As an operating system, the role of Windows NT is to provide an environment in which the applications or programs of your choice can work effectively.
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Applications or programs enable you to do specific kinds of work.
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The terms "application" and "program" are generally taken to mean the same thing, and are often used interchangeably.
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For example, a word-processing program turns your PC into a very advanced electronic typewriter.
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When your word-processing application is running, you can use your computer to create sophisticated documents, and to format and edit them in the way that suits you.
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Or, when you run a spreadsheet application, your computer becomes a complex spreadsheet-management system.
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You can create spreadsheets that have thousands of rows and columns, with behind-the-scenes formulas updating your calculations dynamically.
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Each application communicates with Windows NT.
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Windows NT, in turn, communicates with your computer's hardware.
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NT manages your applications and the hardware they run on, making sure that you get optimal performance and reliability.
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Most of the applications installed on your computer can be seen in the ^UStart^u menu.
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Although the most common way of starting an application in Windows NT is to select it from the ^UStart - Programs^u menu, there are other ways of launching.
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If you are on a network, the applications listed here may not be on your own machine - they may be installed on a network server.
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The ^UPrograms^u menu shows a list of applications that are available to you on your system.
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<f>On the system shown here, for example, you can see that a number of Microsoft Office applications are available.
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Some applications appear in further submenus, off the ^UPrograms^u menu.
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If you use a particular application every time you use your computer, you may consider adding it to your Startup folder.
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Windows NT launches the application automatically once you have created a shortcut to it in the Startup folder.
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For detailed information on creating shortcuts, see the CBT Systems course ^RWindows NT 4.0: Up and Running^r.
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You can also launch an application if you have, for example, a shortcut to an application on your desktop.
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You double-click the icon to launch the application.
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Applications can also be launched by double-clicking the appropriate file from Explorer or from My Computer.
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But, for less experienced users, this is not the recommended route.
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Occasionally you might need to run an application not listed in the ^UPrograms^u menu.
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One way you can do this is to choose ^URun^u from the ^UStart^u menu.
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You can also use this command to install a new application.
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Let's say, for example, that you have an application called Graph Maker on CD. You rarely use it, and when you do, you run it from the CD rather than installing it.
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If you know the complete path and filename of the application you want to run, type it at the Open text box.
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An example of a filename you might type in would be
^RD:\Gmaker.exe^r.
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However, if you're not sure about the path name or file name, you can click the ^UBrowse^u button.
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In the Browse dialog box, you open the Look in drop-down list.
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You click the drive icon you want - in this case, ^UD:^u.
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Then you expand the folders until you locate the application file you want.
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When you see the file listed, in this case, ^UGmaker.exe^u, you double-click it.
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You can also choose the application by clicking it, and then clicking the ^UOpen^u button.
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NT returns you to the Run Dialog box and inserts the path at the Open field.
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Finally, you click the ^UOK^u button.
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NT then runs the application.
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At some point, you may need to install applications on your computer.
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Applications generally come on either floppy disk or CD.
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It is also possible to download some applications from the Internet.
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Generally, for an application to run effectively, you have to follow an installation process.
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Windows NT makes installing and uninstalling applications quite straightforward.
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The Add/Remove Programs feature allows you to install or uninstall - parts, or all, of an appplication.
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To access this feature, you click the ^UStart^u button.
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Then you select ^USettings^u.
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You click the ^UControl^u ^UPanel^u option.
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Next you double-click the ^UAdd/Remove^u ^UPrograms^u icon.
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Then you click the ^UInstall/Uninstall^u tab.
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A list of the applications you've installed is displayed.
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At this point you have the option of clicking the ^UInstall^u button to install a new application.
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NT prompts you to insert the floppy disk or CD that contains the application's setup files.
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When you've done that, you click the ^UNext^u button.
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When NT finds the installation program, it displays the filename at the command line field.
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You now click the ^UFinish^u button, and NT runs the installation program.
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From this point, you follow the on-screen instructions, which vary depending on the application you are installing.
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If you want to add to, remove, or modify an installed application, you click the ^UAdd/Remove^u button.
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Windows NT prompts you through the process you wish to carry out.
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If a program you wish to uninstall is not listed in the Add/Remove Programs Properties dialog box, it's best to get expert advice before attempting to delete it.
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Windows NT comes with a number of ^Rapplets^r.
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As the name implies, applets are mini-applications - sometimes, scaled-down versions of sophisticated, off-the-shelf applications.
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In Windows NT, you can start most applets from the ^UPrograms -^u ^UAccessories^u menu.
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NT applets can be divided into three main groups:
ò single-user
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ò administrative
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ò multi-user
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The single-user applets make up the largest group of NT applets.
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Some examples are:
ò Calculator
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ò CD Player
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ò Character Map
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ò WordPad
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ò Paint
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The Calculator applet is a quick and accessible way of doing calculations.
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You can convert it to a scientific calculator, if necessary.
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The Windows NT CD Player enables you to play audio CDs on your CD-ROM drive.
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The controls on CD Player are very similar to those on an ordinary CD player.
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CD Player enables you to create a database of CD and track titles, and to set the order in which they are played.
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Once you have defined the title and tracks, CD Player automatically recognizes the CD when you put it in the drive.
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Suppose you need a special character for the font that you are using.
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If you don't remember the Alt+number keyboard equivalent, you can use the Character Map applet to copy special characters to the Clipboard and paste them into your documents.
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With your document open, you select ^UProgram - Accessories^u, and then click the ^UCharacter Map^u option.
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In the dialog box, you choose the font and subset that you want to use.
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After you select the character using the ^USelect^u button, you click the ^UCopy^u button.
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Now you can return to your document, and use ^UCtrl+V^u to paste the character into it.
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WordPad has everything you need to write basic letters, memos, or reports.
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It lets you change fonts, insert graphics, and print very attractive documents.
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Paintbrush is a useful paint program for working with graphics.
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Although its tool palette and features are more limited than commercial paint applications, Paintbrush is very useful for basic graphic manipulation.
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The administrative applets, found in the ^UAdministrative^u ^UTools^u menu, include:
ò Disk Administrator
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ò User Manager
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ò Performance Monitor
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ò Event Viewer
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ò BackUp
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<f>If you are on a network, you rarely need to use any of these applets. Your administrator sees to most administrative tasks.
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Windows NT also includes multi-user applets, for example:
ò Chat
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ò Clipboard Viewer
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They are called multi-user because they can be used on a network.
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They make exchanging information and communication easy.
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Chat allows two or more callers, on-line at the same time, to talk to each other by taking turns typing.
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Clipboard Viewer is a very useful applet.
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Whenever you cut or copy data from a file, Windows NT puts it in a temporary storage area called the Clipboard.
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You can then paste the data into another section of the same file, or into another file.
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The Clipboard Viewer applet allows you to view and manipulate what is in the Clipboard.
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You start the Clipboard Viewer by clicking its icon in the ^UAccessories^u menu.
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Initially, you see the Local ClipBook.
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You change to the Clipboard by choosing ^UWindow -Clipboard^u.
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Here, a graphic has been copied to the Clipboard.
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The contents of the Clipboard are always treated as a single unit.
This means you can never paste part of the Clipboard contents into a document.
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You can view the data in the Clipboard in different formats.
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To change the display data, you can select one of the formats from the list in the ^UView^u menu.
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The ^UDefault Format^u is initially checked.
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This means that the Clipboard window has automatically selected the format.
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In the ClipBook Viewer, you can click ^UFile - Save As^u to save the data as a CLP file.
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You can also save data from the Clipboard that you want to recall later or share in the Local ClipBook.
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The Local ClipBook is a permanent storage area for the contents of the Clipboard.
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To save the data, you click ^UWindow -^u ^ULocal ClipBook^u.
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Then you choose ^UCtrl+V^u to paste.
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You now name the page you are creating in the Paste dialog box displayed.
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Then you click ^UOK^u.
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Suppose you've cut a piece of text from a Word document and then closed Word.
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You now want to paste the text into your accounting files.
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But you would first like to preview it, briefly, on the Clipboard.
