The operating system program controls the computer system resources and coordinates the flow of data to and from the system unit, and to and from input and output devices such as the keyboard and the display screen. It allows you to create and manage files, and run application software programs.
Windows 98 is an operating system program that controls all parts of a computer. It uses a Graphical User Interface (GUI). This kind of interface displays graphical objects called Icons, which represent the items that you use. The icons are buttons that when pushed, activate a particular item.
All programs that use the Windows operating system have a common user interface that makes it easy to learn and use different programs that run under Windows. A common user interface means that programs have common features, such as the same menu commands.
The Windows operating system gets its name from its use of rectangular boxes called windows that are used to display information and other programs. Multiple windows can be opened at the same time, making it easy to move from one task to another. This is how people work.
Windows has, however, evolved into more than just a user interface over the past ten years. It is now a complete operating system, an environment hosting thousands of programs, recognizing and supporting a broad range of hardware, and interconnecting user workstations on a global level.
EXPLORING THE DESKTOP
The Windows 98 screen is called the Desktop. It displays icons that represent various tools and features. Like your own desk at home or at work, you can add and remove items from the Desktop, rearrange them, or get rid of them by throwing them in the trash.
You can also open items and, much like a drawer in your desk, find other tools or materials you have stored. You can place these items on the Desktop, or take items off the Desktop and place them in the drawer. Just like your own desk, the most frequently used items should be on the Desktop so that you can quickly begin work. Similarly, those items you that you use less frequently should be put away for easy access when needed.
The Windows 98 screen is called a Desktop because it is similar to the way you organize the work on your desk.
The default Desktop, as shown in Figure 1.1, is very simple and contains only a few essential items that are needed to get started using Windows 98.
PARTS OF THE WINDOWS 98 DESKTOP
The initial Windows 98 screen displays icons such as My Computer and Recycle Bin. The icon picture generally represents the item.
At the bottom, of the screen is the Taskbar. It displays the Start button to the left end of the bar. The Start button is used to start a program, open a document, get help, find files and change system settings. The center of the taskbar is currently blank. It will display buttons representing the currently active tasks as you use windows, making switching between applications or tasks easy. The clock on the right end of the taskbar displays the time as maintained by your computer. To the left of the clock, is the notification area. The notification area will display indicators, such as a printer when printing is in progress or a speaker if your system includes audio hardware.
USING THE MOUSE
The mouse is a hand-held hardware device that is attached to your computer. It controls the mouse pointer that currently appears on your screen as an arrow. The pointer is controlled by the rubber-coated ball at the bottom of the mouse. This ball must move within its socket for the pointer to move on the screen. The ball moves when the mouse is moved along a flat surface. The ball's movement is translated into signals that tell the computer how to move the onscreen pointer. The direction the ball moves in, controls the direction the pointer moves on the screen.
Moving the mouse across your Desktop coordinates the movement of the pointer in the direction you require. If you pick up the mouse and move it to another location on your work surface, the pointer will not move on the screen. Some computers use a track ball to move the mouse pointer. You move this ball with your fingertips in the direction you want the onscreen pointer to move.
The mouse pointer changes shape on the screen depending on what it is pointing to. On the top of the mouse are two buttons. These two buttons are used to choose items on the screen. The mouse actions and descriptions are shown as follows:
Point: Move the mouse so that the mouse pointer is positioned on the item you want to use.
Click: Press and release a mouse button.
Double-click: Quickly press and release a mouse button twice.
Drag: Move the mouse while holding down a mouse button
WHAT IS A WINDOW?
When you want to do some work, you open up a program or document using the mouse or keyboard, and a window containing the program/document appears on the Desktop. Just as with a real Desktop, you can have a number of project windows scattered about, all of which can be in progress. You can then switch between the open windows.
The window border outlines the window. The following lists down the various parts of a window:
Title Bar: A bar located at the top of the window that displays the application name and buttons.
Control-menu box: An icon located on the left end of the title bar which when opened displays the Control menu. This consists of a list of commands that are used to move, size and otherwise control the window.
Minimize button: Used to minimize a window to its smallest size.
Maximize/Restore button: Used to enlarge a window to its maximum size. Changes to restore button when maximized to allow you to return the window to its previous size.
Close button: Used to exit the application running in the window and to close the window.
Menu bar: A bar located below the title bar, containing a list of menus that can be used with the application displayed in the window.
There are two types of windows:
Application windows
Document windows
Application windows: Application windows are those that contain a program that you are running and working with, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel etc. Most of the work that you do is usually on application windows.
Document windows: Some programs allow you to have more than one document open within them at the same time. Instead of running the application several times for the different documents you need to work on, you can have a single application window which can open several document windows within the main application window. These are known as document windows.
MOVING WINDOWS
When a window opens, it can appear anywhere on your Desktop. Sometimes the location of your window is inconvenient. Moving a window simply displays the window in another location on the Desktop. It does not change the size of the window.
A window is moved by pointing to the title bar and dragging an outline of the window to the new location on the Desktop.
The keyboard alternative to move a window is:
Press Alt + Spacebar to open the Control menu
Select Move
Use the directional keys to specify the direction to move
SIZING WINDOWS
Windows appear on the Desktop in different sizes, and sometimes the current size is too small or too large. The size of a window can easily be changed to just about any size you want. A window can be maximized to its largest size using the maximize button. A maximized window can then be restored to its previous size using the Restore button.
In addition, a window can be custom-sized by pointing to the window border and dragging the border in the direction you want to go. Dragging inward decreases the size and dragging outward increases the size. Dragging a corner increases or decreases the size of the two adjoining borders at the same time.
The keyboard alternative to maximize or restore a window is:
Press Alt + Spacebar to open the Control menu
Select Maximize/Restore
Press Enter
THE STATUS BAR
Many windows display a status bar at the bottom of the window. The information displayed in the status bar varies with the program you are using and the task being performed.
The purpose of the status bar is to advise you of the status of different program conditions and features as you see the program.
DISPLAY THE START MENU
There are many ways to perform the same task in Windows 98. However, using the Start button is one of the best places to learn how to use Windows 98. It provides quick and easy access to most features you will use frequently.
Moving the mouse pointer so that it points to the Start button or any other location is called pointing. When you hold the mouse pointer over the Start button, a box containing the message Click here to Start is briefly displayed.
Clicking on the Start button displays the Start menu. The Start menu is a special Windows 98 menu that is used to access and begin all activities you want to perform on the computer.
MENUS
A menu is one of the many methods you can use to tell a program what you want it to do. When opened, a menu displays a list of commands. Most menus can simply be opened by clicking on the menu name.
Most menus appear in a menu bar rather than as a button. When chosen, a menu bar command displays a pull-down menu of additional commands from which you can select. Other menus pop up when you right-click on an area of the Desktop. This type of menu is called the shortcut menu. Menus are everywhere in Windows 98, but they all operate in the same way.
Once a menu is open, you can select and choose commands from the menu. Selecting a command moves a colored highlight bar, called the selection cursor, to the command. Simply pointing to the command moves the selection cursor to it. When a command is selected, it can be activated when chosen. You choose the selected command by clicking on the command or simply by pressing Enter. When the command is chosen, the associated action is performed.
Menus may include the following features:
Ellipses: Indicates a dialog box will be displayed.
A triangle: Indicates a cascading menu will be displayed.
Dimmed Command: Indicates the command is not available for selection until certain other conditions are met.
Shortcut key: A key or key combination that can be used to execute a command without using the menu.
Checkmark: Indicates a toggle type of command. Selecting it turns the feature on or off. A checkmark indicates the feature is on.
Bullet: Indicates that the commands in that group are mutually exclusive: only one can be selected. The bullet indicates the currently selected feature.
SELECTING COMMANDS
The basic menu consists of a list of seven commands from which you can select. The icons to the left of each command are graphic representations of the command. The commands and their function are described in the following table:
Programs: Start programs.
Documents: Open files and related programs.
Settings: Change or view the computer system settings
Command Used To
system settings.
USING A DIALOG BOX
Windows programs provide and request information from you through a dialog box in order to complete a task. All dialog boxes have a title bar at the top, which displays a name identifying the contents of the dialog box and buttons. Inside the dialog box are areas to select or specify the required information and command buttons.
The features shown in the following table may be found in dialog boxes. However, not all features are found in every dialog box.
Closebutton: Used to close a dialog box
What's This: Displays Help on dialog box options.
Text Box: An area where you type in the requested information.
Option Button: An option preceded with a circle. The selected option displays a black dot. Only one option can be selected from a list of option buttons.
List Box: A box displaying a list of information from which you can select.
Drop Down List Box: A text box that displays a currently selected item and an arrow button, which you can click to display a drop-down list of items from which you can select.
Check Box: An option preceded with a square. The selected option displays a tick mark. You can select more than one check box option.
Sliding Control: Dragging the lever in the control increases or decreases the related setting, such as volume.
Command Button: Instructs Windows to carry out the instructions at the bottom. The two most common command buttons are OK and Cancel. Other common buttons are Close, Help, Options, Setup, Display and Settings.
Many dialog boxes also include folder-like tabs across the top of the dialog box that open to display related options. This type of dialog box is called a tab dialog box. The tab names identify the content of the tab. The active tab appears in front of the other tabs and displays the available options for the feature.
Windows Help is a quick way to find out information about commands or features. It is a separate application that is loaded when you choose the Help command and specify a topic that you want Help information on.
SCROLL BARS
A Scroll bar is used with a mouse to bring additional lines of information into view in a window or list box. Scroll bars can run vertically along the side or horizontally along the bottom of a window or list box. The vertical scroll bar consists of scroll arrows and a scroll box. Clicking the arrows moves the information in the direction of the arrows, allowing new topics to be displayed in the space.
You can also move to a general location within the area by dragging the scroll box up or down along the scroll bar. The location of the scroll box on the scroll bar indicates your relative position within the area of available information.
In many scroll bars, the size of the scroll box also indicates that only a small amount of the total available information is displayed, whereas a large box indicates that almost all or a large portion of the total amount of available information is displayed.
FORMATTING THE DISK
Before a new disk can be used, you must format or convert it from a generic state into a format that can be used by your computer. Many disks are shipped from the manufacturer in a blank (unformatted) form so they can be used by a variety of computers. Others are pre-formatted and do not need to be formatted before use.
Formatting prepares a new disk to accept information and files. Specifically, it sets up and labels the tracks (concentric rings where data is stored on the disk) and sectors (divisions of the tracks) to accept information. It checks the tracks for any bad spots that are unable to store information and marks off these areas so they cannot be used. It also sets up the area on the disk where the directory of files will be maintained.
Any disk, old or new, can be formatted. However, if you format a used disk, any files or information on it will be erased during formatting. Take care to only format disks that do not contain information that you may want. When formatting be very careful that you do not accidentally format the hard disk, as all your programs and files will be erased. If you attempt to format the hard disk, Windows displays a warning message.
Let us now see how to format a disk.
Step1> Double click on My Computer
A second window is displayed on the Desktop and the taskbar displays a new button for this open window. The My Computer window is the active window because the taskbar button is depressed and the window title bar is colored. The My Computer window is used to view the information on your computer. It displays icons representing various features associated with your computer.
Step2> Click on the drive icon.
The drive icon is highlighted, indicating that it is selected. Also notice that the status bar indicates that one object is selected.
Note: Do not double-click on the disk icon, because this opens the disk and you cannot format a disk if it is open in My Computer.
Finally, to begin formatting the disk, you can use the format command on the file menu, following the given steps:
Step3> Click on File
Step4> Point to Format and click on it
The format dialog box is displayed.
Step5> Click on Full
Step6> Enter the desired label
Step7> Click on Start
After the formatting is over, another window a
ppears, displaying the summary of the formatting.
Step8> Click on close
The format dialog box is still open, allowing you to format another disk. To close the format dialog box,
Step9> Click on Close
The disk on the drive is now formatted and ready to accept data.
VIEWING DISK PROPERTIES
Properties are the settings and attributes associated with an object on the screen such as an icon. Just about all the objects on the Desktop have properties associated with them. The Desktop itself is an object that has properties. The properties can be viewed and changed if necessary to suit your needs.
To view the properties associated with your floppy disk in your floppy drive, right-click on the drive and select Properties.
The Properties dialog box which is displayed, includes two tabs, General and Tools, that access different options associated with disk properties.
In the General section, the Label text box displays the disk label you entered during the procedure of formatting. If needed, you can change the label on a disk using this text box. Below the label box, the type of disk is identified.
The General tab also displays information on the amount of used and free space on the disk. If the disk is newly formatted, it does not contain any data. The capacity value indicates the total capacity available on the disk. This value should be equal to the amount of free space and used space. Finally, a pie chart visually displays the amount of free and used space.
@THE WINDOWS EXPLORER
The Windows Explorer in Windows 98, has many more features than it possessed in Windows 95. The Windows Explorer is responsible for running the taskbar and displaying all folders, including the Desktop. It is now integrated with the Internet Explorer web browser.
The Start button menus and the Favorites list are displayed and manipulated with the Windows Explorer.
The Windows Explorer program is quite similar to the File Manager of Windows 3.x.
Now that we have two explorers, Windows and Internet, people seem to be confused about the two. Hence, the term Explorer generally refers to Windows Explorer and not Internet Explorer.
To start the Windows Explorer, select:
Start->Programs->Windows Explorer.
Alternatively, right-click on the Start button and select Explore.
The Windows Explorer comes up on the screen.
DISPLAYING THE CONTENTS OF OBJECTS USING EXPLORER
When you run the Explorer, there are two window panes, left pane and the right pane. The contents of the item selected in the left pane are displayed in the right pane.
All objects present in the computer are displayed in the left pane. Some of these objects appear with a + (plus) sign next to them, which means that the object can be expanded to display the subitems or objects it contains, which are not displayed currently.
If you click on the item or object, the contents of that item are displayed in the right pane. Clicking on the + sign, opens up the sublevels in the left pane itself. The different items are displayed in a tree structure, giving the hierarchy or interrelation of the items.
If you click on the plus sign, it is replaced by a - (minus sign), which means that the item is displayed in the expanded form. Clicking on the - sign, will collapse the item at the highest level again, and the + sign is displayed again.
The overall representation of the Explorer is in the form of a tree, where each folder icon symbolizes one folder. The lines connecting them indicate the interrelationship between the different folders.
FILES AND FOLDERS
The information your computer uses is stored in different types of files of which the two most common are program and data files. Instructions to run a program are stored in a program file. For example, the word processing program you use, consists of many files that contain the program statements required to use the program.
The information you create while using a program is stored in data files. For example, if you write a letter to a friend using a word processing program, the contents of the letter are stored in a data file.
In addition, you can create folders and subfolders in which you can store files that are related. Storing related files in folders keeps the disk organized and makes it much easier to locate files. Both files and folders are identified by names that are descriptive of the contents of the file or folder.
Information is stored as files on the computer's hard disk or floppy disk. A disk can hold many files of different types. To make it easier to locate files, you can store the related files in folders. In some operating systems, the folders are also known as directories.
There are different types of icons that represent files on the disk. Files follow folders in the list and also appear in alphabetical order. The different file icons represent different types of files. The various file icons also help you distinguish if the file is a program file or another type of file. An associated file is a file that has a specific application program attached to it that will open when the file is opened.
There are several more such icons for different types of files.
HIERARCHY OF FOLDERS
The organization of folders, subfolders and files on the disk is displayed as a hierarchy or tree. The top-level folder of a disk is the main folder. On the hard disk, the main folder is represented by Desktop icon. On a floppy disk, the main folder is represented by the drive icon. This folder is created when the disk is formatted.
The left most vertical line is the main tree line. On the hard disk, it includes all items that appear on the Desktop. All folders are branches from the main folder. Subfolders are branches within a folder. Files can be stored in the main folder, a folder or a subfolder.
ARRANGING ICONS
Folders always appear first as a group, followed by files. Typically, folders and files are displayed in alphabetical order. Sometimes, this order, may not be convenient. The Arrange Icons command in the View menu allows you to select an arrangement that may be more convenient for the task you are performing.
To arrange files by size rather than name, select View->Arrange Icons->by Size
The order can also be changed to display by date or by file type. Usually the most convenient viewing is by name.
Another way to change the display order when using Details View is to click the column heads. For example, clicking the Name column head changes the display order back to ascending order by filename. Clicking the column head of a selected order switches between ascending and descending order.
CREATING FOLDERS
Let us now see how to create new folders to organize the files on the disk. With the addition of more files, the disk gets very crowded and unorganized. This is especially true for hard disks which can hold large amounts of data. To help organize files into like categories, you can create folders.
To create a new folder, select the folder under which you want the new folder to appear in the hierarchy: choose File->New->Folder.
A folder icon is displayed in the right pane of the window, as shown in the following figure. This will have the temporary folder name New Folder highlighted. The insertion point is located at the end of the folder name. This indicated that Windows is waiting for you to replace the default name.
FILE AND FOLDER NAMES
File and folder names are used to identify the contents of a file or folder. The name you assign to a folder or file must be unique for the folder it is in. If you give a duplicate filename, the contents of the old file will be replaced by the new file. Many software programs have a safeguard to prevent this from happening and it displays a message before overwriting the file.
In addition to a filename, a filename extension can be added, which can be up to three characters long and is separated from the filename by a period. Generally a filename extension is used by an operating system to identify the type of the file. It is not always necessary to add an extension as most application programs automatically add an identifying extension to any files created using that application.
Windows 98 and programs that are designed to operate under Windows 98 allow you to create long folder and filenames up to 255 characters. They can contain letters, numbers, and any special character like ,~^_$- etc.. But the characters \ / : * ? " <> | are not allowed.
DELETING FILES AND FOLDERS
At some point of time, some of the files you have on your hard disk may no longer be of any use, and you may want to remove them to save space.
To delete a file:
Select the file icon from the main folder or the folder that contains it
Click on Delete.
The Confirm File Delete message box appears in which you must confirm that you want a file removed or erased. This is very important when deleting files from floppy disks because they are permanently deleted. Files and folders that are deleted from the hard disk are not permanently deleted. They are placed in the Recycle Bin where they are held until they are permanently deleted from that location.
When you choose to delete an application file, then the dialog box that appears, also warns you that the selected file is a program file.
Click on Yes to delete the named program. Click on Yes to All to skip these messages while the folder is being deleted.
The files and folders that are deleted are then moved to the Recycle Bin. If you want to retrieve a file you have deleted, look in the Recycle Bin. The Restore command restores the files or folders back to the location from where it was deleted. A deleted file remains in the Recycle Bin until you empty it.
You can also drag file or folder icons onto the Recycle Bin icon. If you press Shift while dragging, the item will be deleted from your computer without being stored in the Recycle Bin.
MOVING FILES AND FOLDERS
Rather than copying and deleting files you can move them from one location to another. Select the file icon from its containing folder and drag it to the new location, after right-clicking the mouse and holding it. As the file is moved, the Moving message is displayed. When the move is complete, the file is no longer displayed in its previous location.
It is also possible to move the contents of more than one folder at a time. The folders to be moved are selected holding the Ctrl key (or the Shift key if they are placed in the same order). The whole bunch of folders can then be moved to the new location, simply by dragging it.
RENAMING FILES AND FOLDERS
To change the name of a file or folder:
In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click the file or folder you want renamed. You do not need to open it.
On the File menu, click Rename.
Type the new name, and then press ENTER.
Alternatively, right-click on the file or folder you want to rename. The current filename is highlighted and the insertion point appears at the end. You can simply type in the new filename and press Enter.
COPYING FILES
Once you have learnt how to browse the computer and locate files and folders, you can copy files from one location to the other.
Cut, Copy and Paste
All Windows applications include features that allow you to remove (cut), duplicate (copy), and insert (paste) information from one location to another. The commands to perform these tasks are found in the Edit menu and on the toolbar. The information must be selected before it is copied or cut. The location that contains the information you want to cut or copy is called the source. Then the command to cut or copy the selection is used, and the selection is stored in a temporary memory storage are called the Clipboard.
Finally, you select the location, called the destination, where you want to insert a copy of the information stored in the clipboard, and then use the paste command.
COMMANDS ASSOCIATED WITH FILES
A file can be selected using any one of the various methods, some of which are listed below:
To select a single file, click once on the file.
To select multiple consecutive files, click on the first file in the series and then click on the last file in the series, after holding the Shift key.
To select multiple non-consecutive files, click on the first file and then click on the rest of the files, after holding the Ctrl key.
On being selected, the files are highlighted. Once highlighted, the files have various options available to be operated on. After a file is selected, right-click to bring a window with a list of commands that can be applied to the active or the selected file.
The functions available in the file menu can be briefly described as follows:
Open - Open a document by double-clicking, or single-clicking in web view. Alternatively, highlight a file and press Enter.
Print - Print a document by selecting File->Print. Alternatively, right-click on a document and choose Print.
New - To create a new document or shortcut or certain types of registered documents, right-click on the file and select New.
Send To - This is used to quickly send files and folders to another place. Using this option, you can copy the file to one of the options provided.
You can add other destinations to Send To. In the Send To folder, which is located in your Windows folder, create shortcuts to the^
destinations you send files to often, such as a printer, fax machine, or any particular folders.
Cut - This command is used to cut a file or folder from its current location. The file is then stored in the Clipart and can be pasted at any other desired location.
Copy - The copy command is used simply to copy the file and store it in the Clipart. The difference between the copy and the cut command is that in the former case, the file is no longer available at the location from where it was cut. In the latter case, only a copy of the file is made and it is not physically removed from its current location.
Create Shortcut - A shortcut is a quick way to start a program or open a file or folder without having to go to its permanent location in Windows Explorer. Shortcuts are especially useful for programs, files and folders you use frequently.
Delete - This command is used to delete a file from its location. But the file is moved to the Recycle Bin, from where it can be retrieved.
Rename - This command, as already discussed, is used to rename a file or folder.
Properties - This command is used to check the file's properties. It gives the details about the file with regards to the contents, size, date of creation/modification, name of author, etc.
A TOOLBAR
The toolbar is a bar of buttons that is commonly displayed below the menu bar. The buttons are shortcuts for a number of common menu commands. The picture in the button is a graphic representation of the task the button activates.
The buttons that appear in the toolbar vary with the application that is open in the window.
If the toolbar is not displayed it needs to be turned on. To do this, select Choose View->Toolbar. Select the desired toolbar and click on OK. The toolbar then appears on the window. Although the toolbar button icons represent specific features, it is often difficult to know what each button does. To find out the function of a button, you can display the button name. To do this, rest the mouse pointer over the button, and a Tooltip displaying a description of the button will appear. You can point to each toolbar button and read the related Tooltip.
ARRANGING WINDOWS
There are two ways to arrange windows on the Desktop: Cascade and Tile.
Cascade - Layers open windows, displaying all active windows fully and only the title bars of all other open windows behind it.
Tile - This command resizes each open window and arranges them vertically or horizontally on the Desktop.
Cascading windows is useful when you want to work mainly on one window but also want to see the titles of other open windows. Tiling is most useful when you want to work in several applications at the same time, since it allows you to see the contents of all open windows simultaneously and move between them. However, the more windows that are open, the smaller is the space available to display the tiled window content.
To cascade three open windows, select Cascade after right-clicking on the taskbar.
The windows are resized and overlap with the title bars visible. Only the open windows that are not minimized are arranged. You can click on any part of the visible window and make it active.
THE UNDO OPTION
The Undo feature allows you to reverse your last action or command. However, some actions you perform in Windows cannot be reversed. If the Undo command is unavailable, it appears dimmed and you cannot cancel your last command. Some programs allow you to undo multiple actions, up to a certain limit. The command is found in the Edit menu, and the shortcut key is Ctrl+Z. Undo is selected from the toolbar or from the window where you performed the action.
THE CONTROL PANEL
The windows can be customized using various options available with the Windows 98 Control Panel. Once a setting is changed with the Control Panel, alterations are stored in the Windows configuration Registry. The settings are reloaded each time you run Windows. The settings are effective till you actually change them again with the Control Panel.
To open the Control Panel, select Start->Settings->Control Panel.
The Control Panel window opens.
The Control Panel contains nearly 20 items, depending on the items opted for during Windows 98 installation. Each icon in the Control Panel runs a little program, called an applet, when you double-click on it. The following list gives the broad outline of the standard Control Panel applets:
Accessibility Options - This allows you to set keyboard, mouse, sound, display and other options that make the Windows 98 computer easier to use.
Add New Hardware - Installs or removes sound, CD-ROM, video, MIDI, hard/floppy disk controllers, display adapters, keyboard, mouse, printers, ports and other device drivers.
Add/Remove Programs - You can add or remove modules of Windows 98 itself, or other kinds of programs. This program also allows you to create a start-up disk to start your computer, in case the operating system on the hard disk has some problems.
Date/Time - Sets the current date, time and the time zone you are in.
Desktop Themes - These combine custom sounds, color schemes, screen savers and cursors into easily chosen settings.
Display - Sets the various colors and fonts in different parts of the window's screens, title bars, scroll bars, etc. It also sets the background pattern or picture for the Desktop. It allows you to choose the screen savers, display driver, screen resolution and energy-saving mode.
Fonts - Adds and deletes typefaces from your screen display and printer output. It also allows you to look at samples of each of the fonts.
Internet - Settings for all Internet activities such as web, mail, newsgroups, home page location, etc. can be specified using this command.
Keyboard - This command is used to set the rate at which keys repeat when you hold them down. It sets the current blink rate, determines the language that the keyboard can enter into documents and allows you to declare the type of keyboard you have.
Modems - Lets you add, remove and set the properties of the modems connected to the computer.
Mouse - Sets the speed of the mouse pointer's motion relative to your hand motion and how fast a double-click must be to be effective. You can also reverse the functions of the right and left mouse buttons. It sets the shapes for various Windows 98 pointers.
Multimedia - Changes the audio, MIDI, CD music, and other multimedia device drivers, properties and settings.
Network - This command typically allows you to set the network configurations, add and configure optional support for the various networks. You can also change your identification in the network and determine the manner in which you control who gains access to the resources shared over the network, such as printers, fax modems, etc.
Passwords - With this command, you can set up or change logon passwords, do remote administration of the computer, set up individual profiles that go into effect when each new user logs on to the local computer.
Power Management - If you have a battery-powered portable computer or an energy-efficient Desktop machine, this program allows you to set Advanced Power Management details and view a scale indicating the current condition of the battery change.
Printers - Displays the printers that you have installed on your system, allows you to modify the property settings for those printers, and display and manage the print queue job for each printer. It is also used to install new printers to your computer.
Regional Settings - Sets how Windows displays times, dates, numbers and currency symbols.
Sounds - Turns on/off the computer's beep or adds sounds to various events if the computer has a built-in sound capability. Lets you set up sound schemes, which is a preset collection of sounds that the system uses to alert the user to specific events.
System -Displays information about the system's internals, such as devices, amount of RAM, type of processor, etc. It also allows you to add to, disable and remove specific devices from the system, set up hardware profiles and optimize some parameters of the system performance, such as CD cache size and type. This program provides a number of system troubleshooting tools.
Users - This enables the computer to be used by other people, allowing each of them to have their own Desktop icons, background, color schemes and other settings.
THE DISPLAY OPTIONS
From the Control Panel, select the Display icon and press Enter to bring up the window to change the display settings of the computer. The various tabs in this screen are:
Background
Screen Saver
Appearance
Effects
Settings
You can choose these and change the settings to customize the various display settings.
SETTING THE BACKGROUND AND WALLPAPER
This option simply allows you to decorate the Desktop and change the default settings.
In Wallpaper, click the background you want to use or click Pattern to choose or modify the background.
Click Apply to see the changes before you close the dialog box.
Click OK to accept the changes and close the dialog box.
SCREEN SAVERS
A Screen Saver will either make the screen blank or display a moving image or pattern if you don't use the mouse or keyboard for a predetermined amount of time.
To load a screen saver,
Click on the Screen Saver tab of the Display Properties dialog box.
Select a name from the drop down list. The saver is displayed in the little screen in the dialog box.
Click on Preview if you want to see how it would look on the entire window.
Click on settings to change the settings of the selected saver.
Click OK when all settings are made.
APPEARANCE
The Appearance page allows you to change the way Windows assigns colors and fonts to various parts of the screen. Windows sets itself up using a default color scheme, that can be changed as per individual preferences.
If you want to change the appearance of only one screen element, click that element in Item, and then change the settings in Size and Color for the item and its font. If you want to change the appearance of all screen elements simultaneously, click an appearance scheme in Scheme.
EFFECTS
Desktop themes is a combination of color settings, wallpaper and icons designed for your Desktop. The fancy icons are what this option is all about. Instead of adhering to the same boring icons as everyone else, they can be changed to something designed by you.
Click on the Effects tab.
Select the icon you want to alter and click on Change Icon.
From the list of icons, select one and choose OK.
In addition to the icon settings, the Effects tab also offers the following settings:
Use Menu Animation - when this setting is on, menus will open up in a little more artistic manner.
Smooth Edges of Screen Fonts - Makes larger fonts look smoother on the screen.
Show Window Contents While Dragging - keeps each window's contents visible while you are dragging or resizing the screen.
This tab page allows you to set up your Active Desktop. This feature of Windows 98 lets you pull in stuff from the web and display it on the Desktop.
We shall discuss this in detail in the session on the new features of Windows 98.
SETTINGS
This is the last tab in the Display properties dialog box.
In Screen area, make sure the setting is higher than 640 x 480 pixels. If 640 x 480 pixels is the only setting available to you, you cannot calibrate your display to actual dimensions.
Click Advanced to open the properties page for your computer. On the General tab, in Font Size, click Other. Hold a ruler up to the ruler on your screen, and then drag the screen ruler until it matches the ruler you are holding.
@INTRODUCTION
Windows 98 includes several small programs that are designed to help with your work, or amuse you while passing time. Some are automatically installed on the hard disk when Windows is installed. Others may need to be added individually. The following table describes many of these programs.
Application Description
Briefcase Quickly transfers files between a
laptop and desktop computer
CD Player Plays music from CDs using CD
Drive
Calculator Performs calculations
Character Inserts symbols/characters in
Map documents
Clipboard Displays contents of Windows
Viewer Clipboard
Desktop Background images for Desktop
Wallpaper
DriveSpace Disk compression program
Games Solitaire, Minesweeper, Hearts
And Freecell
Hyperterm- Connects via modem to a
Inal remote computer, send/receive
Files
Microsoft Standard on-line service offering
Network e-mail, bulletin boards, news-
Groups etc.
Microsoft Electronic mailbox
Exchange
Media Plays audio, video and animation
Player files
Pointers
Paint Used to create, modify or view
Pictures
ScanDisk Checks disks for errors
Screen Displays moving images when
Savers computer is idle
System Monitors system performance
Monitor
WordPad Word processor for short memos
And docume
THE WORDPAD
Before we learn how to use the WordPad, let us understand the concept of a word processor. Word processing applications are designed to help you create, edit and print documents. Documents are any kind of text or material such as memos, letters and research papers. Word processors have not only replaced the typewriter but have greatly enhanced what a typewriter could do.
The biggest advantage of a word processor is that it displays the text on your computer screen as you type it. This makes it easy to make changes and corrections onscreen before the document is printed on paper. Word processors are probably the most widely used of all software programs and credited with producing the highest gains in user productivity.
One of the most useful applications that Windows provides is the WordPad, a processing program designed to produce day-to-day business and personal documents.
To open WordPad, select Start->Programs->Accessories->WordPad.
The title bar displays the temporary filename, document, followed by the name of the program. The temporary filename is displayed until you save the file and give it a more descriptive name. Below the title bar is the menu bar displaying the following six menus:
FileEditViewInsertFormatHelp
The toolbar contains button shortcuts for many of the frequently used menu commands. Displayed below the toolbar is the format bar. The format bar contains buttons representing the most frequently used text-editing and text-layout features.
The ruler is displayed below the format bar. The ruler shows the line length in inches. The zero position on the ruler marks the location of the left margin. The triangle symbol on the right end of the ruler at the 6-inch position marks the right margin. The ruler is used to set tab stops and indents for selected paragraphs. The ruler can also be used to change the page margins and to help place items on the page.
The large blank area below the ruler is the workspace. This is where your work is displayed. The insertion point is positioned on the upper left hand corner of the workspace, ready for you to begin typing.
If any of the WordPad window features are not displayed, use the View menu to select the option required to turn on the feature.
Enter the text in the workarea by simply typing what is required using the keyboard. As you type, the insertion point moves to show you where the next character will appear. The character after the insertion point is called the active character. This is the character that will be affected by your net action.
While typing it is quite possible to make mistakes which you would like to rectify. The process of correcting or changing existing text is called editing.
Editing - A word processor excels in its ability to change or edit a document. You can quickly delete a character, word, sentence, or paragraph and replace it with new text. There are many methods by which you can edit text. The two most common are to use the Backspace key to delete unwanted characters to the left of the insertion point, or Delete to remove the active character. Then you can retype the correct text. The direction keys or the mouse are used to move the insertion point back within the text. To move the insertion point with the mouse, position the I-beam at the location in the text where you want the insertion point to appear and click the left mouse button.
In WordPad, as you type, the text automatically moves to the next line when it reaches the right margin. This feature is called word wrap.
Formatting text: After you enter the text you may want to improve its appearance by formatting the text. The various formatting options available are:
Centering text - You can make the headings in the text as center aligned.
Changing type size - Font size, also commonly known as type size or point size, refers to the height and width of the characters. Font size is measured in points, which refers to the height of the character, with each point about 1/72 inch. Most documents use a type size of 10 or 12 points. The larger the number of points, the larger the size of the characters.
Adding color to the text - The color of the text can also be changed to make it significant. Select the text whose color is to be changed, using either the color button on the format bar or the menu alternative, which is Format->Font->Color. A drop down list of 16 colors is displayed, from which you can select the color of your choice.
THE PAINT
The Paint application is a drawing program that is used to create graphic images. A drawing program is used to create illustrations. They allow you to create attractive, sophisticated line art by combining lines, arcs, circles and other shapes. These programs are commonly used in publications such as books and magazines.
The Paint program creates graphics that consist of many small dots on the screen called a bitmap. These files are saved as bitmap files.
There are two ways to open the application:
Right click anywhere on the desktop and select New->Bitmap Image
Select Start->Programs->Accessories->Paint
Type the name you want to give to the file, and press Enter. To open the associated application, Paint, double-click on the icon.
The Paint program has some of the features similar to the WordPad program, including a workspace, a menu bar, and a toolbar called a toolbox in Paint. By default, the toolbox is displayed on the left edge of the window. Displayed at the bottom of the window is the color box and the status bar.
The preselected button is a Pencil button. You can say it is selected because it appears depressed.
MICROSOFT EXCHANGE
Microsoft Exchange provides a universal Inbox that you can use to send and receive electronic mail (e-mail). In addition, you can use the Inbox to organize, access and share all types of information, including faxes and items from online services.
To start Microsoft Exchange, double-click the Inbox icon on your desktop. If the Inbox icon is not on your desktop, look up Installing, Windows components in the Help Index.
MICROSOFT FAX
Windows comes with a fax program you can use to send and receive faxes directly within Windows. If this component is not on your computer, look up Installing, Windows components in the Help Index.
THE MICROSOFT NETWORK
With Windows 98, you can access a new online service, The Microsoft Network. You can exchange messages with people around the world; read the latest news, sports, weather and financial information; find answers to your technical questions; download from thousands of useful programs; connect to the Internet, and more!
To start The Microsoft Network, double-click The Microsoft Network icon on your desktop.
PHONE DIALER
You can use Phone Dialer to place telephone calls from your computer by using a modem or another Windows telephony device. You can store a list of phone numbers you use frequently, and dial the number quickly from your computer.
To find Phone Dialer, click the Start button, point to Programs, and then point to Accessories. If Phone Dialer is not on your computer, look up Installing, Windows components in the Help Index.
FILE TRANSFER
This program enables you to send a file to someone while you are talking to them on the phone. File Transfer requires a modem that supports VoiceView.
To find File Transfer, click the Start button, point to Programs, and then point to Accessories. If this component is not on your computer, look up Installing, Windows components in the Help Index.
HYPERTERMINAL
HyperTerminal is a new program which enables you to easily connect to a remote computer, a bulletin board or an online service. It replaces Terminal from Windows version 3.1.
To find HyperTerminal, click the Start button, point to Programs, and then point to Accessories. If HyperTerminal is not on your computer, look up Installing, Windows components in the Help Index.
CD PLAYER
With CD Player, you can play an audio CD in the CD-ROM drive on your computer. To find CD Player, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to Multimedia.
If CD Player is not on your computer, look up Installing, Windows components in the Help Index.
VOLUME CONTROL
If you have a sound card in your computer, you can use Volume Control to increase or decrease the sound coming from your computer's speakers, microphone or CD-ROM drive.
To find Volume Control, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to Multimedia.
MS-DOS PROMPT
MS-DOS Prompt within Windows has been enhanced. You can start Windows-based programs from the command prompt, and you can close the MS-DOS window by clicking the (Close) button on the title bar.
You no longer need to use PIF Editor to specify settings for MS-DOS-based programs. Instead, just modify the properties of the program. To find MS-DOS Prompt, click the Start button, and then point to Programs.
DISK DEFRAGMENTER
You can use Disk Defragmenter to optimize your disk so that the files and unused space are arranged efficiently. This makes programs run faster and files open much faster.
To find Disk Defragmenter, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.
SCANDISK
You can use ScanDisk to check your hard disk for errors and to fix problems that are found. To find ScanDisk, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.
DRIVESPACE
If you need more room on your hard disk, you can use DriveSpace to compress the disk and make more space available. To find DriveSpace, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.
BACKUP
Windows comes with a program you can use to back up the files on your hard disk to a floppy disk, tape drive, or another computer on your network.
To find Backup, click the Start button, point to Programs, point to Accessories, and then point to System Tools.
OBJECTS
An object is any set of information created using a Windows application. It is inserted and stored in a document created using another application. The object can be text, graphics, or any other element created in the source application, called the server. The file containing the original object is the source file. The file receiving the copy of the object is the destination document. This document is also commonly referred to as a compound document because it is made up of objects from multiple applications.
LINKING AND EMBEDDING
Pasting an object simply places an image of the object in the compound document. If possible, the object is converted into a format that the destination document can edit. If this is not possible, the image cannot be updated or edited.
An object that is linked also displays only a graphic representation of the object. However, it also stores the location of the object's source file, creating a connection between the source and the destination document. Any changes made to the object in the source file are reflected in the destination file.
When an object is embedded, it is stored in the compound document. Because the entire object along with a reference to the source application is included in the compound document, it can be edited from within the compound document by opening the server application it references if it is loaded on the computer you are using. Any editing changes are made to the embedded object only and the source file remains unchanged.
DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) and OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) are the two processes that allow the linking and embedding of information between applications. DDE creates linked objects and OLE creates embedded objects. Not all applications support object OLE.
The Paste and Paste Special commands are used to insert a copy from the Clipboard into a document. Generally, the Paste command simply inserts a copy of the Clipboard contents into the document without linking or embedding it. The Paste Special command allows you to create a link or to embed the Clipboard contents.
Let us see how to embed the file with the balloons, Trial.bmp to this document.
Copy the contents of the file Trial.bmp. Switch to the destination file and select Edit->Paste Special.
Select the type of object to embed (bitmap image in this case) from the options in the As list box.
The Paste option creates an embedded object.
THE RECYCLE BIN
Windows stores deleted files in the Recycle Bin, which is located on the desktop. You can use the Recycle Bin to retrieve files you may have deleted by mistake, or empty the Recycle Bin to create more disk space.
If you cannot see the Recycle Bin, use your right mouse button to click a blank area of the Taskbar, and then click Minimize All Windows.
TO CHANGE THE CAPACITY OF THE RECYCLE BIN
Using your right mouse button, click the Recycle Bin icon, and then click Properties.
If you want to use different settings for different drives, click Configure Drives Independently, and then click the tab of the drive whose settings you want to change. If you want to use the same settings for all drives, click Use One Setting For All Drives.
Drag the slider to increase or decrease the amount of disk space that is reserved for storing deleted files.
TO EMPTY THE RECYCLE BIN
Double-click the Recycle Bin icon.
On the File menu, click Empty Recycle Bin.
If you want to remove only some of the items in the Recycle Bin, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking each item. Click the File menu, and then click Delete.
TO PERMANENTLY REMOVE FILES WHEN YOU DELETE THEM
Using your right mouse button, click the Recycle Bin icon, and then click Properties.
If you want to use different settings for different drives, click Configure Drives Independently, and then click the tab of the drive whose settings you want to change. If you want to use the same settings for all drives, click Use One Setting For All Drives.
Make sure the Do Not Move Files To The Recycle Bin box is checked. However, if this box is checked, you will be unable to recover any files you delete.
TO PREVENT DELETE CONFIRMATION MESSAGES FROM APPEARING
Using your right mouse button, click the Recycle Bin icon, and then click Properties.
Make sure the Display Delete Confirmation Dialog check box is clear.
This setting is unavailable if the Do Not Move Files To The Recycle Bin box is checked.
TO RETRIEVE DELETED FILES OR SHORTCUTS
Double-click the Recycle Bin icon.
Click the file or shortcut you want to retrieve. To retrieve several items, hold down the Ctrl key while clicking each one.
On the File menu, click Restore.
If you delete a folder, only the files within that folder appear in the Recycle Bin. If you restore a file that was originally located in a deleted folder, Windows recreates the folder, and then restores the file to it.
UNDERSTANDING THE ACTIVE DESKTOP
The Internet, which we are all familiar with , has traced its way virtually into all aspects of our lives. Windows 98 incorporates the World Wide Web to the Windows interface via the Active Desktop.
In this session we shall discuss the web-related Desktop features of Windows 98 and the various techniques we can use to make optimum use of this new feature.
INTRODUCING THE ACTIVE DESKTOP
The Active Desktop is the term used by Microsoft to describe the new approach to the Windows Desktop. It is based on
the Active Platform strategy of Microsoft, which attempts to combine the three popular WWW based components, which are:
Scripting
Objects or Components
These three components constitute or make up the Windows Desktop. The Active Desktop items can be viewed as though each item were being displayed in the Internet Explorer.
If several users share a single computer, each can have his/her own customized settings for the Active Desktop, since the Desktop is part of each users personal profile.
The Active Desktop complements the Windows Desktop interface. The most significant enhancement is that Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer have merged into what feels like a single exploring window. The distinction between the two exploring features have apparently disappeared.
THE ACTIVE DESKTOP WORKAREA
The Active Desktop includes all the features that existed in the Windows 95 Desktop. The main components include:
The Windows Taskbar
Start Button
The Open Program Windows
The icons for the files and shortcut icons
The major enhancement is the addition of the HTML layer on the Desktop, which lies beneath the traditional icon layer. It is on this new layer that you can place a new type of Desktop object, which is an HTML component. Hence the benefits that you can have with the introduction of the Active Desktop are:
You can place one or more web pages directly on the Desktop
You can assign a web page to be a Desktop background
When you are connected to the Internet, you can work in any HTML Desktop object as though you were working within the Internet Explorer.
Placing web objects on the Active Desktop is a powerful new dimension of Windows 98. But one should be careful about the following two points:
Having more than a few web objects on the Desktop can utilize a great deal of the computer's RAM and processor capacity. You may have to do some experimenting to see how many web objects and of what type your computer can handle.
Each time you start your computer, your Active Desktop may want to connect to the Internet to update one or more of the Desktop items. It may be very annoying to see the Dial-up networking window everytime you want to connect to the Internet via a modem.
If your Active Desktop looks cluttered when you need to dedicate more of your computer's power to the other tasks, you can even turn off the display of the Desktop web objects.
Right-click on the Desktop and choose Active Desktop->View as web Page from the shortcut menu. All the web Page objects are removed from the Desktop, and their connections to the Internet is terminated. This seems as though Internet Explorer has been closed and the web Page it displayed alongwith it.
THE WINDOWS TASKBAR
The Taskbar in the Active Desktop includes several new toolbars and features. It is possible to have multiple toolbars displayed along with the Taskbar, in one, two, or multiple rows.
The Taskbar displays a button for each open program. The Taskbar can be dragged to a different location on the Desktop. A shortcut can also be created by right-clicking. Let us discuss some new features:
A new toolbar, called the quick-launch toolbar has been introduced. This is located just right of the Start button in the upper row of the Taskbar. You can add buttons to it for programs that you use frequently.
The new Show Desktop button is displayed in the Quick Launch toolbar - click it to minimize all windows and reveal the entire Desktop. Click it again to restore the windows.
The Address toolbar behaves in the same manner as in the Internet Explorer. Enter a Universal Resource Locator (URL) and press Enter to open that file.
You can display several other toolbars in the Taskbar and place them at any location on the Desktop. You can even create your own customized toolbar, with a combination o buttons from different toolbars.
ICONS
Icons play an important role in the Active Desktop. By default, they are displayed on top of web objects so that they are not hidden. Icons can also be hidden if need be, by choosing the Hide Icons when Desktop is viewed as web page option in the Folder Options dialog box.
The most important feature to be remembered while working on the Desktop, is the single-click action, if enabled. To open an icon, you simply need to point at it and single-click. Double-clicking would open it twice.
HTML WEB OBJECTS
Any web object that can be viewed on the Internet Explorer, can be placed on the Active Desktop.
The Desktop objects behave in the same way as it does in the Internet Explorer, though none of the Internet Explorer commands are available. For instance it is not possible to access toolbars in a Desktop page. Similarly there is no way to add a page to the Favorites menu.
There are a few commands available on the shortcut menu for a page on the Desktop. For example, you can select all text and images on the page, print the page, edit the HTML code in the page, and reload the page from its server with the Refresh command.
Although a web object is not contained in a normal window, you can still adjust its size and position on the Desktop. When you pass the mouse pointer over the object, a box appears around it with a title bar. This serves as a temporary window. The size of the object can be altered by dragging the side or the corner of the box. The object can be shifted or moved by dragging the title bar.
There is a system menu button on the left side of the title bar, and a Close button on the right side. You can hide the object by clicking on the close button. This also deselects the object in the web tab of the Display Properties dialog box, where you can add or remove any web content in the Active Desktop.
When a web item on the Desktop is not large enough to display the entire page it contains, horizontal or vertical scroll bars appear as required.
GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE DESKTOP TOOLBAR
It has already been mentioned that the toolbars that can be displayed in the Internet Explorer are also available on the Active Desktop. You can display new toolbars either as part of the Taskbar or separately, anywhere on the Desktop.
DISPLAYING OTHER TOOLBARS ON THE DESKTOP
To display a toolbar, right-click the Taskbar or another toolbar and choose Toolbars from the shortcut menu. Then select the toolbar you want to display. The toolbar options include Addresses and Links, which are also present in the Internet Explorer. These also have the following features:
Desktop displays a button for each icon on your Desktop, giving access to those icons without minimizing all program windows.
Quick Launch gives you a toolbar to display program or document icon buttons for which you want quick and easy access.
New toolbar allows you to create a new toolbar for any resource or folder you can access from the computer.
The Quick Launch toolbar is particularly helpful. When it is displayed for the first time, it already has several buttons. To add more, simply drag a file or folder onto the toolbar. You can also drag a shortcut from a web page on it, giving you quick access to the target of that link.
When you select Toolbars->New Toolbars, a folders window appears. It is possible to either enter a URL of the required file, or browse all the folders available on the computer.
MANIPULATING DESKTOP TOOLBARS
The toolbars placed on the Desktop are quite flexible, and can be easily adjusted to suit the way you work with the Windows Desktop. By default, when you display a toolbar, it appears within the Taskbar, sharing that portion of the Desktop.
When toolbars are sharing the same space, you can manipulate them in a number of ways:
To expand or shrink a toolbar, drag its gripper to the left or right. Gripper is the set of vertical bars at the left edge of a toolbar.
To display or hide the toolbar's name, right-click the toolbar and select Show Title.
To display or hide text descriptions of each button on a toolbar, right-click the toolbar and select Show Text.
When you point to a button, the ToolTip displays its name.
To change the size of the button on a toolbar, right-click the toolbar and select View from the shortcut menu, and then select Large or Small.
To display the Taskbar and toolbars in multiple rows, drag the top edge of the Taskbar upward.
To close a toolbar, right-click on it and select Close from the shortcut menu.
You can also detach a toolbar from the Taskbar and display by itself, at the desired location. Point to the toolbar's gripper or title and then drag the toolbar off the Taskbar to any other location on the Desktop. Once the toolbar is free of the Taskbar, it can be moved or resized in the usual ways. To reattach the toolbar, just drag it back by the title bar.
ADD CONTENT TO THE ACTIVE DESKTOP
When Windows 98 is installed for the first time, only the Channel bar is displayed on the Desktop, by default. You can add or remove objects from the Active Desktop via the Web tab of the Display Properties dialog box.
The Web tab has a list of all items that have been placed on the Active Desktop, but only those whose check box is selected are currently displayed. The Preview image of the Desktop is also displayed. When an item in the list is selected, its location on the Desktop is shown in the preview.
ADDING OBJECTS TO THE DESKTOP
The web items that appear on the Active Desktop are the ones that are selected in the list of components in the Web tab of the Display Properties dialog box. If the View my Active Desktop as a web page option is not selected, none of the components appears on the Desktop.
To add a new web item to the Active Desktop, the following procedure is adopted:
Step 1> Open the Display Properties dialog box and access its Web tab.
Step 2> Click the New button. A dialog box appears which asks if you want to visit Active Desktop Gallery on the web. Here you can install one of its web items.
Step 3> If you choose no, you shall see that the New Active Desktop Item dialog box, in which you specify the URL of the object you want to add.
The four following types of files can be added to the Active Desktop:
Internet Shortcut (URL) opens a URL
Channel Description File (CDF) displays a channel
HTML Document (HTML or HTM) displays a web page
Picture (GIF, JPEG, or BMP) displays a graphic image
Step 4> In the dialog box, enter the URL of the item you want to place on the Active Desktop.
Step 5> If the item being added is a file on the web, you are asked to enter whether you want a subscription for the item. You are required to enter the relevant settings.
Step 6> When you complete the subscription settings dialog box, click OK. The web page is downloaded and the new item appears on the Desktop in the display Properties dialog box.
Step 7> Click OK to close the dialog box, or click Apply to apply the changes. Leave the dialog box open.
You shall see the new item on your Desktop.
WEB PAGE DESKTOP BACKGROUND
With Windows 98, it is possible to incorporate a web page into the background of the Active Desktop. This is not the same as the web page that you can place on the Active Desktop. This page literally serves as a background to anything else you place on the Desktop.
Open the Display Properties dialog box and choose the Background tab. A list of available bitmap images and web pages appears, which can be used as the Desktop's wallpaper. To use a new page as the wall paper, either select the page from the list or click the Browse button to find the file.
REMOVE DESKTOP ITEMS
You can remove the web items from the Active Desktop in two ways:
Hide them
Actually delete them
With Turning On or Off Desktop Components, you can deselect one or more items in the Web tab of the Display Properties dialog box. You can actually remove an item from the list in the Web tab by selecting it and then clicking the Delete button.
BROWSING RESOURCES WITH THE EXPLORER
Windows 98 has Internet Explorer 4. One of the major advancements in Internet Explorer 4, hence in Windows 98, is the merging of the personal computer with the Internet. The Active Desktop is an attempt to merge the personal Desktop with the worldwide network of the Internet.
We shall now discuss how Internet Explorer, the web browser, has been merged with the Windows Explorer, the computer browser. Hence, computer resources such as files, folders, printer, the Control, Panel, etc. have become indistinguishable from the resources on the Internet such as files, websites, FTP sites and other content that can be downloaded.
BROWSE THE COMPUTER
The Windows Explorer has been the primary tool in working with Windows 95 or Windows 98. At the top of the Explorer window, there is a menu and toolbar, with two panes below each of them.
The pane on the left side of the Explorer lists resources on the computer, such as disk drives, file folders within a drive, Control Panel, Recycle Bin, etc. It lists the resources in hierarchically, for instance, sub-folders are indented beneath the folder that contains them.
The pane on the right side lists the contents of the selected resource on the left side.
BROWSING THE INTERNET
In Windows 98, the Internet Explorer appears on the Windows Explorer as a resource in the left pane. When Internet Explorer is selected from the Windows Explorer, the normal start page is displayed on the right pane. If that page is on the Internet, it connects to the Internet in the normal way, such as by using the Dial-Up Networking.
The Windows Explorer is now similar to the Internet Explorer.
The menus and the toolbar change to show that you are now viewing a web page, and they are the same as you would see in the Internet Explorer. You can click on the links and open the shortcut that you want or even open a new resource from your Favorites menu.
The only difference between the views of the Internet Explorer and Windows Internet Explorer is that you can still see other resources available to you in the left pane of the Windows Explorer.
BROWSING THE WEB
When you open a folder, including My Computer and the Control Panel, you can choose to view that folder either in the standard form or the web view. From the menu bar on the shortcut menu, choose View->As Web Page to switch between the two forms of view.
When in web view, there is more information about each resource. Each icon is displayed in the right pane of the window, while the left pane displays a brief description of the currently selected item.
Another connection to the Internet appears within the web view of Control Panel. You can click the Technical Support button in the left pane to connect to Microsoft's technical support website, where you can find helpful information about Control Panel or other issues.
CUSTOMIZING A FOLDER
Another aspect of Windows 98 and its Active Desktop shows how browsing the web has merged with browsing the computer's resources. It is possible to create a customized web view in any folder that you can view in Explorer. Thus, if you customize a folder, you have a unique view of just that folder, while other folders will continue to use the default web view.
This not only allows the creation of a distinctive look for a folder, but allows you to personalize a folder so that its resources are more friendly and informative. This option is especially useful when multiple users share the same folder.
To customize a selected folder, choose View->Customize this Folder, or choose that command from the shortcut menu when you right-click within the right pane. This opens the Customize This Folder Wizard, which helps you customize a folder either by specifying a background picture true or by creating an HTML document.
When you choose to create a web page for the folder and click on Next, the Wizard's next dialog box opens a new page in your default editor for HyperText Template (HTT) files. Unless you want to make changes to this page, choose File->Exit in the editor you are using.
The last step of the Wizard tells you what work you have just completed. You can click the Finish button to return to Explorer, where you can see your custom folder displayed in the right pane.
You can revise a folder's customized setting at any time. Right-click on the list of files and choose Customize This Folder, then follow the same steps as described above to create a new web page for the folder.
PASSWORD OPTIONS
The Password option in the Control Panel, allows remote administration of the computer,
change log-on passwords, and set up individual profiles that are effective when each new user logs on to the local computer. Out of these options, the Remote Administration was not available with Windows 95.
Use the Change Passwords page for typical password adjustments. The first button is usually used to change the logon name - the password used to logon to Windows. The second button allows setting other passwords - such as the password to logon to the network. Passwords can be as long as 127 characters, which can use letters, numbers and punctuation marks.
REMOTE PASSWORD ADMINISTRATION
The Remote Administration tab of the dialog box is only used for setting up passwords to allow a person at another workstation to access your computer. Settings in this section determine which password the remote administrator has to enter in order to create, change or monitor shared resources on the computer.
To set up the computer for remote administration, you have to enable it first by checking the box. Then enter the password required for remote administration of your shared resources. The network administrator should be informed about the password.
MULTIPLE-USER PASSWORDS
By creating an entry in the Configuration Registry for each user on the system, Windows 98 can accommodate any number of people on the same computer, each having different settings. When a user signs in, the Registry is accessed and appropriate settings go into effect.
USER PROFILES
The collection of settings each user creates is called a user profile. A typical user profile might include Desktop colors, screen saver, Quick Launch bar shortcuts and program groups. It does not create any Desktop folders or My Documents folder, so users will have to share those.
Windows 98 is initially set up in a single-user mode. Each user who logs on will get the same settings regardless of the user name and password they enter. The multi-user arrangement needs to be enabled.
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