جمهورية العراق
وزارة التعليم العالي والبحث العلمي
جامعة الحكمة /هندسة تقنيات الحاسوب
Windows Operating System
المادة :انظمة التشغيل
Prepared by:
اياد احمد
عبد هللا منذر
عبد الرحمن كريم
Supervised by :
احمد وليد
1
Introduction
Microsoft Windows is a multitasking operating system developed by Microsoft
Corporation, which uses Graphical User Interface to interact with users. Microsoft
was initially named “Traf-O-Data” in 1972, was renamed “Micro-soft” in
November 1975, and then “Microsoft” on November 26, 1976. Microsoft entered
the marketplace in August 1981 by releasing version 1.0 of the operating system
Microsoft DOS (MS-DOS), a 16-bit command-line operating system. Bill Gates
and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, and the Windows operating system has been
its primary product .In this Introduction to Windows, we will also clear you about
the latest OS release of Windows, “Windows 10”, launched in 2015.
In a nutshell, below is how Microsoft Windows evolved:
Windows 1.0 – Nov 1985 Windows XP – Oct 2001
Windows 2.0 – Dec 1987 Windows Vista – Nov 2006
Windows 3.0 – May 1990 Windows 7 – July 2009
Windows 95 – Aug 1995 Windows 8.0 – Oct 2012
Windows 98 – June 1998 Windows 8.1 – Oct 2013
Windows ME – Sep 2000 Windows 10 – July 2015
Main Components of Windows
The main components of the Windows Operating System are the following:
Configuration and maintenance User interface
User interface Applications and utilities
Applications and utilities Windows Server components
Windows Server components File systems
Configuration and maintenance Core components
Services Kernel
DirectX NET Framework
Networking Security
Scripting and command-line Deprecated components and app
2
When coming to GUI components, we have the following as the main
components:
1. Desktop
It is the first screen you will see once the windows start. Here you will see “My
Computer”, “My Documents”, “Start Menu”, “Recycle Bin”, and the shortcuts of
any applications that you might have created.
2. Taskbar
At the bottom, you will see a row known as the taskbar. It has the currently running
applications; you can pin applications you frequently use using the option Pin to
Taskbar”.
3. Start Menu
This is located in the bottom left corner of Windows OS GUI. This is where the
user can search for any setting and any application for their use. Users can
uninstall or repair applications from the control panel. The user can do a lot of
activities just by searching through the start menu.
3
4. My Computer
Double-clicking the “My Computer” menu will let you navigate between your
different computer drives and the control panel tools. You can see and manage the
contents that are inside your drive. In Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and
Windows 11, My Computer is called "This PC" and is accessed through the Start
menu.
4
5. Recycle Bin
Deleting an item from any of your drives using the “delete” button or simply
clicking right-clicking and selecting the “delete” option is not deleted completely.
Instead, it is moved to the “Recycle Bin” folder of Windows. You can recover
your content if you have deleted it by mistake, or if you choose to delete the items
from here, it will get deleted permanently. Should you wish to delete the item in
the first go Itself without moving it to recycle bin, you can use the key “Shift+Del”
6. Maximize/Minimize/Close Buttons:
These buttons are located at the top right corner of our opened documents, and the
area used to close, minimize or maximize the document window. They help us
jump from one task to another fast and let us decide either we want to close an
application or resize it's area on the screen or just hide it for a few moments.
7. Shortcut:
A shortcut creates a button or icon which typically is located on the Desktop. By
clicking on this Shortcut, We can quickly open the document or application of
which it is a shortcut. It helps us save the tedious task of going to the main
directory again and again and saves our time.
5
8. Mouse Functions:
The mouse is an input device which is essential in the working of a computer. It
performs several important functions on Windows like Scrolling, Right and Left
Clicks, etc. It performs another very important function of modern windows
which is pointing towards different things and giving special instructions
whenever needed.
9. Highlight:
When we have opened a document, we can easily highlight the required portion
of our document by using Mouse. It is essential for documents and helps keep
track of useful information.
10. Copy/Cut/Paste:
These options are one of the most essential components of Windows. The copy is
used to copy a portion of a document from one document to another or a file or
folder from one location to another. The paste is used to paste the copied item on
the desired location. While Cut is used to move an item to our desired location in
the Computer.
6
11. Toolbar:
The toolbar is a simple row where we can see different options to customize the
look of our opened window. It has two types, Formatting Toolbar, and Standard
Toolbar. The standard toolbar consists of options like new documents, save a
document, etc. While Formatting Toolbar consists of options like font size, font
type, etc.
12. Drag/Drop:
Dragging an object means to move an object (file or folder) from one location to
another and when we reach our desired location, then we can drop the object to
that location. It is one of the most used features of windows as you have to move
files from one location to another.
13. File Extensions:
File extensions are used to define the type of the file. For example an image file
will have an extension of .jpg, .jpeg and a Word document will have an extension
.docx, .xls, .txt etc. You could have different types of extensions and these
extensions help you decide the type of software that will be used to access these
files.
7
Editions of Windows
Microsoft has produced several editions of Windows, starting with Windows XP.
These versions have the same core operating system, but some versions included
advance features with an additional cost. There are two most common editions of
Windows:
1. Windows Home
2. Windows Professional
1. Windows Home
Windows Home is basic edition of Windows. It offers all the fundamental
functions of Windows, such as browsing the web, connecting to the Internet,
playing video games, using office software, watching videos. Furthermore, it is
less expensive and comes pre-installed with many new computers.
2. Windows Professional
Windows Professional is also known as Window Pro or win Pro. It is an enhanced
edition of Windows, which is beneficial for power users and small to medium-
size businesses. It contains all features of Windows Home as well as the
following:
• Remote Desktop: Windows Professional editions allow users to create a
remote desktop connection. It provides users the option to connect with
another computer remotely, including share the control of its mouse,
keyboard, and view display. It is mainly accessed with the help of port
3389. Additionally, we can also use the TeamViewer or VNC application to
create a remote desktop connection.
• Trusted Boot: It provides security as encrypting to the boot loader and
protects the computer from rootkits (Collection of software tools that allow
users to enter another computer through an unauthorized way known as
rootkits).
8
• Bitlocker: It allows users to encrypt a storage drive by using AES
(Advanced Encryption Standard) algorithm. This feature is present in
Windows 7, and Windows Vista (Only ultimate and Enterprise versions),
including Windows Server 2008.
Features of Windows
1. Windows Search: We can have multiple files and contents located on our
system, and sometimes we may run out of memory about the exact location of
our file. Windows Search is a function included with Windows that allows
users to search their entire computer.
2. Windows File Transfer: We may need to transfer in or transfer out the files
and contents from our machine to other devices such as other computers or
mobiles, and tablets. We can do this using an Easy Transfer Cable, CDs or
DVDs, a USB flash drive, wireless Bluetooth, a network folder, or an external
hard disk.
3. Windows Updates: Windows includes an automatic update feature to keep its
operating system safe and up-to-date.
4. Windows taskbar: At the bottom-most part of your windows, you will see a
row known as the taskbar. It has the currently running applications; you can
pin applications you frequently use using the option Pin to Taskbar”. The
taskbar is the main navigation tool for Windows.
5. Remote Desktop Connection: This Windows feature allows you to connect
to another system and work remotely on another system.
9
Windows Application
A program that is written to run under the MS operating system is the Windows
Application. Examples of applications that run on Windows OS are Microsoft
Outlook, Internet Explorer, Remote Desktop Condition, Snipping Tool, and
numerous others.
These applications provide great functionality for users to do their day-to-day
activities. Every application developed for them to launch on Windows should be
compatible with the Windows operating system. That is why when you install
software, you might see two or three download options, download for Windows,
download for Linux and download for iOS. If you are interested in developing
applications for Windows.
10
Advantages and Disadvantages of Windows
After going through all the components, Features and the broad Introduction to
Windows, we will explore the advantages and disadvantages of Windows.
Advantages
1. Desktop as well as tablet-friendly OS.
2. Switching between applications is very easy.
3. Operating Windows does not require much technical knowledge.
4. Windows OS is the dominant OS and enjoys over 90% of the Market share.
5. MS OS has a great support community, and it also has the most significant
number of applications.
6. Microsoft provides a robust set of Enterprise focused Operating Systems,
Applications and services, making it the most dominant player in the OS
market.
7. More gaming.
Disadvantages
There are privacy and security concerns and incidents, and they are widespread.
Linux OS is by far the most secure OS ever built.
1. Cost for an upgrade.
2. Windows OS attracts many virus programs due to its significant market share
and easy-to-breach paradigm.
3. Windows OS is not that much of touch-friendly.
11
References
1. Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). List of Microsoft Windows components. In
Wikipedia. Retrieved October 17, 2025, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Microsoft_Windows_components
2. Microsoft. (n.d.). Build desktop Windows apps using the Win32 API.
Microsoft Docs. Retrieved [date you accessed the page], from
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/
3. EDUCBA. “Introduction to Windows | Main Components, Features.”
EDUCBA, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2025.
https://share.google/iNNWofn0lHiKLuDJu
4. Bnay Golay. (n.d.). Introduction to Windows. Scribd. Retrieved from
https://pt.scribd.com/document/522466937/Introduction-to-Windows
12
