Basic PC Operations and File Management Applications

Dr. Lloyd D. Brooks, Professor Management Information Systems The University of Memphis

Hardware and Software

Hardware Parts You Can Touch
Peripheral Attachments, i.e. Printer

Software Electronic Instructions

Operating System - i.e. Windows XP Application Software i.e. MS Word

Basic PC Operations
Input Keyboard or Mouse Store Hard Drive or CD-ROM Drive Process CPU for Communications Output Printer or Monitor or Disk

Storage Measurement
Byte Approximately 1 Character Kilobyte (K) 1,024 Bytes Megabyte (MB) 1,048,576 Bytes Gigabyte (GB) 1,073,741,824 Bytes Terabyte (TB) 1,099,511,627,776 Bytes

Typical Computer Components

Computer Case Monitor CRT or LCD (Flat Panel) Printer Laser or Ink-Jet Modem Telephone or Cable Keyboard Mouse Network or LAN

Printer Considerations
Color or Black/White Laser or Ink-Jet Buffer Storage Until Printed Spooler Stores Jobs for Printing TrueType Font Size Without Distortion Multifunction Printer Print, Copy, Fax, Scan Dot Pitch

Monitor Considerations
Resolution Measured in Pixels
640 x 480 Clearly View Larger Images 800 x 600 1024 x 768 1280 x 1024 More Information at Once

Dot Pitch 0.28 or Less

Memory Considerations
Electronic Blackboard Bytes of Memory ROM Permanent Instructions RAM Main Memory (Volatile) CPU - Speed Measured in Gigahertz (GHz) Chip Type Pentium 4 Gigahertz 1 Billion Cycles Per Second

Computer Protection
Surge Protector
Power Fluctuations Jules/Amperes

Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)

Loss of Power Protection Battery Keeps Computer Running

Communication Ports
Parallel Port 25 Pins, Female Serial Port 9 or 25 Pins, Male Monitor Port Connects Monitor Keyboard Port Connects Keyboard Game Port Connects a Joystick Universal Serial Bus (USB) Port
Connects Up to 127 Devices

Mouse Actions
Click Selects an Item on the Screen Drag and Drop Moves Item on Screen Double-Click Opens Document or Program Right-Click Displays a List of Commands Wheel Mouse Scroll and Zoom

Modem Communications
Handshake Method of Data Exchange Online Connection of Two Modems Data Compression Data Closer Together ISDN LAN Connections to Internet
Integrated Services Digital Network

Cable Fast Connection to the Internet

Hard Drive Considerations

Stores Programs and Data Read/Write Heads File Folders Like a File Cabinet Capacity Such as 120 Gigabytes SCSI Fastest and Least Expensive Connection of Hard Drive to Other Devices
Small Computer Systems Interface

Disk Cache Memory Area for Recent Data

Hard Drive Optimization

Repair Facility Once a Month Defrag Once a Month Archive Seldom Used Files Onto Tape Backup to Open Up Space Zip Files for Transmission Over Internet

Application Software
Word Processing Spreadsheet (Worksheet) Database Graphics Presentations Web Design E-Mail Internet Browser

Typical Word Processing Functions

Create Documents Edit Documents Format Documents Print Documents Insert and Format Graphics Create Tables Mail Merge Applications

Typical Spreadsheet Functions

Manage Finances Manage, Sort, Organize, and Retrieve Data Formulas and Functions Editing Data Formatting to Enhance Appearance Charting (Graphing) to Summarize Data

Typical Database Functions

Organize Data Into Tables Store Information Sort Information Find Information Analyze Information Print Information

Application Suite Advantages

Microsoft Office XP Suite (or 2003) Costs Less Than Buying Each Component Easy to Use Commonalities Integration of Data Between Programs Sharing Data More Functional Collaboration of Tasks Easier

Utility Software Programs

Norton Utilities Virus and Firewall McAfee Virus and Firewall Acrobat Reader View Portable Documents WinZip Unzip Compressed Files Flash Reader Accessing Internet Sites Windows Media Player Plays Internet Audio and Video Files

Network Talk
LAN Connects Computers Within a Small Area, such as a Building Modem Required to Transmit and Receive Data on the Network Hub Location Where All Cables on a Network Come Together Cables Transmission Lines Such as Coaxial, Twisted Pair, or Fiber Optic

Network Talk
Server Central Computer That Stores the Files for all Persons on the Network Client A Computer that can Access Files from the Server Ethernet Popular Way for Data to Travel Firewall Controls Access to the Network User Name and Password - Security

Formatting A Floppy Disk

Place the floppy disk in Drive A Double-click My Computer to access the My Computer window Right-click the icon for Drive A and then choose Format from the menu to access the Format dialog box and click Start Make sure that Drive A is selected. Otherwise, another drive may be formatted resulting in loss of data and/or programs. Click OK, wait, and click OK when finished. Close.

Determining Available Disk Space

Double click My Computer to access the My Computer window Click once on the disk to be checked such as C: Click File Click Properties to access the Properties dialog box A pie chart will then appear indicating available space on the disk Click OK after viewing the pie chart

Defragmenting Hard Disk

Click Start, All Programs, Accessories Click System Tools Click Disk Defragmenter to access the Disk Defragmenter dialog box Click once on the drive to be defragmented such as Drive C: Click the Defragment button to begin process

Disk Cleanup Utility

Click Start, All Programs, Accessories Click System Tools Click Disk Cleanup to activate the Disk Cleanup utility Wait while the hard disk is analyzed (this may take a few minutes with Windows XP) Check the checkboxes for each category of files you wish to delete Click OK

Working with Files in Windows Explorer

Click Start, All Programs, Accessories Click Windows Explorer Folders Toolbar appears in the left pane Contents of selected folder appears in the right pane Use + and symbols to expand and collapse folders in the Folders Toolbar Note: Windows Explorer can also be accessed by holding down the Windows key and pressing E.

Renaming Files
Access the file to be renamed in Windows Explorer Click once on the file to be renamed Click File Click Rename Key the new name and then press <Enter> key Note: A shortcut is to right click the desired file name, enter the new name, and press <Enter>.

Creating a New Folder

Folders are used to store similar files in a location that is easy to maintain. Access Windows Explorer Select the location for the new folder such as a specific drive or within an existing folder Click File Click New Click Folder Key the desired name for the new folder and press <Enter> Note: A shortcut is to right click within an existing folder,

click New, Folder, key the folder name, and press <Enter>. A new folder can also be created on the Desktop using this option.

Moving Files with Mouse

Access Windows Explorer Use the mouse to select the files to be moved (hold down CTRL key to select multiple files) Drag the file (s) to the new location such as a new drive or to a new folder Note: When files are moved, they will no longer appear in the original location. To maintain the original files in their original location, copy files instead of moving.

Moving Files with Edit

Access Windows Explorer Use the mouse to select the files to be moved (hold down CTRL key to select multiple files) Click Edit Click Move to Folder Select the new location for the file (s) using the + and buttons to expand and/or collapse folders Note: If a new folder is desired, click the Make New Folder button and key the new folder name Click Move button

Copying Files with Mouse

Access Windows Explorer Use the mouse to select the files to be copied (hold down CTRL key to select multiple files) Hold down the CTRL (control) key and drag the file(s) to the new location such as a new drive or a new or existing folder Note: When files are copied, they will appear in the new and the original location.

Copying Files with Edit

Access Windows Explorer Use the mouse to select the files to be copied (hold down CTRL key to select multiple files) Click Edit Click Copy to Folder Select the new location for the file (s) using the + and buttons to expand and/or collapse folders Note: If a new folder is desired, click the Make New Folder button and key the new folder name Click Copy button

Copying a File to A Floppy

Insert a floppy disk into the floppy drive Use Windows Explorer to locate the file to be copied and click once on the file name Click File Click Send To Click the drive location that contains the floppy disk and will receive the file Note: A shortcut is to right click the file name

and then select Send To

Deleting Files
Access the desired file in Windows Explorer and locate the file(s) to be deleted Click once on the file name(s) to be deleted Press the <delete> key to access the Confirm File Delete dialog box Click Yes to confirm the file (s) deletion The deleted file (s) will be sent to the Recycle Bin if it is activated Note: This same process can also be used to delete a

folder and its contents

Recycle Bin Properties

On the Windows Desktop, right click Recycle Bin Click Properties Click the Global tab Verify that Use one setting for all drives: option is selected Verify that Display delete confirmation dialog checkbox is checked Click OK

Restoring Deleted Files

Files that have been deleted are normally stored in the Recycle Bin and can be restored. On the Windows Desktop, double click the Recycle Bin to show files in the folder Click once on the file to be restored Click File Click Restore Click the Close button to close the Recycle Bin window Note: Files can also be restored by selecting Restore this item under the Recyle Bin Tasks options

Emptying the Recycle Bin

On the Windows Desktop, double click the Recycle Bin to show files in the folder Click File Click Empty Recycle Bin Click Yes to confirm that the items are to be deleted permanently Click the Close button to close the Recycle Bin window

Printing a File
Access Windows Explorer and locate the file to be printed Click once on the file name Click File Click Print Note: The file can also be printed by right

clicking on the file name and selecting Print

Finding a Specific File

Click Start Click Search Click All files and folders In the Search Results dialog box, key in all or part of the file name to search for or key in a word or phrase in the file Under the Look in: option, select the drives or locations to search Click Search button The files will then appear that match the search criteria Double click the desired file to open it Note: Searches can be based on name, content, date, document type, size, when modified, etc.

Creating a Desktop Shortcut

A shortcut permits you to open a file or folder that you use often Locate the desired file in Windows Explorer Click once on the file name Click File Click Send To Click Desktop (create shortcut) The shortcut icon then appears on the Desktop. It appears with an arrow to distinguish it as a user-created shortcut Note: A shortcut can be renamed by right clicking the

shortcut icon and then choosing rename.

 Shortcuts
+ E for Windows Explorer + R for Start, Run + U for Utility Manager which includes voice narrator and on-screen keyboard + D or M to minimize a window + H for on-screen keyboard + L for Start, Log Off + V for Office Voice Recognition utility

Questions and Comments

Speaker Contact
Dr. Lloyd Brooks, Professor
Department of Management Information Systems The University of Memphis Memphis, TN 38152

lbrooks@memphis.edu (901) 678-4651