1

FUNDAMENTALS OF COMPUTER
After completing this lesson, you will This is 10 periods Chapter
be able to: including practical work.
 Know about the evolution of computer
 Describe brief history and generations of
computer
 Define the types of computers (Analog,
Digital and Hybrid)
 Differentiate between mainframe, mini and
microcomputers
 Describe the use of computers in various
fields
 Know the scope of the careers in the field of
Information Technology
 Describe the components of computer
(input/output devices, system unit and
computer memory)
 Differentiate between port, expansion slot and expansion card
 Explain the input/output, processing and storage operations
 Define operating system, device drivers, utility programs and language processors
 Identify the use of productivity, business, entertainment and education software
 Elaborate open source software, shareware and freeware

UNIT INTRODUCTION
This Unit “Fundamentals of Computer” covers a foundational understanding of computer
hardware and software along with how to get the most value and impact from computer
technology. In this unit the history of computer is described so that students can understand how
have computers evolved from very simple calculating devices to the modern electronic
computing. It also provides material on application of computers in various fields to describe the
role of computer in modern society and its impact on our daily life.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 9

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

Today’s world is an information-rich world and it has become a necessity for everyone to
know about computers. A computer is a general-purpose programmable machine. Computer is

Computer

Input Process Output

Fig.1-1 Computer processing system

an advanced electronic device that takes raw data as input from the user and processes it under
the control of set of instructions (called program), gives the result (output), and saves it for future
use. It has the ability to store, retrieve and process data. It processes data at very high speed
according to the instructions given to it and produces accurate results. The instructions given to
a computer to perform a particular task is known as computer program. Computer processing
system is shown in Fig.1-1.

1.1.1 EVOLUTION OF COMPUTER

Evolution of computers means how the computers evolved from the first mechanical
device, abacus, to electromechanical and then to the modern electronic digital computers.
TITBITS
Abacus
Abacus is still seen at some toy shops,
Abacus was the earliest calculating device most made of plastic or wood for small
probably invented in China. children.

It consisted of a wooden frame having parallel rods as

shown in Fig.1-2. These rods had a number of wooden beads
which could slide freely along the length of rods. While
performing calculations, beads were moved up and down with
fingers. Abacus was used to perform addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division. It has been used in China and
some other Asian countries till the end of 20th century.
Fig.1-2 Abacus
Napier’s Bone
John Napier, a Scottish mathematician invented a
calculating device called Napier’s Bone in 1614 which is
shown in Fig.1-3. It consisted of a wooden box containing
rotating cylinders each of which had the digits from 0 to 9.
It could multiply, divide and find square roots of numbers by
using simple addition and subtraction. His biggest
achievement was the invention of logarithm.
Fig.1-3 Napier’s Bone
10 1 Fundamentals of Computer

Pascaline
Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician invented a
calculating machine called Pascaline in 1642 when he was
only 19 years old. Pascaline used rotating wheels as shown in
Fig.1-4. Each wheel had ten parts having digits from 0 to 9.
Calculations were performed by the rotation of wheels. When
one wheel completes a rotation, the next wheel moves by one
digit. It had a number of small slots for displaying the result. It
Fig.1-4 Pascaline
could perform addition and subtraction on whole numbers.
Difference Engine and Analytical Engine
In 1822, the English mathematician Charles Babbage
started working on a big calculating machine about the size
of a room. He called it Difference Engine.
Babbage worked for many years on this machine but he could
not complete it. Later, he came up with idea of Analytical
Engine which is shown in Fig.1-5. He could not complete it
because the technology was not advanced enough but he laid
Fig.1-5 Analytical Engine
the foundation stone of modern digital computers. Today’s
modern digital computers are based on the idea of analytical
engine. Charles Babbage is known as the father of modern
digital computers.
Hollerith Desk
In 1890, Herman Hollerith built a tabulating machine called
Hollerith Desk as shown in Fig.1-6. This machine was invented
to help with the census of 1890 in America. Hollerith Desk
consisted of a card reader which sensed the holes in the
Fig.1-6 Hollerith Desk cards, a gear driven mechanism which could count and a large
set of dial indicators to display the results. After building a
Hollerith Desk, Hollerith started company by the name of Tabulating Machine Company.

Eventually this company changed its name to International Business Machines (IBM).
Slide Rule
Based on the idea of logarithm, English
mathematician, William Oughtred developed a
device called Slid Rule in 1614. It was very
useful for solving problems that involved

Fig.1-7 Slide Rule

 1 Fundamentals of Computer 11
multiplications and divisions. It has three parts, slide, rule
DO YOU KNOW?
and a transparent sliding cursor as shown in Fig.1-7. Slide rule was replaced by electronic
pocket calculator in the early 1970s.
Mark-I
The next successful computing machine
invented was a digital computer known as Mark-
I. It was invented by Howard Aiken in 1944. Mark-
I could add three numbers having eight digits in
one second. It could print out its results on
punched cards or on an electric typewriter. Mark-
I was 50 feet long, 8 feet high and weighed about
5 tons. It used 3,000 electric switches. Mark-I is
shown in Fig.1-8.
More over Mark II, Mark III and Mark IV were Fig.1-8 Mark-I Computer
also built under the supervision of Howard Aiken with extended capabilities.
Since computer evolution is a continuous process, it has not stopped in the modern era.
New systems are being developed to provide voice recognition and understand natural
languages. High performance computing (HPC) is being used in today’s data centers for fast
data processing. High-performance computing (HPC) is the use of parallel processing for
running advanced application programs efficiently, reliably and fast.
The concept of “Cloud Computing” has been introduced. In the simplest terms, cloud
computing means storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet instead of
computer's hard drive. The current advancements in computer technology are likely to transform
computer into intelligent machine having thinking power. The evolution of computers will
probably continue till their processing capabilities have become equal to human intelligence or
even beyond that.
1.1.2 GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER
History of computers is a chain that runs from the ancient abacus and the analytical engine
of the nineteenth century, through the modern computers of present age. It is generally divided
into five generations. Each generation of computers is characterized by
major technological developments of that time.
First Generation Computers (1940 – 1956)
Vacuum tubes were used in the first generation computers. Vacuum tubes
generated so much heat that they had to be cooled by air conditioner.
Vacuum tubes burnt out very often and it was difficult to repair and maintain
the computers of first generation. A vacuum tube is shown is Fig.1-9.
The following are the characteristics of first generation computers.
 First generation computers used vacuum tubes.
 Speed was slow and memory was very small.
 They were huge in size taking up entire room. Fig.1-9 Vacuum Tube
12 1 Fundamentals of Computer

 First generation computers were very expensive and unreliable.

 They consumed a lot of power and generated a lot of heat.
 Input was based on punched cards.
 Output was obtained on printouts through electric typewriter.
 Machine language was used in these computers.
Some examples of first generation Mini/Mainframe computers are ENIAC (Electronic
Numerical Integrator and Computer), UNIVAC (Universal Automatic Computer), IBM 604, Mark-I
and EDSAC. Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator.
Second Generation Computers (1956 – 1963)
In 1947, three scientists, William Shockley, John Bardeen and Walter
Brattain invented transistor shown in Fig.1-10. Transistor functions like a
vacuum tube. It replaced the vacuum tubes in the second generation
computers. Transistor was faster, more reliable, smaller and much
cheaper than vacuum tube.
Fig.1-10 Transistor The following are the characteristics of second generation computers.

 Transistors were used instead of vacuum tubes.

 Transistors reduced the size of computers and increased the speed and memory
capacity.
 Computers became more reliable and cheaper.
 Second generation computers used punch card readers, magnetic tapes, magnetic disks
and printers.
 Assembly language was used in these computers.
 High level programming languages, FORTRAN and COBOL were introduced in this
generation of computers.
Examples of second generation computers are UNIVAC II, IBM 7030, 7780 and 7090, NCR
300 series, General Electric GE 635 and Control Data Corporation’s CDC 1604 computers.
Third Generation Computers (1963 – 1971)
Integrated Circuits (ICs), also known as
semiconductor chips were used in third generation of
computers instead of transistors. IC chips were
developed in early 1960s. A single IC chip contains a
large number of transistors. IC chips increased the
power and decreased the cost of computers. Invention
of IC chips was a great breakthrough in advancing
computer technology. IC chips are shown in Fig.1-11.
The following are the characteristics of third
Fig.1-11 IC Chips generation of computers.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 13
 Third generation computers used IC chips. DO YOU KNOW?
 IC chips improved the speed and memory of Intel invented the world’s first
computers. microprocessor, the Intel 4004 in
November, 1971.
 Computers consumed less electricity, became smaller,
cheaper and more reliable than second generation computers.
 Keyboard and monitor were used with the computer.
 These computers could run different application programs at the same time.
Some examples of third generation computers are Burroughs 6700, IBM System/360,
System 3 and Control Data Corporation’s 3300 and 6600 computers.
Fourth Generation Computers (1971 – Present)
In this generation of computers LSI (Large Scale Integration) and VLSI
(Very Large Scale Integration) chips having millions of transistors were
developed. Microprocessor was also developed in fourth generation of
computers. A microprocessor is a single chip that can handle all the
processing of a computer. A microprocessor is shown in Fig.1-12.
The following are the characteristics of fourth generation of computers. Fig.1-12 Microprocessor

 Microprocessor was developed which resulted in the development of microcomputers.

 Fourth generation computers are very fast, have large storage capacity and use
advanced input/output devices.
 Microcomputers are very small in size, very reliable, consume less power and are
affordable.
 Large variety of software is available for use in microcomputers.
 Operating system having Graphical User Interface (GUI) was developed in this
generation.
 These computers support multimedia software that combines text, image, sound and video.
 These computers support modern programming languages such as Visual Basic, C++,
Java and Python for developing powerful software.
 Fourth generation computers support a large variety of portable and wireless input/output
devices.
Some examples of microprocessors developed in fourth generation of computers are Intel
Pentium series, Dual Core, Core2 Duo, Core i3, i5, i7 and AMD Athlon.
Some examples of fourth generation computers are IBM ThinkPad series, HP Pavilion
series, Dell Inspiron series and Apple’s MacBook Pro and MacBook Air series.
Fifth Generation Computers (Present and Beyond)
The goal of fifth generation of computers is to develop devices that For your Information
can understand natural languages and have thinking power. This is Artificial Intelligence is the
a big challenge for computer developers and programmers to design branch of computer
science concerned with
such systems and software for them.
making computer behave
The following are the characteristics of fifth generation of computers. like humans.
14 1 Fundamentals of Computer


Fifth generation computes are based on Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In the fifth generation of computers, AI will minimize the need to write programs.

These computers will allow users to give commands in any natural language such as
English.
Examples of fifth generation computers are robots and expert systems.
1.1.3 TYPES OF COMPUTERS
On the basis of data representation, processing, Input and Output, Computers can be
classified into the following three types.
 Analog Computers
 Digital Computers
 Hybrid Computers
Analog Computers
Analog computers represent and process data by
measuring quantities such as voltage and current to solve
a problem. They work on supply of continuous signals as
input and display output simultaneously. Analog
computers are special purpose devices, designed to
Fig.1-13 Analog computer perform single specific task. Mostly these devices are
used in engineering and scientific applications. The
accuracy of analog computers is low but they are faster in speed as compared to digital
computers. They mainly consist of electrical devices such as resisters, capacitors, transistors,
etc. An analog computer with volt meter is shown in Fig.1-13.
Digital Computer
Digital computer works with digits. Everything in a digital computer is represented with
binary digits 0s and 1s. It manipulates them at very fast speed. Data and instructions are fed into
the digital computer through an input device in the form of 0s and 1s. The computer performs
calculations on data according to the
instructions given in a computer program. The
results of calculations are displayed on
monitor or printed on printer. A digital
computer is shown in Fig.1-14.
Digital computers can store and process
large amount of information at high speed.
The results produced by digital computers are
reliable and accurate. Digital computers are
general-purpose computers, used in various
fields.
Fig.1-14 Digital Computer
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 15
Hybrid Computers
Hybrid computers are the combination of analog and
digital computers. They combine the characteristics of both
analog and digital computers. Hybrid computers are mainly
used for scientific applications. These computers are used in
spaceships, missile systems, scientific research, hospitals and
for controlling industrial processes.
A hybrid computer known as Vital Sign Monitoring Unit is
shown in Fig.1-15. It is used in hospitals to monitor patient’s
important data such as blood pressure, temperature, respiration Fig.1-15 A Hybrid Computer
(Vital Sign Monitoring Unit)
and heartbeat.
1.1.4 CLASSIFICATION OF DIGITAL COMPUTERS
Digital computers are classified into super, mainframe, minicomputer and microcomputer
based on their size, speed, storage capacity and the number of users they can support.
Super Computer
Super computers are the largest and the most
powerful computers. Super computers have been used for
scientific and engineering applications that must handle
very large databases and do a great amount of
computation. These computers are very expensive. Their
speed is measured in TIPS (Trillions of Instructions per
Second). These computers are used in nuclear research
and forecasting weather reports worldwide. Government
organizations use these computers to meet their extra Fig. A-1-16 Super computer
ordinary demand for processing data which require tremendous processing speed, memory and
other services. Fig A-1-16 shows The Columbia Supercomputer located at the NASA Ames
Research Center, USA.
Mainframe Computer
Mainframe computers were developed in early 1940s.
A mainframe computer is a very large, very powerful and
expensive computer that can support hundreds and even
thousands of users at the same time. Therefore, these
computers are used in large organizations. The modern
mainframe computers that use cutting edge technology are
the foundation of today’s business in banking, insurance,
education, air travel, research, health care, government and
Fig. B-1-16 Mainframe computer
many other public and private organization. These
computers can execute more than trillion instructions per second (TIPS). Some examples of
mainframe computers are IBM’s z Enterprise EC12, EC 196, HP 16500 Series and HP Integrity
Superdome. A mainframe is shown in Fig.B-1-16.
16 1 Fundamentals of Computer

Minicomputer
Minicomputer was introduced in the 1960s when IC chips were introduced. A minicomputer
is bigger than a microcomputer but smaller than a mainframe. These computers can execute
billions of instructions per second (BIPS).
Therefore, they can process more data than
microcomputers. Today, minicomputers
with cutting edge technology are playing an
important role in business organizations for
their data processing requirements. These
are used in organizations that have
hundreds of users such as PIA, NADRA,
police departments, hospitals, etc. A
minicomputer is shown in Fig.1-17.
Examples of minicomputers are IBM
Fig.1-17 Minicomputer System/36 and HP 3000.
Microcomputer
Microcomputers are the smallest and the low cost computers. These computers are most
commonly used in homes and offices. Microcomputer was introduced in 1970s when
microprocessor was developed. A microprocessor is a single chip that controls the operations
of the entire computer system. Modern microcomputers have large storage capacity and they
can execute millions of instructions per second (MIPS). A variety of software is available for use
in these computers.
Microcomputers are available in various forms such as Do you know?
desktop, laptop and tablet as shown in Fig.1-18. Some popular Today, microprocessor is not
companies that manufacture microcomputers are IBM, Dell, HP, only used in microcomputers,
they are also used in the
Toshiba and Acer. A microcomputer is also known as Personal devices including mobile
Computer or PC. IBM Lenovo series, Dell XPS series and HP phones, microwave ovens,
Envy series are some popular microcomputers. cameras, washing machines,

Fig.1-18 (a) Desktop (b) Laptop (c) Tablet Microcomputer

 1 Fundamentals of Computer 17

1.2 ROLE OF COMPUTER

Computer plays important role in modern society and it has changed it in many ways. It is
the best invention ever made in the history of modern technology. It has brought advancement
in various fields of life.
1.2.1 USE OF COMPUTERS IN VARIOUS FIELDS
Education
Role of computers in education has been given a lot of importance in the recent years.
Computer technology eases the process of learning. Many programs are available for students
to learn the subjects of Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, etc. Multimedia software
makes the process of learning interactive and interesting. It combines text, graphics, sound and
video for effective learning. Internet has enormous information on a wide variety of subjects.
Students can refer to Internet to find information on any topic. Nowadays computers with
multimedia projectors are being used in classrooms for effective teaching. All the activities
related to examinations are also being controlled using computers. Therefore, it plays an
important role in education. Today, computer education is a part of curricula from elementary to
university level. Use of computer in education is shown in Fig.1-19.

Fig.1-19 Use of computer in education

18 1 Fundamentals of Computer

Business
Computers are used in all types
of businesses as shown in Fig.1-20, to
improve productivity. They help in
running business activities efficiently.
They are used to prepare business
documents, reports, charts,
presentations, invoices, etc. They help
in staying in contact with employees
and customers. The following are some
important business areas where
Fig.1-20 Use of computer is business
computers are used.
 Computer technology has revolutionized the banking business. Deposits and withdrawals
are instantly logged into a customer’s account. Accurate monthly bank statements are
generated with the help of computer. Computer networks allow amount of bill to be
transferred from customer’s bank account to the store. People can obtain cash any time
anywhere through Automated Teller Machine (ATM).
 Computers are used in retail stores. Bar code readers are linked to computer system that
are used to read the bar code printed on each product sold to prepare the bill. With the use
of computers at retail stores, the checkout process is faster and the bill produced is
accurate.
 Electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce allows to sell products and services by
means of computer networks such as Internet.
 Computers are very helpful in running many other types of businesses that include hotel,
hospital, school, travel agency, real estate, stock exchange, etc.
Defense
There are various applications of
computer technology in defense. Computers
are used in tanks, planes and ships to target
enemy forces. They help in tracking missiles
and destroying them. Modern defense
weapons and other equipment are
controlled by computers. Computers are
used for designing and testing of weapons.
Computers are also used in communication
systems in defense. Fig.1-21 shows
Fig.1-21 Use of computer in cockpit of fighter plane
application of computer in a fighter plane.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 19
Media
Computers have lot of applications in
print and electronic media. Print
media refers to mass communication
through printed material. Computer
technology helps in preparation and
production of newspapers, magazines,
booklets and brochures, flyers, press
releases and books. Electronic media
refers to broadcast media that includes
radio broadcast, cable and satellite
television broadcast and the new-age
media like Internet and mobile devices.
Computer is used for television Fig.1-22 Use of computer in television broadcasting
broadcasting as shown in Fig.1-22.
Manufacturing
Now days, computer technology is
widely used in manufacturing industry. It
has improved the accuracy, quality and
speed of manufacturing. Computers are
used for product design and automation of
manufacturing process in factories as
shown in Fig.1-23. This is known as
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM).
CAD involves the use of computer
hardware and graphics software to create
Fig.1-23 Computer controlled manufacturing machines
product designs. CAM involves the use of
computer in planning and management of production operation. It helps in automatically
producing finished products. CAD/CAM technology has been applied in many industries,
including automobile, electronics, machine components, textiles, fashion, etc.
1.2.2 CAREERS IN INFORMATION TECHONOLOGY (IT)
Information Technology (IT) refers to anything related to computing technology, such as
networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies.
Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other
technical areas of their businesses. Many jobs are offered in these departments. A few are
discussed as below.
Software Engineer
Software engineer is a highly skilled person in the field of IT whose responsibilities involve
the analysis, design, implementation and maintenance of computer software. Software engineer
can be further classified into programmer and system analyst.
20 1 Fundamentals of Computer

 Programmer
Computer programmers are IT professionals who have extensive knowledge and expertise in
programming languages. Computer programmers write programs to solve problems related with
business, education, engineering, government offices, hospitals, entertainment, etc.
 System Analyst
System analysts analyze the data processing requirements of organizations and develop
information systems to implement them. They investigate problems, plan solutions, and
recommend the type of hardware and software required for implementing the solution.
Hardware Engineer
Hardware engineers design and manufacture computer hardware. Their work also involves
repair and maintenance of computer hardware. They have in-depth knowledge of internal
working of computers, processors, circuit boards and other electronic equipment.
Network Administrator
Network administrators are responsible for installation, configuration and maintenance of
computer networks in organizations. They are in charge of maintenance of computer hardware
and software that make up a computer network.
Database Administrator
Database administrator is a person who is responsible for the design, implementation and
maintenance of a database in an organization. He is also responsible for maintaining security
and monitoring the performance of database.
Web Designer
Web designer is a person whose job is to plan and create websites. He designs web pages
that include text, images, sound, video clips and make the website interactive. HTML (Hypertext
Markup Language) is the most commonly used language for creating websites.
Multimedia Designer
Multimedia designers are people who organize and present information in an easy to
understand and attractive manner. They combine text, graphics, animation, audio and video.
Multimedia designers create digital images and arrange them in sequence for animation using
computer software. They have the skills to edit and manipulate audio/video files. They usually
work in film/TV industry, computer software companies and advertising companies.
Information Security Analyst
Information security analyst is a person whose job is to protect information and information
systems from unauthorized access, use, modification, recording or destruction. He implements
procedures and policies to ensure information security within the organization.
Computer Teacher
Computer teacher teaches the subject of computer science to students to make them
computer literate. He conducts lessons on how to operate computers and the working principles
and concepts of computer hardware. He also teaches how to develop computer programs using
various programming languages.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 21

1.3 COMPUTER HARDWARE

Computer hardware refers to the physical components that make up a computer system.
1.3.1 HARDWARE COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER
Hardware components of a computer system are classified into input devices, system unit,
storage devices, output devices and memory.
INPUT DEVICES
POINT TO PONDER:
All the devices used to feed data into the computer are
Why the keys on keyboard are
known as input devices. Input devices allow us to not arranged in alphabetical
communicate with the computer. Some commonly used order?
input devices are keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner,
barcode reader, digital camera and touch screen.
Keyboard: It is the main input device
to communicate with the computer. It
allows the computer user to enter
letters, numbers and special
symbols into the computer. A
keyboard is shown is Fig.1-24.
Fig.1-24 A standard keyboard
Mouse: It is a hand-held device used
to control the movement of cursor or
pointer on the screen. It has two or three buttons at the front that allows the
computer user to make selection in menu, draw
graphics or open files, folders and programs. A mouse
is shown is Fig.1-25.
Joystick: A joystick is a pointing device with a vertical
Fig.A-1-25 Mouse
lever mounted on a base. The lever usually includes
Fig.B-1-25 Joystick
buttons called triggers, which activate certain events when pressed.
Joysticks are mainly used for computer games.
Microphone: It is a device that allows computer user to input audio into
the computer. It changes audio signals into electrical signals which are
translated into digital form by the sound card for processing in the
computer. A microphone is shown in Fig.1-26.
Scanner: It is a device that captures images from
photographs, magazines, books etc. and stores Fig.1-26 Microphone
them in computer in digital form. These images
can be edited, displayed on the screen or inserted in documents. Many
scanners also include optical character recognition (OCR) software,
which can convert an image of text into a text file that can be edited. A
Fig.1-27 Scanner scanner is shown in Fig.1-27.
22 1 Fundamentals of Computer

Barcode Reader: It is a device that reads the barcode printed on

products that represents product code, description and price. This
information is used by the computer to print bill for the customer. A
barcode reader is shown in Fig.1-28.
Digital Camera: It is a device used to
capture pictures and store them in digital
form. These pictures can be downloaded to
Fig.1-28 Barcode Reader
computer for editing, viewing or inserting in
documents. A digital camera is shown in Fig.1-29.
Touch Screen: It is a pressure-sensitive display screen that is used
to interact with the computer by touching pictures or words with
Fig.1-29 Digital Camera finger. Touch screen is more commonly used with mobile phone and
tablet. A touch screen is shown in Fig.A-1-30.
Touchpad: A touchpad is an input device on laptops and some keyboards to move a cursor
with finger. As user moves finger on the surface, the mouse cursor moves in that same
direction. A touchpad is shown in Fig. B-1-30.

Fig.A-1-30 Touch Screen Fig. B-1-30 Touch Screen

SYSTEM UNIT
System unit is the main part of computer. It includes motherboard, power supply and drives
(such as DVD and hard disk) inside the computer casing. All the input/output devices of a
computer are connected to system unit through the ports.
 Motherboard
Motherboard is the main circuit board inside the system unit. It contains microprocessor,
main memory, expansion cards, many IC chips, connectors and other electronic components. It
has many buses (electric pathways) printed on it. These are used to transmit information
between various components of the computer. All the input/output devices are connected to the
motherboard. A motherboard is shown in Fig.1-31.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 23

Expansion slots

RAM memory slots

Ports for connecting

Socket for microprocessor input/output devices

Fig.1-31 Motherboard

 Microprocessor
A microprocessor is the main chip on the motherboard that controls all the activities of the
computer. It is also known as Central Processing Unit (CPU) or simply processor. It contains
Control Unit (CU), Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and registers. A microprocessor and the block
diagram of CPU are shown in Fig.1-32.

ALU CU

REGISTERS

(a) (b)

Fig.1-32 (a) Microprocessor (b) Block diagram of microprocessor

ALU is the part of the computer that performs all the calculations and comparisons. It consists
of arithmetic unit and logic unit. Arithmetic unit performs all the arithmetic operations such as
addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Logic unit performs logical operations which
include comparisons of numbers or alphabets.
24 1 Fundamentals of Computer

Control unit controls the operations of all the components of the computer. It controls the
working of all the input/output devices, storage devices and ALU. CU loads programs into
memory and executes them. It consists of very complicated circuits.

Registers are small memory units inside the microprocessor used to temporarily store some
information during the execution of a program. Some commonly used registers are Instruction
Register, Accumulator Register, Data Register and Memory Address Register.

STORAGE DEVICES
Storage devices are used to store programs and data that are not currently used by the
computer. They have huge storage capacity. Therefore, they are also known as mass storage
devices or secondary memory. Hard disk is the most commonly used storage device that is fixed
inside the system unit. Portable storage devices are CD, DVD, memory cards and USB flash
drive. Portable storage devices have less storage capacity than hard disk but they are cheap
and easy to carry.

 Hard Disk
A hard disk is a magnetic storage device used to store computer data. It
has storage capacity of hundreds of Gigabyte (GB). It is fixed inside the
computer casing. Portable hard disk is also available that is attached to
Fig.1-33 Hard Disk USB port.

 CD
CD stands for Compact Disk. It is a portable optical storage device with a storage capacity
of 700 Megabytes (MB). A CD is 1.2 millimeter thick with a diameter if 120 millimeters. CD drive
is used to read data from or write data to a CD.

 DVD
DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk. It has the same thickness and
diameter as CD but has more storage capacity. Its storage capacity is in
the range of 4 to 16 GB. A DVD writer is installed in the computer to read
Fig.1-34 CD/DVD data from or write data to a DVD. A CD can also be used in a DVD writer.

 Memory Card
Memory card is a small storage device having storage capacity of
few Gigabytes. It is available in different sizes and storage capacities.
Memory cards are generally used in laptop computers and portable
devices such as mobile phone and digital camera for storing pictures,
audio and video. A memory card is shown in Fig.1-33.
Fig.1-35 Memory Card
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 25
 USB Flash Drive
USB flash drive is a small portable drive that is connected to
computer through USB port. It is also known as USB memory. It is very
fast in operation and its storage capacity is up to 128 GB till now. A
USB flash drive is shown in Fig.1-34.
OUTPUT DEVICES Fig.1-36 USB Flash Drive
Output devices are used to display text, graphics, and images on the monitor or to print
information on paper. Information displayed on monitor is known as softcopy and anything
printed on paper is known as hardcopy or printout. Commonly used output devices are monitor,
printer, plotter and speaker.
 Monito
It is an output device that has a screen on
which information is displayed. It has two
common types i.e. CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)
monitor and LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
monitor. CRT monitor is very similar to old
television. It is almost obsolete due to its big
size and low display quality. LCD monitor is
slim, uses less power and has better display (a) (b)
quality than CRT monitor. CRT and LCD
monitors are shown in Fig.1-35. Fig.1-37 (a) CRT Monitor (b) LCD Monitor

 Printer FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

The first high-speed printer was developed in 1953
Printer is an output device that prints text and
by Remington Rand (an early American business
graphics on paper which is known as machines manufacturer) for use on UNIVAC
hardcopy. There are two types of printers computer.
which are impact and non-impact printers.
Impact printer
Impact printer uses electro-mechanical mechanism which causes the character shape to strike
against the paper and leave an image of the character on the paper. Dot matrix printer is the
most commonly used impact printer. The printing speed varies from 50 to 500 cps (characters

(a) (b) (c)

Fig.1-38 (a) Dot Matrix Printer (b) Inkjet Printer (c) Laser Printer
26 1 Fundamentals of Computer

per second). Their printing is very cheap but print quality is poor. They produce lot of noise while
printing. These printers are still in use for printing invoices, bank statements, utility bills, etc. A
Dot matrix printer is shown in Fig.1-36(a).
Non-Impact printer
Non-Impact printer prints without striking the paper. There are two types of non-Impact printers
which are inkjet and laser printers. Inkjet printer stores ink in cartridge and sprays on paper
through fine nozzles on the print-head. Laser printer uses technology similar to photocopying
machine. Laser printer is more expensive, faster and has very high print quality compared to inkjet
printer. Inkjet printers are used in all sectors such as homes and simple businesses. Laser printers are
perfect for large scale businesses. Inkjet and laser printers are shown in Fig.1-36.(b,c).
 Plotter
Plotter is an output device used for printing engineering drawings, machine parts, building
designs, maps, charts and panaflexes etc. on large size papers/sheets. Such large size printing
is not possible on printers. It is more expensive than
printer. There are two types of plotters, that is, ink plotter
and pen plotter. Ink plotter is used for printing images
whereas pen plotter is used for printing engineering
drawings, machine parts, building designs, etc. Plotter is
a slow output device but its printing quality is good. A
Fig.1-39 Plotter plotter is shown in Fig.1-37.

 Speaker
Speaker is a device used to produce audio output. A pair of speakers
is attached to the sound card on the motherboard. Speakers are
commonly used with multimedia software and for playing music and
videos on computer. A pair of speakers is shown in Fig.1-38.
MEMORY
Fig.1-40 Speakers
Memory unit stores data and programs that are being executed by the
computer. It also stores the results produced by the ALU after processing the data. There are three
types of memories on the motherboard which are ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random
Access Memory) and Cache. These are known as main memory or
primary memory of computer.
ROM (Read Only Memory)
ROM is a single IC chip which is installed on the motherboard
as shown in Fig.1-39.
It stores the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) of computer that
Fig.1-41 ROM chip controls input/output devices and the start-up or boot process. BIOS
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 27
programs test the computer’s components when it is turned on and then load the operating
system into the RAM to make the computer ready for operation.
BIOS programs are permanently stored in ROM when it is manufactured. It is non-volatile
memory, that is, the programs stored in it are not lost when the computer is turned off. There are
three common types of ROM which are PROM (Programmable ROM), EPROM (Erasable
Programmable ROM) and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM).
RAM (Random Access Memory)
RAM is high speed memory installed on the motherboard. It is READ/WRITE memory.
Information can be read from or written into it. Programs are loaded into RAM from secondary
storage devices such as hard disk or USB
flash drive for execution by the
microprocessor. It is volatile memory which
means information stored in it, is lost when
the computer is turned off.
RAM modules are installed in the
memory slots on the motherboard. RAM
modules are shown in Fig.1-40 Fig.1-42 RAM modules
Cache Memory
Microprocessor
Cache is a very small amount of extremely fast memory inside
L1 cache
the microprocessor or on the motherboard. It is faster and more
expensive than RAM. It stores information that is most frequently
used by the computer. The purpose of using cache is to improve the L2/L3 cache
processing speed of computer.
There are three types of cache memories which are Level 1 (L1), Main Memory
Level 2 (L2) and Level 3 (L3) as shown in Fig.1-41. L1 cache is built (RAM)
inside the microprocessor whereas L2 and L3 are on the
Fig.1-43 L1, L2 and L3
motherboard. L1 cache is faster than L2 and L3 cache. Cache Memories
1.3.2 PORTS, EXPANSION SLOTS AND EXPANSION CARDS
PORTS
Port is an interface for connecting
various devices to the system unit.
These are located on the motherboard
and are usually seen at the back of the
system unit. There are various types of
ports for connecting keyboard, mouse,
monitor, microphone, speakers and Fig.1-44 Ports on motherboard
other input/output devices as shown in
28 1 Fundamentals of Computer

Fig.1-42(a). In modern computers, USB (Universal Serial Bus), HDMI (High Definition
Multimedia Interface), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), Audio and LAN (Local Area Network) ports
are used for connecting various devices to the computer. These devices include digital camera,
scanner, printer, external hard disk or DVD writer and USB memory, etc.
EXPANSION SLOTS AND EXPANSION CARDS
Expansion slots are long narrow sockets on the motherboard
used for installing expansion cards. Expansion cards are small
circuit boards. These cards add new capabilities to the
computers. Commonly used expansion cards are sound card,
graphics card, modem card and network card. In modern
computers these cards are built-in on the motherboard. A
Fig.1-45 Network card network card is shown in Fig.1-43.

1.4 BASIC OPERATIONS OF A COMPUTER

The following four basic operations are performed by computers which are shown in Fig.1-44.
 Input operation
 Processing operation
 Storage operation
 Output operation

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

STORAGE
Fig.1-46 Basic operations of a computer
Input Operation
A computer is a data processing machine. Users enter data and instructions into the
computer through keyboard or mouse. It can also be provided to the computer from a storage
device such as hard disk, CD or USB memory. The input data/instructions are stored in memory
for further processing.
Processing Operation
Microprocessor processes the data according to the instruction given to it. The microprocessor
fetches the data/instructions from the memory and stores it in instruction register. The control unit
then decodes the instruction to find out which operation is to be performed. After decoding the
instruction, it sends signals to other parts of the computer to execute it.
Storage Operation
The results produced after processing are stored in memory before they are sent to the
output device or permanent storage device like hard disk.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 29
Output Operation
The results of data processing stored in memory must be output so that they can be seen
by the user. The control unit displays the results on the monitor or prints it on the printer. Results
can also be saved in a storage device such as hard disk for use in the future.

1.5 COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Computer programs are known as computer software. Computer program is a set of
instructions that tells a computer what to do and how to do. It is classified into two categories,
system software and application software.

1.5.1 SYSTEM SOFWARE

System software is a collection of programs which makes the use of computer easy and
efficient. Highly experienced computer programmers develop system software. Following are
the types of system software.
 Operating system
 Device drivers
 Utility programs
 Language processors
Operating System
An operating system is system software that is responsible for the management and
coordination of all the activities performed by the computer. It provides the environment in which
the user can interact with the computer hardware to operate the computer. The most popular
operating system used in microcomputers is the Windows.
The following tasks are performed by the operating system.
i. It loads programs into memory and executes them.
ii. It controls the operation of input/output and storage devices.
iii. It manages files and folders.
iv. It allows to create password to protect computers from unauthorized use.
v. It detects hardware failures and displays messages to fix them.
Device Drivers
A device driver is system software that controls the operation of a computer device. When
users attach a device such as printer or scanner to their computer, they should install its driver
to make it operational. Device drivers are provided by device manufacturers.
Utility Programs
Utility programs perform specific tasks that are related to the management of the computer.
The following are some commonly used utility programs that perform specific tasks.
 Windows Explorer: It is used to manage files and folders.
 Backup utility: It is used to make backup of data.
30 1 Fundamentals of Computer

 WinZip utility: It is used to compress files.

 Diagnostic utility: It is used to detect hardware and software problems.
 Antivirus software: It is used to detect and remove viruses.
Language Processors
A language processor is a system program used to translate computer programs into
machine language. Machine language is directly understood by the computer. Therefore, all the
programs must be translated into machine language before execution by the computer. Compiler
and interpreter are language processors used to translate high level language programs into
machine language. A program called assembler is used to translate assembly language
programs into machine language.
1.5.2 APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Application software is developed for computer users to solve their problems such as
preparing a letter, creating a presentation or managing a database. Commonly used application
software includes productivity software, business software, entertainment software and
education software.
Productivity Software
Productivity software includes word-processing, spreadsheet and database management
software packages. These software packages are used by individuals to speed up their daily
routine tasks by doing their work in an organized and efficient way.
Business Software
Any software that helps in running business in a more efficient way to improve
productivity is known as business software. Some examples of commonly used business
software are accounting, sales and marketing, inventory control, project management and
payroll software.
Entertainment Software
Software developed to entertain people is known as entertainment software. Video games
are one of the most popular forms of entertainment software. Many games are lot of fun to play
but sometimes they can also help to improve skills such as typing or reading. The term
edutainment merges games and education software into single software. Edutainment software
is used mainly for entertainment but it educates as well.
Education Software
Software developed for educational purpose is known as education software. A large
variety of education software has been developed. Education software includes typing tutor,
spelling tutor, language learning, medical and healthcare, driving test and flight simulation
software, etc.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 31
1.5.3 OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE, SHAREWARE AND FREEWARE
Open Source Software
It is computer software that is available in the form of source code that allows users to
study, change and improve it. Open source software is free for use, modification and distribution.
Some examples of open source software are Linux operating system, OpenOffice (office
productivity software), Flight Gear (flight simulator) and Java programming language, etc.
Shareware
Shareware is distributed free of cost for a limited period, usually one or two months. It is
trial version of software given to people to decide whether they would like to buy the full version
of the software. Some shareware is installed on new computers when they are sold. Examples
of shareware are antivirus software and computer games, etc.
Freeware
Freeware is given free of cost and it is full version of software for an unlimited period of
time. It may have some restrictions such as allowed for personal or academic use only.
Examples of freeware are Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, VLC media player, etc.

Key Points

 Computer is a general-purpose programmable machine that has the ability to store, retrieve
and process data that is represented in the form of 0s and 1s.
 First generation computers used vacuum tubes and their period was from 1940 to 1956.
 Second generation computers used transistors and their period was from 1956 to 1963.
 Third generation computers used IC chips that were developed in early 1960s and their
period is from 1963 to 1971.
 Fourth generation computers use LSI and VLSI chips and their period is from 1971 to
present.
 Fifth generation of computers is concerned with development of devices that can understand
natural languages and have thinking power.
 Analog computer represents and processes data by measuring quantities such as voltage
and current to solve a problem. It works on supply of continuous signals as input and displays
output simultaneously.
 Digital computer works with binary digits 0 and 1. Data and instructions are fed into
digital computer through an input device such as keyboard. The computer performs
32 1 Fundamentals of Computer

calculations on data according to the instructions and displays results on monitor or prints
on printer.
 Hybrid computer is a combination of analog and digital computers. It combines the
characteristics of both analog and digital computers.
 Mainframe computer is a very large, very powerful and expensive computer that can support
hundreds and even thousands of users at the same time.
 Minicomputer is bigger than microcomputer but smaller than mainframe. It is used in
organizations that have hundreds of users.
 Microcomputer is the smallest and the low cost computer. It is the most commonly used
computer in homes and offices.
 Software engineer is a highly skilled person in the field of IT whose responsibilities involve
the analysis, design, implementation and maintenance of computer software.
 Computer programmer is an IT professional who has extensive knowledge and expertise in
programming languages. He programs the computer by writing step-by-step instructions that
tell the computer what to do.
 System analyst analyzes the data processing requirements of organizations and develops
information systems to implement them.
 Hardware engineer is an IT professional who designs and manufactures computer hardware.
 Network engineer is a person who is responsible for installation, configuration and
maintenance of computer networks in organizations.
 Database administrator is a person who is responsible for the design, implementation and
maintenance of a database in an organization.
 Web designer is a person whose job is to plan, design and develop websites.
 Multimedia designer is a person who designs multimedia software by combining text,
graphics, animation, audio and video.
 Information security analyst is a person whose job is to protect information and
information systems from unauthorized access, use, modification, recording and
destruction.
 Computer teacher is a person who teaches the subject of computer science to students.
 Computer hardware refers to the physical components that make up a computer system.
 Computer software is a set of instructions that tells a computer what to do and how to do.
 System software is a collection of programs which makes the use of computer easy and
efficient.
 Operating system is system software that is responsible for the management and
coordination of all the activities performed by the computer.
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 33
 Application software is developed to solve the problems of computer users such as writing
letter, creating presentation or managing a database.
 Open source software is a program that is freely available in the form of source code that
allows users to study, change and improve it.
 Shareware is trial version of software that is distributed free of cost for a limited period,
usually one or two months.
 Freeware is software given free of cost for an unlimited period of time.

Exercise
Q1. Select the best answer for the following MCQs.
i. Who invented logarithm?
A. Blaise Pascal B. John Napeir
C. Charles Babbage D. Herman Hollerith
ii. Which generation of computer used transistor?
A. 1st Generation of Computers B. 2nd Generation of Computers
C. 3rd Generation of Computers D. 4th Generation of Computers
iii. In which generation of computer microprocessor was introduced?
A. 1st Generation of Computers B. 2nd Generation of Computers
C. 3rd Generation of Computers D. 4th Generation of Computers
iv. Which of the following computer supports thousands of users at the same time?
A. Microcomputer B. Minicomputer
C. Mainframe computer C. Laptop computer
v. Who is responsible for protecting information and information systems from unauthorized
people in an organization?
A. System Analyst B. Information Security Analyst
C. Network Administrator D. Hardware Engineer
vi. Which of the following is the fastest memory?
A. USB flash drive B. RAM
B. ROM D. Cache
34 1 Fundamentals of Computer

vii. What type of software a device driver is?

A. Application software B. Business software
C. System software D. Productivity software
viii.Which of the following is volatile memory?
A. RAM B. ROM
C. USB flash drive D. Hard disk
ix. Which software is distributed free of cost for a limited period as a trial version?
A. Open source software B. Shareware
C. Freeware D. Productivity software
x. When were IC chips developed?
A. Early 1960s B. Early 1970s
C. 1980s D. 1990s
Q2. Write short answers of the following questions.
i. Describe Napier’s Bone and Slide Rule.
ii. Compare 1st and 3rd generation computers.
iii. Differentiate between analog and digital computers.
iv. Ahmed, a class IX student is asking his father to replace his home computer CRT
monitor with LCD monitor. How will you justify his demand?
v. What will happen if storage devices are removed from a computer?
vi. Differentiate between systems software and application software.
vii. How a student can use computer to improve academic performance?
viii. Give any three uses of computers in a school library.
ix. Name few house hold appliances in which microprocessor is used.
x. What are the tasks performed by operating system?
Q3. Write long answers of the following questions.
i. Describe the five generations of computers.
ii. Write a note on mainframe, minicomputer and microcomputer.
iii. Explains the basic operations of a computer.
iv. Write short note on the following.
a. Hardware Engineer
b. Network Administrator
c. Database Administrator
d. Web Designer
 1 Fundamentals of Computer 35
e. Multimedia Designer
v. Describe the following types of application software.
a. Productivity software
b. Business software
c. Entertainment software
d. Education software

Lab Activities
Activity 1: Demonstrate how input/output devices are connected to the system unit of the
computer.
Activity 2: Students should be shown components of computer such as RAM, ROM,
microprocessor, ports, expansion slots and power supply attached to the computer system.
 2
FUNDAMENTALS OF OPERATING
SYSTEM
After completing this lesson, you will This is 20 periods Chapter
be able to: including practical work.
 Know the objectives of operating system
 Get familiar with functions of operating system
 Differentiate between common types of operating
systems (Command Line Interface, Menu Driven
Interface and Graphical User Interface)
 Define single user and multi-user operating systems
 Describe batch processing, time-sharing processing
and real-time processing
 Identify the basic icons of operating system having
graphical user interface
 Manage data (files/folders)
 Install operating system
 Install office automation software
 Install anti-virus software

UNIT INTRODUCTION
Computer user must know how to give commands to the computer to operate it properly.
Therefore, this unit is dedicated to provide basic knowledge about operating system. It teaches
the user how to use the operating system to run programs and manage files and folders. It
describes the steps involved in installation of operating system, office automation software and
antivirus software in computer. It presents material about the operating system used in modern
computers and those used in the past. This will teach the user about the advantages of modern
operating system over the old operating systems.
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 37

2.1 INTRODUCTION
Operating system is a collection of system software that controls the working of computer
system. It acts as an interface between the computer user and computer. It facilitates program
execution and helps in developing application programs.
2.1.1 OBJECTIVES OF OPERATING SYSTEM (O.S.)
The main objectives of the operating system are convenience and efficiency. It makes the
computer more convenient to use. It allows computer resources such as CPU, memory,
input/output devices and Internet to be used in an efficient manner. It can be viewed as a
resource manager.
2.1.2 FUNCTIONS OF OPERATING SYSTEM
The following are the main functions of operating system.
 Process Management
 Memory Management
 Input/Output Management
 File Management
 Resource Management
 User Management
Process Management
Process management is an essential part of operating system (OS). A process is a
program in execution. In computer system multiple processes are executing concurrently or
waiting for their turn to be executed. A process in execution needs resources like processing
resource, memory and I/O resources. The OS must allocate resources to processes, enable
processes to share and exchange information, and protect the resources of each process from
other processes.
Memory Management
Memory management is the process of allocating memory space for user programs in main
memory. When programs are run by users, the operating system allocates portions of free
memory to programs. When a program is closed, operating system will free the memory portion
used by that program for reuse. The operating system automatically loads user programs in
available memory space and executes them.
Input/Output Management
Input/output management is the process of controlling the operation of all the input/output
devices attached to computer. User communicates with computer through various input/output
devices such as keyboard, mouse, monitor printer, etc. Management of these devices is the
responsibility of operating system. Operating system uses Input/Output controller to manage and
coordinate the operation of all the input/output devices.
38 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
File Management
File management system is part of operating system that organizes stores and keeps track
of computer files and folders. Computer files can be documents, programs, images, videos, etc.
Operating system controls the common operations performed on files. These operations include
creating, opening, editing, renaming, moving, copying, deleting and searching files.
Resource Management
Operating system automatically manages the resources of a computer when application
programs are executed by computer user. The resources of a computer include microprocessor,
memory and all the devices attached to the computer. Operating system allocates resources of
a computer to the application program according to the user’s requirement in an efficient way to
improve the performance of the computer.
User Management
User management is an important feature of operating system for maintaining a
secure computer system. The operating system gives full control over a computer system
to a person known as administrator. Administrator installs various programs on the
computer system for users. He also creates and manages user accounts. When a user
account is created, the user is assigned a user name and a password. Administrator allows
the users to run various application programs that are installed on the computer. A user
can login to the computer system by entering the user name and password, run programs
and save his files in his personal folder. Operating system does not allow the users to install
programs or create new users.
2.1.3 OPERATING SYSTEMS INTERFACES
There are three types of operating systems based on ways of interaction with computer
(interface). The three types of interfaces are:
 Command Line Interface
 Menu Driven Interface
 Graphical User Interface (GUI).
Command Line Interface (CLI)
In CLI, commands are given to computer with keyboard. It is based on textual input. The
user types in a command and presses the Enter key to execute it. Two commonly used operating
systems that use CLI are DOS (Disk Operating System) and UNIX. CLI is difficult to use because
users have to remember the commands to perform any task.
 Disk Operating System (DOS)
DOS was the most popular CLI operating system. DOS displays the prompt (C:\>) to enter
commands. User must know the syntax of the command. DOS commands are difficult to
remember. Some DOS commands are still supported by the new Windows operating system. It
is a single user and single task operating system.
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 39
The following are some examples of DOS commands with their DO YOU KNOW?
description Microsoft introduced
the MS DOS in 1981
DIR Display the contents of current directory (folder) and it was replaced by
FORMAT D: Format the D drive Windows 3.0 in 1990.
CD\PICS CD stands for Change Directory, which makes
PICS the current directory
Some DOS commands are shown in Fig.2-1.

 UNIX

Fig.2-1 DOS Interface

UNIX is a multi-user CLI operating system introduced in 1969. It allows multiple users to
run different programs at the same time. UNIX was developed for use on large computer system

Fig.2-2 UNIX Interface

40 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
(Mainframe). It uses a command line interface but later Graphical User Interface was also
introduced. UNIX commands are shown in Fig.2-2.
Menu Driven Interface
Menu driven interface presents a menu on the screen, user makes a choice and then the
next menu appears. The user makes
another choice and so on. Menu
driven interface is easy to use as
compared to CLI. The user reads the
options and makes his choices.
Menus contain the commands to use
the operating system. Menu driven
interface is also used in some
application programs and other
devices such as mobile phone and
iPod.
The following are two common menu
Fig.2-3 Novell Netware Interface driven operating systems
 Novell’s Netware
Novell’s Netware was a menu-
driven operating system that was
used in the past. Its first version was
released in 1993. Novell’s Netware
interface is shown in Fig.2-3.

 ProDOS
ProDOS was another menu-driven
operating system that was used on
some Apple computers. ProDOS
interface is shown in Fig.2-4.

Fig.2-4 ProDOS Interface

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

GUI is a graphical interface for computer users to interact with computer. It uses windows,
icons, menus and pointer. Window is a rectangular portion of monitor in which information is
displayed. Icon is a graphical symbol that represents a file, folder, program, device, etc. To
perform a task, the user has to select icons or make choices in menus using a pointing device
such as mouse.
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 41
The following are the advantages of GUI.
i. Much easier to learn and use
ii. No need to memorize the commands
iii. Allows users to run more than one program at the same time
iv. Most of the GUIs provide good help facilities
v. Many application programs also use a similar interface so it is easy to use a new program
The following are the disadvantages of GUI.
i. Takes up lot of memory.
ii. Needs faster computer as compared to other interfaces.
Examples of operating systems that use GUI are Macintosh, Linux and Windows.
 Macintosh Operating System
Mac OS is a series of operating systems developed by Apple Incorporation for their
Macintosh computers. It was introduced in 1984 with the original Macintosh computer and has
GUI. The latest version is Mac OS X. It is a UNIX based user-friendly operating system. There
are some specialized versions of Mac OS X used on devices such as iPhone, iPod, iPad and
new Apple TV. Mac OS X interface is shown in Fig.2-5.

Fig.2-5 Mac OS X Interface

 Linux Operating System

Linux is free open-source operating system introduced by Linus Torvalds in 1991. It is
faster but difficult to use as compared to Macintosh and Windows operating systems. It is not a
popular operating system. Linus Torvalds started the development of Linux operating system
and laid its foundation. Millions of programmers around the world work on Linux to improve it
42 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
Its source code is freely
available on Internet.
Programmers can view, edit
and publish an improved
version.
Linux OS can be installed
on PCs, laptops, netbooks,
mobile and tablet devices,
video game consoles, servers,
supercomputers and more. The
Linux OS is frequently
packaged as a Linux
distribution for both desktop
Fig.2-6 Linux Interface
and server use, and includes
the Linux kernel (the core of the operating system) as well as supporting tools and libraries.
Popular Linux OS distributions include Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Red Hat and openSUSE. Linux
operating system interface is shown in Fig.2-6.

 Windows Operating System

Windows is the most popular operating system used on microcomputers in English. It was
developed by Microsoft. Many different versions of Windows operating system were developed
and used successfully in the past. Some of these versions are Windows 95, Windows 98,
Windows Millennium, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8 and 10. The latest version is
Windows 10. Windows 10 interface is shown in Fig.2-7. It is also operatable in Urdu Language.

Fig.2-7 Windows 10 Interface

 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 43

2.2 OPERATING SYSTEM

2.2.1 CLASSIFICATION OF OPERATING SYSTEM
Operating systems can be classified into two major categories, single-user and multi-user
operating systems.
Single-user Operating System
Operating system that is used by a single user at a time is known as single-user operating
system.
 It allows a single user to login and use the computer at a time. It is easy to use.
 Resources of the computer, such as CPU, memory and input/output devices are not shared
with other computers.
 It is used on microcomputers.
 User can open many programs at the same time and switch among them as required.
 It requires less memory and costs less.
 Some examples of single-user operating systems are DOS, Windows 95, Windows XP,
Windows 7, etc.
Multi-user Operating System
Operating system that allows many users to use a computer at the same time is known is
multi-user operating system.
 It allows many users to login to a single big computer and run different programs at the
same time.
 It shares the resources of the computer with other users over the network.
 It is used on minicomputers and mainframes.
 Users can communicate with each other and share files.
 A person known as administrator is responsible for assigning and managing user names
and passwords.
 It requires a powerful CPU, large memory and large hard drives.
 It supports multiprogramming and time-sharing.
 Windows NT, UNIX and Linux are popular multi-user operating systems.
2.2.2 TYPES OF OPERATING SYSTEMS
There are three types of operating systems. These are batch processing, Time-sharing
and real-time operating systems.
Batch Processing System
In a batch processing system, jobs are grouped in batches and the computer executes
them one.by.one. When the current job terminates, the computer automatically loads the next
job and starts executing it. Batch processing operating systems greatly improved the use of
computer system.
44 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
Batch processing systems are suitable for tasks where large amount of data has to be
collected and processed on a regular basis. For example, in credit card billing systems, all the
data of credit card holders is collected and held until processed as a batch at the end of billing
cycle. As another example, in examination report card system, all the data of students’
examinations is collected and processed as a batch for printing report cards.
Timesharing System
Timesharing system is a feature of operating system in which multiple users can run
different programs on a large-scale computer. It allows many users to have access to a
computer at the same time and share the computer’s time. In a timesharing system, the central
processing unit is switched rapidly between the programs so that all the user programs are
executed simultaneously. The operating systems used in minicomputers and mainframe
computers support timesharing. Timesharing operating systems are used in organizations such
as airline, bank, hotel, university, etc. where many users need access to the central computer
at the same time.
For example, hundreds of students access the university’s mainframe computer at the
same time and they run different programs in a timesharing system in interactive mode.
Real time Systems
Real time operating systems must process information and produce a response within a
specified time. These operating systems are developed for special applications.
These are used to control industrial processes such as oil refining. Real time operating
systems are used to supply immediate response within limited time. For example, a
measurement from an oil refinery indicating that temperatures are getting too high might demand
quick response to avert an explosion.
There are a number of real-time operating systems used in military and space research
programs. For example, real-time operating system is used to monitor the position of rocket in
the space. Many cities are installing real-time traffic control systems to facilitate smooth flow of
traffic at busy intersections.

2.3 GETTING STARTED WITH GUI OPERATING SYSTEM

A GUI Operating System provides a user-friendly interface. This makes it easier for people
with little computer skills to operate the computer. A GUI combines four elements which are
Window, Icon, Menu and Pointer. All the information displayed on the screen is presented inside
a window. Small graphical symbols known as icons are used to represent files, folders, drives,
programs and commands. Menus present various commands from which the user makes a
selection with a pointing device. Mouse or touchpad is used as pointing device for performing
different tasks such as selecting an option or opening a file, folder or program.
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 45
2.3.1 BASIC ICONS OF GUI OPERATING SYSTEM
An icon is a small graphical symbol that represents a file, folder, application or device. There are
some special system icons such as Recycle Bin and Computer that are kept on the desktop.
Icon has a label at the bottom describing its name.
The basic icons of Windows 7 are shown in Fig.2-8 and are described below.

Fig.2-8(a) Recycle Bin, (b) Computer icon, (c) Folder icon, (d) File icon (e) Program icon (f) Shortcut icons

Recycle Bin
It is a temporary place (folder) for items that the user Tip: You can delete a file from your
deletes from the hard disk. When a file or folder is deleted hard disk without sending it to
from a hard disk it goes to the Recycle Bin. The user can Recycle Bin by clicking the file and
then pressing Shift + Delete keys.
restore it to its original location. User can also delete a file or
folder permanently from the Recycle Bin.
Computer Icon
Computer icon allows the user to access the contents of computer drives and manage files
and folders. When user double-clicks on Computer icon, it will open a window similar to the one
shown in Fig.2-9 that displays the drives present in the computer. It is used to navigate and
manage the computer
resources.
Folder Icon
Folder icon resembles a
physical file folder. It is used to
store files. A folder can have
another folder inside it which is
known as subfolder. Folders are
used to keep files in an
organized manner on a storage
device such as hard disk so that
they can be accessed easily.

Tip: Right click a shortcut icon,

select Properties and click Open
File Location to know the location
of program, file or folder to which a
shortcut belongs. Fig.2-9 Computer-Icon window
46 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
File Icon
In a GUI, files are also represented by icons. A file may contain text, image, music or video.
Users recognize a file by its icon. Icon of a Microsoft Word file is shown in Fig.2-8(d).
Program Icon
Executable program files are also represented by icons. Different graphical symbols are
used for different program icons. Program icon of Acrobat Reader is shown in Fig.2-8(e).
Shortcut Icon
Shortcut icons are created to access a program, file or folder quickly. They have an
arrow at the bottom left corner and the name below it. Shortcut icon of Google Chrome is shown
in Fig.2-8(f).
2.3.2 MANAGING DATA (FILES/FOLDERS)
Managing data means storing files in secondary
Tip: You can create a new folder in
storage devices such as hard disk or USB flash drive, in an
Windows Explorer by simply pressing
organized way. This helps in finding files easily and quickly. the Ctrl+Shift+N keys and then
Files are stored in folders. The Document folder in rename it.
Windows is the default folder where the user saves files.
File management tools of GUI operating system provide facilities to quickly and easily
create folders and copy or move files into them. It also allows the user to delete files and folders
that are not needed any more.
The following are the steps to create a new folder.
1. Go to the location where a folder is to be created.
2. Right-click a blank area, point to New in the shortcut menu and then click Folder as shown
in Fig.2-10.
3. Type a name for the new
folder and then press Enter key.
The following are the steps to
copy or move files.
1. Go to the location from where
files are to be copied or moved.
2. Select the files to copy or
move.
To select consecutive group
of multiple files or folders, create
a selection around the outside of
all the items by dragging the
mouse pointer.
Fig.2-10 Shortcut menu to create a folder
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 47
To select non-consecutive group of files or folders, press and hold down the Ctrl key and
then click each item one by one.
To select all the items in a window, click Organize on the toolbar and then click Select all.
3. Right-click on any selected file icon and then select copy or move from the shortcut menu
as shown in Fig.2-11.

DO YOU KNOW?
There are six different versions of Windows 7. These are Starter, Home Basic, Home
Premium, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate.

Fig.2-11 Shortcut menu for copying or moving files

4. Go to the location where the files are to be copied or moved.

5. Right-click a blank area and click Paste.
The following are the steps to delete files or folders.
1. Go to the location from where files or folders are to be deleted.
2. Select the items to delete as describe earlier.
3. Right-click any selected item and then click Delete in the shortcut menu.

2.4 SYSTEM INSTALLATION

A computer system consists of hardware and software. Before the use of computer, user
must install the operating system and other required software.
48 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
2.4.1 INSTALLATION OF WINDOWS 10 OPERATING SYSTEM
The following are the steps for installation of Windows 10 operating system.
1. Turn on the computer and insert the Windows 10 DVD and boot the computer. Make sure
DVD is set as the first boot device.
2. When the screen shown in Fig.2-12 appears, select the Language, Time and currency
format, Keyboard or input method and click Next.

Fig.2-12 Screen to select language and time and currency format

3. Click Install now in the screen shown in Fig.2-13 to start installation of Windows 10.

Fig.2-13 Screen to Install now

 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 49
4. Wait for a few seconds for the setup to start (Fig. 2-14).

Figure 2-14

5. If you have a product key, enter it, otherwise click on Skip (Fig. 2-15).

Figure 2-15
50 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
6. Accept the license terms and click on Next (Fig. 2-16).

Figure 2-16

7. Select “Custom: install Windows only ( Advanced )” (Fig. 2-17)

Figure 2-17
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 51
8. Select the drive where you want to install Windows 10 (Fig. 2-18).
Note: Make sure the drive is formatted, if not you can format by selecting the format option
provided.

Figure 2-18

9. Wait for a sometime until Windows is being installed. This may take from a few minutes to
an hour depending on the hardware of your personal computer. Once this process is
complete, your PC will restart (Fig. 2-19).

Figure 2-19
52 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
10. Choose Windows 10 (Fig. 2-20).

Figure 2-20

11. Wait for some more time (Fig. 2-21).

Figure 2-21
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 53
12. Enter a serial key, otherwise click on Do this later to skip this option (Fig. 2-22).

Figure 2-22

13. Click on Use express settings to use the recommended settings. Alternatively you can even
click on Customize settings to customize the settings (Fig. 2-23).

Figure 2-23
54 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
14. Wait for a few seconds more (Fig. 2-24).

Figure 2-24

15. Enter a name and password to create your account (Fig. 2-25).

Figure 2-25
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 55
16. Wait for a few seconds more (Fig. 2-26).

Figure 2-26 a

Figure 2-26 b
56 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
17. There you go, you are finally on Windows 10 (Fig. 2-27).

Figure 2-27 a

Figure 2-27 b
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 57
2.4.2 INSTALLATION OF ANITVIRUS SOFTWARE
The following are the steps for installation of AVG Antivirus software. DO YOU KNOW?
1. Download the AVG Antivirus Free Edition The first antivirus
software was
from Internet that runs on Microsoft Windows. developed by Bernd
2. Double-click on the installation program Fix in early 1987 to
remove Vienna virus.
shown in Fig.2-28.
3. Welcome screen will appear as shown in Fig.2-29. Click the Next
Fig.2-28 Icon of AVG button to proceed with the installation.
Antivirus program

Fig.2-29 Welcome screen of AVG Antivirus

4. License Agreement screen will be displayed as shown in Fig.2-30. Click Accept to continue
with the installation.

Fig.2-30 License Agreement screen

58 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
5. Select Express Install in the screen shown in Fig.2-31 and click Next.

Fig.2-31 Screen to select type of installation

6. Click Next to accept the default Component Selection shown in the screen of Fig.2-32.

Fig.2-32 Screen to select custom options

 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 59

7. Tick () the option in the screen of Fig.2-33 if required and click Finish to complete the
installation.

Fig.2-33 Screen to finish the installation

2.4.3 WINDOWS DEFENDER

Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender which is anti-virus software. Now, computer
users do not have to buy anti-virus software. When Windows 10 is installed on a computer,
Windows Defender is also installed as built-in anti-virus software. It runs in the background and
checks for viruses. It automatically scans programs and files that user opens or downloads. If
any type of malware is detected, it will display warning message and recommend what to do
next to keep the computer safe.

Key Points

 Operating System is a collection of system software that controls the working of

computer system and acts as an interface between the computer user and
computer.

 The main objectives of operating system are convenience and efficiency. It makes the
computer more convenient to use.
60 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
 Memory Management is the process of allocating memory space for user programs in main
memory and managing it.

 Input/Output Management is the process of controlling the operation of all the input/output
devices attached to computer.

 File Management System is the part of operating system that organizes, stores and keeps
track of computer files and folders.

 Resource Management refers to the automatic management of resources of a

computer by the operating system when application programs are executed by
computer user. Resources of a computer are CPU, memory, input/output
devices, etc.

 User Management is an important feature of operating system for creating and managing
user accounts for a secure computer system.

 Command Line Interface (CLI) is a type of computer interface that is based on textual input.
In CLI, commands are given with a keyboard.

 Menu Driven Interface presents a menu on the screen and the user makes a choice and
then the next menu appears. The user makes another choice and so on to operate the
computer.

 GUI is a graphical interface for computer users to interact with computer. It uses windows,
icons, menus and pointer. To perform a task, the user has to select icons or make choices
in menus using a mouse.

 The operating system that is used by a single user at a time is known as Single.user
Operating System. It is used in microcomputers.

 Multi-user Operating System allows many users to use a computer at the same time. These
are used on large computers such as minicomputers and mainframes. They manage a
large number of users.

 Batch Processing System groups jobs in batches and the computer executes them
one.by.one.

 Time-sharing System is a feature of operating system in which multiple users can run
different programs on a large-scale computer. It allows many users to have access to a
computer at the same time and share the computer’s time.

 Real-time System must process information and produce a response within a specified
time. It is developed for special applications.
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 61
 Recycle Bin is a temporary place (folder) for items that the user deletes form the hard disk.
Deleted items can be restored if required.

 Computer icon allows the user to access the contents of computer drives and manage files
and folders.

 Folder icon resembles a physical file folder and it is used to store files.

 In a GUI files are represented by file icons. A file can be easily recognized by looking at its
icon. It opens by double-clicking on it.

 Program icons represent executable program files. They open when the user Double-clicks
on them.

 Shortcut icons are created to access a program, file or folder quickly. They have an arrow
at bottom left corner and the name below it.

 Managing Data means storing files in secondary storage devices such as hard disk or USB
flash drive, in an organized way in folders so that they can be accessed easily and quickly
when needed.

Exercise
Q1. Select the best answer for the following MCQs.
i. Which interface is based on textual input?
A. GUI B. CLI
C. Menu-driven interface D. Windows
ii. Which of the following interface uses window, icon, menu and pointer to interact with
computer?
A. GUI B. CLI
C. Menu-driven interface D. DOS
iii. Which of the following operating system was introduced in 1969?
A. Macintosh B Linux
C. Unix D. Windows
iv. Which of the following operating system must process information and produce a
response within a specified time?
A. Batch Processing System B. Time-sharing System
C. Multiprogramming System D. Real-time System
62 2 Fundamentals of Operating System
v. Which of the following is open source operating system?
A. UNIX B. Linux
C. DOS D. Novell’s Netware
vi. Which of the following user interface is the easiest one to learn and use?
A. CLI B. GUI
C. Menu driven interface D. DOS
vii. Which of the following operating system allows many users to use a computer at the same
time?
A. Single-user operating system B. Batch processing system
C. Real-time processing system D. Multi-user operating system
viii. In which of the following operating system, CPU is switched rapidly between all the
programs to simultaneously execute all of them?
A. Batch Processing System B. Time-sharing System
B. Real-time System D. DOS
ix. Which of the following Windows icon allows user to access a program, file or folder
quickly?
A. Program icon B. Computer icon
C. Shortcut icon D. Recycle Bin icon
x. Which of the following Windows icon allows user to access the contents of computer
drives and manage files and folders?
A. Program icon B. Computer icon
B. Shortcut icon D. Recycle Bin icon
Q2. Write short answers of the following questions.
i. Why operating system is important software for a computer? Give any five reasons.
ii. Give any three objectives of operating system?

iii. Mention few disadvantages of using DOS.

iv. Name two operating systems which are used in modern mobile phones.

v. What difficulties a student may face if he/she is not familiar with the operating system
of a computer?
vi. Define UNIX and Windows operating system.
vii. Differentiate between single-user and multi-user operating systems.
viii. What is meant by managing data and why is it important?
 2 Fundamentals of Operating System 63
ix. What is meant by resources of computer?
x. What types of problems may a student face if no antivirus is installed in his/her

computer system.

Q3. Write long answers of the following questions.

i. Explain the main functions of operating system.
ii. Describe the following computer interfaces.
a) Command Line Interface

b) Graphical User Interface

c) Menu-driven Interface
iii. Describe the following types of operating systems.
a) Batch Processing System

b) Time-sharing System
c) Real-time System
iv. Write notes on Macintosh and Linux operating systems.

v. Describe the basic icons of Windows operating system.

Lab Activities
Activity 1: The commonly used commands for using Windows operating system should
be demonstrated. Students should be shown how to open and close a program. The
commands for setting date and time, adjusting resolution, changing desktop background,
color scheme, screen saver, etc. should be demonstrated.
Activity 2: The file management commands such as create folder, copy, move, delete,
rename files and folders are to be demonstrated. Use of Recycle Bin should be
demonstrated.
Activity 3: Installation and un-installation of a program and antivirus software should be
demonstrated to students.
 3
OFFICE AUTOMATION
After completing this lesson, you will This is 28 periods Chapter
be able to: including practical work.
 Recognize and define word processor
 Manage a document (Create, Open, Save, Save as, Print)
 Edit text, show/hide Ribbon, insert symbols and use Equation Editor
 Format text, paragraph and page
 Insert page break, section break, header, footer and page number
 Insert and position pictures within a document
 Insert Word Art
 Create table with formatting
 Change the margins of document
 Use Hyperlink
 Know the basics of spreadsheet
 Work with functions and formulas in a
spreadsheet
 Represent spreadsheet data
graphically
 Manipulate and format spreadsheet
data
 Use Urdu editor

UNIT INTRODUCTION
Computer users have to prepare documents in whichever profession they are. It is
essential for all the users to learn how to create documents such as letters, reports, proposals,
resumes, etc. Spreadsheets are also commonly required in business and office. These are used
to store and process numeric data. Hence, all the users should have basic knowledge to create
documents and spreadsheets. This unit describes how to prepare professional-looking
documents and spreadsheets using a word processing and a spreadsheet program respectively.
The last section of the unit describes how to prepare documents in Urdu with an Urdu editor.
 3 Office Automation 65

3.1 OFFICE AUTOMATION

Office Automation refers to modern technology used to create, store, process and
communicate information for accomplishing basic tasks performed in offices. The system that
facilitates office automation is known as Office Automation System (OAS). Office Automation
System consists of computer hardware, software and network. The software used for office
automation consists of word-processing, spreadsheet, database management, presentation,
graphics, electronic mail and video conferencing software. Office automation software allows
users to create letters, reports, spreadsheets, graphs, manipulate images and send email to or
receive email from users on the network. Office automation software helps in improving
productivity and saving money and human efforts.
The most commonly used office automation software is Microsoft Office. It is an office suite
of applications. It consists of MS Word, MS Excel, MS Access, MS PowerPoint and MS Outlook.
It was first announced by Bill Gates on 1 August 1988. Its latest version is Microsoft Office 2016
released on 22 September, 2015. It is also operateable in Urdu.
Some other examples of office automation software are Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice
and NeoOffice. All of these are based on OpenOffice office suite. These can be freely
downloaded and installed on Windows, Linux and MacOS operating systems.
3.1.1 INSTALLATION OF OFFICE AUTOMATION SOFTWARE
The common office automation software is Microsoft Office. It is productivity software for
Windows operating system. It includes word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, database
and e-mail communication programs. These programs provide facilities that are commonly
required to run an office or business.
The following are the steps to install Microsoft Office 2010 software.
1. Run the installation program.
2. Enter the Product Key and
click Continue button as
shown in Fig.3-1.
3. Read the Microsoft Software
License Terms shown in

DO YOU KNOW?
Microsoft Office 2010 cannot
be installed on a computer on
which Windows XP operating
system is installed.

Fig.3-1 Screen for entering Product Key

66 3 Office Automation
Fig.3-2, check the box to accept the terms of agreement and click Continue.

Fig.3-2 Microsoft Software License Terms

4. Click Install Now button shown in Fig.3-3 to start the installation.

Fig.3-3 Screen to choose preferred type of installation

 3 Office Automation 67
5. Progress bar indicating how much installation has progressed will appear as shown in Fig.3-
4. This may take several minutes to complete.

Fig.3-4 Progress bar indicating installation progress

6. Click the Close button shown in Fig.3-5 to exit the installation program.

Fig. 3-5 Screen indicating that installation has completed

DO YOU KNOW?
The first version of Microsoft Word was released in 1983 for DOS and
first Windows version was released in 1989.
68 3 Office Automation

Word processing refers to the use of computer to create, edit, format and print
documents.
Word processor is computer application software that is used for the creation of different
types of documents on computer.
Word processor is a commonly used application of computer. Word processor allows user to
delete, modify and rearrange document without retyping any of the existing text. Word processing
system has the advantage of reducing time required to prepare documents. It provides features to
create appealing professional
documents. With word processing
programs, user can create many
types of documents such as letters,
reports, resumes, newsletters,
memos, flyers, etc.
A common word processing
program used is Microsoft Word. It
is a part of Microsoft Office
software. Microsoft Office contains
word processing, record-keeping,
spreadsheet and presentation
software.
Opening the MS Word Program
The following are the steps for
opening the MS Word program.
1. Turn on the computer and
click Start button.
2. Click All Programs.
3. Click Microsoft Office to
display the submenu. The
submenu contains all the
programs included in Microsoft
Office software.

4. Click Microsoft Word 2010 to

open the Word program shown in
Fig.3-6.

Fig.3-6 Opening Word

 3 Office Automation 69

Fig.3-7 Word Window

Word Window
The main components of Word window consist of Quick Access Toolbar, Ribbon, Horizontal / Vertical
Scroll bars and Status bar as shown in Fig.3-7.
Quick Access Toolbar

Quick Access Toolbar is located at the top left corner of Word window. It provides easy
access to commonly used Save, Undo and Redo commands. If the user clicks the down arrow
at the right side, Word will display a list of commands that can be quickly added to or removed
from the Quick Access Toolbar.
Ribbon
Ribbon is located below the title bar of the Word window. Ribbon consists of tabs, groups
and commands as shown in Fig.3-8. It provides access to the commands that are performed
while working on a document.
There are nine types of tabs in the ribbon which are File, Home, Insert, Page Layout,
References, Mailings, Review, View and Add-Ins. Home tab is the most commonly used tab. To
display any of these tabs just click on it.
70 3 Office Automation

Fig.3-8 Ribbon

Horizontal and Vertical Scroll Bars

Vertical scroll bar is located at the right edge of the document window. It is used to scroll
down or up the document that is too large to fit in the document window. Horizontal scroll bar
appears automatically at the bottom of the document window if a document is too wide to fit in
the document window.
Status Bar
Status bar is located at the bottom of the document window above the Windows task bar,
It presents information about the document such as current page, total number of pages in the
document, number of words in the document, etc. It also provides controls for viewing the
document in different layouts. The right edge of status
bar presents zoom in and zoom out bar. Zoom in is
used to get close-up view of document and zoom out
is used to view more of the page at a reduced size.

3.1.2 MANAGING A DOCUMENT

Creating a New Document
The following are the steps to create a new document.
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click New in the pull-down menu as shown in
Fig.3-9.
3. Select Blank document which is below
Available Templates. User can also start a new
document by selecting a template.
Fig.3-9 File tab 4. Click Create. A new blank document will appear
 3 Office Automation 71
Another way to start a new blank document is press Ctrl+N on the keyboard. Ctrl+N means
keep pressing the Ctrl key while pressing the N key.
Opening a Document
1. Click the File tab

Fig.3-10 Open dialog box

2. Click Open. The Open dialog box as shown in Fig.3-10 will appear.
3. Select the document and click Open.
If the user has recently opened the document that he wants to open then he can follow the
steps given below.
1. Click File tab.
2. Click Recent.
3. Select the document from the Recent Document list.
Saving a Document
1. Click File tab.
2. Click Save or Save As.
3. Select the folder where the document is to be saved as shown in Fig.3-11.
4. Give a file name to your document.
72 3 Office Automation

Fig.3-11 Save As dialog box

5. Click Save.

Save icon

Save As option is used when changes have been made

in an existing file and the user wants to save the new
version of the document with a different file name.
Another way to save a document is, click the Save icon
on the Quick Access Toolbar and give the new document
a file name.
Printing a Document
The following are the steps to print a document.
1. Click the File tab.
2. Select Print.
3. Change the print settings shown in Fig.3-12 if
required and click Print.
Fig.3-12 printing a document
 3 Office Automation 73

3.1.3 INSERTING AND EDITING TEXT

To insert text in a document, type it using the keyboard. The text will appear at the insertion
point. When typing a paragraph, there is no need to press the Enter key at the end of the line.
When the user reaches the right margin, Word will automatically position the insertion point at
the beginning of the next line. The user should only press the Enter key when he wants to end
a line of text, start a new paragraph or insert a blank line. Shortcut keys for cursor movement
are shown in Table 3-13.
Cursor Movement Shortcut Key
Beginning of the line Home
End of line End
Top of the document Ctrl + Home
End of document Ctrl + End
Table 3-13 Shortcut keys for cursor movement

Selecting Text
To move or copy words, sentences or paragraphs to another Tip: To search text in a
location in the document, first select the text and then use cut-and- document, press Ctrl+F,
type the search text in the
paste or copy-and-paste technique. Commands shown in Table 3-
box and press Enter.
14 are used for selecting various items in a document with mouse.

Item to Select Mouse Command

Characters Drag through characters
Single word Double-click the word
Words Drag through words
Sentence Press and hold down Ctrl key and click anywhere in the sentence
Move the mouse pointer to the left of the line until it changes to a right-
Line
pointing arrow and then single click
Move the mouse pointer to the left of the paragraph until it changes to a
Paragraph
right-pointing arrow and then Double-click
Move the mouse pointer to the left of the document until it changes to a
Entire document
right-pointing arrow and then triple-click
Click at the beginning of the text to be selected. Move the mouse
Block of text pointer to the end of the selection and hold down Shift key and then
click or drag through the text.
Graphic Click the graphic

Table 3-14 Mouse commands for selecting items

74 3 Office Automation
Copying and Moving Text
The following are the steps to copy or move the first two sentences of the paragraph shown
in Fig.3-15.

Fig.3-15 Paragraph in Word window

1. Select the text that is to be copied or moved as shown in Fig.3-16

Fig.3-16 Text selected for copying

 3 Office Automation 75
2. Click Copy or Cut in the Clipboard group of Home tab as shown
above.
3. Position the mouse pointer at the location where you want to copy
or move the text.
4. Click Paste in the Clipboard group. Copied text is shown in Fig.3-
17.

Fig.3-17 Text copied at the end of paragraph after leaving one blank line

There is another method for copying and moving text using shortcut keys. The steps for
this are given below.
1. Select the text.
2. Press Ctrl+C for copying or Ctrl+X for moving text.
3. Position the mouse pointer to the location where you want to copy or move the text.
4. Press Ctrl+V for pasting the text.
There is also a third method for copying and moving text. The following are the steps for
this method.
1. Select the text as shown in Fig.3-18.
76 3 Office Automation

Fig.3-18 Shortcut menu for copying or moving text

2. Right click anywhere inside the selected text to display the shortcut menu.
3. Click Copy or Move in the shortcut menu as shown in Fig.3-19
4. Move the mouse pointer where you want to copy or move the text.
5. Right click and then click Paste in the shortcut menu.
Deleting Text
To delete text, select the text using any of the methods described earlier and then press
Delete key.
3.1.5 MINIMIZE/MAXIMIZE RIBBON

Arrow to Minimize/Maximize
Ribbon

Fig.3-19 Minimizing or maximizing Ribbon

To minimize the Ribbon for more screen space, click the arrow in the upper-right corner
of the Ribbon as shown in Fig.3-19. When Ribbon is minimized, click on a tab to display it. The
Ribbon will disappear again when it is not in use. To maximize the Ribbon, click the arrow
again.
 3 Office Automation 77
3.1.6 INSERTING SYMBOLS
The following are the steps to insert symbols or special characters in documents.

Fig.3-20 Inserting symbols in document

1. Click Insert tab.

2. Click Symbol which is at the right end of ribbon. A group of symbols will be displayed as
shown in Fig.3-20.
3. Click the symbol that is to be inserted in document. The symbols will be inserted in the
document as shown in Fig.3-21.

Fig.3-21 Symbols inserted in document

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To display more symbols, click More
Symbols in the Symbol menu. A new
dialog box will open with two tabs,
Symbols and Special Characters as
shown in Fig.3-22. Now, select the symbol
and click the Insert button.

3.1.7 INSERTING EQUATION

Word allows user to insert common
Fig.3-22 Symbol dialog box mathematical equations or build up his own
equations using a library of symbols.

The following are the steps to insert built-

In equation.
1. Click Insert tab.
2. Click Equation button on the
Symbols group.
3. Select the type of equation you
want to insert as shown in Fig.3-23.
To following steps allow the user to insert
his/her own equation.
1. Click Insert tab.
2. Click π button on the Symbols
group. This will open the Design tab
shown in Fig.3-24 that allows inserting
common mathematical equations or build
equation using a library of math symbols.

Fig.3-23 Inserting equation

Fig.3-24 Design tab for inserting equation

 3 Office Automation 79
3.1.8 FORMATTING TEXT, PARAGRAPH AND PAGE
Formatting Text
Formatting text means changing the font type, size, style, color and effects of text.
Changing the Font Type and Size of Text
Open the Home tab
and click the arrow on the Font type Font size

right side of the currently

selected font type as
shown in Fig.3-25 and
choose another font type.
To change the font size,
click the arrow on the
right side of the font size
and select a font size
Fig.3-25 Changing font type and font size
from the drop-down list or
type a new font size. To change the font type or size of existing text, select the text and
then make the changes.
Changing Font Styles and Effects
The following are the steps for changing
font styles and effects.
1. Click the Home tab.
2. Click the dialog box launcher on the
lower-right corner of the Font group.
This will open the Font dialog box
shown in Fig.3-21. Now, the user can
change font styles and effects of text.
Some changes that are available in
the Font dialog box can be made directly
from the Font group in Home tab.
The following are the steps to clear the text
formatting.
1. Select the text you want to clear the
formatting.
2. Click the Home tab.
3. Open the Styles dialog box and select
Clear all as shown in Fig.3-26.
Fig.3-26 Font dialog box
80 3 Office Automation

Fig.3-27 Style dialog box

Paragraph Formatting
Paragraph formatting refers to change of format of text of paragraph such as font size,
color, line spacing, alignment etc. Paragraph formatting tools are provided in the Paragraph
group of Home tab as shown in Fig.3-27 and Page Layout tab.
 Changing Paragraph Alignment and Indenting
Paragraph alignment refers to the
appearance of lines in a paragraph in relation
to left or right margins. Left align is the default
setting for paragraph alignment.
Paragraph indentation refers to the
distance of paragraph from left margin.
Select the paragraph to change the
alignment and then select an alignment from
the Paragraph group on Home tab as shown
in Fig.3-28.
Fig.3-28 Paragraph alignment and indenting

Align left: It will align the text to the left margin.

Center: It will center the text within the left and right margins.
Align right: It will align the text to the right margin.
Justify: It will align the text both to the right and left margins.
 3 Office Automation 81
To increase paragraph indent, click
the Increase Indent button shown in
Fig.3-23, in the Paragraph group on
Home tab. To decrease the paragraph
indent, click the Decrease Indent button.
Increasing indentation will move the
paragraph to the right side by one tab
position. Decreasing indentation will move
the paragraph to the left side by one tab
position.
 Changing Spacing between
Paragraphs and Lines
The following are the steps for changing
spacing between paragraphs and lines.
1. Select the paragraph or paragraphs.
2. Click Home tab.
3. Open the Paragraph dialog box
shown in Fig.3-29 by clicking the
small arrow at the bottom right corner
of the Paragraph group.
4. Make the required changes.
5. Click OK to apply the changes.
Page Formatting
Fig.3-29 Paragraph dialog box
Page formatting refers to formatting
that affects the entire page such as changing page orientation, margins, page numbering,
header and footer, etc. Page formatting commands are included in the Page Layout tab on the
Ribbon. These are in the Themes, Page Setup and Page Background groups as shown in
Fig.3-30.
Commonly used page formatting commands include changing theme, margins, orientation,
page size and background.

Fig.3-30 Page Layout tab

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 Document Theme
Themes change the overall appearance of the entire document, including colors, fonts
and effects.
The following are the steps to apply a theme.
1. Click the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Themes button in the Themes
group.
3. Select a theme to apply from the menu
shown in Fig.3-31. If the user does not like
the selected theme, he can select another
one. To remove a theme from the
document select Office theme.
 Page Margins
Page Margins refer to the amount of
blank space that appears at the top, bottom, left
and right edges of a document.
Fig.3-31 Applying a theme to a document The following are the steps to set margins.
1. Click the Page Layout tab.
2. Click Margins button.
3. Select margins from the menu that appears as shown in Fig.3-32.

Fig.3-32 Setting page margins

 3 Office Automation 83
 Page Orientation
Page orientation refers to the
way rectangular page is oriented
for viewing. There are two types of
page orientations which are portrait
and landscape. In portrait
orientation, the height of display is
greater than width. In landscape
orientation, the width of display is
greater than height.
The following are the steps to
apply a page orientation.
1. Click Page Layout tab.
2. Click Orientation button in the Fig.3-33 Applying page orientation
Page Setup group.
3. Select Portrait or Landscape orientation as shown in Fig.3-33
 Page Size
Page size refers to the height
and width of page.
The following are the steps to
set page size.
1. Click Page Layout tab.
2. Click Size button in the Page
Setup group.
3. Select a page size from the
menu shown in Fig.3-34.
 Page Background
The Background group has
Fig.3-34 Selecting a page size
three items to set for the document
which include Watermark, Page Color and Page Borders. Watermark inserts dim text behind
the content of the page. Page Color sets the page background color and Page Borders option
inserts or changes the border around the page.
The following are the steps to set watermark
1. Click Page Layout tab.
2. Click Watermark command in the Page Background group.
84 3 Office Automation
3. Click Custom Watermark from the menu shown in Fig.3-35. User can also select a
watermark that is displayed in the menu if it fulfills the requirement.

Fig.3-35 Creating a watermark

4. Type the text for watermark as shown in Fig.3-36

5. Click Apply and then click Close to close the dialog box.

Fig.3-36 Dialog box to create watermark

 3 Office Automation 85
The following are the steps to set page color.
1. Click Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Page Color command.
3. Select a page color from the menu shown
in Fig.3-37
The following are the steps to set page
border.
1. Click Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Page Borders command in
Page Background group. Fig.3-37 Setting a page color

3. Select a page border style from the

Borders and Shading dialog box shown
in Fig.3-38
3.1.9 INSERTING PAGE BREAKS
AND SECTION BREAKS
A page break is a marker that tells
Word program that the contents which follow
are to appear on a new page. Word
automatically inserts a page break when the
user reaches the end of a page. Page break
is inserted in document when user wants to
add a new page to the document.
Fig.3-38 Selecting a page border style
A section break also inserts a new page
but it allows the user to change the page format without having any effect on the formatting of
the previous pages. For example, section break can be
used to break a document into sections having different
header and footer for each chapter of a book.
The following are the steps for inserting page break and
section break.
1. Click the Page Layout tab.
2. Click the Breaks icon to open the drop-down menu
shown in Fig.3-39.
3. To insert a page break click the first option under the
Page Breaks heading and to insert a section break
click the first option under the Section Breaks
heading.
Fig.3-39 Breaks drop-down menu
86 3 Office Automation
3.1.10 INSERTING HEADER, FOOTER AND PAGE NUMBER
Header refers to information that appears at the top of a page and
footer refers to information that appears at the bottom of a page. The type
of information that may
appear in the header or
footer includes book title,
document title, chapter number and title, page
number, company name, etc.
The following are the steps for inserting header or
footer.
1. Click the Insert tab.
2. Click the Header or Footer in the Header &
Footer group shown above to open the
drop-down menu.
3. Select a predesigned header or footer from
the drop-down menu shown in Fig.3-40.
Header or footer will appear in the document
and the Design tab will appear in the
Ribbon as shown in Fig.3-41.
4. Type the information in the header or footer.
5. After entering the information, click Close
Header and Footer in the Design tab.
Fig.3-40 Inserting a header
To edit the information in the header or footer
Double-click anywhere on the header or footer and make the changes.

Fig.3-41 Entering information in header

 3 Office Automation 87
Inserting Page Numbers
The following are the steps for
inserting page numbers in
documents.
1. Click the Insert tab.
2. Click Page Number in the Header
& Footer group. A drop-down
menu will appear.
3. Move the mouse pointer on Top of
Page or Bottom of Page
command. This will open a
submenu as shown in Fig.3-42.
4. Select an option from the
submenu. Page number will be
inserted in the document and
Design tab will appear on the
Ribbon.
5. Set the value for Header from Top
or Footer from Bottom in the
Fig.3-42 Inserting page number at the bottom of page
Position group of Design tab if
required.
6. Click the Close Header and Footer button on the Design tab.
3.1.11 INSERTING AND POSITIONING PICTURE
The following are the steps
for inserting a picture in a
document.
1. Place the cursor where
to insert the picture.
2. Click Insert tab.
3. Click Picture command
in Illustrations group.
The Insert Picture
dialog box will appear
as shown in Fig.3-43.
4. Browse and select the
picture file to insert and
click Insert button.
Fig.3-43 Insert Picture dialog box
88 3 Office Automation
Positioning Picture within a Page
Tip: If you want to The following are the steps for positioning picture on page.
change the page 1. Click the picture that is to be positioned. Format tab will appear on
number format, click
the screen.
Insert tab then click
Page Number and 2. Click Position command on the Arrange group.
select Format Page
3. Select a position from the menu. Top right corner is selected for
Numbers.
positioning the picture in Fig.3-44.

Fig.3-44 Positioning a picture within a page

4. Picture positioned at top right corner of page is shown in Fig.3-45.

Fig.3-45 Picture positioned at top right corner of page

 3 Office Automation 89
3.1.12 INSERTING WORDART
WordArt is a text modifying feature in Word to
create decorative effects such as shadow, colors,
outlines, 3D effects, changing shape of text, etc. as Fig.3.46 Text created with WordArt
shown in Fig.3-46. It is also
possible to convert existing
text into WordArt.
The following are the steps to
insert WordArt in a document.
1. Click the Insert tab.
2. Click WordArt in the Text
group.
3. Select character style from
the drop-down menu
shown in Fig.3-47. Format
tab will appear on the
Ribbon.
4. Type the text in the text
box shown in Fig.3-48. Fig.3-47 Inserting WordArt

Fig.3-48 Entering text in WordArt

90 3 Office Automation
5. Click Text Effects command in the WordArt Styles group.
6. Move the mouse pointer over Transform and select a text effect from the submenu as shown
in Fig.3-49.

Fig.3-49 Applying text effect

3.1.13 CREATING AND FORMATTING TABLE

A table consists of rows and columns. The intersection of a row and a column is called a
cell. Text is entered in the cells. Before inserting a table in a document, user should know the
number of rows and columns required. This is called the dimension of the table. User can easily
add more rows or columns as required. In table dimension, the first number is the number of
columns and the second number is the number of rows. For example, a 5x4 (five by four) table
means it has 5 columns and 4 rows.
Tip: Another way to insert table is, click
Inserting Table in a Document Insert tab, click Table and then select
Insert Table. Specify the number of
The following are the steps for inserting a 5x4 table.
rows and columns in the dialog box and
1. Click Insert tab. click OK.
 3 Office Automation 91
2. Click Table command in the Tables group as shown in Fig.3-50.

Fig.3-50 Inserting a 5x4 table in a document

3. Position the mouse pointer on the cell in the fourth row and fifth column and click. A blank
table consisting of 4 rows and 5 columns will be inserted in the document.
4. Now, user can enter data in the cells.
A 5x4 table with data is shown in Fig.3-51.

Fig.3-51 Data entered in a 5x4 table

92 3 Office Automation
Adding and Deleting Rows or Columns
The following are the steps for adding and deleting rows or columns.
1. To insert a row, click in the cell below or above which a blank row is to be inserted. To insert
a column, click in the cell to the right or left of which a blank column is to be inserted. Design
and Layout tabs will appear on the Ribbon.
2. Click the Layout tab.
3. Click the command in the Rows & Columns group shown in Fig.3-52 to insert a row or
column. If you want to delete a row or column click the Delete command in the Rows &
Columns group. Select the Delete Rows or Delete Columns from the drop-down menu.
User can also delete the entire table by selecting Delete Table.
User can delete multiple rows or columns by selecting them by dragging and then clicking
the Delete command.

Fig.3-52 Adding or deleting rows and columns

Resizing Rows and Columns

Following are the steps for resizing row or columns.
1. Click in any cell of row or column to change the height or width.
2. Click Layout tab as shown in Fig.3-53.

Fig.3-53 Resizing row and column size

3. Resize row height or column width in the Cell Size group.

To resize multiple rows or columns, first select multiple rows or columns. Last three rows
of table are selected for resizing in Fig.3-54. Table after resizing the last three rows is shown in
Fig.3-55.
 3 Office Automation 93

Fig.3-54 Selection of multiple rows for resizing

Fig.3-55 Table after resizing the last three rows

Adding or Changing Border Lines and Shading

The following are the steps for adding or changing border lines and shading.
1. Select the cells
2. Click the Design tab.
3. Open the Border drop-down menu in the Table Styles group and select a border as shown
in Fig.3-56.

Fig.3-56 Changing border lines of a table

94 3 Office Automation
4. For shading, open the Shading drop-down menu in the Table Styles group and select a
shading color as shown in Fig.3-57.

Fig.3-57 Selecting a shading color for a table

Merging and Splitting Cells

1. Select the cells for merging or splitting.
2. Click the Layout tab.
3. Click Merge Cells command in the Merge group as shown in Fig.3-58. Table after merging
the selected cells is shown in Fig.3-59. For splitting cells, click the Split Cells command in
the same group and enter required values in the Split Cells dialog box and click OK.

Fig.3-58 Selecting cells for merging

 3 Office Automation 95

Fig.3.59 Table after merging two cells

3.1.14 CHANGING MARGINS

The following are the steps for changing margins.
1. Click Page Layout tab.
2. Click Margins in the Page Setup group.
3. Select margins from the drop-down menu as shown in Fig.3-60 or click Custom Margins
and set the required margins in the Margins tab of Page Setup dialog box.
4. Click OK.
A page with Normal margins and Narrow margins is shown in Fig.3-61.

Fig.3-60 Changing margins Fig.3-61 (a) Page with Normal margins (b) Page with Narrow Margins
96 3 Office Automation
3.1.15 USING HYPERLINK
DO YOU KNOW?
Hyperlink is text in a Web page or document that links A Webpage is a document which
to another Web page or another place in the same document can be displayed in a web browser
when the user clicks on it. such as Google Chrome, Internet
Explorer or Edge. These are also
The following are the steps to create a Hyperlink. often called just "pages." A
collection of webpages are grouped
1. Select the text that is to be displayed as Hyperlink as together to from a Website.
shown in Fig.3-62.

Fig.3-62 Inserting a Hyperlink

2. Click the Insert tab.

3. Click Hyperlink in the Links group as shown in Fig.3-63.
4. Click OK.
There is also an easy way to create a Hyperlink to Web page. Type the Hyperlink text and
press Spacebar or Enter key.
Hyperlink appears in blue color and underlined. To open the Web page, position the mouse
pointer over the Hyperlink and press the Ctrl key while clicking the mouse button.
The text format of Hyperlink can be formatted to regular text, that is, it should not be in blue
color or underlined. To remove the text format of Hyperlink, Right-click the Hyperlink and select
Remove Hyperlink from the shortcut menu.
 3 Office Automation 97

3.2 SPREADSHEET
Spreadsheet is used to store, organize, calculate and present numerical data in an easily
understandable format.
3.2.1 INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEET
A spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns in which user enters numbers and text.
Spreadsheet programs are powerful multipurpose calculators, capable of everything from adding
two plus two to solving problems that involve complicated calculations. Spreadsheet programs
allow user to organize data, perform calculations, draw graphs of numeric data and develop
professional looking reports.
A common spreadsheet program is Microsoft Excel. It is a part of Microsoft Office 2010
software. Therefore, use of Microsoft Excel 2010 will be explained.
Opening the Microsoft Excel Program
DO YOU KNOW?
The following are the steps to open the Excel program. Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and
Paul Allen in April, 1975.
1. Turn on the computer and click Start button.
2. Click All Programs.
3. Click Microsoft Office to display the submenu.
4. Click Microsoft Excel 2010 to open the Excel program. The opening screen of Excel will
appear as shown in Fig.3-63.

Fig.3-63 Opening screen of Microsoft Excel

Identifying Cells
The boxes formed by the intersection of individual rows and columns are known as cells.
Cells are identified by the combination of their column letter and row number. For example, the
sixth cell in the third column is known as cell C6. This is known as cell’s address.
98 3 Office Automation
Active Cell
At any moment user is positioned in a single cell known as active cell or current cell. Active
cell has dark border as shown in Fig.3.63. When the user enters data, it goes in this cell.
Excel Workbook
Sheet Tabs
When user starts Excel, it creates a new blank
workbook, called Book1. A workbook contains sheets,
each of which is called a worksheet. Excel opens a
workbook with three worksheets as shown in Fig.3-
64.

DO YOU KNOW?
Tip: You can rename a worksheet. For this, right click the
Fig.3-64 Sheets of Excel workbook sheet tab of the worksheet that you want to rename, select
Rename in the shortcut menu, type a name and press Enter.
Size of Spreadsheet
Each worksheet in a workbook has 16,384 columns and 1,048,576 rows. Work area is like
a movable window. The user can move the window sideways to view additional columns as well
as up and down to view additional rows.
Filling Columns and Rows
The following are the steps to fill a series of numbers from 1 to 7.
1. Enter 1 in cell A1 and 2 in cell A2 below it.
2. Select the two cells, position the mouse pointer on the fill handle at the bottom right corner
and drag it downwards through A7.
3. The cells will be filled with series from 1 to 7.
4. You can open the drop-down menu at the bottom right corner as shown in Fig.3-65 and select
another option.

Fill Handle

Fig.3-65 Filling a series in cells in rows

 3 Office Automation 99
Cells are filled with odd numbers in Fig.3-66 by entering 15 in cell A3 and 17 in cell B3 and
then dragging the fill handle to cell F3.

Fig.3-66 Filling cells with odd numbers in columns

Relative Cell Addressing

In Excel, cell addresses included in a formula or function are relative cell addresses.
Relative cell address means when a formula is copied to other cells, the cell references in the
formula change to reflect the formula’s new location.

Fig.3-67 Entering formula in worksheet

100 3 Office Automation
To understand relative addressing, consider the worksheet shown in Fig.3-67.
 Enter the formula =B5+C5+D5 in cell E5 to calculate the total number of Acer laptop
computers sold in the first quarter.
 Copy the formula in cell E6.
 The formula in cell E6
becomes =B6+C6+D6 as
shown in Fig.3-68.
 The cell references have
automatically changed based
on the relative position of row
and columns because relative
cell addressing is used in
formula in cell E5.
 Similarly, the formula will
become =B7+C7+D7 in cell
E7 and in cell E8 it will
become =B8+C8+D8. This is
Fig.3-68 Copying formula to another cell
what is required in this
worksheet.
Absolute Cell Addressing
User can address a particular cell location no matter where the formula appears by
using absolute cell address. Absolute cell addressing keeps a cell reference constant when
copying a formula or function. Absolute cell addresses begin with a dollar sign in the formula,
such as =$C$5 + $D$5.

Fig.3-69 Using absolute cell addressing in formula

 3 Office Automation 101
In the worksheet of Fig.3-69, sales tax is calculated as 6% for software items. Absolute cell
addressing is used for the cell C3 in the formula =C6*$C$3 in cell D6 for calculating sales tax
because it should not change when the formula will be copied to cells D7, D8 and D9 as shown
in Fig.3-70 .

Paste Special

Fig.3-70 Copying formula that has absolute addressing

Excel copies all the information in the selected range of cells when you paste data. Excel’s
Paste Special command allows many
other options while pasting cells such
as paste only formats of selected cells
without contents or paste contents
without formulas.
The following steps describe the use of
Paste Special command.
1. Select the cell range to paste.
2. Open the Paste drop-down menu in
Clipboard group of Home tab and
select Paste Special as shown in
Fig.3-71. Paste Special dialog box
will open.
Fig.3-71 Using Paste Special command
102 3 Office Automation
3. Select an option from the Paste Special dialog box shown in Fig.3-72 and click OK.

Fig.3-72 Paste Special dialog box

Commonly used options of Paste

Special dialog box are explained
below.
All: Used to paste all the information in
the selected cell range. This is same as
normal paste command.
Formulas: Used to paste text, numbers
and formulas without formatting.
The formula in cell D6 in the
worksheet shown in Fig.3-73 is
Fig.3-73 Formula in cell D6 is formatted
formatted. When this formula is copied to
cells, D7, D8 and D9 using paste special,
the format of cell D6 is not copied as
shown in Fig.3-74.
Values: Used to convert formulas in the
selected cell range to their calculated
values and then apply the paste
command.
Formats: Used to paste only the
formatting of selected cell range without
cell contents.
Fig.3-74 Formula in cell D6 is copied to cell D7, D8 and D9
 3 Office Automation 103
All except borders: Used to paste all the information in the selected range without copying any
borders if used.
3.2.2 WORKING WITH FUNCTIONS AND FORMULAS
Working with Functions
Functions are built-In formulas in Excel that allow user to easily perform common
calculations on data. Functions can be entered in a worksheet using keyboard, Insert Function
command or AutoSum drop-down menu.
 Using Keyboard to Find Average
The following are the steps to calculate average sale for Acer laptop computer during the
first quarter using the AVERAGE function.
1. Select cell E5 where the result will appear.
2. Type =av to display the Formula AutoComplete list as shown in Fig.3-75.

Fig.3-75 Calculating average

3. Point to AVERAGE function and Double-click.
4. Select the range B5:D5 to insert it as argument to the AVERAGE function.
5. Press Enter key.
 Using Insert Function command to Find the Highest Value
The following are the steps to find the highest value.
1. Select cell B11 where the answer will appear.
2. Click Insert Function command shown in Fig.3-76. Insert Function dialog box will be
displayed.
3. Select MAX in the function list and click OK.
104 3 Office Automation
4. Type B5:B8 in the Number 1 text box of Function Arguments dialog box and click OK.

Insert Function command

Fig.3-76 Using Insert Function command to insert a function

 Using AutoSum Drop-down Menu to Find

the Lowest Value
The following are the steps to find the lowest
value in the range B5:B8 using AutoSum drop-
down menu.
1. Select cell B12 where the answer will appear.
2. Click Formulas tab.
3. Open the AutoSum drop-down menu in the
Function Library group as shown in Fig.3-77
and select Min.
4. Type the range B5:B8 and press Enter.
Working with Formulas
A formula is an expression that performs
Fig.3-77 Using AutoSum command calculations. It consists of operators, constants and
cell addresses. The standard operators used in Excel formulas are given in Table 3-78.

Arithmetic Operation Excel Operator

Addition +
Subtraction .
Multiplication *
Division /
Exponent ^
Table 3-78 Arithmetic operators used in Excel
 3 Office Automation 105
All the Excel formulas begin with equal sign (=) just like functions. For example, to
multiply two numbers 4 and 7, the
formula will be =4*7. User can also use
cell addresses in formulas such as
=(A4+B4)/5. This formula will first add
the contents of cell A4 and B4 and then
divide the sum by 5.
Following are the steps to calculate
the total number of laptop computer sale
for the months of January, February and
March in the worksheet shown in Fig.3-
79. Fig.3-79 Using formula to find sum

1. Click cell B9 where the answer will appear.

2. Type the formula =B5+B6+B7+B8 as shown in Fig.3-73 and press Enter.
3. To calculate the total number of laptop computers sold in the months of February and March
copy the formula from cell B9 to C9 and D9.
4. Click the cell B9, point to the fill handle and drag it through cell D9.
The user can also calculate the total number of laptop computers sold in January by
performing the following steps.
1. Click cell B9.
2. Click Formulas tab.
3. Double-click the AutoSum command in the Function Library group.
Excel Automatically Recalculates Formula Results
Whenever the user changes the value in a cell, the result of the formula in which that value
is used will be automatically updated. This feature known as automatic recalculation is one of
the main advantages that spreadsheets have over calculators.
3.2.3 GRAPHICAL REPRESENTATION OF DATA
A chart is used to
represent data graphically.
Charts are very helpful in
explanation and representation
of data. A commonly used chart
is the column chart. Therefore,
creation of this chart will be
described for the worksheet
shown in Fig.3-80.
Fig.3-80 Half yearly sale of laptop computers
106 3 Office Automation
Creating a Column Chart
The following are the steps for creating a column chart.
1. Select the cell range (source data)
as shown in Fig.3-81 that you
want to represent in the column
chart.
2. Click Insert tab.
3. In the Charts group, open the
drop-down menu of Column
command.
4. Select a chart from the menu. For
Fig.3-81 Selected cell range for column chart example, the chart on the top left
corner of menu.
The chart shown in Fig.3-82 will appear on the screen.
Tip: To select a predefined chart
style, click the chart that you want
to format. This will display Chart
Tools. On the Design tab, in the
Chart Style group, select the chart
style.

Following are the steps to give

titles to the chart and horizontal
and vertical axis to make it
more meaningful.
1. Click anywhere in the
chart to make the Chart
Tool tabs appear in the
Ribbon.
2. Click Layout tab as
shown in Fig.3-83.

Fig.3.82 Column chart

Tip: To only print the chart in a

worksheet, click anywhere in
the chart and give the print
command.
Fig.3-83 Layout tab of Chart Tools
 3 Office Automation 107
3. Click Chart Title in
Labels group and select
Above Chart.
4. Type the chart title in the
text box.
5. Click the Axis Titles
command, select
Primary Horizontal
Axis Title and select
Title Below Axis.
6. Type the horizontal axis
title in the text box. In the
same way give a title to
the vertical axis. The
resulting chart is shown
in Fig.3-84 Fig.3-84 Column chart after labelling

3.2.4 MANIPULATING AND FORMATTING DATA

Filtering Data
Filtering data means displaying
only the information that the user
needs based on a condition. For
example, user could filter a list of
students for viewing who belong to a
particular class. User could also
filter a list of people whose ages are
above 30.
The following are the steps to filter a
list of students who belong to class
IX.B.
1. Select the rows you want to filter Fig.3-85 Data selected for filtering
including the header row as shown
in Fig.3-85.
2. Select the Data tab on the Ribbon.
3. Click the Filter command in the Sort and Filter group.
4. Drop-down arrows will appear in the header of each column.
108 3 Office Automation
5. Click the drop-down arrow for class column. The
filter menu will appear as shown in Fig.3-86.
6. Uncheck the boxes next to (Select All), IX.A and
IX.C.
7. Check the box next to IX.B.
8. Click OK. Only the information of students who
belong to class IX.B will be displayed. The other data
will be temporarily hidden.
The following are the steps to clear the filter.
1. Click the drop-down arrow in the Class column.
2. Click Clear Filter From “Class”.
3. Click Filter Command in the Ribbon.
Fig.3-86 Selecting filter condition

Data Validation
Data validation is used to control the values or the type of data that user enters into a cell.
The following steps will define criteria for entries in class column of student worksheet to
IX.A, IX.B and IX.C. If the user enters any other data, an error message will appear.
1. Create a list of valid entries in the worksheet that contains the data IX.A, IX.B and IX.C.
2. Select all the cells in Class columns without the column header.
3. Click the Data tab on the Ribbon as shown in Fig.3-87.

Fig.3-87 Using Data Validation command

 3 Office Automation 109
4. Click Data Validation
command in the Data Tools
group. Data Validation dialog
box shown in Fig.3-88 will
appear.
5. Click the drop-down arrow
below Allow heading and select
List.
6. Click the button on the right side
below Source.
7. Select the cell range that
contains the list of valid entries
and click Close.
8. Click OK to apply validation.
Fig.3-88 Data Validation dialog box
As another example, restrict
data entries in the Age column to
ages between 13 to 17.
1. Select all the cells in Age
column without the column
header.
2. Click Data tab on the Ribbon.
3. Click Data Validation command
in the Data Tools group. Data
Validation dialog box will
appear.
4. Click the drop-down arrow
below Allow.
5. Select Whole number from the Fig.3-89 Data Validation dialog box
menu as shown in Fig.3-89.
6. Enter 13 for the minimum value and 17 for the maximum value.
7. Click OK to apply validation.
Protecting a Worksheet
When a worksheet is protected, other users can only view the information in it but changes
cannot be made.
The following are the steps to protect a worksheet.
110 3 Office Automation
1. Click Review tab in the Ribbon.
2. Click Protect Sheet command in the Changes group.
3. Enter a password and click OK.
4. Reenter password to confirm and click OK.
Unlocking Cells
Generally the user would not like to prevent changes to the entire worksheet. The user may
want to allow other users to make
changes in worksheet data but
prevent changes to titles and
formulas. For this, unlock the cells
in which data editing is to be
allowed.
The following are the steps to
unlock cells.
1. If your worksheet is protected,
click the Unprotect Sheet
command in the Changes
group on the Review tab.
2. Select the cells you want to
unlock.
3. Press Ctrl+1 to open the
Format Cells dialog box and
Fig.3-90 Format Cells dialog box click the Protection tab as
shown in Fig.3-90.
4. Click the Locked check box to remove its check mark and click OK.
5. Protect the worksheet as explained earlier.
Conditional Formatting
Excel provides commands to apply formatting to one or more cells based on the value of the
cell. This is known as conditional formatting. User can apply one or more rules to cells such as
if the value in the cell is less than 33 then color the cell red. The advantage of applying such
rules is that the user can easily view which cells have value less than 33.
The following steps will
color the text red with light
red background in cells
that have value less than
33 in the worksheet shown
in Fig.3-91
Fig.3-91 Result sheet of students
 3 Office Automation 111
1. Select the cells to which you want to apply conditional formatting.
2. Click Home tab on the Ribbon.
3. Click Conditional Formatting command in Styles group to open the drop-down menu and
select Highlight Cells Rules as shown in Fig.3-92.

Less Than command

Fig.3-92 Conditional Formatting

4. Select Less Than in the submenu.

5. Enter 33 and select Light Red Fill with Dark Red Text in Less Than dialog box to view the
failing marks in red color with light red background as shown in Fig.3-93.
6. Click OK to apply the formatting.

Fig.3-93 Worksheet after conditional formatting

112 3 Office Automation

3.3 URDU EDITOR

3.3.1 INTRODUCTION TO INPAGE URDU EDITOR
Inpage is widely used Urdu language editor introduced in
1994. It runs on Windows operating system and it is used for creating
documents in Urdu/Arabic languages, etc. It provides all the standard
formatting and editing tools available in word processors used for
creating documents in English. It is easy to learn and use. Inpage
allows user to create wide variety of documents such as letters,
reports, books, magazines, newspapers and brochures in Urdu. Urdu
word processing is now available in MS Word. That option may be
used. Next year you may learn MS Word Urdu using the language
bar in windows 7 onward. The language shift programming is called
localization. It was done by National Language Authority Pakistan
Fig.3-94 Opening Inpage and Inksoft, Islamabad under the guidance of Dr. Attash Durrani.
Program
Opening the Inpage Program
The following are the steps for opening the Inpage program.
1. Turn on the computer and click Start button.
2. Click All Programs.
3. Click Inpage 2009 Professional to display the submenu.
4. Click Inpage 2009 as shown in Fig.3-94. The opening screen of Inpage will appear as shown
in Fig.3-95.
Title Bar Menu Bar Formatting Tool Bar Horizontal Ruler

Paragraph
Align
Tool Bar

Document Window
Graphical
Shapes
Tool Bar

Vertical
Ruler

Fig.3-95 Opening Screen of Inpage Urdu Editor

 3 Office Automation 113
3.3.2 MANAGING A DOCUMENT IN INPAGE
Creating a New Document
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click New in the pull-down
menu as shown in Fig.3-96.
3. New Document window will
appear as shown in Fig.3-97.
4. Set the Page, Margins and
Columns setting and click
OK. Fig.3-96 File tab Fig.3-97 New Document window

5. Now, type the text in Urdu.

Selecting a Keyboard
Layout
1. Click Edit to open
the Edit pull-down
menu.
2. aClick
Preferences to
open the submenu
and select
Keyboard
Preferences as
shown in Fig.3-98.

3. Select a keyboard
from the Keyboard
Preferences
window shown in
Fig.3-99 and click Fig.3-98 Selecting a keyboard layout

Fig.3-99 Keyboard Preference dialog box to select

a keyboard
114 3 Office Automation
OK. User can also view the keyboard layout as shown in Fig.3-100 by clicking the view
option.

(a)

(b)

Fig.3-100 Keyboard layout of (a) Monotype and (b) Phonetic Keyboard

 3 Office Automation 115
Opening a Document
1. Click the File tab.
2. Click Open. The Open Document dialog
box shown in Fig.3-101 will appear.
3. Select the document
4. Click Open.
An Urdu document prepared in Inpage
program is shown in Fig.3-102.
Fig.3-101 Open Document dialog box.

Fig.3-102 Urdu document

Saving a Document
1. Click File tab.
2. Select Save or Save as. Save Document
As dialog box shown in Fig.3-103 will
appear.
3. Select the folder where document is to be
saved.
4. Give a file name to the document.
5. Click Save.
3.3.3 FORMATTING DOCUMENT
Copying or Moving Text Fig.3-103 Save Document As dialog box

1. Select the text to copy or move by dragging the mouse pointer. The selected text will be
highlighted.
2. Click Edit to open the Edit pull-down menu as shown in Fig.3-104.
3. Select Copy or Cut.
116 3 Office Automation
4. Position the mouse pointer at the location where the text is to be copied or moved.
5. Open the Edit menu and click Paste.

Fig.3-104 Text selected for copying

The shortcut commands Ctrl+C, Ctrl+X and Ctrl+V can also be used for Copy, Cut and
Paste respectively.

Fig.3-105 Document after copying the text

 3 Office Automation 117
Deleting Text
To delete text, select the text as shown in Fig.3-106 by dragging the mouse pointer and
then press the Delete key.

Fig.3-106 Text selected for deletion

Fig.3-107 Document after deleting the text

118 3 Office Automation
Changing Language
The following are the steps for changing to English language.
1. Click Language in Menu Bar as shown in Fig.3-108.
2. Click Toggle Language.
3. Perform the same steps to return back to Urdu typing.

Language Menu

Fig.3-108 Changing language

 3 Office Automation 119
Formatting Text

Fig.3-109 Text Formatting Tools

Select the text and apply the appropriate commands given in Fig.3-109. Text with different
formatting is shown in Fig.3-110.

Fig.3-110 Formatted text

120 3 Office Automation

Key Points

 Word processing refers to the use of computer to create, edit, format and print documents.
 A word processor is computer application software that is used for the creation of
documents on computer.
 Ribbon is located below the title bar of Word window and it consists of tabs, groups
and commands. It provides access to commands that are needed while working on a
document.
 Page break is a marker that tells Word program that the contents which follow are to appear
on a new page.
 Section break inserts a new page but it allows the user to change the page format without
having any effect on the formatting of the previous pages.
 Header refers to information that appears at the top of a page and footer to information that
appears at the bottom of a page.
 WordArt is a text modifying feature in Word to create decorative effects such as shadow,
colors, 3D effects, changing shape of text, etc.
 Hyperlink is text in a Web page or document that links to another Web page or another
place in the same document when user clicks on it.
 Spreadsheet is a grid of rows and columns in which user enters numbers and text.
 A workbook consists of sheets, each of which is called a worksheet. Excel opens workbook
with three sheets but user can add additional worksheets if required.
 Relative cell address means when a formula is copied to other cells in Excel, the cell
references in the formula change to reflect the formula’s new location.
 Absolute cell addressing keeps a cell reference constant when copying a formula or
function.
 A chart is a used to represent data graphically. It helps in explanation and communication
of the meaning of data in a worksheet.
 Filtering data means displaying only the information that is needed based on a condition.
 Data validation is used to control the values or the type of data that user enters into a cell.
 Conditional formatting means applying a particular format to one or more cells based on
the value of the cell.
 3 Office Automation 121

Exercise
Q1. Select the best answer for the following MCQs.
i. Which of the following software is used for creating professional documents?
A. Spreadsheet Software B. Word processor
C. Typing Tutor D. Both A and B
ii. Which of the following tab of Word Ribbon contains Clipboard group?
A. Page Layout B. Insert
C. File D. Home
iii. By default how many tabs are there in Word Ribbon?
A. 7 B. 8
C. 9 D. 10
iv. What is used for creating decorative effects in Word?
A. Paragraph formatting B. Text formatting
C. Page formatting D. WordArt
v. Which of the following tab contains the commands for creating charts in Excel?
A. Home B. Formulas
C. Insert D. Data
vi. Which of the following command in Excel allows the user to view only certain data in a
worksheet based on a condition?
A. Data validation B. Data filtering
C. Conditional formatting D. Data manipulation
vii. Which of the following command in Excel restricts user from entering wrong data in cells
of a worksheet?
A. Data validation B. Data Filtering
C. Conditional formatting D. Data manipulation
viii. Which of the following command is used to apply formatting to one or more cells based
on the value of the cell?
A. Data validation B. Data filtering
C. Conditional formatting D. Data manipulation
ix. Which of the following shortcut keys are used for pasting selected text?
A. Ctrl+C B. Ctrl+X
C. Ctrl+V D. Ctrl+P
x. When the mouse pointer is at extreme left and changes to a right-pointing arrow, which
of the following command is used in Word to select the entire document?
A. Double-click B. Triple-click
C. Ctrl+Single-click D. Shift+Single-click
122 3 Office Automation
Q2. Write short answers of the following questions.
i. What is a word processor? Write some advantages of it over a typewriter.
ii. Name any three types of documents which can be prepares in Word.
iii. Differentiate between page break and section break.
iv. Why header and footer are important in a Word document?
v. What is the purpose of control buttons in Word window?
vi. Why hyperlinks are created in Word document?
vii. Name any three areas of application of Excel.
viii. Differentiate between relative and absolute cell addressing in Excel.
ix. What are the advantages of protecting an Excel worksheet?
x. How graphical representation of spreadsheet data can be helpful in business.
Q3. Write long answers of the following questions.
i. Which shortcut keys are used in Word to move cursor to the beginning of line, end of line,
top of the document and end of the document?
ii. Write the mouse commands used for selecting various items is a Word document such as
single word, sentence, paragraph, etc.
iii. Explain text and paragraph formatting in Word.
iv. Describe the Paste Special command used in Excel.
v. Describe how functions are used in Excel with examples.
vi. Describe how formulas are used in Excel with examples.

Lab Activities
1. Type the following text and apply the commands given at the end.
COMPUTER ETHICS
Computer ethics is concerned with the moral guidelines for the ethical use of computer
technology. It emerged with the invention of computer. It specifies what is right and what
is wrong when using computer technology. The following are some important points of
computer ethics.
Computer should not be used to harm other people
Computer should not be used to commit any type of crime
Computer users should not create computer virus
a. Center the title and make it bold
b. Apply font size 16 to the title
c. Justify the paragraph
 3 Office Automation 123
d. Underline and bold the words “Computer ethics” in the paragraph
e. Apply italics and bold to the words “computer technology”
f. Apply bullets to the last three lines
2. Create weekly timetable of your class in Word and give title to it using WordArt.
3. Create the following worksheet in Excel and calculate sum and average using
formulas.

Expenses of 1st Quarter

S.No. Expense Jan Feb Mar Total Average
1. Salary 87000 102400 113800
2. Rent 2500 2500 2500
3. Utilities 3250 3500 3080
4. Transport 7830 6885 8940
5. Miscellaneous 4500 6708 7740

4. Create a column chart for expenses in the months of January, February and March
for the above worksheet.
5. Create the following worksheet in Excel and enter marks in the subject columns in
the range 0 to 75. Restrict data entries in the subject columns to the specified range
using data validation command.
S.No. Student Name Mathematics Physics Computer Chemistry
1. Abrar Nabi
2. Mumtaz Akbar
3. Muhammad Bilal
4. Javed Akhtar
5. Afzal
6. Muslim Khan

6. Write a leave application in Urdu using the Inpage Urdu editor.