Windows 98

Windows 98 replaced Windows 95. Most of the functions in the two operating systems resemble each other. However Windows 98 does have added features as follows.

More Disk Space and Faster Applications

Windows 98 Second Edition provides an average of 28 percent more disk space, thanks to a feature called FAT32 that enables more efficient use of your hard drive. Windows 98 Second Edition loads your most frequently used applications up to 36 percent faster, thanks to Windows 98's new disk defragmenter. Windows 98 also had added support for DVD players which Windows 95 does not.

Start Button:

Windows 95 and the subsequent operating systems from Microsoft use the Start Button as the starting point for most applications. We'll spend a little time discussing the Start button first. It is located on the left bottom part of your computer screen. Also on the new keyboards, you will see a key that has the Windows logo on it. Go ahead and click on the Start button now. You will see a new pop-up menu similar to the drop-down menu. Depending on your installation, you may see different menu options. I will discuss the more common ones here. In order to use the Program option, use the left button on the mouse or use the keyboard option.

Programs

This option lets the user select what applications to run on the computer system. If you want to work on word processing, you can click on Programs and then select Microsoft Word. If you want to run the internet, you can click Programs and then Internet Explorer. Sometimes it is easier to create a short cut on the Desktop instead of using the Programs button. I will discuss that later in this section.

Documents

Windows keeps track of the documents that you recently worked on. The easiest way to open these documents is to use the Documents options. When you click on it, a list of documents will appear. You can then select the appropriate document.

Settings

This menu option is used to configure the settings on your computer. You can add and remove software using this option. In addition you can change the desktop settings and also the Start Menu option. The most important item under the settings menu is the Control Panel. Using control panel, one is able to change the configuration on the computer.

Find

This is one of my favorite options under the Start Menu. This one option lets you find files and folders on your computer. If you vaguely remember the name of the file you are looking for lets say vacation something, use this option. A new window will pop-up. Go ahead and enter vacation*

* is a wild character that will look for documents starting with vacation and ending with any other characters.

Finally click Find Now to do the search.

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Help

This is a fast way to look up information about the Windows operating system. There are three ways to get the information you need. One is to use the Contents which lists all the topics in order. I tend to use the Index options which lists everything alphabetically. You can also do an exhaustive search by Find option. This creates a search engine within the Windows OS.

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Run

This option lets you execute programs directly from the Start Menu. A lot of time this is a fast way to install new software on your machine. Also you can test an exe file by using the Browse option if you can find the right file.

Shut Down

This is also one of my favorite options. When things go wrong, it is a good idea to restart your computer. One of options under the Shut Down menu is Restart the Computer.

Windows Explorer:

The windows explorer is a good place to manage the folders and files on your computer. It is laid out in a tree structure meaning it branches out to little folders from the hard drive usually C. You can start Windows Explorer by doing

Start

Programs

Windows Explorer

For more information regarding this topic follow this link to Windows Explorer.

Control Panel

The control panel is a short cut to the details about your computer system. It lets you add and remove software from your machine. You can view and update the hardware on your system. You can even change the default settings to your customized way. It lets you set up your network and configure the adapters. You can start control panel by doing the following.

Settings

Control Panel

You will get something that looks like this

You will see a number of icons in this window. I will discuss a few of the important ones here.

Add New Hardware:

If you want to add new hardware to the system, use this icon.

Add/Remove Programs:

If you want to add or remove software programs from your personal computer, this is where you want to be. When you click on this icon, you will see a new dialog box that looks like the one below

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Lets say you wanted to remove Microsoft Excel 97. After you select Microsoft Excel, the Add/Remove button will become enable and you would click on it to delete the software. Just follow the instruction and you can delete the appropriate software.

Display:

If you want to change the settings for your monitor, you have come to the right place. When you click on Display, you will open a new dialog box that looks like the one below. You can change the resolution and modify screen savers under the Display option.

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Printers:

    This is how you add or remove printers from your computer

System:

    This is one of my favorites as it has a sub section called Device Manager. This one lets you browse what kind of hardware is present on your machine in case you want to upgrade a few things.

Recycle Bin:

    Recycle Bin is where all the deleted files on your computer are stored before they are deleted permanently. Lets take a look at contents of the recycle bin

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