Using Personal Computers

Section 1: An Introduction to Computers

Part 2: The Operating System


	It is important to understand the distinction between the operating system and the application programs: Windows is an operating system. It is responsible for organising files and running programs. For Windows 3.1 users, the Program Manager and the File Manager are the parts of the operating system that you will use most often. For Windows 95 users, the Taskbar, the Start button, My Computer and Windows Explorer are the most commonly used parts of the operating system. Application Programs such as word processors and drawing programs are not part of Windows itself, although some programs of this type do come with Windows when you install it. Other, more sophisticated applications are installed later. For example, the Microsoft Office suite of programs, which includes the Word word processor and the Excel spreadsheet, is a set of applications which runs under Windows.
	Some DOS programs are still in use, but they are now much less popular. They are not usually as user-friendly as Windows programs. One major problem (which Windows partially overcomes) is that different DOS programs had different ways of doing the same tasks, which could cause confusion. Also, it was much harder to transfer information between DOS programs than with Windows programs. The most recent version of MS-DOS was version 6.2. These days, most users do not need to understand how to use DOS.
	You must have DOS loaded to run Windows 3.1. DOS 6.2 is the most recent (and generally the best) version of DOS to use for this purpose. However, once it is installed, you should mostly be able to forget about it. Computers running Windows 3.1 are sometimes set up to start up with just DOS running. If this is the case, type WIN and press "Return" to start Windows. The older Windows 3.0 looks similar to Windows 3.1, but is not as good, and many Windows 3.1 programs will not work with Windows 3.0, so it is best avoided. Earlier versions of Windows (1 and 2) are unlikely to be encountered. Windows was partially inspired by the success of the Apple Macintosh computer. This had a "Graphical User Interface" with a mouse, icons, and windows, long before these appeared on PCs.

	Windows 95 has a version of DOS built into it, mainly for compatibility with older software. This is sometimes referred to as DOS 7. However, "DOS 7" is not available separately. Windows 95 will shortly be superseded by Windows 98. However, the changes are much smaller than those between Windows 3.1 and Windows 95, so Windows 95 users should still be able to use it.
	Check "System Properties" in the Control Panel to check which version of Windows 95 you have. There will be a "b" in the version number if you have OSR2. You cannot buy OSR2 to install on an existing computer, although some individual parts of it can be downloaded from the Internet and installed separately. However, the differences between the two versions are not very great and do not affect most users.
	The Internet Explorer 4 "desktop enhancements" change the way some of the parts of Windows 95 (such as the Windows Explorer) work. The differences are not that great, and people who are used to the standard version should not have too much trouble using the desktop enhancements. However, since most people do not yet have them installed, we will concentrate on the standard version in this course. We will look briefly at Internet Explorer 4 later on in the course. Windows 98 should be available shortly, and new PCs bought after that date may have Windows 98 rather than Windows 95 installed on them. However, the differences between Windows 95 and Windows 98 are not that great from the user's point of view, and people who have learnt to use Windows 95 should not have too much trouble switching over. For existing computers, it is unlikely to be worth upgrading from Windows 95 to Windows 98.
	We will not be covering any of these operating systems on this course. However, Windows NT deserves a brief mention. It is a version of Windows intended for some more specialised professional applications. Earlier versions of Windows NT were similar in use to Windows 3.1, whilst the latest versions are similar to Windows 95.

	These are not the absolute minimum specs, but are the practical minimum for most purposes.
	As with the previous slide, these are not absolute minimums, but are the practical minimum for most purposes.
	Windows 95 and Windows 3.1 will both run DOS programs. However, Windows 95 is considerably better at it than Windows 3.1. If you have Windows 3.1, you may have to close down Windows altogether and use MS-DOS itself to run some awkward DOS programs. Most Windows 3.1 programs will run under Windows 95, but there are a few badly written programs which will not work. These are uncommon and should not be a problem to most users.
	Generally, Windows 95 has to be the recommended choice for new users, as long as they have got a computer powerful enough to run it. Whilst it is a little more complex to use, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. In particular, Windows 95 (and soon Windows 98) are increasingly taking over from Windows 3.1, so knowing how to use Windows 95 will be more useful than knowing how to use Windows 3.1. For existing users, the choice is not quite so clear cut. If you are already running Windows 3.1 and it suits your needs, you may prefer to stick with it for the moment. In particular, if your computer is not powerful enough, you may not be able to switch to Windows 95. However, you will not be able to use some of the latest software. It is worth remembering that just because a new version of software is available, you don't have to upgrade, if the version you are running suits your needs. This applies both to the operating system and the applications.

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