The Windows 98
Desktop
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The Windows 98
operating system is what controls the computer. It tells the machine
how to access the various pieces of hardware you have (floppy drive,
hard drive, etc.) It lets you install pieces of software, and connects
you (when possible) to the internet. This is all displayed to you through
a graphical interface call the "desktop." The desktop comes
up when Windows starts, and contains short-cuts to most of your programs
along with several standard icons. These icons are described below.
You have the ability to change the background design and/or colors
if you wish. |
| Taskbar |
The taskbar is
located across the bottom of the Windows 98 desktop and offers an easy
way to access programs. There are a number of important features built
into the taskbar, some of which are discussed below. |
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| Start Button |
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The Start Button enables you
to access several different features including every program on the
computer. |
| Tray |
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The Tray displays the time
as well as Quickstart Buttons for various programs |
| Icons |
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Icons, such as the one pictured
at the left, are images on the desktop which load Windows 98 functions,
such as "Recycle Bin" and "My Computer" |
| Shortcuts |
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Shortcuts, such as the one
pictured at the left, are images on the desktop which load programs
(e.g. "Communicator" or "Kermit95". They are distinguished from Icons
by the small arrow in the bottom left hand corner of the image |
File Management
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 Folders: In
the various directories shown in My Computer, you will notice a number
of yellow folder icons. Each folder represents a directory on your
drive. Double click on a folder to open it and display its contents.
Contents of a folder can be either sub-folders, or files |
 Files: Files
can be identified within folders or on the desktop by icons which represent
the program used to access them. |
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To Create a new
Folder:
- Double click the appropriate
drive to open it
- Position the mouse
pointer in the white area of the drive
- Right Click
- Click New
- Click Folder
- When the new folder
appears, it will be highlighted and the name will be preset to "New
Folder"
- Type a new name
- Press Enter
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To Move files between
folders:
- Double click to open
the appropriate drive(s) and folders
- Left Click on the file
you wish to move to select it
- Click and drag the
file from its original location to the new location
- Release the mouse button
when finished
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Anatomy of a Window
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A window is represented
as a rectangular area on the screen. You can have more than one window
open on the screen at the time. The window you are currently working
in, known as the active window, will over lap all other open windows
on the screen, and will have a title bar of a different color from
the others. A window is composed of a number of different parts |
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Control Menu Box |
At the upper left corner of
any window is the control menu box. To open the menu, click the box
once. The menu box contains options for restoring, minimizing, maximizing,
moving, resizing, and closing the current window. |
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Title Bar |
Located across the top of
the window is the title bar. It usually displays only the name of the
window, but some programs display more information, such as the title
of a document. If you have more than one window open at a time, the
title bar of the active window will be highlighted differently from
the other title bars on the screen. |
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 Minimize/
Maximize/ Close/ Restore Buttons |
In the upper right hand corner
of the window are the Minimize/Maximize/Close/Restore buttons. For
a detailed description of these buttons, see below. |
 Menu
Bar |
Located beneath the Title
Bar, the menu bar displays all of the available commands of a program.
The menu bar will change from program to program, but the basic functions
will remain the same. |
|
 Scroll
Bars |
If a window isn't large enough
to display all of its information, a horizontal and/or vertical scrollbar
will appear on the lower and/or right edge of the window. Using a mouse,
you can click the small arrows at the ends of the scrollbar to move
through the window in small steps. A small box (the scroll box) on
the bar will move to indicate your current position. If you need to
move in larger steps, click the light gray area between the arrows
to move a full screen at a time. If you wish more control over scrolling,
Left Click the scroll box and drag it along the bar. |
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 Window
Border |
If you slowly move the mouse
pointer over the border of a window, the pointer will turn into a double-headed
arrow. When it does, you can click and drag to resize the window either
vertically, or horizontally. |
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Minimize Maximize
Close Restore Buttons |
- Minimize - This
button has a solid line at the bottom and is used to reduce windows
to icon in order to free up screen space and memory.
- Maximize - The
Max button has a square window on it, and when clicked, it enlarges
a given window to fill the entire screen.
- Restore - The
Restore button has a picture of two overlapping windows. When clicked,
it restores a maximized window to its original size.
- Close - This button
looks like an "X". Clicking on it will close your active window.
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Switching Between
Windows |
Since Windows 98 allows you
to run more than one application at the same time, it's important to
learn the different ways of switching between these applications. |
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- If you have a mouse and
the window you want to switch to is visible on the screen, move
the mouse pointer to any part of that window and left click.
- If you have a mouse and
the window you want to switch to is minimized as a button on the
taskbar, move the mouse pointer to the button and left click.
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Exiting
Windows 98
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Because Windows 98 allows
you to run more than one application at a time, exiting may sometimes
take more than one step. To exit Windows 98:
- Make sure that all
of your data is saved; either to floppy disk, hard drive, or
network drive
- make sure that every
application you are currently running, including those which
are minimized, are closed
- Select Shut Down from
he Start Menu. The Shut Down dialog box (pictured above) will
appear
- Select the appropriate
option (explained below) and click Yes
Note: Never exit Windows
98 while there is an application running because you can lose your data.
Also, never turn off your computer without first exiting Windows 98. |
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Shut Down Options:
- Shut Down the Computer:
Select this option when you have saved all of your work, and
exited any programs you are running, and you're ready to shut
down your system
- Restart the Computer:
Use this option to reboot the machine, rather than Control-Alt-Delete,
whenever possible
- Restart the Computer
in MS-Dos Mode: This allows you to reboot the machine to
a DOS prompt, in order to run DOS only programs
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Troubleshooting
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If you give Windows 98 a
command and it doesn't seem to be responding, wait 20 seconds, as running
many applications at one time can slow Windows 98 down, depending on
how much memory your system has. If nothing happens after 20 seconds,
write down what applications you were running at the time, and what
you were doing just before the problem occurred. Then press Ctrl-Alt-Del.
If nothing happens within 10 seconds, turn off the computer and turn
it on again. If the screen clears with a list of options, follow these
guidelines: |
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- If you are given the
option to press Enter in order to close the application that is
not responding, do so. In a few seconds, the application should
close, and you will be returned to your regular screen. If this
happens, save your data, close all applications, and exit Windows
98. You may then restart Windows 98. If the Windows 98 program
does not respond even after you've pressed Enter, press Ctrl-Alt-Del
again to restart your computer
- If you are only given
the options to press Esc or Ctrl-Alt-del, press Ctrl-Alt-Del. The
computer should now restart.
Once the computer has restarted,
you can continue with what you were doing. If the situation occurs again,
call the Computer Aide Station at extension 3205. |
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Because errors can and do
occur while using Windows 98, it is important that you make backups
of your data often! Save your important date to your hard drive AND
your network drive. If you are not sure about what a command does in
Windows 98, first read the help files, or the manual. This is important
while you're using Windows 98 because there are many features that
can potentially damage data if you are not careful. |
The
My Computer icon on the desktop enables you to access all of the available
drives on your computer, as well as printers and the Control Panel.
You will notice icons for the "A" and "C" drives, as well as for the "D" drive
if your computer is equipped with a CD-ROM drive. If you are attached
to the Drew Network, you will also notice additional drives, labeled "F" and
above.
The
Network Neighborhood icon displays all of the network resources and
drives available to you. The number of displayed icons, files, and
folders will vary depending on whether you are a student, faculty member,
or staff person, and depending on your level of authorized access. NOTE: As
of Summer 2002, Network Neighborhood no longer serves as a preffered
way to access your files, or files that others have given you permissions
to. It is much more reliable to access these files through My Computer,
as described above.
To
access the general Help menu, click the Start Button and select Help.
You will notice that the Help screen has three tabs across the top:
You
may want to use floppy disks to move files from one computer to another,
or to make backups of important files. Before using a floppy, you must
be sure that it is formatted. Formatting sets up a disk so that it
can be used with your computer.