Customising The Taskbar

Narmally, the taskbar appears at the bottom of the desktop. You can also move it to any side of the desktop. However, the taskbar is lacked by defaulot. You need to unlock th taskbar before changing its size and position.

To unlock the taskbar.

1.Right-click anywhere on the empty space on the taskbar. A shortcut menu appears.

   2.Click properties.

 The Taskbar and start menu   

 properties dialog box  

 appease. A dialog box is a type of window displayed to gather information from the user to complete a specific task.

3.Click to clear the Lock the taskbar check box.

4.Click apply, and then click OK.

Now, you can move the taskbar to a new location. For example to move the taskbar to the left side of the desktop:

1.Point to an empty space on the taskbar.

2.Drag the taskbar to the left end of the desktop.

  The taskbar is moved to the left side.

  The taskbar can be resized also.

1.Point to the inside border of the taskbar. A double-headed arrow appears.

2.Drag the border to the size you want.

The taskbar is resized.

You can also hide the taskbar to view documents or pictures in full-screen mode.

To hide the taskbar

1.Right-click anywhere on the empty space on the taskbar.

2.Click Properties.

The Taskbar and start menu prorperties dialog box appears.

3.Select the Auto-hide the taskbar check box.

4.Click Apply, and then click ok.

  The taskbar is hidden from your view.when you       

  point to the location where the taskbar was, the 

  taskbar reappears.when you move the mouse

  pointer away, the taskbar is hidden again.

  To view the taskbar permanently,click to clear the Auto-ide the 

  taskbar check box in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properites   

  dialog.

   

Read More

The Windows Desktop

The desktop is the on-screen work work area on which windows, icons, menus and dialog boxes appear.

After starting a computer with windows XP installed, you have access to the desktop. From here, you can operate the system. The desktop can have several components. Parts of the desktop include icons and the taskbar. You can change settings on the desktop to customize it. For example , you can change the background to display your school logo, arrange the icon to find class files easier or add a screensaver containing student pictures.

Components of the desktop

The componets of the desktop are:

1.    Icons

2.    Taskbar

3.    Background

4.    Screen Saver

The small pictures that appear on the desktop are called icons. When you start Windows XP for the first time, only the Recycle Bin  icons appears on the desktop. Each icon is a small image that represents afile, folder or program. The text below each icon is the name of the icon. When you rest the mouse pointer on an icon, a rectangular yellow box appears. This is referred to as a tooltip. It gives a brief description of the icon.

The band that appears at the bottom of the screen is called the taskbar. The taskbar has the start menu on the left and the notification area on thr right. You can start an application by using the start menu. The notification area holds system icons that allow for functions, such as changing the time and volume of the computer. Each time you open an application, a button representing the application appears on thetaskbar. The button disappears when you close the application. 

The background is a decorative picture that appears on the desktop behind the icons. The background is also referred to as wallpaper.

A screen saver is a moving picture or a pattern that appears on on yhe sreen when the mouse and keyboard are not used for a specified period of time. You can set a password-protected screen saver, which locks your computer automatically and prevents others from tampering with your system.

Arraning Icons

You can create and arrange the icons on your desktop. You can either drag the icons to positions of your choice on the desktop or arraning them automatically.

To arrange the icons automatically:

1.   Right-click anywhere on blank area of the desktop.

2.   Point to arrange Icons BY, and then click Auto Arreange.

The icons are arranged automatically.

      You can also arrange the icons by name, size or  

      Type.

1.   Click Name to arrange the icon in alphabeticalorder.

2.   Click to Size arrange the icons in order of the size of the file

3.   Click Type to arrange the icons in order of the file types

   

Read More

Software, Data and introduction to Operating System

A computer cannot perform any task with the hardware only. A set of instructions is required to direct the computer on what needs to be done. The set of instruction is called a program and a set of interlinked programs is software.

Software can be broadly classified as system software and application software. Software that provides basic functions of the the computer is called system software. Software, which is employed by users,scuh as teachers and students, to accomplish specific tasks, is called application software. Paint is an of application software. You use an application or progam to create, modiy, or delete data stored on youtr computer.

OS- an operating system is the software that manages and controls the working of computer. The moment you turn on the computer, it checks that all of  the computer’s internal devices, such as RAM, ROM and peripheral devices, such as printer and montor, are functioning properly. After these checks are successful, the operating system loads. Some examples of operating system are UNIX, which is used in corporate and university setting, Mac and Windows. Operating system undergo improvement and have different versions. There  are different versions of the Windows Operating System ----Windown 95, Windown 98, Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windown xp.

You interact or communicate with a computer through the user interace provided by the operating system. The user interface can be text-based or graphical. Text-based operating system, such as the old MS DOS ,are less intuitive, because they depend on text commands made up ofvarious words and symbols, which the user has to memorise. Windiws xp, on the other hand, is a good of a graphical operating system. It provides graphical user interface that user visual components rather then text to help you interact with an application. It provides menus and toolbar contain commands to perform specific tasks. These commsnds are presented in everyday language or as pictures. All you need to do is click a command from the menu toolbar, and Windows will do the rest. This user-friendly interface allows even users with limited skills access to the many benefits of computers.

An operating system performs the following functions :

1.The operating system receives inputs in the form of commands and clicks, and translates it into a form that the computer can understand and process. Similarly, the processed results are conerted into a form that the user can understand. Thus, theoperating system acts as an intermediary  between the user and the computer hardware.

2. handling data transfer to and from devices, such as hard disks and printer.

3. Managing the storage space.

4. ensuring that the system resources are utilized by authorized users only.

   

Read More

Performace Factors of PCs and Monitors

The performance of a computer depends mainly on the storage capacity of its RAM and the speed at which instructions and adta are processed.

Speed of the Microprocessor-:A microprocessor is the computer of the system unit that performs the actual processing of data. Microprocessors can manipulate 8, 16, 32 bits of data at a time. An 8-bit processor can manipulate only a single byte of data at a time. A 16-bit processor can handle 2 bytes while a 32-bit chip can process 4 bytes at atime.

In general, a 16-bit PC will be faster than an 8-bit system and a 32-bit PC will be faster than the 8 and 16-bit models. The treansfer of data between the mixcroprocessor, memory and peripgerals is done through the bus. Most current processor designs use a 32-bit bus, meaning that 32 bits of data can ce transferr4ed at a time.PCs witk a 64-bit bus also exist but are not as  common yet.

Storage Capacity of RAM-:The amount of RAM required depends on the application you run on your computer. Reasonable performance today calls for at least 128 MB. If you want to run several applications at the same time or work with large files and documents, you need to increase the amount of RAM. Increasing the capacity to 256 MB or even 512 MB can measuabley increase performance.

Clock Rate-: The fundamental rate at which a computer performs its operations called the clock rate. The faster the rate, the quicker the microprocessor processes instrucations and data. However, a clock rate faster than the maximum speed of the processor may overheat the microprocessor and lead to critical processing errors.

Performance Factors of Monitors-: Screen resolution is a key characteristic of computer monitors and refers to the number of pixels a screen can display within a given area.for higher legibility of documents on screen, you can adjust the screen resolution of your monitor. A higher number of pixels means better clearity in the display.

Another important characteristic is the vertical frequency, which indicates the number of images that can be put together per second. A higher frequency means less stress for the human eye. If you want your students to look at computer screen for45 minutes or more, use a frequency of at least 72 Hz. With lower frequencies, students might get headaches.

Read More

EXTERNAL STORAGE

A computer’s primary storage or main memory is volatile. This means that the content in memory will be lost when the computer is turned off. Therefore, a permsnent storage area is required to store data and programs that are not needed immediately by the computer. This kind of storage is called the secondary or external storage.

Data stored in a secondary storeage medium is intended to be permanent. Secondary storeage media are inexpensive and have a large capacity to store programs and user data.

Just as you need an audio palyer to listen to an audio cassette,you need a storage device called a drive to write to and read from a storage medium.

Some of the commonly used external storage devices are :

1.Hard disk drives

2.Floppy disk drives

3.Compact disk- Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) 

   drives and CD writers

4.Dgital Video Disk (DVD) drives and DVD

   writers

Hard Disk Drive

A hard disk drive is avery typical exyernal storage device found in almost any PC. The hard disk drive is attached to the system unit from within, but it is possible to remove a hard disk drivefrom a computer if necessary. The storage capacity of hard disks varies up to a capacity of terabytes. Student PCs typically have a capacity of less than 80 gigabytes.

Floppy Disk Drive

The floppy disk drive is an external storage device used to read from and write to a floppy disk.

A floppy disk is a portable storeage medium that can store a small amount of data. The storage capacity of a floppy disk a usually 1.44MB. One disadvantage of a floppy disk is that it is prone to damage by heat, dust and magnetic fields. Example,a simple magntic paper clip may destroy data stored on a floppy disk. For this reason, you should save student records and other important data either on multiple floppy disks or an alternative medium, such as a compact disk. A floppy disk is also called a floppy or diskette.

Compact Disk—Read Only Memory (CD-ROM) Drive

The CD-ROM drive is an external storage device used to read from a CD-ROM. The storage capacity of most CD-ROMs is approximately 650 MB or 700 MB, which is also the reason why large software programs usually come with an installation CD-ROM. The advantage of a CD-ROM is that the datastored on it is less prone to damage because the data present on a CD-ROM cannot be changed.

Rewritable CDs and CD writers

A CD writer is astorage device that can write data to a rewritable CD, which is a special type of CD that allows you to erase the content already stored and store data again. CD-writers are capable of storing a large amount of data on a CD. They are also capable of reading CD-ROMs. Keep in mind that CD-ROMs and rewritable CDs are different media types, they only look the same. People tend to call both CDs.

Digital Video Disk (DVD) Drive

A DVD drive is an external  storage device used to read from a DVD_ROM, although DVD drives are also able to read CDs. A DVD_ROM is similar to a CD-ROM, except that it can store lager amounts of data. DVDs that can store up to 17 GBs are also available. Because of their capacity, DVDs are generally used to stored very large multimedia presentations and movies that combine high quality sound and graphics.

 Comparing Externel Storage Types

A comparison of floppy disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs and DVDs.

Read More