CO INFO1 Task #2: System Software and Windows

Due date: September 13. Late deadline September 20.

Read Chapter 5 "System Software" in Understanding Computers. A PowerPoint presentation for the chapter is in Resources in the Etudes classroom. Download UC12_Chapter05.ppt

Read Windows Chapter 1 in the Office 2007 textbook. Read in front of the computer so you can practice the steps shown in the chapter.

In this assignment you will:

Log in to Etudes and click the link for Tasks, Tests and Surveys. Click Task 2 and begin the assignment. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the assignment and quiz. Once you click Finish, there is no way to go back and change it. If you realize you have made an error you need to email me about it. You may complete the parts of the assignment in any order. You can enter and exit as you wish.

Part 1 System Software Study Questions 15 points

Type your answers into a Word document. Number each answer. When you're finished, save the document as Task2 and upload it to Tasks, Tests and Surveys in Etudes.

  1. What are the sections in the left pane of the Start Menu?
  2. Right-click a blank area of the taskbar and choose Properties. Describe the things you can change about the taskbar.
  3. Use Windows Help to find a list of keyboard shortcuts using the Windows logo key on your keyboard. Describe 2 of them. For each, list the key combination and what it does.
  4. What part of a window do you point to when you want to move the window? What part do you point to when you want to change the size of the window (NOT minimize, maximize or restore)?  
  5. Describe 3 ways to scroll a window using the scroll bar (NOT the mouse scroll wheel or the keyboard).
  6. Start Computer (My Computer in Windows XP). Expand the Folders list (click the Folders button in Windows XP). Describe the hierarchy of your hard drive starting with the C: drive, going to Programs, then give the first 4 folders under Programs, then the first two folders under one of the 4.
  7. Describe three actions you can perform on a file when you right-click on it in Computer.
  8. Explain the difference between copying and moving a file in Computer. Describe how to do each operation.
  9. Use Windows Search to look for items related to temp. In Windows Vista, click the Search everywhere option. How many items were found? Give one example.
  10. (2 points) There are several editions of Windows Vista. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/compare-editions/default.aspx and locate information about the differences between the editions. Which edition would you select if you were buying a new computer and why? Be specific about the features.
  11. Give an example of a file or folder name that would not be acceptable to Windows because of an invalid character.
  12. What is meant by the term "root directory"?
  13. On my own computer on drive C:, I have a file called Disneylandtrip.jpg in the subfolder Pictures inside the Documents folder. Write out the path (also called file specification) for Disneylandtrip.jpg
  14. Why is it a bad idea to change the file extension on a file yourself instead of through an application program?

Part 2: File Management (10 points)

Follow the steps below very carefully to save files and create a subdirectory folder structure. Refer to the information starting on page WIN 34 in the Office 2007 textbook. You will make copies of what is shown in the Computer window to your Word document so I can verify that you completed everything.

1. Start Computer (My Computer in XP). Make the Folders pane visible (click the folders button or arrow) and maximize the window. Create a new directory folder in Documents (My Documents in XP) named Task2 to do this part of the assignment. Create a new folder in your Task2 folder called ThinClient.

2. Go to the Bing search home page at www.bing.com. Type keywords in the search box to locate web pages about thin client. Select a page that has a printer friendly or printable view option and choose that option so a simpler version of the page displays. Save the web page file to the ThinClient folder (File menu, Save As or Page Button, Save As).

3. Select a descriptive paragraph from the article you found for #2 and copy (Edit Menu, Copy or Ctrl+C) and paste (Edit Menu, Paste or Ctrl+V) it to a new Word document. Click in the address bar to select the URL. Copy and paste the URL of the page to the Word document. Click the Save button (the diskette) in the toolbar or Save in the Office menu. Save the document in the ThinClient folder and name it Description.

4. Choose the Save As command. Make the Task2 folder the current folder. Click the New Folder button (the folder with the asterisk) and name the new folder COINFO1.  Save your document in the new folder as ThinClientBackup. Close the document.

5. Go back to the Bing search page. Click the Images link near the top of the screen to search for graphics. Find a graphic of a thin client device. When you find a graphic that you like, right-click the graphic. In the shortcut menu that appears, click Save Picture As. Change the Save In box to your Task2 folder. Notice what the name of the file is. Click the Save button.

6. Switch back to the Computer window. Copy (not Move) the graphic file you downloaded in step 5 to the ThinClient folder. The file should appear in the Task2 folder AND the ThinClient folder.

7. Make sure the Folders pane shows the expanded display for the Documents, Task2 and ThinClient folders.

8. Display the contents of the Task2 folder. Press the Print Screen (Scrn) key on the keyboard. If you are working on a laptop, you may have to press another key with Print Screen. Look at the color coding on your keyboard. It looks like nothing has happened, but a graphic of the screen has been copied to the clipboard.

9. Create a new Word document. Type your name and then press the Enter key a couple of times. Click the Paste button (the clipboard and page) in the toolbar or Edit, Paste in the menu bar. If Paste is grayed, go back to the Computer window and press the Print Screen key again.

10. Switch back to the Computer window. Rename the copy of the graphic in the ThinClient folder to networkcomputer without changing the extension of .jpg, .bmp or .gif.

11. Display the contents of the ThinClient folder.

12. Change the view to Detail where you can see the file extensions, sizes and dates.

13. Press the Print Screen key on the keyboard. Switch back to the Word document. Press the Enter key a couple of times and then Paste the screen snapshot.

Save the document as Task2Management. It should contain two different graphics showing the Computer window. Upload Task2Management and the Description document to Task 2 in Tasks, Tests and Surveys.

Part 3 System Software Quiz (15 points)

Take a 15 question multiple choice quiz on Chapter 5 in Understanding Computers. You can only take the quiz once but there is no time limit.