Beginner Computer Tips

BASIC COMPUTER SKILLS

On any given day, most of what you do will involve computer systems. The television channels you watch, the radio stations that you listen to, the car that you drive in, and even the cash register at the local grocery store are all controlled in some way by computer systems! They help us perform tasks, keep track of a great deal of information, and even control the airplanes that fly above us. During the course of this class, you will learn about how they work, how to perform simple tasks, and much, much more.

                 

As with most products, computers are designed in a variety of ways. There are, however, major similarities regardless of the brand (e.g., Dell, Gateway, IBM) of the computer. All computers have the following components*:

THE MONITOR: The monitor looks like a television screen and is where you see what is happening on your computer. By using shadows and graphics with over a million different colors, much of what you see will appear 3-dimensional. Think of this as the ‘face’ of the computer.

The TOWER/CPU: (Central Processing Unit): The tower houses the machinery that allows your computer to work. Think of this as the ‘brains’ of the computer.

THE KEYBOARD: The keyboard is one of two ways to interact with your computer. The keys should mostly mimic a traditional typewriter.

THE MOUSE: This is another way to interact with your computer. Most mice have two buttons—a right and a left button—and a scrolling wheel.

*This applies to "desktop" computers, and not "laptop" computers. A laptop computer is simply a more compact version of a desktop, designed to be able to be carried around from place to place (e.g., to class or to a coffee shop). If you have questions about these different varieties of computers, please ask your instructor.

Hardware / Software

How Computers Work:  Computers use both hardware and software to perform their work. Think of hardware as the physical pieces of a computer – the monitor, the tower, all the pieces and parts inside the tower, the mouse, the keyboard, etc. Software, on the other hand, consists of programs that we use to interact with the computer. You can’t physically touch software like you can the keyboard, but you can still interact with it. A word processing program is an example of software that you might use to type a letter to a friend. Games that you play on your computer are also considered software—it doesn’t have to be work-related!

Information / Data:  Computers are designed to work with a type of information commonly referred to as "data." Data comes in a lot of forms, whether it is typed data (such as a letter to a friend), audio data (like a song), video data (like a popular movie or DVD), and more. Certain types of software programs work with different types of data. For example, the popular iPod device works primarily with audio data, and Microsoft Word, a word processing program, works primarily with written data. The keyboard is just one of the ways in which you can create, interact with and modify data. In addition, there are a number of ways to get data off of the computer, such as printing it out on paper, copying it to a CD-ROM or flash drive, or publishing it to the Internet.

I Think My Computer is Possessed!  It is a common misconception that computers have "a mind of their own." Although they can perform tasks much more easily than humans can (like counting, performing mathematical calculations and more), they always respond to what you ask them to do! In fact, it is safe to say that the computer cannot do anything that you do not tell it to do. It is important to remember that you are in control of the computer, in the same way that you are in control of, say, your car. Your car won't move until you press your foot on the accelerator, and it will not stop until you press the brake. Computers work in the same way.

Key Facts About Computers:

· A computer does not need to access the Internet in order to run properly. The internet is a way of connecting to other computer users. You connect to the internet using a phone line, a cable connection, or by using a wireless connecting device. For most home computer users, this is a paid service.


A computer will be able to perform most common functions (play music, type documents, edit pictures) and run programs without an internet connection. However, to view a web page or send an email, you will need an internet connection.

· A computer needs an Operating System in order to work, though any new computer that you purchase will come with an operating system already installed. The most common operating systems are Microsoft Windows and Macintosh OS X.

Turning On the Computer and Logging On: Turning the Computer On- As you sit down at your desk, you can assume that your computer system is one of three states:

· OFF: This is exactly what it sounds like: The computer is off, and no parts are running or working. The monitor is black (no images), there is no "whirring" sound from the tower, and the computer is unresponsive to mouse movements or pressing keys on the keyboard. The power button (if it lights up), should not be lit up.

· ON: When a computer is on, you should see images on the monitor, you will most likely hear a “whirring” noise coming from the tower (hopefully not too loud!), and the pointer on the screen (the small white arrow) should respond when you move the mouse.

· SLEEP MODE: Most computers have a mode called "Sleep," in which the computer is on, but it has assumed an energy-efficient, minimal power mode. To "wake" it up, simply move the mouse around or press the space bar on the keyboard, and it will “wake up” and return to the exact same place that it was when it went to sleep (in other words, if you were using a word processing program and put it to sleep, it would return to exactly what you were working on upon waking up!).

To turn a computer on if it is off, simply press the power button once (no need to hold the button – just press and release).

Logging On:  Once you turn the computer on, the monitor will go through a series of tasks before it is ready for you to interact with it (this process is called ‘startup’). This will last about one to two minutes.
If the computer is not working correctly, you may see an error message during startup. If the computer is performing as it should, however, you will probably see one of the following type of screen:

This is called a "Log On" window, and it means that the computer is password protected. If you do not see this window upon starting the computer, you can assume that your computer is NOT password-protected and may be used by anyone.

To log on, you would simply enter your user name and password. If you are using a public library computer, this may be a randomly generated number or your library card number.