These instructions are for Vectra XM Series 4 5/75 systems used in the offices of the Vigo County School Corporation. It may apply but is intended to apply only to the administrative workstations that allow users to access the VCSC AS400.

Welcome to your new system! Doug, Keith and Jeff have been working very hard for the last few weeks to upgrade your systems give you a more modern and more powerful setup. Your system may still not be termed "cutting edge" but they are a step up from the Windows 3.11 that you used to have.

The Windows 95 that is loaded is a 1997 version that we have determined as stable and manageable on these systems. In all things dealing with Information Systems, we try to be as stable as possible. If vendors or others need to know what your system is running, the correct answer is "Windows 95, Version B".

Also with the software upgrade came a hardware upgrade. Your system now has 32 megabytes of memory instead of the 16 megabytes before the upgrade.

Things will be different on these systems. The entirely different Windows operating system will make some things seem much faster but others seem slower. The reality is, your system is faster than it was (because of the RAM upgrade) and any process that seems slower is probably because the system is just not showing you the steps it is going through. Windows 95 IS different. This document will help you get started on your way to working efficiently with Windows 95. Although we can’t cover everything that has changed or how to handle everything, the basics are covered and you can continue your own personal education from there.
 

STARTUP

Just as you did before, you can either press the power button on the CPU or you can press the spacebar. There is not difference in the way the system powers up using those two methods.

During the power up cycle you will see the POST (Power On Self Test) screen just as before showing the Vectra logo and the progress bar in the lower right hand corner. That’s not part of Windows, its part of the computer so it didn’t get changed.

After the POST, you will see the Microsoft Windows 95 logo on the screen for awhile then the will display a dialog box labeled as "Enter Network Password" followed by a McAfee virus scanner that will disappear soon leaving only the "Enter Network Password" dialog box.

There may be a "User name" already there. If it is yours, you don’t need to retype it. If its not, you may simply put your mouse pointer on the old user name and double-click the left mouse button. This will highlight the old user name. You may then type in your own. This user name will be the same user name or user ID that you use on the AS400.

Once you have inserted the correct user name you may either use the tab key to get your cursor into the "Password:" field, or you may click in that field with your mouse pointer.

Another dialog box will appear asking you to confirm the password. Type the same password as you typed in the dialog box before. After you type it press ENTER or click OK.

Once logged in, a little program called "Netdate" will start and run for a short time. This program reads the time off of our main server, Galileo, and sets your system to that time. The time on Galileo is periodically set to the NBS (National Beaureau of Standards) and will never be more than a few seconds off. This way every computer has the correct time within a few seconds. This also allows schools and administrators to know that the time on the PC at General Services and the time on PCs at the Administration Building are always the same. This facilitate consistent start times, lunch times, bus schedules and quiting times accross all administrative workstations.

Once the Netdate program exits, you are left on the Windows 95 "Desktop".
 

ABOUT THE DESKTOP

The Windows 95 desktop has several components.

Of the major parts there are the icons that are usually on the left edge of the desktop. Usually, you can click on an icon to open it. Some icons will open into a "File Manager" like screen with files. Others will run programs. There will be an icon for the AS400 client and one for Netscape. You can double-left-click on these to run the AS400 client or Netscape.

On the bottom of the screen is a thing called the "Taskbar". The taskbar holds programs that have been "minimized" or "iconified" while they were running. It also contains the "Start" button on the that allows you to access more programs and the "System Tray" on the right that contains a time clock and, at times, other information such as printer status screens and the FoolProof security lock indicator.

You may want to explore your system a bit by clicking on the Start button and looking around inside the programs. You’ll find things like Microsoft Excel, Word and Access. You’ll also find a menu for recently accessed "Documents". In the programs area you will see such things as Microsoft Works 4.0, Accessories, MS-DOS Prompt and Windows Explorer (A take off of the old "File Manager" that we used to have in 3.11).

It does take a bit of getting used to. Submenus under the Start button are a little difficult to navigate until you get the hang on it. Basically, a few pointers are in order. When you click on the Start button, click only once with the left button. Then, if you wish to see a sub menu, move the mouse pointer to it (such as the Programs submenu). If you hold the mouse pointer stationary for a few seconds, the Programs submenu will pop up. Same with Documents and Settings. And that will work all the way down into others. In some cases there are four sublevels you can access. It becomes second nature after a while.

Once you are familiar with moving around within your new, upgraded machine, you’ll be ready to access applications such as Works, Netscape and the AS400 Client.
 

SHUTTING DOWN, RESTARTING & LOGGING OFF

You must always shut your system down properly if at all possible. Improper shutdowns can cause you problems later on. The shutdown process is simple. Just click the start button and clock the very bottom option "Shut Down". A dialog box titled "Shut Down Windows" will appear with several options in it.

In most cases if you are leaving for the day you will select the first option, "Shut down the computer?".

If your system system is acting strange with lockups and errors and such, you might use the "Restart the computer?" option. This is essentially that same as the term "Reboot" or "Rebooting".

If you want to log off so another person can log in and use their AS400 account, use the "Close all programs and log on as a different user?" option.

In all but a few cases you must use this shutdown or restart process. You must never turn the system off until it tells you to do so. In some cases when the system is locked or has stopped and this process is not available (and no others will be either), you may be forced to hit the power switch or press the reset button. These are last resort measures. Always shut down if possible.

If you choose "Shut down the computer?" the system will shut down and power itself off. If you choose restart. It will exit Windows and restart much like you when you first turned it on. If you choose the "Close all programs and log on as a different user?" option, the system will not restart but simply exit the desktop back to the "Enter Network Password" dialog box.
 

RUNNING, MINIMIZING & EXITING PROGAMS

Windows 95 is different that Windows 3.11 in that when you minimize (usually called "iconify" in 3.11), an icon does not appear on the desktop but rather a small block appears on the task bar at the very bottom of the screen.

In Windows 3.11 you were taught to use the Alt-TAB key to switch between different programs if you had more than one running. Thankfully this still works. However, you also have a visual representation of the programs that are running. They will be down below on the task bar. You will be able to click on them and bring them up or close them.