Microsoft Windows

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The following projects and exam questions are designed to familiarize the student with several aspects of Microsoft Windows. These features include:

· Navigating the Desktop and Start Menu

· Understanding how to use a Window

· Understanding how to use Dialog Boxes

· Understanding how to use the Help System

· Learning how to manage disks and files

· Creating and modifying folders

· Exploring the Internet

· Shutting down the computer

Table of Contents

Windows Project 1- The Desktop and Using the Start Menu

Windows Project 2- Icons and maneuvering the Window (resizing)

Windows Project 3- The Window

Windows Project 4- Multitasking

Windows Project 5- Shutting Down

Windows Project 6- Control Panel (dialog boxes)

Windows Project 7- Control Panel (dialog boxes)

Windows Project 8- Control Panel (dialog boxes)

Windows Project 9- The Help System

Windows Project 10- More Help (Advanced Searches using the Internet)

Windows Project 11- Making Folders

Windows Project 12- Moving Folders

Windows Project 13- Modifying Folders

Windows Project 14- Saving to a disk

Windows Project 15- Opening files saved to a disk

Windows Project 16- Creating a Notepad document

Windows Project 17- Moving documents into folders

Windows Project 18- Saving to a disk (files on different computers)

Windows Project 19- Arranging Folders

Windows Project 20- Final Checks (making sure every file and folder is on the disk)

Project 1: The Desktop, Start Menu, and Programs

Objective: Familiarizing yourself with the desktop and learning how to use the Start Menu.

To pass the time this summer, you’ve taken a job at a local business, helping with filing and data entry. Both of these duties involve use of the company computer, which you have no hands-on experience working with to this point. However, this set of activities designed to familiarize you with the desktop, windows, and shutting down, will have you comfortable in no time, and ready to do your job!

Sitting in front of a computer that has just been turned on, you see the Desktop. The starting point to viewing all of the computer’s programs is locating and operating the Start Menu.

1. Locate the Start Menu in the bottom left hand most corner of the Desktop, labeled “Start.” Move your mouse toward it and when the cursor (arrow) is on the Start Menu, click the mouse’s left button. This initial step is shown below.

2. Using the mouse, scroll up to Programs. Immediately, a new menu is visible. Continue by moving the cursor to Accessories, and see yet another menu of choices open up. If you wanted to open a specific computer program, you would move your cursor into the given region until it is highlighted in blue, and then click your mouse. Practice this by moving your cursor to Notepad, but do not click the mouse. This step is shown below.

3. Scroll around the Start Menu to see the various programs that are available on your computer. If you wanted to open any one of these programs and use it, you would simply click on it with your mouse. Use this time to explore the Start Menu. The example below shows how one would open Microsoft Word, a program used to type documents (the arrangement of various programs within the Start Menu varies from computer to computer).

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Project 2: Icons and Windows

Objective: Opening windows, resizing windows, closing windows, and using the Task Bar.

1. Click on the top of the screen, away from the Start Menu, to return to the Desktop. Scroll up to My Computer in the top left hand corner of the Desktop, and Double-Click on this Icon. This will open a Window on the desktop. In this activity you will practice manipulating windows.

2. At the very top right hand corner of every widow, inside the Title Bar, click the Minimize Button as shown below.

3. On the very bottom of the Desktop on the Task Bar, click on My Computer to show the window once again.
4. Using the Maximize button, maximize the window to enable you to view the window in a wider context.
5. Notice that the Maximize button has now become the Restore button. Click the restore button the return the window to its original size.
6. Now practice manually resizing the window by dragging it at the edges. Do this in the up-down, side-to-side, and diagonal directions. Two examples are shown below.

7. Close the My Computer Window by clicking the Close button.
8. Double click on any three Icons on your computer’s desktop (i.e. My Computer, Internet Explorer, My Documents, Network Neighborhood, etc.)
9. Switch from one window to another using the Alt + Tab technique.
10. Now switch from window to window by using the Task Bar at the bottom of the desktop. This step is shown below.

11. Finally, close every window using the Close button.

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Project 3: Menu Bar, Pull Down Menus, Menu Tricks, Scroll Bar

Objective: To help yourself maneuver in any window, you should be familiar with the Menu Bar, which we now examine.

1. Again open the My Computer window by clicking on the appropriate Icon.
2. On the Menu Bar, click File, scroll down to Close, and click this option. You have just discovered a second way to close a window. This step is shown below.

3. Open the My Computer window again. Use the Menu Trick Control + A to select all icons. Click in the open space in the middle of the window to de-select these icons. Tricks such as this can be helpful shortcuts.

4. In the Tool Bar, click Search as shown below. This tool can help you search for documents.

5. Resize the window manually in the up-down direction, making it quite small, yet manageable. Notice that a vertical Scroll Bar has appeared in the right pane. Scroll up and down the window using the scroll bar, as shown below. As windows get bigger and contain more and more items, they will have vertical and horizontal scroll bars which you will need to use to navigate yourself across the window. You may now close the My Computer window.

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Project 4: Multitasking

Objective: To learn how to operate multiple programs, and thus multiple windows, at the same time. By being able to control multiple windows, you can do several things at once.

1. Starting with an empty desktop, double click on three different icons on your desktop, opening three different windows (i.e. Internet Explorer, Recycle Bin, My Computer)
2. By clicking on each window’s tab on the Task Bar, open all three windows at once, as shown below.

3. Now Minimize all windows, and this time open any two, so that both are visible, as shown below.

4. With these two windows open, now open a new window by double clicking a new icon on your computer’s desktop. This step is shown below.

5. Select one of the windows that is being partially covered by clicking in the Title Bar of that window. The example below shows the Recycling Bin window, which in step 4 had been covered by two other windows.

6. You may now Close all windows.

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Project 5: Shutting Down

Objective: Before you leave to go home, you must turn the computer off properly. To do so, simply follow these steps to ensure that your computer is correctly shut down.

1. Click on the Start Menu and scroll up to Shut Down, the first option, and click on it. Your screen should now appear similar to the one below.

2. Select Shut Down from the List Box and click OK.

3. Wait patiently for your computer to shut down. Depending on your computer type, you may have to turn off the CPU manually. However, most new CPUs these days turn off automatically.

4. Manually turn off the monitor by pressing the power button, located in the front of most modern monitors.

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Project 6: Mouse

Objective: To change a few mouse settings using Tabs, Option Buttons, and Check Boxes

This set of activities is designed to familiarize you with Dialog Boxes and the Help Menu, which are both an integral part of working with Microsoft Windows. To illustrate, let’s assume that your cousin is coming to visit you for the weekend and he has informed you that he will need to use your computer. In anticipation of his arrival, you decide to change several system preferences in order to help him feel more comfortable. The following exercises will give you practice with several dialog boxes in the Control Panel, and help you achieve your objective in no time.

1. On the desktop double click on the My Computer icon.
2. Next, double click the Control Panel icon.
3. Scroll down using the scroll bar and double click on Mouse.
4. Since you are right handed and your cousin is left handed, you will need to change the mouse configuration. Change the button configuration to “Left Handed” by clicking the appropriate Option Button, as shown below.

5. Another preference your cousin has asked you to change is the appearance of the pointer. Click on the Pointers Tab and under the Scheme option click on the List Box. Scroll down to “3D-Bronze (system scheme)” and choose this option. If this option is not available on your computer, pick something else that is similar.
6. Finally, at the bottom of the window click the “Enable pointer shadow” Check Box so that the check disappears. Your window should now appear like the one below. To enable the changes you have just made, you would normally click the Apply button at the bottom of the window, but since this is a hypothetical situation simply click the Cancel button instead.

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Project 7: Folder Options

Objective: To change a few folder options Tabs, Option Buttons, and Check Boxes

1. In the Control Panels window double click on the Folder Options icon.
2. Select the View Tab.
3. Let’s suppose that your cousin, an advanced computer user, has requested you to change a few Advanced Settings. Under the “Files and Folders” heading, place a check mark in the “Display compressed files and folders with alternate color” Check Box.
4. Under the “hidden files and folders” subheading, click the “Show hidden files and folders” Option Button.
5. Next, uncheck the “Hide file extensions for known file types” Check Box. The window should now appear as the one below.

6. Again, to enable the changes you have just made, you would normally click the Apply button at the bottom of the window, but since this is a hypothetical situation and we do not care to make these changes, simply click the Cancel button instead.

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Project 8: Display

Objective: To change a few display options using Tabs, List Boxes, and Spin Buttons

1. Double Click the Display icon and select the Background Tab if it is not selected already.
2. Use the scroll bar to scroll down and select a colorful background of your choice. An example is shown below

3. Click the Screen Saver Tab. Use the List Box in the middle of the window to select the screen saver “3D Maze (Open GL),” or something similar Notice that this has activated the Spin Button on the right hand side of the window. Using the Spin Button arrow, select “Wait 5 minutes.” Your screen should now look like the one below.

4. Finally, since you know that your cousin’s eye site is not particularly good, you decide to change the monitor’s pixel dimensions. Click the Settings Tab. Scroll down to “Screen Area” and click and Drag the pointer to the left until it is at “640 by 480 pixels.”
5. Again, to enable the changes you have just made, you would normally click the Apply button at the bottom of the window, but since this is a hypothetical situation and we do not care to make these changes, simply click the Cancel button instead and Close the Control Panels window.

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Project 9: Help Command

Objective: Upon his arrival, your cousin is delighted to see the changes you have made for him. While using your computer one day, he needs help as even the most experienced users do. Knowing how to use the Help Command can help save many headaches, so taking a moment right now to go through it with him will serve you both well in the future.

1. On the desktop click the Start Menu and select Help.
2. Select the Contents Tab if it is not already selected. Your cousin is having problems printing a document, so click on the Printing option. This step is shown below.

3. Next, click on “Set page orientation.” By following the directions on the right pane your cousin can help fix whatever problem he may be having setting the page orientation.
4. You will now use a different technique to get help. Click the Search Tab and in the Text Box type “printing” and press ENTER on your keyboard.
5. Use the scroll bar to scroll down until you see the topic you are interested in. In this case, double click on “Set page orientation.” As you can see, searching is simply another way of getting the same help as in steps 2 and 3.
6. To make sure you have easy access to this information in case you need to refer to it again, you can add it to your Favorites section. Click the Favorites Tab and at the bottom of the window click Add. Simply return to Favorites to view each topic you have added to it previously.
7. Finally, Close the Help Window.

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Project 10: More Help

Objective: To see even more of the options available to you in the Help Menu, including added Online resources, you decide to delve even further into it.

1. Click the Start Menu and select Help.
2. In the right pane, click the option “Information and support on the Web.”
3. Now click on “Windows 2000 Homepage” in the right pane and Maximize the web page that appears. Your screen should like the one below.

4. In the middle of the screen, half way down, click “Windows 2000 Professional.”
5. You now have an array of options open to you, including the popular FAQs (frequently asked questions). Click the “Top Issues and FAQs” link in the middle of the page as shown below.

This page can be very informative because it offers headlines, product support services, and much more. You may now Close the Internet Explorer Browser.

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Project 11: Making Folders

Objective: To learn how to navigate through Windows Explorer and create multiple folders within folders

You are the organizer of a small youth recreational basketball league. In order to better organize each participant's personal information, including league fees outstanding, special medical conditions, etc., you decide to create folders using Microsoft Windows! Complete the following activities that are necessary to make the league run more smoothly.

1. Right Click on the start menu on the desktop and then click on "Explore." If it is not already selected, click the “Folders” button on the Toolbar.

2. On the left pane double click (C:) to view the C drive. Scroll down the left pane until you find My Documents and double click on this folder. This is where the league information will be stored. Your screen should now look like the one below

3. Once My Documents is highlighted, click on File, then New, and choose "folder." A new folder will appear in the right pane within "My Documents." You must name it. In the folder, use your keyboard to type "Basketball League," and press the ENTER key.

4. In either the left or right pane, double click on the basketball league folder. From the menu bar above, click on File, New, and "Folder," shown below.

5. Call this folder "Bears." Using this same technique, create 2 more folders within the "Basketball League" folder. Name these folders "Eagles" and "Lions," respectively.

6. On the left pane, click on the plus sign located to the left of the "Basketball League" Folder to make it a minus sign. This enables you to see all sub-folders. Click on the "Bears" folder in the left pane. In the open space in the right pane, right-click once and click on New, and then "Folder," shown below.

Call this folder "Joe." Using this technique, add the following folders within the "Bears" folder. These folders represent the children who are on the Bears team: "Javier"; "Rajeev"; "Won-Lee"; "Deon."

7. Follow the same procedure for the Eagles and Lions teams. Click on the Eagles folder in the left pane. Then right click in the right pane, click New, then "Folder." Each of the following players on the Eagles should have a folder: "Johnny"; "Ramon"; "Ahmed"; "Raymond"; "Paul."

8. Using either of the two folder making procedures you have learned, create the following folders within the "Lions" folder, representing the players on the Lions team: "Julius"; "Chinua"; "Robert"; "Boris"; "Pierre." You have now finished making all of the folders for each basketball team in your league!

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Project 12: Moving Folders

Objective: Not too long into the season, two trades take place. In one trade, The Lions send Julius to the Bears in exchange for Deon. What you must do is Move each boy’s folder to his new team.

1. In the left pane, click on the Lions folder. Next, find the folder titled "Julius" in the right pane. Click and hold this folder, dragging it to the left pane until it is over top of the "Bears" folder. When the Bears folder becomes blue, you may release the mouse. This step is shown below.

Julius' folder has now been moved from the Lions to the Bears. Following this same technique, highlight the Bears folder in the left pane. Highlight Deon's folder in the right pane, hold it, and drag it to the Lions folder in the left pane.

2. The Bears, in need of better team chemistry, decide to make another trade. They send Joe to the Eagles in exchange for Ramon. In the left pane, click on the "Bears" folder. Find Joe's folder in the right pane and click and hold it. Drag it to the left pane until it is over top of the "Eagles" folder. When the Eagles folder turns blue, you may release the mouse. Following this same technique, highlight the Eagles folder in the left pane. Highlight Ramon's folder in the right pane, hold it, and drag it to the Bears folder.

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Project 13: Deleting and Renaming Folders

Objective: Midway through the season, Robert becomes terminally ill and must drop from the league permanently. Fortunately, there is another boy, Ritchie, waiting to take his spot on the Lions. What you must do is Delete Robert's folder and create another folder in its place.

1. In the left pane, highlight the Lions folder. In the right pane find the folder titled "Robert." Right-click on the Robert Folder and scroll down to Delete and click this option. This step is shown below.

2. You will be asked if you are sure you want to delete this folder. Click Yes.

3. Since you are now an expert at creating folders, you should have no problem creating a new folder within the Lions folder. Call this folder "Ritchie."

Also around this time, Ahmed decides that he does not want to play basketball for the Eagles any more. Sadly, he quits the team and drops permanently from the league. However, his brother Ali decides to take his place. In this instance, Ali's personal information is so similar to his brother’s that his potential folder would be identical to Ahmed's. So, we must Rename the folder.

4. Highlight the Eagles folder in the left pane. Right click on the folder titled "Ahmed" in the right pane and scroll down to Rename and click this option, shown below.

5. Now type "Ali" in the folder and press ENTER on the keyboard. The folder has successfully been renamed!

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Project 14: Saving to a Disk

Objective: You now decide that you want to have each player's file on disk in case you need to access it when you are at a computer other than your home computer. You must transport them to a floppy disk.

1. Insert a 3.5'' floppy disk into the A drive of your computer.

2. In the left pane right click on the "Basketball League" folder and scroll up to Send To. This leads to a new set of options. Select 3 1/2 Floppy (A), shown below.

The computer will now begin transferring the "Basketball League" folder and all of its contents onto the floppy disk. Wait patiently until it is finished.

3. When the transfer is complete, scroll up to "3 1/2 Floppy (A)" on the left pane and click on it. You should now be able to see the "Basketball League" folder in the right pane. You have finished this task!

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Project 15: Opening Folders saved to disk

Objective: Once you have saved files/folders to a disk, you must know how to access them at a later time. We now examine this process.

1. Place the 3 1/2'' floppy disk into the A drive if it is not already inside.

2. Close Windows Explorer by clicking once on the Close button located on the top right hand corner of the window.

3. On the desktop, scroll up to the My Computer icon and double click this icon. Double click the icon labeled 3 1/2 Floppy (A), shown below.

You can now browse through the various folders, using the back and forward arrow on the toolbar to navigate yourself.

4. Click the Back button on the Toolbar until you get back to the "My Computer" window.

5. Right click on 3 1/2 Floppy and click on "Explore." You can now explore using Windows Explorer, just as in projects 11-14. Feel free to browse around as you wish, as you have just completed Project 15.

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Project 16: Create a Notepad Document

Objective: To open, create, and save a Notepad document

The following set of projects is to be completed by a group of 3 or 4 students. Each student should have his/her own computer, and all group members should be seated near one another. The given condition simulates a real situation in which members of a group project create separate parts at different times, then combine them to form one complete product.

1. All group members click on the Start Menu, scroll up to Programs, then Accessories, and open Notepad. This initial step is shown.

2. All group members Maximize their Notepad window and use the Keyboard to type their name, the date, and "Group Project," each on a separate line, shown below.

3. In the space below, each group member use the keyboard to write 3 or 4 sentences describing yourself.

4. Each group member choose File from the Menu Bar, and Save your notepad document. Name the file your name followed by "group project" by typing this information inside the "File name" Textbox. Save the file to the Desktop, as shown below, and click the Save button

5. Close the Notepad window and look on the desktop. Your notepad document should appear on the desktop.

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Project 17: Sorting into Folders

Objective: When creating multiple files, sorting them into folders will help you be more organized. Complete the following steps to accomplish this task

1. Each member create a Folder on his/her own desktop and call it your name followed by "group project."

2. Each group member Move their notepad document to their folder by clicking and Dragging with the mouse. This step is shown below.

3. Each group member Copy their group project folder by right clicking on it and selecting “Copy”.

4. Each group member Paste a copy of their group project folder to the desktop, leaving 2 folders on the desktop. (The copy is a backup in case the original folder should get misplaces or altered in the process of moving it)

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Project 18: Save to a Disk

Objective: To save multiple files, each on a different computer, to a single disk.

1. Each group member should have a desktop containing their group project folder and a copy of their group project folder. The first group member inserts a Floppy Disk into the A drive of his/her computer.

2. The first group member right clicks on his/her group project folder (the original folder, not the copy) and selects Send To 3 1/2 Floppy (A). This step is shown below. Wait for the computer to send the folder to the disk, and then proceed to the next step.

3. Give the floppy disk to the second group member. The second group member inserts the floppy disk into the A drive of his/her computer.

4. The second group member right clicks on his/her group project folder (the original folder, not the copy) and selects Send To 3 1/2 Floppy (A). When this is complete, the second group member opens the My Computer icon on the desktop and then opens the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) icon. The folders of both the first group member and the second group member should appear on the disk, as shown below. If so, you may move on to the next step. If not, give the disk back to the first group member and retry step 2.

5. Repeat steps three and four for the third and fourth group members. After each step, make sure that every folder up that point appears on the floppy disk. If not, go back and try again, following the technique used in step 2.

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Project 19: Arranging Folders

Objective: Arranging files and folders in different orders helps makes things more convenient and orderly. By completing the following project you will learn some of the different ways in which you can arrange folders.

1. Give the floppy disk back to the first group member. The first group member inserts the Floppy Disk into the A drive of his/her computer.

2. The first group member opens the My Computer icon and then opens the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) icon.

3. The first group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects View Large Icons.

4. The first group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects Arrange Icons by Name. This step is shown below.

5. The first group member closes all windows, ejects the disk, and gives it to the second group member. The second group member repeats steps 1 and 2.

6. The second group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects View Small Icons. This step is shown below.

7. The second group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects Arrange Icons by Size.

8. The second group member closes all windows, ejects the disk, and gives it to the third group member. The third group member repeats steps 1 and 2.

9. The third group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects View List.

10. The third group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects Arrange Icons by Date.

11. The third group member closes all windows, ejects the disk, and gives it to the fourth group member. The fourth group member repeats steps 1 and 2.

12. The fourth group member right clicks in the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) window and selects View Details.

13. The fourth group member closes all windows, ejects the disk, and gives it back to the first group member.

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Project 20: Finishing Up and Shutting Down

Objective: The final step is to complete your final checks to make sure that every folder and file is on the disk. This way nothing will be left behind.

1. The first group member inserts the floppy disk into the A drive of his/her computer, opens the My Computer icon, and then opens the 3 1/2 Floppy (A:) icon. It should appear as the one below, with all 4 folders in place.

2. The first group member opens each individual folder and makes sure each one contains the respective group member's notepad document. An example is shown below.

3. After performing these checks, the first group member closes all windows and ejects the floppy disk.

4. Each group member may now right click on the copy of their folder on the desktop and Delete it.

5. Each group member may click on the Start Menu and Shut Down his/her own computer.

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