Intuitive installation

Windows 95 carefully examines your PC during the installation phase


The Windows 95 Desktop

• Highly Functional• Uncluttered• Easy to use


The Start Button

• Initially designed for the novice user

• Provides a launch point into the system

• Configurable to suit the user


The Taskbar

• Access to all concurrently running applications• System information and control

The Start Button System Clock

Concurrently Running Applications


The Recycle Bin• Easy retrieval of deleted

data• Salvageable files pruned

when disk space is low


My Computer

• Object-based access to local resources


Network Neighborhood

• Easy to use network browsing tool• Windows NT• Novell NetWare


What Does Windows 95 Give You?

• A mixed 16/32 bit operating system

• Greatly enhanced user interface

• Backwards compatibility with DOS and Windows 3.1


For Upgraders - Where is the Program Manager?

• Programs managed within the Start Menu

Similar categories to the original Program Manager


For Upgraders -Where is the File Manager?

• If you have used Windows 3.1 before:– You can still use the Windows 3.1 File Manager interface

• Long file names not displayed• The File Manager program is stored as:

– WINFILE.EXE

• Replaced by the ‘My Computer’ utility


For Upgraders - Where is the MS-DOS Prompt?

• MS-DOS is available as a Windows 95 utility


For Upgraders - Where is the Control Panel?

• The Control Panel allows you to configure and customize your Windows 95 system


For Upgraders - Where is the Print Manager?

• All printing controls now in one place


Review Questions


Window Components and Selection Techniques



The Title Bar• Provides added information• May be used to maximize or

restore window size

Title Bar


The Scroll Bars

• Allows for movement of text and graphics within a window

Scroll Bars


Maximize, Minimize, Restore, and Close Buttons

• Use the Maximize, Minimize, and Restore buttons to size your applications

Minimize

Maximize

The Restore button is only visible when the window has been maximized

Minimized

programs

displayed

here

Close


Borders

• Borders can be used for:– Obtaining an exact window size

– Horizontal control

– Vertical control

– Corner re-sizing

Click and drag the vertical border to make the window narrower or wider

Click and drag the horizontal border to make the window taller or shorter

Click and drag the corner of the window to re-size a window in two dimensions simultaneously


The Control Menu Icon

• All windows have a Control (or System) menu• Click to display the Control (or System) drop down

menu

Control Menu


Dialog Boxes

• Dialog boxes assist in the selection of actions

To close a dialog box, press the Esc key


Text Boxes

• Allow you to enter text in dialog boxes– Click in the text box and type in the text required

Note: Some text boxes have a down arrow on the right-hand side which, when clicked, will reveal a drop down list of available options


List Boxes

• Pick list• Linked list boxes


Drop Down List Boxes

• Drop down list of options from which an item may be selected

Clicking here displays a drop down list


Check Boxes and Radio Buttons

• Check boxes allow selection of one or more item• Radio buttons allow a single selection from a

range of options– These options are mutually exclusive

Radio Buttons

Check Boxes


Command Buttons

• Command symbols are indicated on the button• Provide a shortcut to advanced features• Increasingly if you move the mouse pointer to a

command button, then a bubble will be displayed indicating the function of the button– This feature is not always present


Tabs

• Some dialog boxes have multiple sections and categories

• Categories are separated by tabs• Click on each tab to choose available options

Tabs


Mouse Selection Techniques

• Mouse Clicks - Position the cursor• Mouse Clicks - Select a word in

WordPad or activate an icon• Mouse Clicks - Select an entire

paragraph in WordPad

REMEMBER THE WINDOWS TECHNIQUE

Select Then Manipulate!


Keyboard Selection Techniques

• Accelerated application interaction

Keyboard Shortcuts


Drag and Drop Techniques

• Allows logical moving and copying of objects

An icon can be copied, by dragging and dropping (while the Ctrl key is depressed)


The ‘Other’ Mouse Button

• Click the right-hand mouse button to display a pop-up menu pertaining to the object you click on

Clicking with the right-hand mouse button on the Desktop background displays this menu


What are Property Sheets?

• Allows for customization of Desktop elements

Click with the right-hand mouse button


Review Questions


Starting to Use Windows 95



What is the Start Button?• The initial launch point for

Windows 95• Requires only a single

mouse click to be activated and display the Start menu


The Start Menu• Allows easy access to the

components that make up Windows 95, and also to your application programs

• Easily configurable to suit the way YOU wish to work– Items many be added or removed

TIP: Keyboard shortcut to display the Start Menu

Ctrl+Esc


The Start Button - Programs

• Windows 3.1 ‘Program Manager’ type categories


The Start Button - Documents

• Last 15 local documents are stored here for easy retrieval

IMPORTANT:

Only documents created directly from the Windows 95 Desktop are stored here!


The Start Button - Settings

• Access to configuration utilities– Control Panel

– Printer

– Taskbar


The Start Button - Find• Searches all system resources

– Find: The Microsoft Network– Find: All Files– Find: Computer


The Start Button - Help Topics

• Access to Help– Contents

– Index

– Find


The Start Button - Run

• Run or browse for executable files


The Start Button - Shut Down

• Cleanly shuts down the system· Shut down the computer?

· Restart the computer?

· Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode?

· Close all programs and logon as a different user?


The Startup Folder

• Use the Windows Explorer to drag any programs to the Startup folder and they will start automatically when Windows 95 is started

Drag to this location


What is the Taskbar?

• Displays running applications• Click with the right-hand

mouse button to: – Customize Taskbar options

– Customize Start Menu programs

Double click to show the Date/Time Properties dialog box

Double click to run these programs


Controlling Applications From the Taskbar

– Running applications are displayed within the Taskbar

– Right clicking on these applications, as displayed in the Taskbar, will display a pop-up menu which allows you to control that program

• Running TASKMAN displays a Windows 3.1 style Task List• Not displayed by default• Menu driven


Moving and Customizing the Taskbar

– By default, the Taskbar is displayed across the bottom of your screen. If you prefer you can display it across the top of the screen, or down either side of the screen

– TIP: If you display the Taskbar vertically, it can display more running programs than if it is displayed horizontally across the bottom of your screen


Tiling and Cascading Windows Using the Taskbar

• Options include:– Cascade

– Tile Horizontally

– Tile Vertically


Arranging Your Desktop Icons

– You can easily customize the way icons are displayed on your Windows 95 desktop

– Right-click on the Desktop to display a pop-up menu– Select the required icon arrangement


Adding Programs to Your Start Menu• Drag icons from My Computer or the Explorer

to the Start button

OR • Invoke the Taskbar pop-up, select Properties and

then follow the Wizard instructions– Allows you to control the Start folder in which the

icon will be displayed


Creating a New File Directly From the Desktop

• You can create an icon that allows you to create new documents directly from the Desktop– These documents will be listed in the Documents folder of the

Start menu


Review Questions


Help Within Windows 95



Help Within the Start Menu

• Complete Help book list• Fully indexed Help• Searching for a word or phrase


Using The F1 Key To Get Help

• Pressing the F1 Key:– Invokes indexed help

– Provides application specific help

Note: Although very rare, some applications do not have a Help feature


Help - Contents and Index

• Complete help book list• Fully indexed help

· Introducing Windows

· How To...

· Tips and Tricks

· Troubleshooting


The Help Toolbar

• Additional features • Annotate your own text• Copy to the Clipboard• Print • Help in the foreground• Alter the font size• Alter colors


Using Index Help

• Extensive alphabetical linked list

Linked list


‘What's This?’ Help

• Click on the ‘What’s This?’ Help icon to display short and informative Help on an item


Wizards

• Improved installation routines


Troubleshooting Using Help

• You can use Help to troubleshoot problems within Windows 95– Displays advice which should solve

many of the problems you encounter

• Alternatively, ring your support department!


Review Questions


The Windows 95 Accessories



What is WordPad?

• The Windows 95 version of WRITE (which was supplied with Windows 3.1)

By default WordPad acts like a cut down version of Word 6


WordPad - Creating and Saving a new Document• Three separate file formats

– Word 6 Document

– Rich Text Document

– Text Only Document

NOTE: WordPad will not recognize Word 6 styles, headers or footers!


WordPad Editing an Existing Document

• Word 6 files are the default file format• WARNING: Do NOT edit existing Word 6 files if

the files contain styles, headers or footers


What is Paint?• New features and tools• Support for 24 Bit True Color


Paint - Drawing Tools

• The Toolbox – Freeform select

– Select

– Eraser

– Pick Color

– Magnifier


Using Text Within Paint

• The text entry box allows– Exact placement of text

– Word wrap


The Calculator

• Two modes– Standard and Scientific

– Unlike the Windows 3.1 Calculator, this one works!


The Clock

• Located in the Taskbar

Move the mouse to the clock and after a few moments the date is displayed

Double click to open the Date/Time Properties dialog box, to allow modifications


Review Questions


The Explorer, My Computer and the Recycle Bin



What are Drives, Folders and Files?• You need to understand the terminology, such as:

– Physical drives

– Logical drive letters

– Folders/directories

– Files


The Explorer vs. My Computer

• Similar function but displays files and folders in different ways


The Explorer Window• Windows 95 version of the Windows 3.1 File Manager• Many new features are available• Such as the display of long file names


Long File Names

• Long file names are displayed within the Explorer• File extensions are not displayed by default

– But can be viewed if required


Folder Selection Techniques

• Levels can be expanded or contracted

On each click on the plus (+) symbol, a new sub-level is displayed


Switching Drives• The Explorer displays

a hierarchical list of drives

• Easy to switch from one drive to another

Logical drives


Folder Creation

• Folders may be created within the Explorer directory tree or directly on the Desktop


Moving or Copying Files and Folders

• Moving or copying files with the Windows 95 Explorer is very simple, in fact it is so simple that you should exercise a certain amount of caution when using it or you may unwittingly end up with a result you did not expect!

• Files and folders can easily be moved or copied using:– Drop down menus

– Pop-up menus

– Drag and drop


Renaming Files or Folders• Files and folders can easily

be renamed using:– Drop down menus– Pop-up menus

Click on the File/Rename command

WARNING: Do not rename files ending in

.EXE

.COM

.BAT

.DLL

.INI

.SYS


Deleting Files or Folders

• When you delete a file or folder, by default:– You are prompted for confirmation

– The deleted items are sent to the Recycle Bin

Click on the File/Delete command

OR

Click using the right-hand mouse button


The Recycle Bin and Deleted Files

• Normally files deleted via the Windows Explorer are in fact moved to the Recycle Bin

• Recently ‘deleted’ files may be retrieved from the Recycle Bin


Customizing the Explorer File Display• File and folder display • View configuration


Sorting Files Within the Explorer• Select Details from the View drop down menu

– Click on a column heading to sort it in ascending order

– Re-click to sort it in descending order


File Searches

• Searching system resources


Starting Programs via the Explorer

• Double-click to run


File Association Techniques

• Allows automatic application execution when you try to ‘run’ a data file


Adding Icons to the Desktop

• You can use ‘drag and drop’ techniques with the Explorer to create shortcuts on your Desktop

Or you can use the Copy command to copy objects directly to your Desktop


Review Questions


Printing



What is a Printer Driver?

• The link between a particular printer and the applications running on your Windows 95-based PC– Different printers work in different

ways and hence need their own particular printer drivers installed

Windows 95

Application programs

Particular printer driver

Local or networked printer


Installing a Printer Driver• The Printer

Installation Wizard


Setting up a Printer

• Configuration tab options


Default and Installed Printers

• Add Printer Wizard• Default printer


Controlling Print Queues

• Control queued documents

Document Name Status Owner Progress of the job

This common dialog box probably indicates that your printer is off-line!

Time the jobs were started


Fonts and Windows 95

• Printer typefaces - Fonts

• Downloadable or Firmware


Viewing Installed Fonts

• You can easily view a sample of each font installed on your computer


Installing New Fonts

• New fonts are installed from the fonts folder• Drag and Drop


Removing Fonts

• Fonts that you do not require may be easily removed


Review Questions


The Clipboard, ‘Drag and Drop’ and OLE



Basic Clipboard Concepts

• Used to copy or move information between applications

Cut or

CopyPaste

The Windows Clipboard


What is OLE?

• OLE, Object Linking and Embedding allows data to be copied from one application to another. However, instead of a simple static link, OLE linking creates an active link from the source data to the data represented in a different application program

• It is easy to manipulate, using either drag and drop techniques, or by using the Edit drop down menu

Original data in the source program

Copy of the original data in the target program

If the original data is changed, that change is reflected in the target application

OLE link


Linking vs. Embedding

• Linking Data– If the original data is modified then the data paste linked

to another application will also be changed

• Embedding Data– Changes to the original data will not affect data that is

embedded in another program

– To edit embedded data you must activate it, normally by double clicking on it

– The required editing tools become available to you


Compound Documents• An entire file(s) may be

embedded within a document• Use drag and drop

techniques to drag almost any type of file into a compound document, including:– Text files

– Sound clips

– Word processor files

– Spreadsheet files

– Database files

– EXE files

COMPOUND DOCUMENT

EXE file

TXT file

Sound file

MS Word file

Excel file

Lotus 123 file

NOTE: The program that creates the compound document must be OLE aware!


In-place Activation of Embedded Objects

• To edit an embedded object, double click on it• The required editing tools will appear

– Note that if you are using older, OLE 1 compliant programs, then you may be taken to the source application in order to edit the program

• When you have finished editing click outside the embedded object and the editing tools are removed

Double click to activate


Linking in Action - Excel and Word

• Linking between applications - an example– Start Excel and create a spreadsheet,

then display the spreadsheet data as a chart

– Copy the chart data to the Clipboard

– Switch to Word and use the Paste Special, Paste Link option

– The chart from Excel is now linked to Word

Excel Word

Remember to SAVE the information in the source application, prior to setting up a paste link, or the operation may not work as expected!


Review Questions