Like the Macintosh operating system, Windows is a GUI (graphical user interface) system--the user points with a mouse to icons (pictures/graphics) and clicks the mouse button to make things happen.
Windows 3.x (3.1, 3.11) was simply a pictorial way of interacting with DOS (see TBE 550 IBM DOS page) Instead of typing DIR to see the contents of a disk, the user points to its picture and clicks twice. The disk can be explored using the File Manager.
Windows 95/98 is very similar to the Macintosh operating system. The icons are easily moveable and come in a great variety. Double-clicking opens folders (formerly called subdirectories) and starts programs. There is a Start button at the bottom of the screen that allows the user to easily begin an operation. Windows Explorer takes the place of the File Manager for housekeeping tasks.
Here are some very helpful web pages containing Windows information:
| Click here to see the Windows 98 Handout |
If you double click (click the left mouse button twice quickly) on the Main icon, the File Manager icon will appear in the next window.
Double click File Manager to begin. The resulting display looks like this:
Clicking in the left window on any disk name (A:, B:, C:, etc.) or any folder shows its contents in the right window. The File and Disk menus allow the user to perform routine tasks such as deleting, copying and renaming.
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The File (<---) and Disk (--->) menus in Windows 3.1. |  |
The Start button is at the bottom of the screen
at the left of the taskbar. Click once to activate an easy-to-use menu.
Move up and across to choose a program or the Windows Explorer.
| The TaskBar |  |
|---|---|
| The Start Button |  |
| The Start Menu |  |
The Explorer window looks like this:
Use the File menu (see below) or drag and drop to copy,
click and type to rename, and click and press DEL to delete.
Page created for TBE 550 students by Farah Fisher.
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Disclaimer
| TBE 550
Index Page | Syllabus |