Lab Sheet 3

ITECH04 Introduction to Computing

Student Name:
AUPP ID:
Date:

Total Mark:
Assessor Name:
Assessor Signature:
Date:

File search

Disks of a modern PC can store a large number of files and folders. Sometimes it is not easy to find
the necessary information especially if some time has passed since the file was created. The
operating system gives the user good tools, which make the solution of this problem easier.

1. Find all text files on C: drive. Text files have TXT as a file name extension.
a. Start – Search – for Files or Folders…
b. All files and folders Examine carefully all the elements of the Search Results window.
c. Type *.txt in the search field (All or part of the file name) Here * is a wildcard character: it
substitutes for any number of characters in the file name. Recall that a file identifier consists
of a file name and an extension separated by the dot. Spaces in the record above are not
permitted.
d. Indicate the search area: LOCAL DISK (C:).
e. Click Search.

2. Find bitmap files in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive.

a. Start a new search.
b. All files and folders.
c. Type *.bmp in the search field.
d. Indicate the search area: Look in: – Browse… – My Computer – Local Disk (C:) –
Program Files – OK.
e. Search.

3. Find text files on C: drive, whose names start with “re”.

a. Start a new search.
b. All files and folders.
c. Type re*.txt in the search field.
d. Change the search area back to Local Disk (C:).
e. Search.

4. Find all files in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive, whose names start with “s” and end
with “2”.

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a. Start a new search.

b. All files and folders.
c. Type s*2.* in the search field.
d. Change the search area to Program Files.
e. Search.

5. Find all bitmap files in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive, whose names contain not more
than 5 characters.
a. Type ?????.bmp in the search field. “?” is a wildcard symbol: it substitutes a single
character in the filename.
b. Search.

6. Find all files in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive, whose names contain “map” string.
a. Type map in the search field.

7. Find all files on C: drive that have been created or modified during the last month.
a. The search field must be empty.
b. Indicate the search area: Local Drive (C:).
c. When was it modified? – Past month.

8. Find all files on C: drive whose size is bigger than 1 MB.

a. The search field must be empty.
b. When was it modified? – Don’t remember.
c. What size is it? – Large (more than 1 MB).

9. Find all files in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive, that contain the word “program”.
a. The search field must be empty.
b. Type program in the A WORD OR PHRASE IN THE FILE: field.
c. Indicate the search area: Local Drive (C:) – Program Files.
d. When was it modified? – Don’t remember.
e. What size is it? – Don’t remember.
10. What steps would I need to take to find all files in the Program Files folder on C: drive that
contained the word “date” and have been modified this year?

Copying and moving files

1. Find text files in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive whose size is at least 10 KB and copy
them into the DOCUMENTS folder.
a. Find the indicated files.
b. Edit – Select All.
c. Edit – Copy The files are on the Clipboard now.
d. Open the DOCUMENTS folder.
e. Edit – Paste.

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2. Find graphics files with the JPG file name extension in the PROGRAM FILES folder on C: drive
which were created this year and copy some of them into the PICTURES folder.
a. Find the indicated files.
b. Select the files to be copied. When selecting separate files hold the Ctrl key.
c. Edit – Copy.
d. Open the PICTURES folder.
e. Edit – Paste.
f. Close the SEARCH RESULTS window.

3. Move the first file from the PICTURES folder into the MATERIALS folder.
a. Select the file.
b. Edit – Cut.
c. Open the MATERIALS folder.
i. Press the Up button on the toolbar.
d. Edit – Paste.

4. Cancel moving the file.

a. Edit – Undo Move.

5. Move the first file from the DOCUMENTS folder into the MATERIALS folder.
a. Open the DOCUMENTS folder.
b. Select the file.
c. Drag it onto the MATERIALS folder icon.
d. Release the mouse button when the MATERIALS folder icon becomes selected.

6. Copy the next file from the DOCUMENTS folder into the MATERIALS folder.
a. When dragging the file hold the Ctrl button. Pay attention to the «+» sign near the mouse
pointer when dragging. It is the evidence of the copying operation in contrast to the moving
one.

7. Move files from the MATERIALS folder into the REPORTS folder.
a. Open the MATERIALS folder.
b. Open the REPORTS folder in another window.
c. Place both windows on your desktop in such a way that you can see the contents.
d. Select some files in the MATERIALS folder.
e. Drag them into the REPORTS folder.

8. Delete all files from the REPORTS folder.

a. Select all files in the REPORTS folder.
b. Press the Delete key.

Working with shortcuts

1. Create a subfolder SHORTCUTS in the DOCUMENTS folder.

2. Find the NOTEPAD.EXE file on C: drive.

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3. Create a shortcut for NOTEPAD.EXE in the SHORTCUTS folder and name it “Text Editor”.
Shortcuts are used for quick access to objects (programs, documents, and folders on local
drives as well as in the local network and the Internet). The shortcut’s name does not need to
coincide with the object name.
a. Copy – Paste Shortcut. The Copy command is run in the Search Results window, and the
Paste Shortcut command is run in the Shortcuts folder window.
b. Rename the shortcut.
c. Compare the appearances of the icons corresponding to the original file and its shortcut.
d. Find other shortcut icons on the desktop.
e. Compare the sizes of the original file and its shortcut.

4. Find the MSPAINT.EXE file on C: drive.

5. Create a shortcut for MSPAINT.EXE in the SHORTCUTS folder and name it “Graphics Editor”.
a. Drag and Drop. Use the right mouse button when dragging.
BE CAREFUL: MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE CREATING A SHORTCUT AND NOT
MOVING THE FILE ITSELF.

6. Start Notepad using the shortcut Text Editor.

7. Create a text file containing your personal data: name, student ID, date of birth, and whatever
you like. Save it in the DOCUMENTS older under the name MY PROFILE.TXT.
a. File – Save. Make sure that the file has really been saved in the Documents folder. If it has
not, investigate the reason and fix the problem.

8. Start MS Paint using the shortcut Graphics Editor.

9. Create a picture: the official Australian flag. Save it in the PICTURES folder under the name
AUSTRALIA.BMP. Use the left mouse button to select the main colour from the palette and the
right one to select the background colour.

10. Create shortcuts in the SHORTCUTS folder for files MY PROFILE.TXT and AUSTRALIA.BMP.

Display Properties

1. Right-click on the windows Background (on the desktop), select Properties and investigate
the Display Properties dialog box. This dialog box allows you to customize some personal
preferences including the background pattern, the screen saver, the appearance of your
windows, and the display resolution, and fonts’ sizes.

2. Change the look of the interface to different shades of green. You will need the Appearance
tab to do it.

3. Find any image file on your local hard disk. Change the background of the desktop to this
picture. In addition to having different colours on your desktop, you can have an image of your
choice. You will need the Desktop tab.

4. Open up Internet Explorer and type the following link in the address bar:
http://www.galttech.com/wallpaper.shtml. The site that pops up has a large number of images.

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Choose one and follow the instructions on the screen. Another way is to save the image to
disk first and then select it via the Browse function in Properties (see the previous task).

5. Try different screensavers installed on your computer.

Usual computer monitors display images by firing electron beams at a phosphor-coated
screen. If the same image stays on the screen for too long, there is a danger that the image
will leave a permanent imprint on the screen. Screensavers help prevent this possibility by
providing a constantly changing image. Microsoft has provided a number of screensavers with
the operating system, but you can also use screensavers found on the Internet.

6. Visit the following site: http://www.screensaver.com. Select a screensaver to download and

save it to your disk.

7. Try the screensaver you downloaded.

8. Close the Display Properties dialog box.

The Control Panel

The Control Panel window (found under Settings) contains icons that allow you to open up
configuration options for almost all elements of your MS Windows machine.

1. Look through the contents of the Control Panel. Make sure you understand the functions of
the main tools found there. Investigate the following ones:
a. Add Hardware;
b. Add or Remove Programs;
c. Date and Time;
d. Keyboard;
e. Mouse.
2. Try the Display icon. Compare the dialog box that appears with the one you worked with while
customizing the display properties in the section above. It is the same dialog box! MS
Windows gives you several ways of accessing some functions. Select what is convenient to
you.

3. Customize mouse properties.

a. Double-click on Mouse and investigate each of the tabs shown.
b. Change the mouse settings to suit a left-handed person.
c. Show the result to your tutor.
d. Restore the original “right-handed” setting.
e. Change the looks of the mouse pointers.
f. Try different Schemes.
g. Customize separate choices of pointers (e.g. Normal Select) by double-clicking the item
and selecting the appropriate file.
h. Look through the list of cursor files. Notice two different file types. Make sure you
understand the meaning of the ANI file extension. Pay attention to the Preview field.
i. Where are the cursor pointers located on the hard drive?

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j. Find a site on the Internet that deals with FREE mouse pointers.
k. Download any cursor pointers you like and save them to your working folder.
l. Place the cursor files into the WINDOWS\Cursors folder. The cursor files can be zipped.
In this case you will have to unzip them. If the suitable archive utility is not installed on
your computer you will have to download and install it (see end of labsheet).
m. Go back into the Control Panel and change the Mouse properties so that the normal
cursor becomes the one you have just downloaded.

4. Install new fonts.

a. Find a site on the Internet that deals with FREE fonts.
b. Download any 5 fonts you like and save them to your working folder. Invariably, these
fonts come “zipped up” or compressed and need to be unzipped. Having installed WinZip,
you should be able to double-click on the font file name and WinZip will start up to help
you decompress the file.
c. Put the fonts in a separate folder. The downloaded fonts cannot be used immediately. You
must inform MS Windows where to find them.
d. Go back into the Control Panel and double-click on Fonts.
e. Investigate the contents of the folder.
f. Find out where MS Windows keeps its fonts.
g. Click File – Install New Font …
h. Find the downloaded files, select them and click OK. You will have to use Drives: and
Folders: fields.
i. Try all the installed fonts in MS Word.
j. Show the result to your tutor.

5. Changing time.
Refer to Help, find out two different ways in which you can change the time on your computer.
What are they?

6. Customizing regional and language options. You will need to do it if you travel much or if you
wish to use different languages on your computer. MS Windows supports a number of
languages.
a. Go back into the Control Panel, double-click on Regional and Language Options and
investigate each of the tabs shown. Pay attention to the Regional Options. This will help
you to understand better why many things you see on your screen look the way they look.
b. Look through the list of available languages.
c. Try another language (e. g. Russian) and check how it affects the samples under other
tabs.
d. Go back to English (Australia).
e. Click on Customize… and investigate the options.
f. Try the Languages tab. You can add more input languages now. This will make possible
creating Multilanguage documents, even using different alphabets.
g. Click on Details… and add the Russian language.

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h. Make sure that the Language indicator is shown on the Taskbar.

i. Apply the changes and close the dialog box. If MS Windows cannot install the Russian
language support try other languages.
j. Type something in English and in Russian in MS Word. Try to use the Language indicator
and the key sequence for switching keyboard layouts. Of course, it would be much easier
to type if you could see the characters you type on the keyboard. Such multilingual
keyboards do exist as well as keyboard stickers for different languages.
k. Show the result to your tutor.
l. Remove Russian language from the list of installed services.

The Task Manager

When a task “hangs” and neither the keyboard nor the mouse seems to be responding, your best
bet is to open up the Task Manager and end the offending task. To open the Task Manager, hold
down the Ctrl and Alt keys at the same time and press Delete. Once the Task Manager window
comes up, simply select the application that is stuck, and click on End Task.

1. Open WordPad, Notepad and the CD player from the Accessories folder (Click on Start,
Programs and the Accessories).

2. Close these three programs down using the Task Manager.

ACCESSORIES

1. Get to know Notepad.

a. To access Notepad, click the Start button, point to Programs on the Start menu, point to
Accessories on the Programs submenu, and then click Notepad on the Accessories
submenu.
b. Examine the Notepad window. Find the Title bar.
c. Make sure that you know what the Title bar is and what happens when you double-click on
the Title bar.
d. Find out what distinguishes it from My Computer and My Documents windows.
e. Type in some information about yourself:
i. Your name.
ii. What course you are doing.
iii. What experience you have in computing.
iv. What you would like to achieve out of this unit.
v. Any additional comments.
f. Have a play with Notepad commands. Check what you can do with text; check out the
various menu options and answer the following questions
i. What does the Word-wrap feature (found on the Edit menu) do?

g. Practice selecting and deselecting with various blocks of text.

h. Save this text as MyFile.txt in your ITECH1900-ITECH5900 folder.

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2. Have a play with WordPad.

a. Check out menu options.
b. Examine the Toolbars. Make sure you can check the meaning of the buttons on the
Toolbars without pressing them (You never know what might be on the exam).
c. Find out how to turn on (off) the Status bar.
d. Find at least 3 things that you can do in WordPad but not in Notepad. What are they?

3. Experiment with Calculator.

What is the scientific mode for?

4. Switch between the Notepad, WordPad and Calculator windows.

How can you identify the active window?

5. Close the Notepad, WordPad and Calculator windows.

6. Get to know MS Paint.

MS Windows includes a drawing program called MS Paint. The quality of the graphics
produced with this program depends on a variety of factors, including the quality of your
printer, your understanding of the software, and (to some extent) your artistic talent.
a. Think of starting MS Paint in a different way (without using the Start menu).
b. Examine the MS Paint window.
c. What distinguishes it from My Computer and My Documents windows?

d. Find the MS Paint toolbar on the left side of the window.

e. Point to a toolbar button to see a tool’s name; click a button to use that tool. Use the tools
and colours available in Paint to draw a picture. If you make a mistake, you can click Undo
on the Edit menu to undo your most recent action, you can erase part of your picture using
the Eraser/Colour Eraser tool, or you can clear the entire picture by clicking Clear Image
on the Image menu.

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f. Use MS Paint to create a portrait of the person next to you or a friend.

g. When your portrait is finished, show it to your tutor.
h. Close MS Paint window.

SHORTCUTS

All shortcuts refer to a file or folder somewhere on your system. MS Windows reminds you that an
icon is a shortcut by putting a small white sign with a black arrow in the lower left hand corner of the
icon.

1. Find out the location of the Internet Explorer program (not the shortcut!) on your system.
a. Right click on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop;
b. Select Properties / Shortcut;
c. Read the file's location in the Target box.

2. Put a shortcut to the Calculator program onto your desktop. Adding documents and shortcuts
to your desktop is convenient but your desktop can quickly become jumbled. You can drag the
icons to tidy your desktop or get MS Windows to do it for you.

Installing WinZip – NOT MARKED - OPTIONAL

1. Create a new folder called DOWNLOAD on the C: drive.

2. Access the site called www.winzip.com.
3. Download the latest version of the compression program WinZip (put it in DOWNLOAD).
4. Find the DOWNLOAD directory and double-click the file you have just downloaded. This will
start the installation of the program WinZip.

SUBMISION OF LAB SHEET

Answer the questions to get marks for this Lab Sheet.

Submit your work to your tutor.

THIS LABSHEET IS WORTH 1 MARK

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