Ch 08: Windows | Exam Fusion Prep

Source NoteThis mind map follows the supplied PDF's Windows section on pages 64–73. Page 74 begins the next section, MS Office / Microsoft Word. Dates, shortcut descriptions and file extensions have been corrected for revision.

Introducing Windows 11

$Microsoft Windows visual from the source PDF$

Microsoft Windows visual from the source PDF

Windows 11 is a Microsoft desktop operating system first released in 2021.
Windows 11 provides a graphical desktop, a redesigned Start menu and multitasking tools. Cortana is a discontinued legacy assistant, not a defining current feature.
In its introduction to Windows 11, the source emphasizes user expectations, advanced features and a user-friendly environment.

What is Microsoft Windows?

Windows is a personal computer operating system from Microsoft.
The source notes that, together with commonly used applications such as Microsoft Word and Excel, Windows became a standard for many individual users.

Windows Versions — General Release Timeline Timeline

Version	Date shown in source
Windows 11	5-Oct-2021
Windows 10	29 July 2015
Windows 8.1	18 October 2013
Windows 8	26 October 2012
Windows 7	22 October 2009
Windows Vista	30 January 2007 (consumer availability)
Windows XP	25 October 2001
Windows ME	14 September 2000
Windows 2000	17 February 2000
Windows 98	25 June 1998
Windows 95	24 August 1995
Windows NT 3.1	27 July 1993
Windows 3.1	April 1992
Windows 1.01	20 November 1985

⚠ REVISION NOTE

The timeline above reproduces the dates as printed in the supplied PDF. It is not a web-updated Windows release chronology.

Starting the Computer — Booting

Booting = process of loading or reloading the operating system into computer memory.
Cold Boot: OS loads when power is turned on.
Warm Boot: OS reloads when the computer is already on.

Cold Boot

Power OFF → Power ON → OS loads

Warm Boot

Computer already ON → OS reloads/restarts

Tasks Performed at Boot-up

1. POSTPower-On Self Test checks devices

2. InitializeCPU registers, device controllers, main memory

3. Bootstrap LoaderSpecial program locates/loads OS

4. AuthenticationUser name + Password

5. User InterfaceInteraction with programs begins

Hardware itself does not know where the OS resides or how to load it; the source names the special program Bootstrap loader.
Authentication/login occurs through user name and password.

⚡ QUICK RECALL

POST → Initialize → Bootstrap Loader → Login → User Interface.

Windows Screen & Screen Tips

Windows screen parts shown in source PDF

ScreenTip and Enhanced ScreenTip visual

The source uses the Windows screen to identify workspace, windows, folders/files/applications, Start menu, taskbar and date/time.
Screen Tips: point the mouse at interface elements to get on-screen hints.

Start Menu & Desktop Icons

Start menu visual

Exploring the Start Menu visual

Windows desktop icons shown in the source

Recycle Bin visual

Start Menu: point to/click the Start button.
Recycle Bin: double-click its icon to view its contents.

My Computer

My Computer / Windows icon visual from source PDF

⚡ SCREEN MEMORY

Desktop → Start Menu → Taskbar → Icons → Recycle Bin → Explorer.

Opening Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer screen

Explorer interface with labeled areas

Source note: Right-clicking an object opens its shortcut menu.
Windows 7 is described as offering at least eight ways to view folder contents; use the Change your view button.

Exploring Windows visual

Getting Help visual included in the source PDF

GUI vs CUI

GUI visual from source

CUI / Command Prompt visual from source

GUI	CUI
Graphical User Interface	Character User Interface / command-line interface
Interaction using graphical icons and visual indicators.	Interaction using text: words, numbers, symbols, commands.
Visual, point-and-click style.	Text/command driven.

⚠ EXAM TRAP

GUI = Graphical User Interface; CUI = Character User Interface; CLI = Command-Line Interface.

Microsoft Windows Accessories / Utilities

Magnifier

Display utility that enlarges a portion of the screen for better readability.

On-Screen Keyboard

Visual keyboard with standard keys; keys can be selected using mouse/pointing device.

Disk Clean-up

Deletes temporary Internet/program files, empties Recycle Bin and removes temporary files.

Resource Monitor

Shows CPU, disk, network and memory usage; also per-process statistics.

Task Scheduler

View/customize scheduled tasks and create custom scheduled tasks.

Disk Defragmenter

Consolidates fragmented data on a volume so it can operate more efficiently.

More Windows Tools

System Information

Shows details about the computer, peripherals, environment variables and startup programs.

Character Map

Used to copy/paste accented and foreign-language characters into Windows applications.

System Restore

Recovery tool that reverses certain kinds of operating-system changes.

Data Fragmentation

The source describes fragmentation as a particular piece of data being split into several pieces and saved on the hard disk.

Windows Shortcut Keys — Source Table

Shortcut	Function shown in source
Ctrl + C	Copy
Ctrl + V	Paste
Ctrl + Z	Undo
Alt + F	File menu choice in current program
Alt + E	Edit option opens current program
Ctrl + A	Select all matter in document
Alt + F4	Close open application
Ctrl + ESC	Open Start menu
Print Screen	Screen Shot
Alt + Tab	Switch among open applications
F1	Help
F2	Rename
Shift + Del	Delete without moving to Recycle Bin
F3	Search
F5	Refresh
Shift + F10	Open shortcut menu for selected item
F10	Activate the menu bar
F11	Toggle full screen in browsers/File Explorer; application-dependent
Alt + ESC	Cycle through open items in the order they were opened
Alt + Down Arrow	Open drop-down list box
Windows Logo	Start Menu
Windows Logo + M	Minimize all
Windows Logo + E	Open Windows Explorer
Windows Logo + Break	System Properties dialog box
Windows Logo + L	Lock the Computer
Windows Logo + D	Show or hide the desktop

⚡ HIGH-YIELD KEYS

Alt + F4 Close • Alt + Tab Switch apps • F2 Rename • F3 Search • F5 Refresh • Win + E Explorer • Win + L Lock • Win + D Desktop

⚠ SOURCE NOTE

The PDF contains a duplicated/incomplete F10 row. The clear F10 entry (“Activate the menu bar”) is included above; the incomplete duplicate is not interpreted beyond what the source supports.

Extension Files

Correct file extensions, including modern and legacy Office formats

Application / Format	Extension
MS Word	.docx (modern); .doc (legacy)
MS Excel	.xlsx (modern); .xls (legacy)
MS PowerPoint	.pptx (modern); .ppt (legacy)
MS Outlook	.pst
MS Access	.accdb (modern); .mdb (legacy)
Paint	.bmp
Adobe Reader	.pdf
Adobe Photoshop	.psd
Notepad	.txt
WordPad	.rtf
Temporary Files	.tmp
CorelDraw	.cdr
Backup File	.bak
Joint Photographic Experts Group	.jpeg
Graphics Interchange Format	.gif
Tagged Image File Format	.tif
Portable Network Graphics	.png

Extension	Meaning shown in source
.wma	Windows Media Audio
.ra	Real Audio File
.swa	Shock Wave Audio file
.mpeg	Moving Picture Experts Group; MPEG multimedia file
.flv	Flash Video
.3gp	3GPP multimedia container, commonly used by older mobile devices
.avi	Audio Video Interleave
.html	Hypertext Markup Language
.xml	Extensible Markup Language
.asp / .aspx	ASP / ASP.NET web pages
.jsp	Java Server Page
.bmp	Bit Map Picture
.sys	System File
.pdf	Portable Document Format
.rtf	Rich text format

⚠ FILE EXTENSIONS

.xml is the standard XML extension; .asp and .aspx are Microsoft web-page extensions. File extensions do not prove that a file is safe.

Ultra-Fast Revision

Term	Remember
Windows	Microsoft personal-computer operating system
Booting	Loading/reloading OS into memory
Cold Boot	OS loads when power is turned on
Warm Boot	OS reloads while computer is already on
POST	Power-On Self Test
Bootstrap Loader	Special program that loads the OS
GUI	Graphical User Interface
CUI	Character User Interface; CLI = Command-Line Interface
Recycle Bin	Open it to view deleted-item contents
Windows Explorer	File/folder browsing interface
Disk Defragmenter	Consolidates fragmented data
System Restore	Reverses certain OS changes

⚡ ONE-LINE MEMORY

Power ON → POST → Bootstrap → OS → Login → Desktop/Windows UI.

Chapter Boundary

Chapter 08 ends with Extension Files on PDF page 73. The next page (74) starts MS OFFICE / Microsoft Word, so it is not merged into this chapter.