Windows 95/NT/98 is a complex yet easy-to-learn operating environment. As you practice more and more, you will find that there are often three methods performing the same command or procedure. In many applications you can use either of the following features to perform the same task:

• Menu: To select a command or procedure from the Menu bar.
• Mouse: Point to and click a toolbar button or use the Ruler.
• Keyboard: Press a keyboard shortcut (usually Ctrl key + letter).

Although this guide concentrates on using of a mouse, it is recommend that you try the others and decide which you prefer.

Regardless of whether your mouse has two or three buttons, you use the left or primary mouse button for selecting text and menu commands and the right or secondary mouse button for displaying shortcut menus. The most common mouse actions used in Word are:

• Point Slide the mouse on your desk to position the tip of the mouse pointer over the desired object on the screen.

• Click Press down and release the left mouse button quickly. Clicking is used to position the insertion point in the document, select menu commands, and choose options in a dialog box.

• Right-Click Press down and release the right mouse button. Right-clicking the mouse on text or an object displays a context-sensitive shortcut menu.

• Double-Click Press down and release the mouse button twice in rapid succession. Double-clicking is used in Word to select text.

• Drag Press down and hold the mouse button as you move the mouse pointer across the screen. When the mouse pointer reaches the desired location, release the mouse button. Dragging is used to select a block of text or to move objects or windows.

You may notice that the mouse pointer changes shape as you move it over different parts of the screen or during processing. Each mouse pointer shape has its own purpose and may provide you with important information. There are five primary mouse shapes you should be aware of:

Aside from being the primary input device for creating a document, the keyboard offers shortcut methods for performing commands and procedures. For example, several menu commands have shortcut key combinations listed to the right of the command in the pull-down menu. Therefore, you can perform a command by simply pressing the shortcut keys rather than accessing the Menu bar. Many of these shortcut key combinations are available throughout Windows applications.

Operating Scroll Bars

Scroll bars appear when text, graphics, or icons in a window take up more space than the area shown. Using scroll bars, you can move up, down, left, or right in a window.

• To see an object that is down and to the right of the viewable area of the window, point at the down arrow located on the bottom of the vertical scroll bar.
• Click on the arrow. The window's contents scroll up.
• Click on the scroll arrow on the right side of the horizontal scroll bar. The window's contents move left.

You can also drag the scroll box to move quickly to a distant area (top or bottom) of the window. To drag a scroll box:

• Point to the scroll box in the scroll bar and hold down the left mouse button.
• Drag the scroll box to the new location.
• Release the mouse button.

In MS Word for Windows, by default, the active document window can display only about a half-page of text. You will have the following options for scrolling:

• Click on the up or down scroll arrow to scroll up or down one line at a time.
• Drag scroll box to the top, bottom, and middle of the scroll bar to scroll to the top, bottom, and middle of the document.
• Click in the shaded area above or below the scroll box to scroll up or down one screen at a time.

Minimizing/Maximizing Windows

• Click on the maximize button to enlarge a window to fill the entire desktop.
• Click on the restore button, which replaces the maximize button after a window has been enlarged, to return the window to its previous size.
• Click on the minimize button to reduce a window to an icon.

Operating a Floppy Disk Drive

Floppy disk drives store programs and data on removable material called floppy disks or diskettes. Hidden inside the square outer sheath of the floppy disk is a circular sheet made of a flexible (or "floppy") magnetic material upon which data is recorded. Floppy disks are commonly used for:

• Portability - to transfer information from one computer to another.
• Insurance - to make a backup, or duplicate, of a program or disk. Then, by storing the backup copy in a safe place, you have the data if anything happens to your original files.
• Security - you can lock the data disk in a desk.

Before you can run a program from a disk or use a file from a disk, you must insert the disk in a disk drive. Hold the disk with the label side up and insert the disk (metal shutter first). Push the disk gently into the disk drive. Most drives will make a "click" sound when the disk is fully inserted. The eject button is used to prompt the disk out of the drive. To the left of the eject button is the drive light. This turns on when the computer accesses the floppy-disk drive. Make sure the disk drive light is off when inserting or removing a diskette.

Unlike floppy disks, hard disks are generally not removable. They are usually enclosed within the system unit and only a disk drive light or a plastic faceplate is visible to indicate the existence of a hard-disk drive. Hard disks are well suited for storing files that:

• are large;
• must always be available to the computer, such as operating system files or applications;
• Require quick access.

A computer places information on a disk to store it for later use. You might think of the floppy drive as the computer's shipping and receiving department. The disks are like packages that deliver information in the computer and then carry information away. You might think of the hard disk as the information warehouse.

Formatting a 31/2 Floppy (A) Disk

When you are trying to save a document on your disk and a dialogue box appears on the screen telling you that "your disk is not formatted, do you wish to format it," click on Yes. The "Format - 31/2 Floppy (A)" dialogue box will appear. Select "Full" in the Formal type, and if you want to put your name on the disk, insert your name in the Label text box. Click on the Start button. When formatting is completed, "Format Results -31/2 Floppy (A)" dialogue box will appear. If both the "bytes used by system files" and "bytes in bad sectors" are "0" (zero,) click the Close button. If there's a number larger than "0," throw the disk away and format another 31/2 Floppy. Once formatting is completed, click the Close button on the "Format - 31/2 Floppy (A)" dialogue box. The disk is now formatted and you can continue saving your material.

If you just want to format a disk, then from the Desktop, double-click on My Computer. Click on the 31/2 Floppy (A) icon. Then click on File, wait until the drop-down menu appears, and select Format. The Format - 3 1/2 Floppy (A) dialogue box will appear. The procedures are the same as discussed in the preceding paragraph. Upon closing the Format Results -31/2 Floppy (A), close My Computer dialogue box by clicking on the "x" in its upper right-hand corner.

Review of Disk Format Procedure:

1. From the Desktop, double-click on My Computer icon.
2. Click on 31/2 Floppy (A).
3. Click on File in the Menu bar.
4. From File's drop-down menu, click Format.
5. In the Format - 31/2 Floppy (A) dialogue box, click Full.
6. Click Start.
7. Check to see if it has a "0" next to bad sectors.
8. Click Close on the Format Results dialogue box.
9. Click Close on the Format dialogue box.

File Name, File Extension and Saving

Documents exist only temporarily until you save them. Documents will be erased and you will not be able to view or edit them again if you close files without saving. Use the File,

Save As command to store files permanently on the hard drive or a diskette.

The File, Save As command enables you to:

• Save a document for the first time.
• Save a document with a new file name.
• Save a document in a different location (on another disk or in a different directory.)

To use the File, Save As command.

1. Choose File, Save As to display the Save As dialog box.
2. In the Drives or Directories list boxes, select the appropriate location (disk or directory.)
3. In the File Name text box, type the name of the file
4. Click on OK.

When you save a file, Word for Windows adds the file name extension .DOC to identify the file as a document file. You should avoid adding the name extensions yourself.

Use the Save button on the Standard toolbar, or File, Save if you have named your document and save it once.

It is important for you to remember as you're working, to save your work at least every 5 minutes. It is also recommended to save your jobs before performing major changes in your documents (such as changing the font style, font size, line spacing, etc.) and also before printing, and spell checking.

1. Click on File in the Menu Bar.
2. From drop-down menu click on Save As.
3. A pop-up dialogue box will appear:
4. Click on Save as type: to open the list box.
5. Select the required type from the drop-down list box.
6. Click on File name: window and enter the file name.
7. Click on Save in: list box to select the appropriate disk drive and folder.
8. Click Save button or press the Enter key.

Because computers must follow very specific rules, there is a specific format for file names. Technically, a file name is called the file specification. The first rule is that the file specification must be unique. Second, the file specification is broken into two parts, a file name and a file extension or file type. The file name typically describes or identifies the file, and the file extension typically identifies the application in which the document is created. File name and file extension or file type are separated by a period (.). For example in:

name.type

name represents the File Name while type represents the File Extension or.File Type.

When you try to save a file in most application programs in Windows 95 or Windows 98 operating environment, If you haven't saved the document before, a dialog box appears with a suggested filename and file type. You can either accept the suggested file name or type your own file name. As a matter of fact it is a good practice to that you provide your own file name. When naming a file for use with Windows, you can use up to 255 characters, including spaces. You can't use the following characters in filenames:

Since most students might continue on their documents outside the college on other types of operating environments, it might a good idea not to use any punctuation marks, space, and special characters (such as, @ # $ % ^ & ~), in the file names. In specifics, if you are going to use windows 3.xx environment, or DOS operating system, limit your file name to 8 characters.

File types are always 3 characters in length. Once you try to open a document, through the file extension, computer understands in which application the document should be opened. Avoid entering file types (extension) by yourself, until you gain the appropriate experience. Illegal change of file extension, in many cases, especially in change of environments, confuse the computer, since the computer cannot recognize its application program. This does not mean you cannot save a document in different file formats for whatever usage. If you want to save a file with different file formats, you should select the required file format from the drop-down file Format box, offered by many software application programs.

Once you get enough experience, you would learn how to change file extensions to the desired ones following the appropriate procedures.

When you save a file for the first time, the application program opens the default directory, as the saving area. The default saving directory for MS Office bundle, i.e. MS Word, MS Excel, and MS Access is My Documents. The default saving directory for WordPerfect on stand-alone computer is My Files, However at Cuyamaca College, it is on your private allocated partition on H: drive (on student drive). For some applications, the default saving directory is within the application software itself. Therefore whenever, you want to save on your floppy drive (A drive) or other directories on your H: drive (as sometimes you must,) you have to change the directory or even the drive. This can easily be done by locating and selecting t the appropriate drive and directory from the Save in: drop-down list box that is in Save AS dialog box.. In specific if you want to continue working on a document outside college, you have to make sure the document is saved on your 31/2 Floppy (A:) and not on the default directory.

Operateing Pull-Down Menus

• In application programs, commands are listed on menus. Most applications have their own menus, which are listed on the menu bar. To open a menu, you select it by clicking on it. When the menu is open a pull-down list appears where you can choose an item to carry out a command.
• If the menu item is dimmed (or not visible), you cannot use the command with your application at the current time.
• If there is an ellipsis (...) following a command, a dialog box opens when you choose the command. The dialog box contains options that you need to select before the command can be carried out.
• If there is a check mark to the left of a command, the command is in effect. When you remove the check mark, the command is no longer in effect.
• If there is a key combination to the right of a command, this is the keyboard shortcut for choosing the command. You can choose the command without opening the menu.
• If there is a triangle to the right of a command, when you choose this command, another menu appears.

Utilizing Dialog Box to Enter Information

Windows for Workgroups uses dialog boxes to exchange information with you. Most often, dialog boxes ask you to provide more information so that an operation can be completed. A menu command followed by an ellipsis ( ... ) indicates that a dialog box will be used to gather more information. Dialog boxes are often used to warn you about a problem (for example, File already exists, Overwrite?) or confirm that an operation should take place (for example, the Exit Windows dialog box.)

Dialog boxes vary in complexity. Some ask you to confirm an operation before it is executed-for example, a dialog box that asks if you want to format a disk In this case, you would select OK to confirm or Cancel to abort the operation. Other dialog boxes are quite complex, asking you to specify several options and/or parameters.

The following list briefly explains the components of a dialog box:

• A Text Box allows you to type in an entry, for example, a name for a file you want to save or a label for an icon you've just added to a group.

• A List Box presents a list of possible choices from which you may choose. Scroll bars often allow you to scroll through the list. Often, a text box is associated with a list box the list item that you select appears in the text box associated with the list.

• A Drop-Down List Box has a single-line list box that opens to display a list of choices when you click on the down-arrow button on the right side of the list box.

• Option Buttons present a group of related choices from which you may choose one.

• Check Boxes present a single option or group of related options. The command option is active if a check mark appears in the box next to it.

• Command Buttons carry out the command displayed on the button (Open, Quit, Cancel, OK, and so on.) If there is an ellipsis on the button, choosing it will open another dialog box (Options...).

• Slide Box Drag the slider bar to make a selection, like using a radio's volume control.

• Spin Box Click the up and down arrows to the right of the box until the number you want appears.

• Tab Click a named tab at the top of the window to access other pages of options in the dialog box.

Recovering Unsaved Data Due to a Software Crash

Save your work often, at least every 5 minutes, so you don't have to read this documentt.

This document only deals with PC compatible systems.

In general, after an unexpected exit, force exit, or complete system crashes, you are able to retrieve the last saved copy of a any document. Therefore, if you save regularly, you don't have much to do. This document mainly deals with recovery of unsaved data due to an unexpected exit from a software program to a complete system crash.

Some application programs, not all, mainly word processing, are designed to create temporary files, while your are working. A temporary file usually is updated as you proceed with your work and keeps part or all of a document's data, while the document is open. Temporary files are automatically deleted when you exit the program with a normal procedure. After an unexpected quit, a force exit, or a restart after a system crash, however, these temporary files typically do not get deleted and remain somewhere in the network.

These temporary files are expected to contain data from the document you were last working on before the crash, even if you had not yet saved the data. More often, though, these temporary files will be useless, containing virtually no data at all. Still, it can't hurt to check them.

As stated earlier, the temporary files after a crash are somewhere in the network. However, where they are exactly located; depends on many factors, including type of crash, and the software itself, and is not easy to answer. If you are working on a stand alone PC, finding a temporary file would be much easier.

In such situation, you must try to refrain from clicking or pressing any keys as this may worsen the case.

After a complete system crash and reboot, or after a forced or unexpected exit, start the same software again. Remember from now on do not save any application till either you have found your document or you have given up. Once you try to save a document you loose the temporary file, where ever it is! Sometimes as long as you get into the program, you will find your document open! If this is not the case, select Open from File menu to open the Open dialog box, showing the list of files of the default directory (usually My Documents directory.) Make sure Files of type drop-down list box, reads all files, otherwise you will not see what you are looking for. Now start searching carefully in the default directory of software. You may see some files with file extension of tmp (*.tmp, where * represents the file name) and/or files with file names starting with a ~ . If you see such files open them one by one, perhaps you find the one you are looking for.

The last resort is to navigate in the C:\temp\ directory and search for files with file extension of tmp (i.e. *.tmp).

Using The Desktop

Windows 95(or NT or 98) is an operating environment that controls the basic operation of your computer and the programs you run on it. Windows has a graphical user interface (GUI) which means you can use pictures (icons) in addition to words to carry out tasks and operations. Any of this operating environment also helps you organize the results of your work (files) and coordinates the flow of information among the programs, files, printers, storage devices, and other components of your computer system.

After you start Windows 95, the first thing you see is the desktop, the area on the screen where you work. Think of the desktop as your personalized workspace.

Several icons, or small pictures, are located on the left side of your desktop. Each icon represents an object, such as a folder or a program. Depending on how the computer is set up, there might be different icons present on the desktop. The desktop at LRC Computer Labs has the following icons:

My Computer
Organizes your files and manages your computer.

Network Neighborhood
Browses the computers on the network (for Information Systems)

Recycle Bin:
Temporary storage area for deleted files.

The files you delete are put in the Recycle Bin, a holding place for the files no longer needed. They are not actually removed from the hard disk until you empty the Recycle Bin.

This means you can retrieve files you deleted by error, if you have not already removed them from the Recycle Bin. However, this also means that if you want to free up disk space, you must empty the Recycle Bin periodically.

If you delete a file at the command prompt or from a floppy disk, it does not go into the Recycle Bin and are not retrievable.

ATTENTION

Due to limited storage space on college network, the Recycle Bin is not active. This means
if you delete a file, either from your private space at college (hard disk drive) or your floppy disk,
at any Windows environment while you are using the computers at LRC Computer Labs, the
file does not go into the Recycle Bin and it could not be retrieved.

Taskbar
A tool you use to open programs and navigate the computer. Usually found at the bottom of the screen, the taskbar contains the Start button, toolbars a clock and according to configuration other features.

Buttons on the Taskbar show you which windows are open, even if some windows are minimized or hidden beneath another window. You can easily switch to a different window by clicking its taskbar button.

Depending on how a computer is set up, the Start menu may have different items. The Start menu at LRC computer Labs has the following items:

• Shut Down:
  Provides options to shut down or restart the computer. (Logs off a user.)

  ATTENTION:

  Always use Start button to Shut Down or Restart the computer. Please do not select
  the Shut Down option at LRC Computer Labs. Select the default which is Restart.

• Network Help!:
  Provides computer network related bulletins for staffs.
  
  
• New Office Document:
  Opens the MS Office New dialog box where you can open a blank MS document of any type or to use the appropriate MS Wizard to create a required blank template for you.
  
  
• Open Office Document:
  Opens the MS Office OPEN dialog box showing the contents of My Documentsfolder, where you can open an already existed MS document of any type.
  
  
• Programs:
  Provides list of programs included on the Windows Start menu. You can select an application from a final menu and open it by double clicking on it.
  
  
• Documents:
  Provides list of most recently opened and saved documents. To open a closed document from the list, double clicking on it.
  
  
• Settings:
  Allows user preferences for system settings: control panel, printers, Start menu and Taskbar.
  
  
• Find:
  Locates programs, files, folders, and Workstations.
  
  
• Help:
  Displays Windows Help information by topic, index, or search criteria.
  
  
• Run: Opens items such as Web pages and Web -based addresses; program or file based on a location; filename that you type or select; and runs executable programs.

To use the Start menu:

• Click the Start button. The Start menu appears.
• Click the item you want to open.
• Point to items with right-facing arrows to open secondary menus.

Managing Your Files and Folders

Using My Computer you can organize and manage your documents and programs to suit your preferences. You can create folders, you can classify and store your files in different folders, and you can move, copy, rename, and delete your files or folders.

1. On the Desktop, double click My Computer
2. Double click the disk drive (H: drive or A: at LRC Computer Labs) where you want to create the new folder.
3. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
4. Type a name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.
   
   Note:
   • If you want to create a new folder within a folder, click the folder and then follow steps three and four above.

1. In My Computer, click the file or folder you want to copy.
2. On the Edit menu, click Copy.
3. Open the folder or disk where you want to put the copy.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
   
   Notes:
   • To select more than one file or folder to copy, hold down the CTRL key, and then click the items you want.

1. In My Computer, click the file or folder you want to move.
2. On the Edit menu, click Cut.
3. Open the folder where you want to put the file or folder.
4. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
   
   Notes:
   • To select more than one file or folder, hold down the CTRL key, and then click the items you want.
   • You can also move a file or folder by dragging it to the desired location.

1. In My Computer, click the file or folder you want to delete.
2. On the File menu, click Delete.
   
   Notes:
   • You can also drag file or folder icons into the Recycle Bin. If you press SHIFT while dragging, the item will be deleted from your computer without being stored in the Recycle Bin.

1. In My Compute, click the file or folder you want to rename.
2. On the File menu, click Rename.
3. Type the new name, and then press ENTER.

Tip: A quick way to move and copy files and folders is to use your right mouse button.

1. In My Computer, click the folder in which you want to create the shortcut.
2. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
3. Follow the instructions on the screen.
   
   (Shortcut is an icon that links to a file or folder. When you double-click a shortcut, the original item opens. In Macintosh it is referred to as alias. Arrange your shortcuts on Desktop.)

1. Click the Start button, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.
2. In the left pane, click the drive that you would like to open its files and folders.
   

   The contents of the selected drive appear in the right pane.