Windows operating systems. What is Windows? Windows operating system: versions, characteristics, reviews
(June 25, 1998) - Windows 98 was the first system designed specifically for home users. It contained improved search for information on PC and on the Internet, support for DVD and USB, panel quick launch programs. It is noteworthy that it was latest system, based on MS-DOS.
Windows NT family
Windows Embedded Family
Windows Security
Story
2018
Availability of commercial support for OpenJDK on the Microsoft Windows platform
A file was found in Windows that collects passwords and e-mail messages
In September 2018, it became known about the existence in Windows secret file, which stores passwords and correspondence via e-mail. The problem is relevant for users of devices with touch screens.
Windows is no longer Microsoft's core business
In April 2018, Bloomberg released an article entitled "Microsoft is officially no longer a Windows company." Journalists noticed that operating systems do not bring the American company the greatest income compared to other products, and the software giant itself is increasingly focusing on cloud technologies.
In 2012, the then incumbent general director Microsoft Steve Ballmer said that for the company "there is nothing more important than Windows" During one of the conferences, he emotionally chanted: “Windows! Windows! Windows!
Microsoft is releasing regular updates less often and has also made them part of the cost of buying a new computer or a PC contract for companies, rather than having customers pay for new hardware or upgrade the operating system when the next version comes out.
Every year, no more than 15% of sales of smartphones, tablets and computers combined are made up of devices running Windows control, and the OS is not expanding into new areas, such as self-driving cars or smart home systems.
2014
Windows XP leads in the number of installations in enterprises
Windows 10 release
Windows 10 will support various types of devices:
- desktop PCs,
- laptops,
- tablets,
- TVs.
Windows 3.0 had a nice graphical user interface (compared to what had previously appeared on the IBM PC), provided a significant range of services, and handled all the memory addressable by the 80286, 80386 and higher microprocessors. With 32-bit microprocessors (80386 and higher) and at least 2 MB available Windows memory 3.0 could use virtual memory, this mode of operation was called extended (386 Enhanced Mode).
1988-1993: Lawsuit with Apple over visual interface
1983: Start of development and prototype of the graphical OS
On November 10, 1983, Microsoft announced the start of development of a graphical operating shell for Windows, although back in late 1982, Microsoft programmers began creating a universal set of graphical procedures called the Computer Graphic Interface (CGI).
For the November 1983 exhibition COMDEX the first Windows prototype was ready. When presenting the first Windows variant It was promised that commercial sales would begin in May 1984. In the spring of 1984, the sales start date was pushed back to November. In November 1984, this date was moved to June 1985.
Windows and piracy
In 2007, Microsoft published interesting statistics. According to the data obtained from the results of the work Windows programs Genuine Advantage, one in five (22%) Windows in the world is unlicensed. At the same time, according to the analytical company Business Software Alliance, the percentage of use of pirated copies of the OS is much higher, amounting to about 35%.
Microsoft is actively fighting against illegal use of its operating system. So, in 2007, Microsoft provided corporate users with the opportunity to switch from pirated Windows to a licensed one, paying only for the “license”. By participating in this action, organizations were exempt from penalties for using pirated Windows.
In December 2008, Microsoft filed 63 lawsuits against sellers of counterfeit software from 12 countries. They were accused of selling pirated copies of the Windows XP operating system. By according to Microsoft, sellers offered the Windows XP version of the operating system at online auctions Blue Edition. Buyers were informed that the Blue Edition was a special licensed version Windows XP with low price.
Around the same time, the Frunzensky District Court of Vladivostok sentenced local resident to one year of suspended imprisonment and a fine of 117 thousand rubles for illegal installation of the Windows XP operating system and package office applications Microsoft. Then, the investigation established that the defendant installed counterfeit programs on four computers for 2 thousand rubles Microsoft Windows XP Professional and Microsoft Office XP.
Initially, the project of a graphical add-on for MS-DOS was called Interface Manager. Roland Hanson, the company's chief marketer, suggested changing the name to Windows.
The first officially released version of Windows was Windows 1.01. Version 1.0 was never released due to a serious bug.
Welcome to the site. I haven’t written on the blog for a long time, but I decided it was time to say “no” to laziness and start filling out the “windows installation” section. This is an introductory article on this topic and will help you understand what Windows is and why you should reinstall it. Nowadays, when faced with the purchase of a new computer or the breakdown of an old one, you can often hear the phrase “ Windows installation" Beginners learning computers may be embarrassed to ask these two questions. I will try to clearly explain what it is and what installing Windows generally does. This post can also be considered an introductory post to the section on installing Windows. It will also be useful for those who plan to build a computer or buy a laptop without an OS. So let's go...
As for this familiar, but not quite understandable word Windows is the name of the line of operating systems of Microsoft Corporation (the brainchild of Bill Gates). Windows is so called because of its windowed interface. operating system This is a set of control and processing programs and a graphical interface with which a computer user can easily control computer devices and run programs designed for this operating system. In other words, the OS serves as an intermediary between computer devices, on the one hand, and programs launched by the user, on the other hand.
Due to the existence of several popular operating systems such as Windows, Linux, Mac, computer manufacturers have made it possible for each user to reinstall their preferred OS if desired. This is possible even if you purchased a computer with a pre-installed OS. Currently, most computers in Russia have Windows operating systems installed. Today, Windows XP is the most commonly used Windows Vista and Windows 7. And new computers are already running Windows 8. I’ll tell you about each individually very soon.
When you buy a new computer, Windows is usually already installed. And when assembling a computer using components, you have to install it yourself, or give it to Computer service. Due to this (and other factors), in-house assembly is often cheaper. If you purchased a laptop, but at home you discovered that it turns on, but a phrase in English appears on a black screen, then it most likely does not have an operating system installed. But this is not at all a deception on the part of the seller. Some laptops are sold without an operating system and note that due to this they are 1-2 thousand rubles cheaper than similar ones with an installed OS. If you are interested in buying a laptop without an operating system, then look for the word FreeDOS in the description of the laptop. In this case, you need to install Windows on it.
Why do you have to reinstall Windows?
There are several reasons for this. Most often, you have to reinstall Windows because the computer stops booting due to improper shutdown, virus infection, etc. Windows has a database that stores all the computer and program settings - system registry. Over time, after frequent installation and removal of programs windows registry increases and the computer starts to work slower. Some users find it more convenient to reinstall the system once than to work on such a computer. In addition, in rare cases, specific errors appear in Windows. It is sometimes more practical for a user to reinstall windows rather than deal with errors.
Now, having figured out what Windows is and why it sometimes has to be reinstalled, let’s move on to the next step and find out what is needed for Windows installations. The next post will appear on the blog on December 30th. Log in on the morning of 30 or subscribe to updates and receive a letter when the article appears in your email inbox.
Over the 30-year history of the OS, nine major versions of the system have been released: from the one developed by Bill Gates Windows 1.0 until the latest release under the leadership of new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Windows is the most common OS and is installed at more than 88% personal computers in the world.
The very first Windows 1.0 came out in November 1985. In truth, the first version released was Window 1.01, as 1.0 had a serious bug. This was Microsoft's first real attempt at creating a graphical user interface on a 16-bit architecture.
However, Windows 1.0, unlike Mac OS, was not an independent operating system and was only a graphical add-on over DOS. Because of this, many users continued to use “ Command line"to control the system, although there was mouse support in the system.
To get users used to new system input, Microsoft came up with the game Reversi, which had to be played with the mouse. In this way, users learned to move the mouse by clicking on various objects on the screen. “Sapper” also pursued the same goal.
The second and third versions of Windows were also a “shell” for MS-DOS, but had a number of innovations. In 2.0, released on December 9, 1987, it became possible to arrange windows one above the other in any order, the “Control Panel” (which is still used today), and also program description files (PIF files) appeared for the first time. It also became the first Windows platform to feature Microsoft applications Word and Excel.
The third version, which appeared on May 22, 1990, received the “Program Manager” and “File Manager”, as well as updated version"Control Panels" and Solitaire Solitaire, which is still an integral part of part of Windows. In addition, the new operating system looks much better thanks to support for 256 colors in the VGA video adapter and changes GUI.
However, the company is no stranger to experimentation. Thus, at the CES exhibition in 1995 it was presented software for Windows 3.0 Microsoft Bob, which was developed without the participation of Bill Gates. The idea was to create a “social interface” by replacing the “Program Manager” with a cartoon house, where the corresponding applications were stored in “rooms”, and a dog named Rover served as the default guide around the house.
Photo report: Bill Gates turns 60
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Then it was updated, in Microsoft Office a character like Paperclip appeared. We can say that Bob anticipated the advent of modern virtual personal assistants like Cortana and Siri. In July 2013, Bill Gates commented on the legacy of Windows Bob: "We were simply ahead of our time, as with most of our mistakes."
A full-fledged Microsoft operating system appeared only in August 1995. Windows 95 was a significant milestone in the development of Windows. Compared to 3.0, it had a huge amount innovations.
The Start menu and icons already familiar to all users have appeared quick access to files and applications on the desktop. Windows 95 was the first to use a 32-bit environment, the "Taskbar" and was focused on multitasking. MS-DOS was still playing important role in Windows 95 and was necessary to run a number of programs and elements. Interaction with files and folders was carried out using icons.
Also appeared in Windows 95 Internet browser Explorer, however it was not installed by default - it required Windows package 95 Plus. In later versions Internet Explorer stood initially, since Netscape Navigator and NCSA Mosaic browsers were popular at that time.
Windows 98, released on June 25, 1998, was even more consumer-oriented than its predecessor, Windows 95, and included a number of improvements user interface via the Desktop Update Center Windows desktop» in Internet Explorer 4, including the Quick Launch Toolbar, the active desktop, the ability to minimize a window by clicking on the window title, as well as the Back and Forward buttons and address bar in Windows Explorer.
In 2000, the company introduced two completely different operating systems - Windows 2000 and Windows ME. The first belonged to the NT family of operating systems (new technologies), while the second was built on Windows platform 9x. Windows Millennium can be called the next step in the development of Windows 98 with the addition of some elements Windows interface 2000 and maximum simplification for modern home use.
Windows ME was heavily criticized by users due to its instability and unreliability, frequent freezes And crashes work. Some users deciphered ME as Mistake Edition (erroneous edition). This version is still considered one of the worst products from Microsoft.
Windows 2000 was aimed at business customers, and it later became the basis for Windows XP.
In Windows 2000, automatic updates played an important role. In addition, it introduced a hibernation mode for the first time. Windows 2000 Professional introduced numerous improvements, such as the plug-and-play concept: when you connect a new peripheral device, the operating system itself found necessary drivers for him, and it began to work.
The triumphant release of Windows XP took place in October 2001. The new system was a kind of symbiosis of Windows 2000 and Windows ME. Like Windows 2000, it was based on Windows NT, but it added client-centric elements from Windows ME.
The new OS featured a new graphical interface design, text smoothing on LCD monitors, and the ability fast switching between users, as well as many other nice features. Windows XP is a “long-liver” among operating systems: three large-scale updates were released for it, and support for the OS ceased only in 2014, that is, 13 years after its release - this support period is the longest among all Windows operating systems.
The system also had its shortcomings. For example, when installing an OS, the user is prompted to create a account with administrator rights, which leads to potential vulnerability of the system to viruses. Also, the disadvantages include quite high at that time system requirements: processor of at least 500 MHz and more than 128 MB of RAM.
After the tremendous success of Windows XP, Microsoft releases Windows Vista. The system was released in 2007. The new OS was a kind of attempt to revolutionize the design of the graphical interface. Microsoft also tried to eliminate the security flaws that plagued XP users.
However, the new system turned out to be extremely mediocre. This is evidenced by the fact that the OS took first place in the “Failure of the Year” competition in 2007.
Users were also disappointed in the new product from Microsoft. Particularly noteworthy are problems with performance, incompatibility with many old programs, as well as inflated system requirements that exceed those stated. Users also did not like the new Aero interface. After Windows release 7 in 2009, Vista, already unpopular, almost completely died out. As of 2015, Windows Vista's market share is less than 2%.
Microsoft's next operating system, Windows 7, was introduced on October 22, 2009. It was supposed to eliminate all the shortcomings that existed in Vista. Aero's design has been greatly improved, and support for older programs that are not available to run on Windows Vista has been implemented. Also appeared in Windows 7 Windows mode XP mode, which allows you to run old applications in a virtual Windows machine XP, which provides almost complete support for older applications.
An important feature of the new system is closer integration with driver manufacturers: most are detected automatically. As a result, from the pen of Microsoft came an operating system that was to everyone's taste a large number users: In the first eight hours, the number of pre-orders exceeded the demand that Windows Vista had in the first 17 weeks.
But even here there was a fly in the ointment. The main disadvantage of the system is, again, high system requirements, which is why the autonomy of laptops in some cases was reduced by up to 30%. Despite this, the system remains popular to this day: as of September 2015, Windows 7 holds more than 55% of the market share.
In October 2012, Microsoft introduced its next product - Windows 8. The new system received radical new interface, more “tailored” for use on tablets. So, in Windows 8 the Start button has disappeared, in its place is access to the Metro interface.
The interface was a tiled platform. Also in the new system there is a store Windows applications Store similar to Play Store And App Store. The main innovations of Windows 8, in addition to the new interface, can be considered native support for USB 3.0, improved search and a new task manager.
However, most users did not appreciate the system: Microsoft made too much of a bias towards touch control. This affected the ease of system management on desktops.
The new version of Windows 8.1 was an attempt to correct the shortcomings. The “Start” button has returned to its rightful place and it has become possible to set the standard desktop to launch by default. Despite an attempt to correct the mistakes made in Windows 8, the update was also received without enthusiasm.
Latest on this moment operating room Microsoft system is Windows 10, introduced in July 2015. Windows 10 should bring all devices together, including embedded systems, smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs and game consoles. The upgrade to Windows 10 is available for users of devices running Windows 7, 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 free for a year.
The main innovations of the system are the improved Start menu, voice assistant Cortana, as well as the ability to interact simultaneously with a touch interface and a traditional one on hybrid devices.
In Windows 10, Microsoft collects a lot of data about your computer usage. Examples of such data are name, email address and others. Because of this, Microsoft received a barrage of criticism. Some of the criticism also relates to Windows sharing Wi-Fi passwords with other users. In any case, data collection can be turned off at any time; all instructions are searched on the Internet.
Windows can rightfully be called an integral part of an entire generation of PC users. Thanks to Microsoft's OS, millions of people have discovered information Technology and access to global network. And no matter how much they criticize it, it will in any case remain relevant for many more years.
What is Windows? Why do you need Windows? What Windows is installed on my computer? After reading this lesson, you will be able to confidently, and most importantly, answer these and other questions correctly.
Let's start in order. What is Windows?
"Windows is an operating system", - any computer scientist will answer you without hesitation. Of course he will say the right thing, but not a word tells you anything Windows, not a phrase operating system until you understand the very meaning, why do we need Windows? and “what do they eat it with”?
So, let's think in more familiar categories. Imagine an aquarium with fish. Have you imagined?... So the glass aquarium itself is your computer, which you brought from the store. Fish in an aquarium are programs that you use to listen to music on your computer, watch movies, and play games. But the water in the aquarium in which these same fish swim is the operating room Windows system(correctly read - Windows).
Windows is a space for programs. And just as fish in water make different movements back and forth, so programs in a computer also make some kind of “movements” - operations. That's why Windows system called operating system. Essentially, Windows is also a program, but a special one, a control program.
There are other operating systems, for example Linux (correctly read - Linux). This operating system differs from Windows in the same way that fresh water differs from sea water. Yes Yes! You understood correctly. In Linux, or rather under Linux, their own programs “live”, and programs for Linux are not suitable for working under Windows, unless, of course, they are adapted for this (that is, ported). Accordingly, programs for Windows cannot be made to float and work under Linux.
WITH Windows concept and operating system, I think we figured it out. What is the Windows operating system for? I hope you also understand?
Another way Windows differs from Linux is that Windows developers, Microsoft Corporation, are demanding to pay money (and quite a bit). But Linux can be used for free. “So you can download Windows for free on the Internet! How is it paid? - you ask in bewilderment. To which I will answer that many people do not like the fact that Microsoft forces people to buy Windows and they post stolen copies of Windows on the Internet in order to “annoy” the greedy Microsoft.
For this, Microsoft is offended by such people, and calls them pirates, and wants to put all the pirates in prison. This is life's injustice :). But while some pirates sit on their bunks in striped pajamas, other pirates come to replace them and continue to “salt” Microsoft with a vengeance. This is how the eternal Windows water cycle turns out in nature.
Well, think for yourself, why would pirates enjoy playing “Robin Hood” and handing out freshly stolen Windows for free? Yes, and “crack” (a program for independently hacking license protection is different, paid program) to write under it, is it also free? But there is a meaning!
It’s not for nothing that Microsoft is buzzing about the fact that from downloaded from Internet Windows you can wait for anything. (Perhaps this is the only effective argument in favor of the fact that licensed Windows better than a stolen one, but I’ll add on my own behalf - if you have to choose between two evils, a stolen copy from a licensed disk is still better than a home-made assembly of some brat-craftsman) Remember the advertisement when from a laptop screen, with supposedly unlicensed Windows 7 Someone’s hand comes out and “snatches” a credit card and wallet from the table? Naturally, in the literal sense of the word, this is not (yet) possible.
But in a figurative sense, namely to clean your online wallet, or it is quite possible to scam your credit card information out of you.
To do this, a hacker steals (and sometimes even buys a licensed Windows), embeds one or more specially written viruses into it, and makes sure that when such a Windows is installed, all possible and impossible virus protection is disabled. As a rule, in the description of such an “assembly” there is something like “Extra components are cut out so as not to “slow down” the system,” and “extra” are the services and components that are responsible for Windows security. Instead of “extra” components, there are usually various gadgets, “bows”, “ruffles” and other breathtaking “beauties” that drive all blondes crazy.
After all the manipulations done, this miracle of sick human imagination is posted on the Internet on many “portal” sites under the heading “download Windows for free.” And they are “downloaded” by suckers and schoolchildren, and re-uploaded on other sites and torrents, and wherever these assemblies are not available! Moreover, there are “comrades” who travel on call (“ computer help" is called) and for money (!) they install this downloaded crap on the computers of unsuspecting dummies. Those have their own benefit - as a rule, such assemblies fail after 4-6 months, and Windows needs to be reinstalled, for this the specified “specialist” is invited again, and again receives another portion of money for the “work”, once again installing a fresh “stable” shit system."
"And what from this?" - you ask. And the fact that our hacker has a huge collection of “zombie systems” (the so-called Bot-Net). Now a hacker can remotely force your computer to fulfill all his wishes, for example, send spam, send him your passwords email box, or VKontakte account, but these are just childish pranks. Things get interesting later. A hacker advertises, saying “I will install” any server on the Internet, or “I will sell an e-mail database” for sending spam.
And they get into the database mailboxes not only yours, but also all those people with whom you correspond. Or sell cool ones ICQ numbers, where do you think they get them from? “I will sell the VKontakte login/password database,” and the like. Not to mention the fact that they get access to your client bank, for example, or Web Money account. Your computer itself will send the attacker the information he is interested in, because the “operating system,” or rather a parody of it, installed on your computer is created for this purpose. Believe me, a lot of money is made from this, compared to which the cost of buying Windows by a hacker is just dust.
For the sake of pure sporting interest, I often download various homemade products from the Internet. Windows builds. Without installing them, I simply mount the images of these assemblies in Daemon Tools, and then I watch with emotion how my antivirus curses. In one of the builds I counted as many as 83 viruses. That is, during installation, all this “good” is automatically “implanted” into your system, and you receive “full ammunition.”
I purposely do not list any of the names of the Windows build here so that you are not tempted to download it. I also don’t urge you to urgently break the porcelain “piggy” with a hammer and take the latter to the insatiable Microsoft to buy licensed Windows, although if you nowhere to put the loot means allow, licensed Windows is The best decision. Because if Microsoft starts to “implant” Windows viruses- what fool would buy it from them?
How to distinguish Windows from not quite Windows?
I don’t mean signs of Windows licensing, but in general Windows as such from a crappy home-made assembly? Some “mega-specialists” will resist and argue, saying, “What is the difference between native Windows and the assembly? After all, this and that assembly works.” What difference does it make what you drive?.. a Mercedes or a Zaporozhets, both have a steering wheel, wheels, a seat. Both of them drive great. Only a “Merce” costs a lot of money, and a “Zepan” can be bought for almost nothing. Moreover, the “Zepan” is used and with a bunch of alterations and additions from the previous owner. I am sure that if you were given the opportunity to choose, you would choose the Merc and not the Zepan. But for some reason you prefer the used Zepan.
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Basics of the Microsoft Windows operating system. History of development, types of operating systems. Basic concepts of Windows, file structure. Windows Help System. Windows operating system management. Work with documents. Universal technological operations in the Windows environment
operating system is a set of programs that provide control over the operation of the computer and its interaction with the user.
From a human perspective, the operating system serves as an intermediary between humans, the computer's electronic components, and application programs. It allows a person to run programs, transfer to them and receive all kinds of data from them, control the operation of programs, change the parameters of the computer and devices connected to it, and redistribute resources. Working on a computer is actually working with its operating system. If you install only an operating system (OS) on your computer, you won’t be able to do anything meaningful on the computer either. To enter and format texts, draw graphs, calculate salaries or listen to a laser disc, special application programs are needed. But even without an OS, it is impossible to run any application program.
The operating system solves problems that can be divided into two categories:
· firstly, management of all computer resources;
· secondly, the exchange of data between computer devices, between a computer and a person.
In addition, it is the OS that provides the ability to individually configure a computer: the OS determines what components the computer on which it is installed is assembled from and configures itself to work with these components.
Not so long ago, the user had to perform setup work manually, but today manufacturers of computer components have developed plug-and-play protocol(turned it on - it worked). This protocol allows the operating system, at the time of connecting a new component, to obtain information about the new device sufficient to configure the OS to work with it.
PC operating systems differ in several ways. In particular, OSs are:
· single-tasking And multitasking;
· single-user And multi-user;
· network And non-network.
In addition, the operating system may have a command interface or a graphical multi-window interface (or both).
Single-tasking operating systems allow you to solve only one task at a time. Such systems usually allow you to run one program in main mode.
Multitasking systems allow you to run several programs simultaneously that will work in parallel.
The main difference multi-user systems from single-user is the availability of means to protect each user's information from unauthorized access by other users. It should be noted that not every multitasking system is multi-user, and not every single-user OS is single-tasking.
In recent years, a graphical multi-window interface has become the de facto standard, where the required actions and descriptions of objects are not entered in the form of text, but are selected from menus, file lists, etc.
To replace the MS DOS operating system with its graphical Windows shells 3.1 and Windows 3.11 came full-fledged operating systems Windows family(first Windows 95, then Windows 98, Windows Millennium, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7). The figure shows the stages of development of PC-class personal computers and the Windows operating system:
Operating systems family Windows is a 32-bit operating system that provides multitasking and multi-threaded application processing. They support a convenient graphical user interface, the ability to work in protected mode, and compatibility with programs real mode and networking capabilities. Windows includes Plug and Play hardware support, long filenames, and improved robustness.
32-bit means that operations on 32-bit data are faster here than on 16-bit data. 32-bit Windows applications run in their own address space, which is not accessible to other programs. This protects applications from each other's errors. If one application fails, the other continues to function normally. A failed application can be terminated.
Multitasking provides the ability to work in parallel with several applications. While one of them is busy, for example, printing a document on a printer or receiving email from Internet networks, another can recalculate a spreadsheet or do other useful work.
Multithreading allows applications designed in a specific way to simultaneously run multiple processes of their own. For example, when working with a multi-threaded spreadsheet, the user will be able to recalculate in one table while printing another and loading a third into memory. While one thread is waiting, for example, to complete a communication operation with a slow peripheral device, the other can continue to do its work.
A distinctive feature of Windows is its object-oriented approach to system design. At the user level object approach is expressed in the fact that the interface is a semblance of the real world, and working with the machine comes down to actions with familiar objects. Thus, folders can be opened, put in a briefcase, documents can be viewed, corrected, moved from one place to another, thrown into the trash, a fax or letter can be sent to the recipient, etc. The user works with tasks and applications in the same way as with documents on his desk. The object-oriented approach is implemented through the model worker table– primary Windows object. After Windows boots, it is displayed on the screen. Various objects can be located on the desktop: programs, folders with documents (texts, pictures, tables), shortcuts to programs or folders.
Shortcuts provide access to a program or document from multiple locations without creating multiple physical copies of the file. On the desktop you can place not only icons of applications and individual documents, but also folders. Folders are another name for directories.
A significant innovation in Windows was panel tasks. Despite its small functionality, it makes the multitasking mechanism clear and greatly speeds up the process of switching between applications. Externally, the taskbar is a strip, usually located at the bottom of the screen, which contains application buttons and the Start button. On the right side there is usually a clock and small icons of programs that are currently active.
Windows allows you to work with audio and video files of various formats. A significant achievement of Windows was its built-in computer communications programs. Windows communications tools are designed for regular users and do not require special knowledge. These facilities include the ability to work in local networks and global networks, setting up modems, connecting to email and much more.
In the Windows operating system, the mouse is widely used when working with windows and applications. Typically, the mouse is used to select pieces of text or graphic objects, check and uncheck boxes, select menu commands, select toolbar buttons, manipulate controls in dialogs, and “scroll” documents in windows.
In Windows, the right mouse button is also actively used. By placing the pointer over the object of interest and right-clicking, you can expand contextual menu, containing the most common commands applicable to this object.
When shutting down, you cannot simply turn off the computer without shutting down the system properly - this may lead to the loss of some unsaved data. To properly shut down, it is necessary to save data in all applications that the user was working with, shut down all previously running DOS applications, open the “Start” button menu and select the “Shut Down” command.
reference systemWindows
Modern software is highly complex, which is why both the operating system and most of its applications provide help systems. reference systemWindows is not only a set of help files, but also a powerful tool for obtaining advice and support for any problems that may arise while working with the system.
Ways to obtain help
Main menu
The main Windows directory is called from the Main Menu with the command Start Help and Support.
F1 key
Key
If a dialog box is open, pressing the key
Help in dialog boxes
When working with dialog box controls, you often need to quickly and short information. This opportunity is provided by a special hint button. , located in the title bar next to the close button. After clicking on the tooltip button, you need to move the mouse pointer over the control of interest and click the left button. A tooltip will appear that describes the purpose of this element.
Context hint
Explanations about the elements dialog boxes can be obtained in another way. You need to click on the element right mouse key. In this case, either a tooltip will immediately appear, or a context menu with a single item “What is this?” Left-clicking on these words will bring up context-sensitive help. Sometimes it is enough to point at an element with the mouse for a tooltip to appear.
Help in applications
In the menu bar of almost all Windows programs there is an item Reference(sometimes represented simply by a question mark). Using this item, you can call up the main help window, and also get background information About the program.