CS 104 Lab 2
Working with Windows 95/98/NT
Every task or idea is covered in this handout.
Please do all of the tasks listed in italics. The regular text is explanation.
Many of the explanations assume that you are using a floppy disk (Drive A:), but all
of these exercises can be completed with your zip disk. Just replace floppy ( A:)
with zip (drive letter designation assigned to the removable disk). There is no
usual drive letter designation for a the removable disk (zip). It is just
what letter was available when it was installed. If you cannot figure out the
icon (or the letter) for the zip, please ask the lab instructor or assistant.
Computer files, folders and disks
What is a computer file? A group of instructions or data used by the computer.
Each file is given a unique name.
What is a folder? Like a folder in a file cabinet that holds a group
of related documents, a folder on the computer holds a group of related
files. The root folder is the top level of a particular device
such as a floppy or a hard disk.
What is a disk? A computer storage medium that is used to retain information
for later use. Types include: non-removable (hard disks) and
removable (CD-ROM disks, floppies, Zip disks)
Please see the Diskette Specifications Table in this handout
click - a verb meaning to select something with a mouse
Microsoft Windows NT or 95/98
Windows NT or 95/98 is an operating system that controls the basic operation of
your computer and the programs that you run on it. Windows has a graphical
user interface (GUI) which means you can use pictures (called icons
in addition to words to carry out tasks and operations).
Important terms:
programs: also known as applications, which are software tools you use
to accomplish tasks.
desktop: area on the computer screen where you organize your computer work
My Computer icon: represents a program you can use to organize your files.
(Every PC running a CURRENT version of Windows (NT/95/98) has My Computer.)
Explore My Computer.
Double Click on the My Computer Icon. The window displays additional icons
that represent the drives and system components that
are installed on your computer.
Click on the icon for drive C:. See the various icons (files and folders).
Click the Minimize button (the box with the - minus in it,
located in the upper-right corner of the My Computer
window). When you minimize a window, it shrinks to a program button
on the taskbar. The taskbar is at the bottom of the screen. It contains the
Start button and may contain other buttons to indicate which windows are open
on the desktop. Please see INT 1.7, Figure 1-2 for a labled picture of the
desktop.
Now Click the My Computer program button on the taskbar to restore the
window to its previous size.
Click the Maximize button (the square in the box in the upper-right corner
or the My Computer window.
Click the Close Button,(the x in the box in the upper-right corner of the
My Computer window) when finished.
The Windows NT or 95/98 file system
Filenames - limits: 253 character path names, 40 character filenames.
Filenames may also have an extension. An extension is the characters following
the filename and a period (filename.ext).
The filename describes the content, the extension describes the type of
file. (DOC, XLS, MDB, JPG, GIF, PPT, HTM, HTML)
Windows Explorer
Explorer: more formally Windows Explorer. A program used to navigate and
organize files. This program can be reached form the Start Menu by clicking the
option Programs and then clicking the option Windows Explorer.
Start Windows Explorer (click the Start button, lower left hand corner of the
desktop. The triangles beside the menu option indicate that the options will
display another menu. Point to Programs and click the Windows Explorer option.
The Exploring window opens. Your can use this feature of Windows NT 95/98 to manage
files. From now on, when cascading options are exercised, the text will be written as
Start->Programs->Windows Explorer.
Click on View option (on the menu bar third option from the left). Be sure that
there is a check next to the toolbar option. A check mark indicates that the
menu option is active. A bullet indicates that the menu option is activated.
A dimmed option indicates that the menu option is currently not appropriate and
is therefore not available.
Look at the overall appearance of Explorer. See the vertical bar which divides
the window into a right and left pane. See the different kinds of icons, local
disk drive, network drive, desktop, etc). In the left pane there are plus and
minus boxes to the left of each icon (active drive icon). Review the toolbar.
If you don't know what a button on the toolbar does, just point to the button;
a ToolTip, a brief description of the button, appears near the button. Set
options to display extensions.
Ellipsis(...) in a menu indicates that a dialog box will appear. A dialog box is a
box that allows you to select one of many options that are available for a single task.
Message windows, status bars. In Exploring, the status bar is at the bottom of
window displaying such information as menu descriptions and the size of files.
Depending on the size of the information needed to be displayed and the size of
window, scroll bars are given for each pane. Scroll bar scroll the view of the
window vertically and horizontally. You drag the scroll boxes to scroll
quickly. You use the arrow keys to scroll more "controllably".
Using Windows Explorer
Be sure Windows Explorer screen is still displayed on your computer. If not
repeat the first step in the list above.
Click the mouse pointer on the down arrow symbol next to the active drive
icon. See step 4 above for definition of active drive. Note: if the toolbar
does not appear on your screen, see the third step in list above.
You will see the computer components for your system. The list will include
Desktop, My Computer, and the drives plus other components that may be unique
to your system.
Be Versatile
Computer environments that do not have Windows Explorer, My Computer must
be used to navigate and organize files. The accompanying lab assignment sheet
has details on using both My Computer and Windows Explorer for navigation and
organization.
Formatting a Floppy Disk
You should have for this class at least one 3.5'' Double Sided/High Density floppy disk.
High density disks can store up to 1.44 MB of data. You must also purchase
a Zip disk. (Available from Mrs. Green for $10! While supplies last!)
Identifying Floppy Disks
Floppy disks did come in two sizes, 5.25 and 3.5 inches. The 5.25 is
phasing out. However, you may still see some floating around.
Floppy disks come in different densities (the number of bytes they can store).
In addition to size and density, disks differ in whether they store information
on one or both sides. Early computers used disks that stored information on
a single side.
The Diskette Specification Table summarizes most of the commonly available removable
disks for a PC.
| Diskette Specifications |
| Label | Meaning | Size | Capacity |
| DS/DD | Double Sided/Double Density | 5.25" | 360,000 (360K) |
| DS/HD | Double Sided/High Density | 5.25" | 1,200,000 (1.2MB) |
| DS/DD | Double Sided/Double Density | 3.5" | 720,000 (720K) |
| DS/HD or HD or 2HD | Double Sided/High Density | 3.5" | 1,440,00 (1.44MB) |
| LS120 | LS120 or Superdisk | 3.5" | 120MB |
| PC/IBM or Mac (100 or 250)(preformatted) | Zip disk | different size cartridge | 100MB or 250MB
100s can be read by 250 drives
but not vice versa |
| manufacturer's label | JAZ (Iomega) | different size cartridge | 1 GB or 2 GB
need a special JAZ drive
1GB can be read by the 2 GB drive but not vice versa |
Most disks today already come preformatted. But there are times that you
must know how to format. (Getting rid of viruses! Buying cheaper unformatted
disks.) Thus, we want you to know how
to format if the occasion comes up. Do all the steps up until it says format.
However, do not format, just close.
Insert the unformatted disk (it can also be preformatted or it can be formatted
with UNWANTED information) into the 3.5 drive (on our computers Drive A).
Remember when you format a disk, it wipes out all the information on the disk.
Pull down the drives window by clicking on the down arrow pointer next to the
active drive icon as shown below..
Use the mouse pointer to click on My Computer icon. This displays all the components
of your computer on the right side of the Explorer window.
Click the icon for the Floppy A: drive on the right side of the Explorer window.
This step informs Windows NT or 95/98 that you want to use the A: drive.
If the Floppy A: icon
is not highlighted, you will not be able to format the diskette.
Click on the word "File" located in the upper left corner of the Explorer window,
the click the word Format as shown below.
The Format 3.5 Floppy (A:) window will be displayed. Look at the options.
Select the correct disk capacity. We have chosen the DS/HD 3.5" for this class.
Choose 1.44 Mb (3.5") for the Capacity.
The format type will be full for a complete format.
In the label box type in your_last_name-lab and your_last_name-test
where your_last_name
is the first six letters of your last name respectively. The limit for an electronic label is 11 characters.
If you wanted to format, you would click Start but we will click Close
If the format process had begun, a dialog box would have appeared displaying
a bar graph depicting the progress of the format.
When the format is complete, an information box will be displayed showing how much room is available on the disk.
Click on the Close button to complete the format process.
Remove the diskette from the A: drive and attach your paper label to the diskette.
Mark them respectly with your name - lab x CS 104. Protect these.
These are your copies of the work you have have done
for the lab part of this class.
Make sure your disks are labeled for this class.
Creating New Folders
You can create new folders through the Explorer.
First, highlight the disk or folder under which you wish to place a new one.
We want to create a folder an A, make sure the 3.5" is active:
Next, pull down the File Menu and position the highlight over the New
option. When the submenu appears, click the mouse on the Folder option.
See figure below.
Windows will create a new directory, but prompts you for the name, name it your_lastnameLab2.
See figure below.
Getting Files from Other Computers
Through Network Neighborhood icon,(on the desktop in NT) find Arthur(computer icon).
Double Click on Arthur.
Find the CS104 folder on Arthur. Double Click on the CS 104 folder.
You will see many folders in the cs104 on Arthur window.
Now, double Click on My Computer (if it is not already open
on your desktop).
Double click on the icon for the 3.5 floppy (A:).
Now you have the two windows in sight, the 3.5 floppy window
(which should be empty) and the cs104 on Arthur window.
With the left mouse button, click once and hold on the
Defend folder located in the cs104 on Arthur window.
Now drag the folder to the
empty 3.5 floppy window and release your finger. You should now see a
window appear with flying papers (this is saving the folder to your diskette). Make
sure when you leave, you have the Defend folder and its contents on your lab data
disk. You will be using these files to complete the homework assignment for this
lab.
Getting Images/Files Off the Web and Saving Them in a Separate File
Open your favorite browser.
In third floor RB labs, on the desktop find the IE or Netscape and double click.
When the Ball State Computer Science homepage appears, click on the link Dolores Zage.
Now click on the link for CS104. You should be on the CS 104 Virtual Office page.
Click the right mouse button on the graphic of the hands on the keyboard from the middle
of the CS 104 Virtual Office page. A menu will appear.
Select Save Image As ... .
The Windows Save As Window will appear. Save your picture on your floppy in the
folder named pictures. Click on the create new folder icon (folder with dashed lines
emitting from it). It located at the top right section of the Save As ... Window.
You should see a folder icon with the highlighted words New Folder. Click your mouse
on the N in New. The highlighting should disappear and the cursor should be blinking.
Type pictures, to replace the New Folder name. Double click on the Pictures folder.Click
the Save button.
Creating and Saving a Paint File
Most of your work on a computer involves creating files in programs. When you use a program,
you can use many of the Windows skills you have already learned. In this section of Lab 2, you will
work with Paint, a drawing program located on the Accessories submenu that you will use to create
a simple graphic. Note even this simple graphic, consumes a large of space!
Click the Start button on the taskbar, point to Programs, point to Accessories, then click Paint.
The Paint program window opens. Notice the title and menu bars across the top of the screen.
Along the left side of the window is the ToolBox. The white rectangular area, called the drawing
area, is where you draw. The color palette, which contains the colors you use to paint with,
is at the bottom of the window.
Click the maximize button, if necessary, to maximize the window, then click the Brush tool. The
Brush tool is located in the Toolbox, second column, fourth icon.
A Linesize box appears under the Toolbox where you choose the line size of the brush stroke you
want. The Brush tool is a freehand drawing tool that you will control with your mouse.
In the Linesize box, click the thickest line width, then move the mouse pointer on the
drawing area of the Paint window.
Press and hold the left mouse button, drag the mouse in large circle, then release the mouse button.
Add eyes and a mouth inside the circle to create a smiling face.
Click the fill with Color tool, the bucket with paint spilling out of it, the second column second row icon,
click the bright yellow color in the bottom row of the color palette, then
click on your smiling face with the Fill With Color pointer.
The Fill with Color tools fills the area with the currently selected color and your drawing is complete.
Click File on the menu bar, then click Save As
Click the Save In list arrow, click 3.5 Floppy (A:), then click the Save as type list arrow and click 16 color
Bitmap.
Double-click the text in File Name box, type my_first_paint_file, then click Save.
Your drawing is now saved as a Paint file with the name my_first_paint_file on your 3.5" disk in drive A.
Click a light blue color on the color palette, then click on the smiling face.
Click File on the menu bar, then click Save As.. Because Windows "remembers" where you last saved a
file, you do not need to specify a location this time.
With the text in the File Name box selected, type my_second_paint_file, then click Save.
Click File on the menu bar, then click Exit
You should now have five items on your lab disk, a folder name your_namelab2,
a folder named Defend, a folder named pictures and two paint files.
To view these, open up Windows Explorer if it is not already there, make the 3.5 the
active drive and in the right pane, you should see the five items.
Creating and Saving a WordPad File
Click the Start button on the taskbar, point to Programs, point to Accessories, then click WordPad.
In the WordPad window, type This is an assignment for the second lab of CS 104
Click File on the menu bar, then click Save As, and save the file also to the floppy as my_wordpad.
Click File on the menu bar, then click Exit
You should now have six items on your lab disk, a folder name your_lastnamelab2, a folder named Defend, a folder named pictures,
two paint files, and a WordPad file.
To view these, open up Windows Explorer if it is not already there, make the 3.5 the active drive and in the
right pane, you should see the six items.
Creating New Folders
You can create new folders through the Explorer.
First, highlight the disk or folder under which you wish to place a new one.
We want to create a folder an A, make sure the 3.5" is active:
Next, pull down the File Menu and position the highlight over the New
option. When the submenu appears, click the mouse on the Folder option.
Windows will create a new directory, but prompt you for the name, name it myfolder.
Double-click on the myfolder to open it
The myfolder window opens. Before you can create a folder, you have to make sure you
are creating it in the right place -- in this case within the myfolder. Now you will
create two folders one named paintfolder and other named wordpadfolder
Right-click in an empty area of the myfolder window (away from files, folders,
and buttons).
Point to New in the pop-up menu, then click Folder.
Type paintfolder, then press Enter.
Repeat the three steps above create a folder named wordpadfolder.
Moving and Copying Files
In the 3.5 Floppy (A:) window, click my_first_paint_file, then press Shift and click
my_second_paint_file, then drag both files on top of the paintfolder icon in the myfolder
window.
Click my my_wordpad to select it, then drag the file over the wordpadfolder icon and release
the mouse button.
You just did Drag and Drop. There are default settings with drag and drop. If the destination is a folder
located on the same device as the file then it will be moved and no plus will show up during dragging. So
we just moved the files into their respective folders. If
the destination is not on the same device the plus will show and the file will
be copied to the new location instead of moved. You can change these default
settings by using an appropriate key. A CTRL will change a copy to a move and
SHIFT will change a move to a copy. You can also copy or move more than one
file at a time. The SHIFT key is used to select a group of adjacent files, the
CTRL key is used to select randomly placed files.
Difference between a copy and a move. Copying a file or folder, does not remove
it from the current location but places a copy in a different destination. Moving
a file a folder, removes it from the current location and places it a new
destination.
Different strokes for Different folks. There is always more than one way to
get a job done. This is also true of moving and copying files. You can Drag and
Drop or Cut, Copy and Paste. These two are outline in the step below. It's
your choice! Do the way which feels more comfortable for you.
Drag and Drop. Dragging and dropping was outline in the steps for
Getting Files from Other Computer section above.
There are default settings with drag and drop. If the destination is a folder
located on the same device
as the file then it will be moved and no plus will show up during dragging. If
the destination is not on the same device the plus will show and the file will
be copied to the new location instead of moved. You can change these default
settings by using an appropriate key. A CTRL will change a copy to a move and
SHIFT will change a move to a copy. You can also copy or move more than one
file at a time. The SHIFT key is used to select a group of adjacent files, the
CTRL key is used to select randomly placed files.
Cut, Copy and Paste. If you don't like drag and drop you can also move and
copy files by using the cut or copy and paste. These options are on the toolbar
or under the Edit option on the menu bar. To move a file(s), use the combination
of cut and paste. To copy a file(s), use the combination of copy and paste.
To select the files, use exactly the same method as in drag and drop (see above)
Example of a copy: Select a file. Click the copy button on the toolbar
(the one that looks like two sheets of paper) or under the Edit option on the
menu bar select the copy option. The selected file is copied and
held in a memory storage area referred to as the Clipboard. Click on
a different location; then click the Paste button (the one that looks like a
clipboard with a white piece of paper attached to edge, or as before use the
edit option, and your file is copied to the new location.
Deleting Files
One method:Select the file(s) you want to delete and use the Delete button on the Explorer
window or the delete key on your keyboard.
To select multiple files, hold the CTRL key for the remaining files. So for the first
one you just select it. For the second, third and so on, you must hold down the CTRL key
and select the rest.
Another method is to select the Delete option under the File option when a file(s) is selected.
Another method is to right click on the file or folder. Click Delete on the shortcut
menu.
You will be asked to confirm the delete.
Files deleted from the hard drive are placed in the Recycle Bin. If you
have made a mistake, you can go to the bin and restore the file. The Recycle
Bin has a limited size. When it fills up, older files are replaced by newer
deleted files. Files deleted from removable disks are gone permanently! There
is NO recycle bin for removable disks.
Printing a list of contents from Explorer
There are times when we want a printout of a directory or the list
and files. However, Explorer is not a file, it is a program and we
cannot print it out directly. To see the Exploring window on a piece
of paper we need another program, Paint. Windows NT/95/98's multitasking
features allows you launch (execute) multiple programs and switch back and
forth between them. The two programs we will be using are Windows Explorer
and Microsoft Paint.
Make sure the contents of the root folder on your lab disk is displayed in the right pane of
Explorer. If the Exploring window does not cover the entire monitor screen, click the
maximize window button, located at the upper right corner of the window (the middle button).
Press the print screen button on your keyboard. (Usually located in the upper right
set of macro keys on the keyboard.)
Launch the Paint program from the Start menu.
Start->Programs->Accessories->Paint
Maximize the Paint program. Go to the Edit menu and click the Paste option.
(You should now see a picture of the Exploring window)
From the File Menu of the Paint program select the Print option.
Close the Paint program.
At the end of the lab hand this in to your lab instructor.
Searching for Files
There is a search facility in Explorer that will look for files or folders.
You can get to it by looking in the Tools menu. In the box enter all or
part of the name. Be sure the Look in box is starting in the right place.
You can also look for files based on other factors, such as date of last
modification. You can also use wild cards. In Windows NT/95/98 the asterisk is
the wild card used in place of any number of characters. Wild cards again will
be reviewed in lecture.
Getting On-line Help
Windows NT/95/98 provides you with three methods of getting help information.
You can look it up in a table of contents, you can search an index, or you
can find a specific word or phrase in a database maintained by the Find
feature. Additionally, Windows NT/95/98 provides context-sensitive help for the
topic you are working on. After you have learned to use Help in Windows
NT/95/98, you can use help in any Windows program because all programs use the same
help format. You can print any help article by right-clicking anywhere in the
article and choosing Print Topic.
Click the Start button on the taskbar, then click Help. Click the Contents
tab. Find out information on How To Run Programs.
Exit Windows
When your lab instructor dismisses you, you need to free the computer
for the next user. From the Start menu choose Shut Down.
Choose Close all programs and logon as a different user
and press the Yes button.
If at home, you should never turn off the computer without following
the proper exit procedure because Windows NT/95/98 has to do some utility task before it shuts down.
Note: to obtain all of the points from today's lab you must
Be here during your assigned time.
Hand in your printed copy of Explorer for your root floppy or zip directory.
Reminder Homework Assignment: Hand in your printed copies of Explorer at the beginning of our next lab.
Additional assignments:
Review Handout.