46 Computer Service and Repair
Windows 8 does not support the
Start
menu feature. The default screen is Start,
Figure 2-14. Start contains a set of objects called
Tiles. Tiles are similar to icons used on earlier
Windows operating system desktops. A Tile
represents a shortcut to a Windows 8 program
applications referred to as an app. Tiles can easily
be added or removed from Start. The new design
was made for devices with touch screens, such as
the tablet and smartphone. However, you can still
use a mouse to navigate.
An alternate desktop that resembles the
traditional Windows desktop can be used instead
of Start, Figure 2-15. It looks similar to the desktop
of earlier Windows operating systems except
that it does not have a
Start
menu icon. A taskbar
is displayed across the bottom of the desktop
and the familiar icons displayed. You can create
desktop shortcuts or pin programs to the taskbar
for quick access to commonly used software
applications.
Cmd.exe
Cmd.exe
is a compact program that allows
the user to interact with the computer using
commands entered at the command prompt.
There are certain characters or symbols that
cannot be used in the file name. The characters
that are not allowed in the long file name system
are the following:
| * ? : \ / “
These characters have a special meaning to
the operating system and will produce errors
or unwanted results when used. As you can see
in Figure 2-12, Windows 8 displays an error
message when the user attempts to use a restricted
character in the folder file name. Restricted
characters also provide backward compatibility to
legacy operating systems.
Windows Desktop
The Windows desktop has maintained
a similar user interface from Windows XP to
Windows 7. Figure 2-13 shows a comparison
of the Windows
Start
menu for Windows XP,
Windows Vista, and Windows 7. The
Start
menu
is located at the bottom-left corner of the desktop.
Notice the similarities. From this menu, programs
are launched, folders such as
Documents
and
Pictures
are accessed, and commands such as
Shut
Down
are initiated.
File Extension Description
.avi Audio video fi le.
.bmp Bitmap graphics fi le.
.com Executable fi le.
.doc Document fi le.
.exe Executable fi le. A program that runs when the fi le name is entered at the command prompt.
.ini File containing confi guration data.
.jpg Picture fi le.
.log File listing actions that have occurred or containing a brief record or collection of data.
.mpg Video fi le.
.tmp Temporary fi le. Typically associated with Internet downloads and software installations.
.txt Text fi le.
.wav Wave audio fi le.
.wmv Windows media video fi le.
.wps Microsoft Windows word-processor document.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher
Figure 2-11. Common file extensions.