COMPUTER BASICS

Welcome! Computer Basics is an introduction to personal computers, the Windows operatin s!stem, and Windows"#ased pro rams $i% !ou don&t 'now what an! o% that means, don&t worr! ( ( ( !ou soon will)*( The primar! %ocus o% this class is to et !ou started usin the li#rar!&s computer la# + #ut we&ll address ,uestions a#out !our home computer, too, as time allows( This class is -er! in%ormal, so %eel %ree to as' ,uestions and ha-e %un) Some Basic Terms Defined Hardware is the ph!sical parts o% a computer s!stem that !ou can see and touch( Besides the main #o. o% the computer $called the CPU, or Central Processin Unit*, hardware also includes input devices, such as the 'e!#oard and mouse, and output devices li'e the monitor and printer( Software is the electronic instructions that tell the computer what to do( So%tware o%ten comes pre" loaded on !our computer&s hard dri-e, or it can #e purchased and installed #! the user( The so%tware that runs the computer is called the operating system + t!picall! a -ersion o% Microso%t Windows( Other so%tware pro rams, called applications, help !ou accomplish speci%ic tas's li'e word processin or -iewin the Internet( Types of Computers Windows-based PC /arious companies includin 0ell, 1atewa!, and 2ewlett"Pac'ard manu%acture these computers, #ut the! all ha-e one thin in common the!&re desi ned to run the Microso%t Windows operatin s!stem( Applications %or these computers must #e Windows"compati#le( The processor $the 3#rain4 o% the computer* is t!picall! an Intel Pentium(

Apple Macintos These computers are manu%actured e.clusi-el! #! Apple( The! run a di%%erent operatin s!stem called the Mac OS( Applications, o% course, must #e Mac OS"compati#le( The processor inside these computers is t!picall! a 15( 6

!nce "pon A Time # # # We interacted with the %irst home computers throu h a primiti-e s!stem called 0OS( The user t!ped a command at the prompt to tell 0OS what to do + ma'in it necessar! to remem#er scores o% command words( The world wanted somethin easier) Then alon came the 1UIs $ raphical user inter%aces* + color%ul new pro rams which allowed the user to point and clic' instead o% remem#erin command words( Microso%t Windows and Apple&s Mac OS are the most popular 1UIs( Ta$e A %oo$ At Windows
My Computer Double-click to access your hard drive and removable drives

Pro&ram 'cons Double-click on these to launch a program

(ecycle Bin Drag items here to delete them Start Button Click here to launch programs or shut down Tas$ Bar Will display a button for each open document

Pro rams can #e launched %rom either their des'top icons or throu h the Start Menu( Tr! launchin pro rams #oth wa!s( Which is more con-enient7 8ote the #uttons in the Tas' Bar( Clic' #ac' and %orth on the #uttons( See what happens7 9

(esi+e T e Window

W at Can ' Do Wit A Window)

Minimize ! "educes the window to a button on the Task Bar Maximize/Restore ! Click once to e#pand the window to its ma#imum si e$ click again to return it to its previous si e Close ! Closes the window

Stretc T e Window Place your pointer on the ridges and hold down your mouse button to stretch the window hori ontally or vertically
Stretc T e Window Place your pointer on the ridges and hold down your mouse button to stretch the window hori ontally or vertically

Scroll Bars Drag the %floating buttons& or click the arrows to move up and down 'or left and right( through the contents of the window

Sa*e A Document !nto T e Windows Des$top

A%ter !ou&-e created a %ile, attempt to close it #! clic'in the X #o. $or choose Save As %rom the Minimize ! "educes window to File menu*( The computer will displa! the 3Sa-e As4 dialo #o., which as's !ou where !ou the want to sa-e !our %ile, and what !ou want to name it( a button on the Task Bar

(esi+e T e Window

Maximize/Restore ! Click once to e#pand the window to its In the File Name %ield, t!pe a %ile name that descri#es !our document( ma#imum si e$ click again to Clic' the Save #utton( return it to its previous si e Close ! icon( Closes the window 8ow loo' on the Windows 0es'top( :our document is displa!ed as a new
In the Save In %ield, choose 30es'top(4 Sa*e A Document !nto (emo*able Stora&e

When usin a li#rar! computer $or an! computer other than !our own, %or that matter* !ou will pro#a#l! want to sa-e !our documents onto remo-a#le stora e instead o% that computer&s des'top( Remo-a#le stora e is also a ood wa! to 3#ac' up4 !our %iles, or transport !our %iles to a di%%erent computer( A%ter !ou&-e created a %ile, attempt to close it #! clic'in the X #o. $or choose Save As %rom the File menu*( The computer will displa! the 3Sa-e As4 dialo #o., which as's !ou where !ou want to sa-e !our %ile, and what !ou want to name it( In the Save In %ield, choose the option that meets !our needs<
3 Floppy A!" Compact #isc #!" $S% Storage &!"

In the File Name %ield, t!pe a %ile name that descri#es !our document( Clic' the Save #utton(

(emo*able Stora&e =lopp! dis's, #lan' C0s, and USB plu "ins are popular choices %or remo-a#le stora e + de-ices that let !ou mo-e !our %iles easil! %rom computer to computer(
,loppy Dis$ Capacity- )*+ ,B How 't.s "sed-nsert into the floppy './( drive Blan$ CD Capacity- 011 ,B or 21 min* of audio How 't.s "sed-nsert into CD-" or CD-"W drive "SB ,las Dri*e Capacity- )32$ 345$ or 4)3 ,B How 't.s "sedPlug into the 6SB Drive

Deletin& A Document To delete a document sa-ed on the Windows 0es'top, simpl! dra "and"drop that document&s icon to the Rec!cle Bin( The document is now inside the Rec!cle Bin, #ut has not !et #een deleted( To -iew the documents in the Rec!cle Bin, dou#le"clic' the Rec!cle Bin icon( To delete these %iles, clic' the &mpty Recycle %in #utton( 0eletin %iles %rom remo-a#le stora e is >ust as eas!( 0ou#le"clic' My Computer and then dou#le" clic' the icon %or !our remo-a#le stora e $%lopp! dis', C0, etc(*( A window will open to displa! the %iles sa-ed on !our remo-a#le stora e( Clic' the %ile !ou want to delete, then clic' the #elete #utton(

Appendix ' More A(out Memory

Types of 'nternal Memory Hard Dri*e A hard dri-e is a permanent dis' installed inside !our computer( =iles and pro rams loaded on !our hard dri-e remain there permanentl! $or until !ou erase them* e-en when the computer is turned o%%( 2ard dri-es are measured in i a#!tes and can #e increased #! addin an additional dri-e or replacin the dri-e with a lar er one( (AM /(andom Access Memory0 RAM memor! temporaril! displa!s the document and application !ou are wor'in with + li'e a des'top where !ou spread out !our papers and %iles while !ou&re wor'in with them( 0ata stored in RAM disappears when !ou close a %ile or turn o%% the computer( RAM is measured in me a#!tes and can #e increased #! addin RAM chips( How T ey Wor$ To&et er E-en when !our computer is turned o%%, !our pro rams and documents are stored on the hard dri-e + li'e a %ilin ca#inet pac'ed %ull o% papers( When !ou start !our computer or launch a new application pro ram, the needed %iles are pulled out o% this 3%ilin ca#inet4 $the hard dri-e* and opened up in RAM memor! $!our temporar! wor'space* where !ou can wor' on !our document #e%ore sa-in an updated cop! #ac' into the 3%ilin ca#inet(4 1ilobytes) Me&abytes) 2i&abytes)- How Memory 's Measured A new term is used each time !ou increase the amount o% memor! #! a thousand< Byte A #!te is one character + such as a letter, num#er, or s!m#ol( 1ilobyte /10 A 'ilo#!te is 6,?95 characters + a#out one pa e o% dou#le"spaced te.t( Me&abyte /MB0 A me a#!te is 6,?5@,ABC characters + a#out the len th o% a no-el( 2i&abyte /2B0 A i a#!te is 6,?B;,B56,@95 characters + a#out 6??? no-els) The e.amples a#o-e are %or dou#le"spaced te.t %iles( Other t!pes o% %iles re,uire more memor!( Audio %iles, %or e.ample, ma! re,uire a me a#!te per son ( 0i ital pictures ma! re,uire e-en more, dependin on their siDe and resolution( 0i ital mo-ies ma! re,uire i a#!tes o% stora e) Additional (esources The li#rar! is !our #est resource %or li%elon learnin + includin #oo's, ma aDines, and -ideos on computers( As' !our %riendl! li#rarian %or a recommendation)