Different Types of Operating Systems:- Windows

4. Different Types of Operating Systems:- Windows

Different Types of Operating Systems:- Windows

• Windows

   Windows operating system was developed by Microsoft by enhancing the features of DOS. The major difference and degradation between DOS and Windows is its interface i.e. DOS supports character user interface and windows supports graphical user interface. i.e. O/S had desktop and icons to interact with users. Later many upgraded various were launched in the market i.e. Window 95/98, Windows XP, Windows Vista.

• Windows Family

   Windows 1.0, Windows 2.0, Windows 2.1, Windows 3.0 and 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows NT, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows CE.

Features of Windows:-

   1. Graphical User Interface:- This interface helps users to interact with computers through graphical images i.e. icons. The most commonly used input device is a mouse.

   2. Multitasking:- It provides process and memory management services that allow two or more tasks, jobs, or programs to run simultaneously. Thus, at a given time, there may be more than one window displayed on the desktop.

   3. Multiprocessing:- The simultaneous processing of two or more programs by multiple processors is termed as multiprocessing.

• Definition of Window

   A window is an area located on a desktop within which all window-based application programs run.

• Windows have different Components

   Menu bar, Title Bar, Button, Toolbar, Scroll bar, Explanation to be added.

• Desktop

   The first screen that appears after loading the operating system on the computer is a Desktop that contains different icons.

   Start Button, Icons, Taskbar.

• Icon

   Various applications and documents are represented on the Windows desktop by a small graphical picture i.e. Icon. Icons are selected through a mouse in order to run the specific applications.

   Various default icons are:

   1. My Computer: This icon allows the user to explore the contents of the computer drive and manage computer files.

   2. Recycle Bin: All the deleted files from the hard disk go to Recycle Bin. These files can be restored from the Recycle bin if the user has not selected the option of "Empty Recycle Bin."

   3. My Documents: My Documents stores documents, program settings, and other files that are used with many of the programs being run on the computer. User can keep his / her personal file and folders.

   4. Network Neighbourhoods: If the Computer is a part of the network, this icon will display the list of names of all computers which are the part of the network. Basically, a personal computer can be connected together to form a network.

   5. Taskbar and Start Menue: Horizontal bar at the bottom of the desktop is Taskbar. It also includes buttons representing the program currently running on the computer. When application is opened, a button for that program appears on the taskbar and that disappears when the application closes.

   Start Button is located on the extreme left side of Taskbar. On clicking the start button, a cascading menu appears with Following Options:-

   (a) Program

   (b) Documents

   (c) Settings

   (d) Find

   (e) Help

   (f) Shut Down

   6. Web Browser: Web Browser is a application software, through which users can access the internet on a computer. Few examples of the web browsers are- Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome.

   7. Menus: A menu is a window component that provides a clear list of options, each for a specific purpose or task. Menus are displayed on Menu Bar which is a horizontal list of option which provides all options in a specific program.

   8. Toolbar: Toolbar is displayed below the menu bar in a Horizontal way. It contains buttons for some standard tasks as well as some application-specific tasks, when mouse pointer is positioned on any tool, a small box appears which displays the name of the tool. That box is known as Tool-Tip.

   9. Windows Explorer: Windows Explorer helps the user to manage files, folders, and drives. It shows tree wise listing of folders and files.

   10. Control Panel: It provides a set of applications for managing peripheral devices, adding or removing applications, configuring system date and time, and other settings related to hardware devices and networks.

   11. File: A collection of related information stored and dealt with as a unit is a file. Files can be stored on the computer individually or arrange in folders. The user gives the file name to the files as per the file naming conventions.

   12. Folder: Folders are the unites which store different types of files. Basically, it is an organizational building block of any computer. Folders are also termed as Directories. A directory within a directory is called a subdirectory. The user also assigns a name to the folder (directory) or sub-folder (Sub-Directory).

   13. Server: Server is a term used for the computer which performs the most important role in the network. All the requests from different computers are sent to server, the processing is done and results are routed to clients.

   14. Client / Workstation: The client is a computer who sends the request for processing to the server.