Computer Skills Diploma in Nursary Teaching DNT

TEAM UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF EDUCATION
DIPLOMA IN NURSARY TEACHING
COMPUTER APPLICATION SKILLS
COURSE CODE: UCC 1102
STUDY MATERIAL
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COURSE TITLE: COMPUTER APPLICATION SKILLS
CODE: UCC 1102
HOURS TAUGHT: 3 Hours Per week
PREREQUISITES: None
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The purpose of the course is to enable students learn the basic skills of using a computer as a
central tool for pursuing their studies. It provides a general introduction to the broad aspects of
computer systems, how it works, a brief history of the computers and the basic components of a
computer. In addition, students will be grounded in the proper use of the Internet for research.
1.1
COURSE OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course unit, students should be able to:
1) Identify the various parts of a computer systems and what each does.
2) Identify and explain the various Operating Systems
3) Identify major software applications and what they do.
4) Describe what capabilities Internet has, what a browser does, and be able to perform
basic navigation over the worldwide web.
5) Explain the Open source software, Linux and Open Office.
EXPECTED LEARNING OUT COMES

1) Design, deliver, and evaluate learning and teaching on a continuum of instructional approaches.
2) Create positive and engaging environments that promote respect for the diversity of learners.
3) Use instructional strategies and educational technologies appropriately to support and enhance
teaching and learning.
4) Communicate effectively and work collaboratively in the workplace and in the community.
5) Act in an ethical and professional manner when working in an adult setting.
6) Develop professionally in response to trends and issues in the field of teaching and instruction
7) Become a reflective teacher practitioner.
COURSE CONTENT
UNIT 1: Introduction to Computers Systems 5 hours
General introduction,
 computer sub-system,
 hardware/ software/ human resource,
 data/operating environment,
 computer hardware, system unit,
 monitor/ keyboard/ mouse/ printer, computer software,
 application software.
UNIT 2: Basic Computer Processing

 Software categories,
 digital computers, binary numbers 5 hours
UNIT 3: Computer architecture 5 hour

 Input/ output devices,
Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 2

 main and secondary memory,
 Central Processing Unit
UNIT 4: Introduction to operating systems 5 hours
 Windows Professional/xp/vista, Windows NT4.0, Linux/Unix
UNIT 5: The Internet and the World Wide Web 5 hours
 Internet; World Wide Web;

 browsers: Netscape and Internet Explorer;
 internet addresses; use of search engines;
 use of the internet for on-line purchasing,
 on-line courses, research;
 sending, receiving and managing electronic mail.
UNIT 6: Word Processing 5 hours

 Producing documents with formats and styles,
 use of mail merge to create letters,
 manipulating text and graphics and documents create templates and forms to use,
import / export other documents into MS Word.
UNIT 7: Spreadsheets and modelling 5 hours
Use MS Excel for budgeting and analyzing financial and statistical data, add charts and
objects to charts, import data from other applications such as databases, carry out simulations
and modelling using spreadsheets.
UNIT 8: MS Power Point 5 hours

Produce excellent presentations with MS PowerPoint
UNIT 9: Computer Design & Graphics 5 hours
 Corel Draw; Photo paint; front page; Publisher
MODE OF DELIVERY
 Lectures
 Reading assignments
 In class discussions
 Guided discovery
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT
 Whiteboard and Markers
 Flip Charts
 LCD Projectors
 CDs, DVDs and Tapes

COURSE ASSESSMENT
 Continuous assessment tests 20%
 Group and individual project (course work) 20%
 End of semester examination 60%
Total 100%
READING MATERIALS
Timothy O Leary, Linda O Leary (2005). Computing Essentials 2005 Complete Edition,
McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., NY
Sanghera (2005). Fundamentals of Computing, Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., USA
Larry E. Long, Nancy Long (1996). Introduction to Computers & Information
System, Internet Edition, Prentice Hall College Div
Shelly OHara, Paul Wray, (2001). Introduction to Computers and the Internet for
Seniors, D D C Publications
Cohen, Bernard (2000). Howard Aiken, Portrait of a computer pioneer. Cambridge,
Massachusetts: The MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-53179-5.
David J. Eck (2000). The Most Complex Machine: A Survey of Computers and Computing. A K
Peters, Ltd. p. 54.ISBN 978-1-56881-128-4.
Essinger, James (2004). Jacquard's Web, How a hand loom led to the birth of the information
age.Oxford University Press.ISBN 0-19-280577-0.
Fuegi, J.; Francis, J. (2003)."Lovelace & Babbage and the creation of the 1843 'notes'".IEEE
Annals of the History of Computing.25 (4): 16.
Ifrah, Georges (2001). The Universal History of Computing: From the Abacus to the Quantum
Computer. New York: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-39671-0.
Stokes, Jon (2007). Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and
Computer Architecture. San Francisco: No Starch Press. ISBN 978-1-59327-104-6.
UNIT 1
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS

1.2 Introduction
The first use of the word "computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried
out calculations, or computations, and the word continued to be used in that sense until the
middle of the 20th century. From the end of the 19th century onwards though, the word began
to take on its more familiar meaning, describing a machine that carries out computations.
The history of the modern computer begins with two separate technologiesautomated
calculation and programmability but no single device can be identified as the earliest computer,
partly because of the inconsistent application of that term. Examples of early mechanical
calculating devices include the abacus, the slide rule and arguably the astrolabe and the
Antikythera mechanism (which dates from about 150100 BC). Hero of Alexandria (c. 1070
AD) built a mechanical theater which performed a play lasting 10 minutes and was operated by
a complex system of ropes and drums that might be considered to be a means of deciding
which parts of the mechanism performed which actions and when. This is the essence of
programmability.
Although mechanical examples of computers have existed through much of recorded human
history, the first electronic computers were developed in the mid-20th century (19401945).
These were the size of a large room, consuming as much power as several hundred modern
personal computers (PCs). Modern computers based on integrated circuits are millions to
billions of times more capable than the early machines, and occupy a fraction of the space.
Simple computers are small enough to fit into a wristwatch, and can be powered by a watch
battery. Personal computers in their various forms are icons of the Information Age and are
what most people think of as "computers". The embedded computers found in many devices
from MP3 players to fighter aircraft and from toys to industrial robots are however the most
numerous.
Computer
A computer is an electronic machine/device capable of accepting data (input), works with the
data arithmetically and logically (processing) and produce output as a result of processing and
the results may be stored for future use. Most computers that sit on a desktop as well as
Laptops are called Personal Computers (PCs)
IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTER EDUCATION TO STUDENTS
Technology has struggled to find its way into the classroom in all sorts of ways, from
projectors and televisions to computer labs and student laptops. Along with improving the way
students are taught, it is also vitally important that students learn to use computers to improve
their own work and prepare for careers in a world where computers have become as common as
the pencil and paper.
Modernizing Education; Education has benefited from the inclusion of technology and
computers by making it easier for students to keep up while helping teachers by improving the
way lessons can be planned and taught. Students who use computers learn to use word

processors for work, and subsequently they learn computer jargon and strengthen grammatical
skills. Students can also look up lessons on websites or through email rather than lugging heavy
textbooks with them every day.
Improving Student Performance; Students who use computers have been shown to attend
school more steadily and perform better than students who do not use computers. Along with
getting higher grades on exams, students also stated they felt more involved with their lessons
and work if they used a computer. Using computers gets students to become more focused on
their work at home, in collaborative projects with other students and on their own.
Learning Job Skills; Computers play a vital role in the modern business world, and many of
even the most basic jobs involve technology and computers. Teaching students how to use
computers helps them prepare for any number of possible careers, and classes based on
computer education can get even more specific. Many classes teach students to use office suite
programs, create presentations and data sheets, and learn any number of programming
languages such as C++ or Java.
Efficiency; Computers make the learning process a lot more simple and efficient, giving
students access to tools and methods of communication unavailable offline. For example,
students can check their grades or lesson plans online, and also communicate directly with their
teachers via email or educational platforms such as Blackboard. Students can also send work to
their teachers from home or anywhere else, letting them finish work outside the constraints of
school hours and teaching them about procrastination and personal responsibility.
Research;Technology has made research far easier than in the past. Decades ago, students
learned history by going to the library and thumbing through history books and encyclopedias.
Today, many of those same books are available in digital format and can be accessed online.
As the Internet has grown, so too has the available research options. Students can research
topics in minutes rather than the hours it used to take.
Computer-Based Instruction; Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) refers to any teaching

methodology that uses computers as a key element of information transmission. Computers, for
example, can be used to present content and lesson plans to students in more engaging
multimedia formats or used in test-taking to simplify grading and evaluation. CBI is especially
useful in high-enrollment classes and in special needs groups that bring together students with
varying mental, physical and behavioral competencies, because computer applications can be
adjusted to different learning styles and paces when the instructor is unable to provide
individual attention to each student.
Communication; Of the computers located in classrooms, the NCES found that 93 percent
had access to the Internet, turning each computer into a powerful research station with access to
global information. Students can use computers to compile information and access reference
materials, enriching the content presented in the classroom and facilitating student access to
information. Internet connections also provide a quick communication method through email,
message boards and chat programs, allowing teachers to communicate with students and
parents or for students to communicate with each other during group projects.

Data Processing and Presentation; Even without an Internet connection, a computer's
processing power helps students quickly organize data in spreadsheets or databases and
perform calculations and basic data-modeling. Moving data to visual presentation formats,
students can also prepare digital presentations for instructors and fellow classmates. Teachers
can make use of the same programs for curricular development or to store and organize
information about grades, participation and attendance. Unlike paper formats, digital files are
easier to edit and transfer, streamlining communication between teachers, students and parents
and saving time when teachers update their classroom materials.
Computer Literacy Education; Beyond the contributions computers make to the traditional
curriculum making history lessons more engaging or grammar instruction more personalized
learning how to use and manipulate computer applications is a goal of educational computing
in itself. With a world and job market that increasingly demands computer skills, students who
learn to use the devices from an early age are at a marked personal and professional advantage.
In fact, developing countries like Pakistan have ambitious computer distribution programs for
students designed to build computer literacy and democratize computer access.
Others
It has become difficult to imagine the world without the influence of computer technology and
there are more reasons to pursue this area of study than you may think.
Expanding technology
Remember? There was a time before computers ever played a role in our lives. The exponential
growth in technology has seen in the past ten years the emergence of Twitter, Facebook, smart
phones, wireless communications and many other technological advances in fields such as
medicine and robotics. At the current rate of growth, by 2020 the technological landscape and
its influence on our daily lives will be unimaginable. Therefore, when it comes to thinking
about all the potential avenues of study you could choose from, computing is always worth
considering.
Computing is all around us

The digital age continues to expand with the role of computing pervading throughout almost all
industries and organisational processes. Whether you work as a programmer, medical
practitioner or marketer it is becoming increasingly important for you to possess, at varying
levels of proficiency, some understanding of computer science. Computer science no longer
stands alone; it is an ever-increasing part of countless business departments and processes, and
in this digital age, even journalists are being encouraged to learn JavaScript and HTML.
An ever-expanding field
The colossal growth of computing in the past few decades offers evidence of just how
unpredictable an area it is. The scope for progression is considerable to say the least and it is
easy to see why so many people want to be part of such an opportunity. When you commit to
studying a subject the minimum you want is to know that your future is secure. Traditionally,
computer science graduates would move into programming and software engineering.

However, as the influence of computing continues to grow, graduates can also expect to be
offered positions in other departments.
Variety
Computer science covers a great many job roles, from pure programming positions such as
.NET developers, to the opportunity to be engaged with technical change management or to
project manage development cycles. Experienced professionals also benefit from possessing a
great number of transferable skills. This allows for professionals to move around the computing
sector, keeping their workload fresh, while simultaneously developing new and solidifying
existing skills and competencies.
Rewarding career opportunities

In addition to its potential to evolve much further, computing is also a career in which there are
many high-paying jobs. In the UK, the average salary for a computer science graduate who
moves into software engineering is £33,000, with salaries for a software development manager
rising to upwards of £60,000. As technology develops, careers that demand a significant
amount of computing training will inevitably develop alongside the evolution of technology.
As a result, workers will benefit from being engaged with activities that are constantly
changing and refreshing; promoting job satisfaction and aiding in their personal and
professional development.
A solid foundation
What works for one person will not necessarily work for someone else, and of course anyone
can change their mind on what they actually want to do in their career. This is all the more
reason to dedicate some of your studies to computing. The skills you learn in computing can be
applied to so many other areas and enable you to constantly evolve your professional life. For
example, a professional using .NET to develop applications may wish to broaden their
professional skill set by moving into a more managerial position, where they will combine
technical skills with softer, managerial skills.
Chances to be creative
Although there are many varying kinds of computing roles it is an industry that encourages a
creative side. Whether it is bringing something new to the appearance of a program, process or
application, developing and improving its function, innovation goes a long way in this field.
For example, many of the worlds richest and most successful entrepreneurs have been able to
combine a strong computing background with creativity. Mark Zuckerberg, the creator of
Facebook, is a prime example of someone who used his strong technical foundation alongside a
creative mind-set that allowed him to develop an application that billions across the world now
use.
Universal significance
The increasing influence of globalisation and developments in cross-continental
communications has transformed the job market, with large businesses and corporations now
able to relocate much of their development work to nations where the demand for skills can be
met. The emergence of global technology hubs, such as Hong Kong, South Korea and
Singapore, highlights how the uptake of computing early on in schools can significantly boost
the national economy and drive up living standards for the wider population. Taking computer

science can also provide opportunities for travel, as professionals with these particular skills are
sought out across the globe, offering candidates the freedom to live and work in a country of
their choosing.
Problem-solving skills
Studying computing and the logic of a variety of coding languages and processes enables you
to advance the way that you think and relate to the world.
Make a difference
Finally, studying computing can take you down a number of different paths and many of these
allow you to have a positive impact on lives in general. Computer technology is heavily
connected to the medical field, education, entertainment, architecture and even in security, so
the opportunity to ultimately use your computer studies to bring something good to people are
vast.
The ability to store and execute lists of instructions called programs makes computers
extremely versatile, distinguishing them from calculators. Therefore computers ranging from a
mobile phone to a supercomputer are all able to perform the same computational tasks, given
enough time and storage capacity.
Figure 1: Basic parts of a Computer

1.2.1 Data and Information
Data is an unevaluated facts or figures. Information is the processed data. Data should not be
confused with a computer program which is a set of instructions that detail a task for the
computer to perform
1.2.2 Information Technology Communication (ICT)
ICT means the scientific means of sending and receiving information using scientific means
that includes computers, networks, internet etc which requires sending and getting feedbacks

1.2.3 How a Computer Works
Data is entered into the computer through the input devices like keyboard then its received by
the main memory (RAM) which stores it temporary as it waits to be processed, its then sent to
the CPU for processing and finally its outputted through the out put devices like the monitor.
Storage Device (RAM)
Input device Processing Device Out put device
1.2.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Computers

1.2.4.1 Advantage s of Computers
 Speed: Computers work at a very high speed and are much faster than humans in
computation. A second is very large time period time for computer. A computer can
perform billions of calculations in a second. The time used by a computer to perform an
operation is called the processing speed. Computer speed is measured in Mega Hertz
(MHz) million of clock ticks per second.
 Storage: A computer can store a large amount of data permanently. Users can use this
data at any time. We can store any type of data in a computer for example Text, graphic,
pictures, audio and video files can be stored easily. The storage capacity of the
computer is increasing rapidly. Memory is measured in megabytes (million bytes)
 Processing: A computer can process the given instructions. It can perform different
types of processing like addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. It can also
perform logical functions like comparing two numbers to decide which one is the
bigger.
 Accuracy: Accuracy means to provide results without any error. Computers can
process large amount of data and generate error-free results. A modern computer
performs millions of operations in one second without any error.
 Communication: Most computers today have the capability of communicating with
other computers. We can connect two or more computers by a communication device
such as modem. These computers can then share data, instructions, and information.
The connected computer are said to be networked.
 Flexible: Computers are flexible as they be part of other machines such as radio, phone,
planes, car
 Recreational: Computer offers recreational facilities like game and movies.
 Consistence: Computers can perform a similar task over and over again without getting
tired or bored and in this way computers are diligent
1.2.4.2 Disadvantage of Using Computers

i.) Unemployment where a job that could be done by 100 people is now being done by
one person using the computer and within a short time.
ii.) Cost .The cost of computers can be subdivided into three section, cost of Training the
user, cost of purchasing the computer and cost of maintaining the computers.
iii.) Delicate computers are delicate and must be handled with lot of care

iv.) Viruses, programs designed to disorganize the proper functioning of computer system,
Viruses can be spread easily using the internet or networked computers
v.) Pornography Easy Access to pornographic and other offensive materials more
especially computers on internet which even show violent scenes as well as sexual acts
to children.
vi.) Crackers: is a person who access information illegally on the network and goes on to
carry out malicious actions on it.
1.3 Computers In Society

1.3.1 Uses in our Society
There are various uses of computers in our everyday life to accomplish various tasks. A few of
them are outlined below:
1.3.1.1 Computers in Education

With digital divide in this era, many education sectors have emphasized the use of computers.
This in turn has been accelerated by worlds adoption of the use of Internet. Many institutions
have linked up with other universities and libraries overseas hence facilitating training, research
and access to online libraries. This has further led to the creation of Virtual Universities (virtual
universities are universities with no physical buildings for lecture rooms or halls of residence,
but provides necessary lectures on the computer via the internet.
Computer Assisted Instruction (CAl) is the name given to a teaching system (program) which
operates on a drill-and-practice principle. For example when learning the meaning of English
words, a student sits on a computer and is presented with a word and its meaning. The student
studies this and when satisfied, tells the computer that (s) he is ready for examination or
questions.
Computers are being used in universities, secondary schools and other institutions to teach
other subjects. For example, in subjects like physics or chemistry, laboratory experiments can
be simulated on the computer. Experiments can be repeated many times without having to use
actual chemicals or equipment. Potentially dangerous experiments or expensive experiments
can be performed with little danger or expense.
Another type of system is Computer Assisted Learning (CAL). CAL tries to teach in the
traditional sense. The computer presents material, asks questions and based on students
performance, determines whether to present new material or review topics already covered.
1.3.1.2 Computers in Business

The way businesses were conducted some years back has changed tremendously with the
evolution of Internet. You only need to sit in front of your computer, whether in your office or
at home and trade shares with the various centers worldwide without going to those particular
stock centers physically. This is what we call e-business. Very many businesses including
Banks, Travel Agencies, Insurance Companies and many others have realized the benefits of
computers. They can them for word processing, database management, production control and
stock taking to mention but a few.

1.3.1.3 Banking industry
One of the earliest uses of computers was in the banking industry. Initially, a typical bank had a
central computer center which processed data from various branches. For example, the
withdrawal/deposit slips collected by a branch during the day would be forwarded to the
computer center (usually located at the head office) at the end of the day. The customers
accounts would be updated and a report on the status of the accounts would be prepared for use
the next day.
Nowadays, the teller enters transactions directly via the terminal. The terminal is connected to
the computer which accesses the files of customers accounts. Accounts are then queried and/or
updated in a few seconds.
Today, Automated Teller Machines have become popular in the banking industry. This is a
computer controlled device from which a customer can make withdrawals and deposits, check
account balance or make an appointment with the loans officer, all without human
involvement. In order to use this system, a customer is issued a plastic card bearing his name
and account number. A Personal Identity Number (PIN) which does not appear on the card is
also issued. A combination of the two is used to access the customers account.
1.3.1.4 Commercial Enterprises
Many businesses, large and small, use computers to help them in the control of daily activities.
Some of these are:
1) Storing Employee records; all organizations keep records of their employees. An employee
record may contain information such as name, address, telephone number, and present job
classification, date of start of a job, contract period, salary scale, allowances, and
deductions.
2) Payroll Processing
3) Accounts Receivables
4) Accounts Payable Stock Control
5) General Ledger
1.3.1.5 Industrial Enterprises

In many industries, for example chemical plants, steel mills and oil refineries, computers are
used to monitor and / or control the processes which convert raw materials into useful products.
This aspect of computer use is called process control. Various instruments relay information,
such as temperature and pressure, to the computer. The computer monitors these values and, if
any abnormalities are found, can either;
a) Inform the human supervisor who would then take correct action or
b) Direct the regulating devices to make the necessary adjustments.
1.3.1.6 Computers in Medicine

Computers are part of everyones daily life and have changed the way we live and the way
medicine is practiced. They are being used in hospitals at the reception for billing, admission
and patient management in wards. The use of hospital information systems and laboratory
information systems are increasingly becoming the norm.

They can be used by doctors for their practice management-recording patients history, writing
prescriptions, maintaining treatment history, accounts and billing, scheduling appointments ,
managing correspondences and Telemedicine for specialist vs. to reach rural areas .
The use of computers in most spheres of medicine has rendered the use of Internet for medical
research and Telemedicine.
1.3.1.7 Computers in Entertainment

Computers are used for playing games, making films and music. Look for programs like
windows media player, iTunes, Music Match and many others in a computer.
1.3.1.8 Computers in Communication

Communication using e-mail and the Internet has greatly enhanced the lives of those who are
housebound. For example advances in technology have enabled people to work, join special
interest groups, shop and pay their bills just from their homes. For people with disabilities,
there are already computers that convert typed input into simulated voice and enlarge letters for
the visually impaired.
1.3.1.9 Computer in Science and Engineering

Recent advances in scientific research have been possible mainly due to the use of computers.
Computers are used for land surveying, quality control simulation and research.
1.3.1.10 Computer in Military

They are used for warfare planning, research monitoring and emergency response. Recently
American and other Western countries use unmanned fighter jets to attack enemy targets with
pin point precision in Libya to topple Col. Muammar Gaddafi.
1.3.2 Limitations of Computers in our Society

1.3.2.1 Computers are Delicate
Computers are delicate and need proper handling. Their parts are fragile and cannot survive
under harsh conditions such as extremely high or low temperatures, poor handling during
transportation, abnormal power supply etc.
1.3.2.2 Computers are Vulnerable to Data Loss

Another limitation of computers is that they are vulnerable to data loss and this can be due to
the following reasons:
i.) Ever-increasing virus attacks to both system and application software
ii.) Power fluctuations that may cause/bring errors on to the storage device such as a
floppy disk, flash disk or even the hard disk.
iii.) Disgruntled employees may access the data and completely destroy it as it can be
accessed via the network without the knowledge of the owner.
1.3.2.3 Computers Have no Common Sense

By saying that a computer has no common sense, we mean that it does not make subjective
judgments. It has to be told exactly what to do. If you give it wrong inputs it will give wrong
results and similarly if you give right inputs it will give you correct results hence the adage
Garbage in Garbage Out (GIGO).

1.3.2.4 Needs Power in Order to Operate
Computers can only work where there is power- a reason why developing countries such as
Uganda computers are concentrated in urban areas.
1.3.2.5 Technology Changes Very Often

Life expectancy can hardly be 5 years because of the ever-changing technology.
1.4 Characteristics of Computers
1.4.1 Speed
Computers are quite fast in their operation in that their speeds are measured in Mega hertz
(MHz) which means million cycles per second. Some modern computers have there speeds
measured in Giga Hertz (GHz) i.e. billion cycles per second which means that many of the
modern computers work at speed greater than that of light. Computers are capable of handling
large tasks in the shortest possible time.

1.4.2 Accuracy and Reliability
Computers are characterized with a high degree of accuracy that they can hardly make any
mistake. This accuracy depends on the accuracy of the data the user is feeding into the
computer. In fact, computers are not capable of detecting and correcting mistakes made. It
follows therefore that if wrong data is fed into the computer, wrong results are given out. Hence
the saying Garbage in garbage out (GIGO)
1.4.3 Ability to Store and Retrieve Data

Computers have the ability to store a lot of data in a small space. This storage can either be on
Random Access Memory (temporary storage unit) or on a permanent basis (hard disk, floppies,
compact disks, flash disks, etc). For a computer to be able to work it must have some form of
workspace where data is stored before being processed or where information is stored before
being output to particular devices.
1.4.4 Diligence
This is the ability of a computer to perform the same task over and over without getting tired
or bored.
1.4.5 Artificial intelligence

Computers have an in-built artificial intelligence. They can respond to requests given to them
and provide solutions. This is accomplished by the power of programs installed in them.
Evidence of this is again in industrial robotics.
1.4.6 Automation
Computers can perform a number of operations and functions automatically so long as they are
programmed. They do not need any supervision in order to perform program routines.
1.5 Evolution of Computers

The history of computer development is often referred to in reference to the different
generations of computing devices. Each generation of computer is characterized by a major
technological development that fundamentally changed the way computers operate, resulting in
increasingly smaller, cheaper, and more powerful and more efficient and reliable devices. At
the moment we have five computer generations
1.5.1 First Generation

- 1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
Characteristics of First Generation computers
 Existed between 1940-1956
 They used vacuum tubes for circuitry
 They used magnetic drums for memory
 They were enormous and therefore took up entire rooms
 They were very expensive to operate, buy and maintain
 They generated a lot of heat which was often the cause of malfunctions
 They relied on machine language to perform operations
 They could only solve one problem at a time
 They used punched cards for input

 They used printouts for output
 They were very slow
 They used a lot of electricity
Examples include The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation
computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business
client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.
ENIAC performed ballistics trajectory calculations with 160

kW of power
1.5.2 Second Generation
- 1956-1963: Transistors
Characteristics of Second Generation computers
 Existed between 1956-1963
 Vacuum tubes were replaced with transistors for the circuitry
 These computers were relatively smaller than their predecessors
 They were faster
 They were cheaper
 They used less power
 Still generated a lot of heat
 They still used punched cards for input
 They still used printouts for output
 Cryptic binary machine language was replaced with symbolic or assembly language
which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words
 These were the first computers to store instructions in their memory
 High-level programming languages were also developed at this time, such as early
versions of COBOL and FORTRAN
1.5.3 Third Generation
- 1964-1971: Integrated Circuits
 These existed between 1964-1971
 They used large integrated circuits for circuitry i.e. Transistors were miniaturized and
placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors
 These computers worked at an increased speed
 They were more efficient
 They were the first computers to use key boards for input
 They were the first computers to use monitors for output and hence interfacing with
an operating system
 They could run more than one application at the seemingly the same time
 Computers became accessible to mass audience because they were small and cheaper
than their predecessors
NB: These were the computers that accomplished the voyage to the moon by
Armstrong in 1969
1.5.4 Fourth Generation
- 1971-Present: Microprocessors
 These existed between 1971-Present
 These use microprocessors which involve bringing together thousands of integrated
circuits onto a single silicon chip
 These computers are small that can fit in the palm of the hand moving from those
computers that filled entire rooms
 Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many
areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.
 These small computers became more powerful
 They could be linked together to form networks
 They led to the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW)
 They saw the development of Graphical user interfaces (GUIs)
 They saw the development of hand held devices such as mouse and joysticks
1.5.5 Fifth Generation

Present and Beyond: Artificial Intelligence
 These exist today and beyond
 They use artificial intelligence
 They are still in development though the developed world has embraced them already
 They are capable of voice recognition
 They use parallel processing
 Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the
face of computers in years to come
 The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural
language input
 These computers will be capable of learning and self-organization.
1.6 Classification of Computers
Basically computers can be categorized under the following classifications
i.) Classification by capacity
ii.) Classification by function
iii.) Classification by purpose
iv.) Classification by power

1.6.1 Capacity/Size
Under this we look at the physical size of a computer (its Volume) and the number of people a
computer can accommodate at a time, under this category we have the following
 Main frame computers
 Mini computers
 Micro computers
 Super computers
1.6.2 Main frame computers

 They were the earliest computers which were around up to 1960s.
 They were very large almost to fill a room
 They were water or air cooled computers
 They were very expensive
 Its could accommodate up to 1000 users at ago
1.6.3 Mini computers

 They are small versions of main frame
 They are less powerful in operation than main frame computers
 They have fewer processors and they can support up to 100 users at ago
 They can be used in Banking, Education and Industrial areas
 They have the same basic structures as the larger main frame computers
 Mini computers are heavily used as network servers in the business industry
1.6.4 Super computers

i.) These are very powerful micro computers
ii.) They are computers with a high mathematical capabilities,
iii.) These computers are used primarily for research purposes, oil exploration, and weather
forecasting
iv.) They are large computers with faster processing using multiple processors and superior
technology.
1.6.5 Micro computers

i.) These are small computers which support only one user at a time
ii.) They are mainly used in homes and can commonly referred to as personal
computers (PC)
iii.) Examples of micro computers are Tower PC, Desk Top computers, Laptops,
Notebooks and personal Digital Assistants or palm tops
1.7 Functions
Function here refers to how computers are designed to operate, this method of classification
give three major categories of computers i.e
Digital, analog and hybrid

1.7.1 Digital computers
These are computers which carry out there operation in distinct steps using digits. These
computers deal with data represented as a series of zeros and ones .They perform there
operation by noting the presence or absence of physical signal in a particular position. This On
or off condition represents binary data that can be manipulated arithmetically or logically to
produce a solution.
Digital computers are used primarily for administrative data processing and mathematical
computation and the most commonly used computers.
1.7.2 Analog computers:
These are computers which operate by measurement and they use continuous values as opposed
to discrete values.
They are sensitive to the environment, and they measure physical quantities such as
temperature, pressure, length, weight, voltage, speed, humidity e.tc,
They are special-purpose computers designed to solve scientific or technical applications and
are quite rare in commercial fields
Analog computers perform there task by measuring continuous physical variable (e.g Pressure,
length and voltage), manipulating those physical variables to obtain a solution in transforming
the solution into numerical equivalent examples are:
Thermometer, Car speedometer and barometer.
Analog computers are mainly used for scientific and engineering purposes
1.7.3 Hybrid computers
These are computers which combine the feature of digital and analog .a hybrid computer is a
combination of analog and digital computers liked together by an interface system for
converting analog data to digital data and vice versa, they are used in scientific research and
other specialized application
1.8 Purpose
Here computers are classified according to what they were designed to do, some computers are
designed to perform a specific task (Special Purpose computers), while others are designed to
perform a number of tasks (general purpose computers)
1.8.1 Special Purpose computers

These are computers which were designed to carry out a specific purpose or for a particular
specific purpose. Such computers might be found in a scientific laboratory where they perform
complicated mathematical operations.
Examples include missiles, building lifts and aero plane simulators. Although usually highly
efficient and much faster than general purpose computers, they perform only limited number of
functions compared to general purpose computers.
1.8.2 General purpose computers

These are computers which were designed to perform wide variety of operations using wide
programming languages, such computers could be found in Universities where many different
types of programs are written for a variety of purposes, such as research by professors, class
assignment by students and registration by staff.
1.8.3 Classification by power

In this case computers are classified according to the processors power and PC clock speed.
Examples include: 386 processor running at less than 33mghz speed, 486 processor with speed
ranging between 33mhz to 66 MHz , Pentium 1, Pentium 11, Pentium iii, Pentium iv the speed
ranges between 77mghz to 2.5GHZ and above.
Review questions
1) Define the term computer
2) Describe the technological characteristics of the five computer generations
UNIT 2 COMPUTER SYSTEM

A System is a set of interrelated elements working together in an integrated way to achieve a
set of objectives. The computer system components include:- Hardware, Software,
Data/Information, Procedures and Human ware/People
When a computer system is set into a network another component is created called
Connectivity
1.8.4 Computer Hardware/software
Hardware is the tangible or physical computer equipment such as a CPU, keyboard, mouse,
monitor, etc. Software is a set of instructions, routines, and symbolic languages that control the
functioning of the hardware, such as Windows, Word processors, Spreadsheets, AutoCAD etc
1.8.5 Categories of Computer Hardware

They are divided into four according to their function
1. Input devices
2. Processing devices
3. Storage devices
4. Output devices
1.8.5.1 Input devices
These are devices which input data and instructions in computers. The main input devices are
the Keyboard and the Mouse. Others include Scanner for graphics, and Joystick for playing
games, microphone for sound input, modems etc
A modem: its a device which is used to translate data signals from digital data to analog data
and from analog to digital data
1.8.5.1.1 Keyboard
The keyboard allows you to enter information into your computer. Like the mouse, the
keyboard is a means of interacting with your computer. You really only need to use the
keyboard when you're typing text and most of the keys on the keyboard are laid out like the
keys on a typewriter. But there are some special keys like Esc (Escape), Ctrl (Control), and Alt
(Alternate). There are also some keys across the top of the keyboard labeled F1, F2, F3, and so
forth. Those are called the function keys, and the exact role they play depends on which
program you happen to be using at the moment.
Most keyboards also have a numeric keypad with the keys laid out like the keys on a typical
adding machine. If you're accustomed to using an adding machine, you might want to use the
numeric keypad, rather than the numbers across the top of the keyboard, to type numbers. It
doesn't really matter which keys you use. The numeric keypad is just there as a convenience to
people who are accustomed to adding machines.

1.8.5.1.2 Mouse
The mouse is a pointing device that allows you to select and manipulate objects you see on
your monitor. Mouse probably has at least two buttons on it. The button on the left is called
the primary mouse button; the button on the right is called the secondary mouse button or just
the right mouse button. The buttons can be referred to as the left and right mouse buttons.
Many mice have a small wheel between the two mouse buttons, as illustrated in Figure below
How is the mouse used?

Ideally rest your hand comfortably on the mouse, with your index finger touching (but not
pressing on) the left mouse button. Then, as you move the mouse, the mouse pointer (the little
arrow on the screen) moves in the same direction. When moving the mouse, try to keep the
buttons aimed toward the monitor don't "twist" the mouse as that just makes it all the harder to
control the position of the mouse pointer.
If you find yourself reaching too far to get the mouse pointer where you want it to be on the
screen, just pick up the mouse, move it to where it's comfortable to hold it, and place it back
down on the mouse pad or desk. The buzzwords that describe how you use the mouse are as
follows:
1) Point: To point to an item means to move the mouse pointer so that it's touching the
item.
2) Click: Point to the item, then tap (press and release) the left mouse button.
3) Double-click: Point to the item, and tap the left mouse button twice in rapid succession
- click-click as fast as you can.
4) Right-click: Point to the item, then tap the mouse button on the right.
5) Drag: Point to an item, then hold down the left mouse button as you move the mouse.
To drop the item, release the left mouse button.

1.8.5.2 Other input devices include:
1.8.5.2.1 Scanner
A scanner allows you to scan documents, pictures, or graphics and view them on the computer.
You can also use software to edit the items you scan.
 Used to put printed pictures and text into a computer
 Converts an image into dots that the computer can understand
 To scan text, optical character recognition (OCR) software is needed
1.8.5.2.2 Joy Stick
The joy stick is used to play video games and offers easy and quick movements in all
directions on the screen
1.8.5.2.3 Digital Camera
 Used to take electronic pictures of an object
 The pictures taken by a digital camera can be used directly by a computer

1.8.5.2.4 Microphone
 Used to put sound into a computer
 Need sound recording software
1.9 Computer Storage devices and Memory

Enables a computer to store, at least temporarily, data and programs for example RAM.
Memory is the internal storage areas in the computer. The term identifies data storage that
comes in the form of chips, and the word storage is used for the memory that exists on tapes or
disks. Moreover, the term memory is usually used as shorthand for physical memory, which
refers to the actual chips capable of holding data. Therefore, memory is both hardware and
software. However they are two types of memory, which include primary and secondary
memory.
1.9.1 Primary storage device

These are the internal memory in computers and they include the following:
1.9.1.1 Read-Only Memory (ROM)
ROM is computer memory on which data has been prerecorded. Once data has been written on
a ROM chip, it cannot be removed and can only be read. ROM retains its contents even when
the computer is turned off. ROM is referred to as being nonvolatile. Most personal computers
contain a small amount of ROM that stores critical programs such as the program that boots the
computer. In addition, ROM is used extensively in calculators and peripheral devices such as
laser printers, whose fonts are often stored in ROM.
ROM/EEPROM is built in memory that permanently stores instructions and data. The
instructions and data in ROM are created when it is manufactured and it cannot be changed
except for EEPROM which are programmable ROM and stands for Electrically Erasable
programmable read only memory.
1.9.1.2 Random-Access Memory (RAM)

RAM is a type of memory that can be accessed randomly and is the most common type of
memory found in computers and other devices, such as printers. Also called the main memory
or Primary storage Device. It is a primary memory that holds data and instructions while the
computer is in use. Can be thought of as the memory the computer uses to obey instructions.
Can be written to and read from.
Important to remember that if you do not save the information in RAM to a storage device
(such as a floppy disk or hard drive) before turning off the computer the information will be
lost. Ram modules are shown in the diagram below
1.9.2 Secondary storage

Mass Storage device (Backup devices) allows a computer to permanently store large amounts
of data. For example floppy disk, Hard disk, CD and Flash that are usually external devices.
1.9.2.1 Floppy Disk (A: drive)

Floppy disks go in the A: drive of your computer. They are removable storage on which your
computer can read or write files.
Floppy disks are approximately 3 1/2 inches in size and hold 1.4MB (1,400,000 bytes). While
these disks don't seem floppy like their name would suggest, there is a disk inside, which is
floppy. The disk is encased in a hard plastic case to protect it. (When purchasing floppy disk
make sure you buy IBM or PC compatible disks versus Mac or MAC disks. Mac or MAC disks
can only be used in an Apple/Macintosh computer. IBM or PC compatible disks can be used
with Windows.)
Floppy disks allow information to be transported easily from one computer to another.
Floppy disks have limited storage capacity, generally 1.44 MB.
Saving and retrieving information from a floppy disk is slower than on a hard drive.
They are more susceptible to physical damage and viruses than the hard. They are becoming
obsolete as USB flash disk become more popular
1.9.2.2 CD-ROM (D: drive)
The CD-ROM disks are inserted into your system's D: drive. They can store much more
information than a floppy disk, but your computer cannot write to them. This is because they
are Read-Only Memory (ROM).
CD ROM:
CD ROM stands for compact disk read only memory. CD ROMs have much more storage
space than disks, but are read only, which means that data can only be read from it. CD ROM
drives, such as the D: drive read the data from the CD. CD ROMs are very versatile and can
store anything from music to computer programs. When handling the CD ROM, remember to
only touch it on its edges and in the very center.
CD ROMs are read only storage medium. Typically, a CD ROM holds up to700 MB of
information. While information retrieval is faster than from a floppy disk, it is also being
replaced in usage by USB flash disks.
CD-R: Compact disk recordable
A CD-R is highly effective for storing a large amount of data.

CD-R can hold up to 700MB of information.
A CD-R is a one time recordable compact disc.

CD-RW: stands for Compact Disk Read /writable
A CD-RW allows you to read, write, erase and write again. Writing takes place in a single pass
of the focused laser beam. This is sometimes referred to as direct overwriting and can be
repeated several thousand times per disc.
1.9.2.3 Flash drive

A flash drive is a removable storage device that connects to a USB port. A flash drive uses a
type of memory that requires no power to maintain the data.
1.9.2.4 Hard Disk (C: drive)

A permanent data storage device built into PCs that permits you to save and retrieve
information.
Also, stores the computer's operating system and other software. The size of a hard drive is
usually expressed in terms of megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB) and typically ranges
between 160GB and 500GB.
The hard disk is located inside the System unit and is similar to a floppy disk in that data in
both is magnetically stored. The only difference is that it cannot easily be removed stores more
data or files, and contains important files or programs.
1.10 Processing Devices
1.10.1 Central processing unit (CPU)
The brain of the computer, this is the component that actually executes instructions. Below is a
diagram of a typical CPU
The CPU comprise of three major components

i.) Control Unit (CU)
ii.) ALU(Arithmetic Logic Unit)
iii.) Registers
1.10.1.1 Functions of control unit

Control all the activities within the computer for example controls the inputting, storing,
processing and outputting of data.
It interprets instructions stored in the main memory (RAM) and gives instructions to the
relevant parts of the computer system like out put devices to the Monitor, Storage devices to
floppy, Hard disk, flash etc.
1.10.1.2 Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The Main function of the ALU is to handle carry out arithmetic and logical operations of the
computer system such as additions, subtraction and bitwise logic operations (AND, NOT, OR,
XOR).
1.10.1.3 Registers
This is a component which stores instructions temporarily in the CPU while waiting to be
executed by ALU. The contents of the registers can be accessed more easily and quickly by the
CPU.
1.11 Output device
These devices output results of the processing outcomes .For example display screens, printers,
or speakers let you see or hear what the computer has accomplished. Monitors or Video
Display units (VDU) and Printers are the most used of all output devices
1.11.1 Monitors or Video Display units (VDU)

The monitor displays the text and graphics generated by the computer on a screen
Types of monitors are:
CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) which are large and bulky and cheaper but are being phased out due
to environmental concerns as well as being robust, power consuming and the inability to use
batteries as well as poor picture display quality
TFT screens commonly referred to as flat screens are becoming more popular although more
expensive.
1.11.2 Printers
 Printers produce a hard copy
 The information is printed on paper and can be used when the device is off.
 It is also called a printout Dot-matrix printers (impact printer)

o Uses metal pins to strike an inked ribbon to make dots on a piece of paper.
o Can see the dots that make up the letters or images.
o Lowest print quality of all of the printers.
o Very low in cost per page to use.
 Rarely used today because of the poor print quality, but still used in business to print
multi-part forms.
 Ink jet printers (non-impact printer)
o Use drops of magnetic ink to produce dots on a page to produce text or images.
o The print quality is almost the same as a laser printer's.
o Problems with the ink
 The ink is very expensive
 The ink is water soluble and will run if the paper gets wet
o Highest cost per page of all the printers
o For producing color documents, it has the highest quality at a reasonable price.
 Laser printers (non-impact printer)
o How the laser printer produces an image

 A laser or LEDs make dots on a light sensitive drum
 Toner (very tiny particles of plastic) stick to the drum where the dots
where made
 Paper is pressed against the drum and the toner is placed on the paper
 The paper is heated and the toner melts into the paper

o Produces the highest quality printout
o For black and white printouts, very low cost per page
o Printout is permanent
o Color laser printers are still fairly expensive ($3,000 to $10,000)
1.11.3 Speakers or headphones

The headphones and speakers allow the user to hear the audio portion of a program i.e. output
sound
1.11.4 Storage Capacity (Bit, Byte, KB, MB, and GB)

1.11.4.1 Bits and Bytes
A bit is short for binary digit. A bit contains a single value of 0 or 1. A consecutive group of
bits makes up a unit. For instance, there are 8 bits in one byte. A byte is more commonly
referred to when discussing space. A byte represents a single character. (For example, there are
10 bytes in the phrase, I love you. This is because there are 8 letters and two spaces between
the three words.) There is a finite amount of space on a computer and disk. Bytes are
commonly identified in thousands, millions, and billions:
KB for a thousand bytes
MB for a million bytes
GB for a billion bytes
TB for trillion bytes
These are pronounced kilobytes (KB); megabytes (MB); and gigabytes (GB).
Floppy Disks
Floppy disks are approximately 3 1/2 inches in size and holds 1.4MB (1,400,000 bytes).
1.12 Factors to consider while buying computers
Below is a listing of the various components likely to be found in computers and
recommendations and tips when considering any of the below components.
1.12.1 Case
While the case may not be important to some computer users, it is a consideration to be thought
about before purchasing a desktop computer.
What type of case should be purchased or is needed? Do you want a desktop or tower case?
Does the case support the standards of motherboards, for example, the ATX motherboard
standard?
Will the case fit on top (Desktop model) of or below your desk (Tower model)?
Will the drives be accessible or will they be positioned the way you wish them to be
positioned?
1.12.2 CD Media
The type of CD drive in the computer is becoming an important consideration when purchasing
a computer. When looking to buy a new or used computer, inspect the type of drive included.

Is it a standard drive? If so what speed?
Or is it a DVD / CD-R / CD-RW drive?
If the drive is a DVD, is it hardware or software decoding?
If the drive is a CD-R / CD-RW drive, does it include software?
1.12.3 Hard Drive

Hard drives have and will always be an important consideration to think about when purchasing
a new computer or used computer. The hard drive will be the destination of all your files and
information, and if that drive is to become full, that drive will need to be replaced or another
drive will need to be added to the computer. When looking at the space of the hard drive,
always get the maximum size hard drive eg 20GB, 40GB, 100GB etc, considering you will
eventually always run out of space.
1.12.4 Memory
Memory is becoming more and more an important consideration when looking at purchasing a
computer. Determine the amount of memory included in the computer as well as verify if that
memory can be upgraded in the future. The more memory in the computer, the more efficient
the computer will run .consider memory of 1GB and above.
.
1.12.5 Network Card

Network cards allow users to connect to other computers. This allows for data transfer, file
sharing, Internet connection sharing, printer sharing, and various other helpful uses. With the
increase of computers in the house, workplace and with broad band solutions sometimes

requiring a network card, a network card is becoming an important consideration when
purchasing a computer.
.
1.12.6 Processor
The computer processor is the most important consideration when purchasing a computer.
Today, with multiple CPU/Processor manufacturers, it may be more confusing as well as more
cost efficient to look at the different processor manufactures as well as the type of computer
processors. Common processors are Intel Pentium and AMo. Speed is of essence and the higher
the speed the better, consider processors of size 3 GHz and above with a big fan for cooling.
The latest processor technology has resulted in CPU manufacturers finding ways to incorporate
more than one CPU core onto a single chip. Single core CPU and Dual core CPU. Dual core are
efficient in processing. The family of the processor also matters e.g. Intel Pentium is better Intel
Celeron
.
1.12.7 Sound Card

Sound cards are important when looking at purchasing a computer; however, the majority of all
computer users will find that most standard sound cards will suite their needs. However, some
users may enjoy purchase more advanced sounds cards that will increase the amount of
speakers that can be used, and in some games and programs, the sound quality and capabilities.
.
1.12.8 Video Card

While this may surprise some, a video card can make or the usefulness of a computer break a
computer when it comes to playing games on the computer. Most games today require
additional video memory as well as special video modes such as OpenGL. With a video card
with little video memory or without these modes, the computer will be unable to play modern
games. In addition, the advances in video cards can dramatically increase the user enjoyment of
the game being played.

USB ports
1.12.9 USB (Universal serial bus)
This helps the user to connect the USB devices to the computers for example the flash disks,
USB mouse. The more USB ports computer has, the more USB devices it accommodate at ago.
Most computers come with 6 USB ports as standard (2 at the front and 4 at the back)
1.12.10 Monitor Size

The monitor displays the text and graphics generated by the computer and their sizes determine
the visualization effect by the user. The large the size, the clearer the visualization and vise
versa. Common sizes are 15, 24 and 32 inches. LCD monitors are better CRT monitors
1.13 Other factors to consider while buying a Computer include:

Add-ons-Some computer manufacturers may try to sell additional add-ons when purchasing a
computer. Unless you have done your research on the additional add-on, do not consider the
add-on. While in some cases it may be beneficial to get a printer, scanner or maybe a camera
with a computer, you may be paying premium for the additional add-on, or in the case of the
printer you may have to pay premium on the ink in the future. Do your research; ensure that if
you get an additional hardware / add-ons that the hardware will suite your needs and that it
does not end up being something that you are not going to use.

1.13.1 Free add-ons
Some computer companies may entice you into purchasing a computer by giving you free
add-ons. These add-ons may be advertised as free, but ensure or ask if the add-on price is not
just being added to the overall computer price.
Add-ons that should not be of concern are hardware peripherals such as a mouse or
keyboard. These are almost always included with a computer package and are really of no
additional cost to the user.
1.13.2 Documentation
While most manufacturers today are reducing the amount of documentation included with their
computer, an excellent question, especially if the computer is being purchased by a new
computer user, is "what type of documentation is included with the computer?"
All computer manufacturers will include some type of paper documentation or paper inserts;
however, does this information include documentation about upgrading the computer in the
future? How to connect the cables to the computer? Documentation on how to use the
software, such as the additional included software
Note: It is important to distinguish between paper documentation and on-line documentation.

On-line documentation that is common today is information that is either locally on the
computer or can be accessed via the Internet. If the information is available over the Internet,
see how that information suites your needs before purchasing the computer.
1.13.3 Location
We use location as a description to describe several different topics. First, what is the location
of where the computer is purchased: If the computer is purchased at a local retail store, can the
computer be returned if unsatisfactory to that store? If the computer is purchased through mail
order or directly through the computer manufacturer or reseller, where can the computer be
returned if unsatisfactory?
Second, can the store location of where the computer was purchased service the computer? If
not, where is the closest location to where the computer can be serviced?
Third, if the computer is purchased directly from the computer manufacturer and is shipped
through mail, how is it shipped? What is the time period for the computer to arrive to your
destination? What happens if the computer is damaged during shipping?
1.13.4 Refurbished
Refurbished is a term used to describe a computer or a hardware device or component in a
computer that has been used, looked at and determined to be in working order. However,
because the product has been used or purchased, it cannot be sold as new.
Refurbished computers will have a lower price and are generally a good deal for users who
may not have a lot of money to spend on a new computer. It is important, however, to
compare the price of the refurbished computer to a new computer as well as to review all of
the tips on this page as all the same rules, tricks and tips still apply.

1.13.5 Return
Verify with the computer manufacturer if it is possible to return or have a money refund for the
computer. Many computer manufacturers will not refund your money but instead may offer an
exchange for another computer. Verify with the manufacturer of the computer or the reseller
what their return / refund / exchange policy is.
1.13.6 Service
Service is an important consideration to look at when looking to purchase a computer, new or
used. The service is how many companies describe the repair of a computer if it or a
component within it is to become broken. Below is a listing of what type of service to look for:
i. What type of service is offered? Is the service onsite, meaning a technician will come to
your location to replace or fix a bad component. If the service is onsite, is it for the
complete time of the warranty?
ii. If onsite is not offered, what is and for how long?
iii. Can the computer be taken to a local service center? If yes, what is the closest
authorized service center?
iv. What is the time frame the service takes to occur? For example, if the computer has a
bad component, what is the time it will take for a technician to come onsite and replace
that component, or what is the time it will take to have the computer sent in to be fixed?
Finally, if that time frame is not accomplished, what is the company willing to do, for
example, are they willing to provide you with a loaned computer.
1.13.7 Software
Software for many computer users, especially new users, is thought to be an important
consideration when purchasing a new computer. Granted there is software that we highly
recommend looking for when purchasing a computer, such as word processor or spread sheet
program, some computer companies may over hype the software package. Below is a listing of
what to look for when looking at the software included with a computer.
i. Does the software include a word processor and/or a spread sheet? For the majority of
all users, this should be an important consideration.
ii. Are the software full versions of the software or is the software demo program or
shareware programs?
1.13.8 Support
While you can always contact Computer Hope for support, manufacturer support for most users
will be a very important consideration as if an issue arises with the computer you must be able
to contact a support representative. Things to consider when looking at the support options of a
computer are:
1. Is support open 24 hours, 7 days a week? If not, what are the hours?
2. Is support open on holidays? If not, what days are it closed?
3. What support options are available? Phone? E-mail? Web? Chat?
1.13.9 Upgrade ability
While this option may not be considered at first when purchasing a computer, it is an important
consideration. Below is a listing of different options to look for when looking to upgrade a
computer.
i. What can be upgraded in the computer? RAM? CPU? Hard Drive? Video Card? If
available to upgrade, what are the maximum amounts or is it specified within
documentation provided with the computer?

ii. Does the computer have on-board hardware, such as an on-board video card? If yes, can
these be disabled with a jumper or through CMOS? This is a very important as many
computers will disable the device when a new device is added. However, this does not
always work and may cause future issues. Ensure it can be disabled and that it is not a
device that auto-disables.
iii. Is the case a standard case? Some computer manufacturers have proprietary cases,
causing difficulty when trying to add new hardware. Most commonly this occurs with
the video card.
iv. What motherboard form factors is the case? The most common motherboard form factor
today is ATX; does the case support this factor so the motherboard could be swapped in
the future?
1.13.10 Warranty
Finally, what warranty is offered by the computer manufacturer? How long is the warranty?
Does the warranty cover both hardware and software issues?
Warranty can cause frustrations for most users; we highly recommend that a computer only
be considered if it has at least a one-year warranty. Many cheap computers will only come
with a 90 day warranty. Meaning if a part goes bad, you will have to pay for the part as well as
the service. This may not be an issue for users who just need a cheap computer and are willing
to replace parts and service the computer.
1.14 SCAMS
Unfortunately, like anything, it is possible to be tricked or for computer companies to scam
you. Below is a listing of what to look for when purchasing a computer.
 Get what you pay for - Ensure that the product you are purchasing is what you are
paying for. It has been known that computer companies may list a processor being a
specific speed, however, actually have a totally different speed of processor in the
computer. This unfortunately can be very easy as any user can 'over clock' a processor
making it appear as one speed but in reality being a completely different speed. For
example, you may buy a 733MHz processor but instead get a 500MHz.
 To determine the processor speed, open the computer and look at the processor itself.
Do not look at the processor through a software program or through BIOS as these
values can be changed or tricked.
 Legal software - When purchasing a computer, ensure it comes with legal software.
Many end-users or small computer companies who build or sell computers may not
provide you with legal copies of the software that is illegal. Verify that the software
that came with your computer is on a standard CD and not a burnt CD. A burnt or
home-made CD will generally be a different looking CD and have a gold or green
bottom. Ensure that if the software requires a license or registration number that it
was included with the computer. An example of software that includes these
certificates is Microsoft Office and Windows.
2 Computer Software
Computer System
Computer Hardware Computer Software
Output Input Processing Storage Application System
Devices Devices Devices Devices software Software
2.1 Definition
Refers to a set of instructions which enable computer hardware to function/operate effectively,
i.e., a software that instructs the hardware on what to do and how to do it.
Examples include, MS word, MS excel, Windows, MS DOS, UNIX, Linux
Program: This is a series of step by step instructions that provide solutions and tell the
computer what to do.
2.2 Types of software:

Software is basically divided into two types:
 System software
 Application software
2.2.1 System software
These are programs which control and support all other computer programs and the hardware
i.e., they manage the computer resources and ensure efficient running of the computer system.
System software is divided into

i. Operating system
ii. System utilities
iii. Languages
2.2.1.1 Operating system (OS)
These are the programs that manage the computer hardware resources and other software
programs like application software e.g. MS word, Ms Excel. An operating system is the basic
software that a computer must have for it to work because it manages and supervises the CPU.
The operating system supervises and manages the different activities that take place in a
computer like the say software use the hardware for example saving on a floppy disk.
Examples of operating system
Ms DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System)
MS Windows 3.1
MS Windows 95
MS Windows 98
MS Windows 2000
MS Windows XP
Windows NT (New technology)
Windows ME (Millennium Edition)
Linux and UNIX
2.2.1.1.1 Functions of operating systems:

i. Memory allocation and loading of programs, before processing commences, operating
system load the program to be used in RAM from the hard disk.
 File management: the OS controls and manages the use and access of files on connected
computers (network)
 The OS starts and shut down the computer
 Errors reporting, during the program execution, if there occurs errors of any sort, the
operating system furnishes a message to the user e.g., saving on the floppy disk which is
not there , the errors comes as floppy disk not in the drive.
 The OS provides an interface between the user and the computer hardware,
 Memory management , the OS manages the use of memory (RAM) by allocating it for use
and de allocating after at shut down
 System security , the OS is responsible for the system security by making sure that only the
authorized users are allowed to assess the files
 Process management, The OS manages the functioning of the processor and all the
processing job or activities
2.2.1.2 Utility programs
These are system software programs which perform the following tasks,
 Leaking of programs together to form a ready executable program
 Copying of files
 Deleting of files
 Maintaining and repairing of file, computer Hardware etc
 Loading programs in memory with the help of operating system
2.2.2 Application software

These are generally categorized into two main types, specialized application packages (in
house/custom programs) and General application packages
2.2.2.1 Specialized application packages
Include payroll, grading system used in school, registration system etc, they are generally used
to perform a single minded task.
 They meet special needs for an organization or company therefore they are dependable i.e.
make life easy for the users
 These packages are expensive in terms of paying the programmer to design a program
 They are not flexible since they were designed for special tasks
2.2.2.2 General application packages
These are programs which are used to perform general tasks in an organization such as
Ms Access, Ms Excel, Ms Word
 General purpose packages are cheap
 They are flexible since they were designed for many tasks
The only shortcoming is:
They dont help you achieve a specific goal broadly
2.3 Computer Virus
2.3.1 Definition
A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer
without the permission or knowledge of the owner with the purpose of damaging the

computer system or its resources. The term "virus" is also commonly but erroneously
used to refer to other types of malware, adware, and spyware programs that do not
have the reproductive ability. A true virus can only spread from one computer to
another (in some form of executable code) when its host is taken to the target
computer; for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or carried it
on a removable medium such as a floppy disk, CD, DVD, or USB drive. Viruses can
increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network
file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer.
2.3.2 Malware
"Computer virus" is sometimes used as a catch-all phrase to include all types of
malware. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, most rootkits,
spyware, dishonest adware, crimeware, and other malicious and unwanted software,
including true viruses. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan
horses, which are technically different. A worm can exploit security vulnerabilities to
spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred as part of a host, and
a Trojan horse is a program that appears harmless but has a hidden agenda. Worms and
Trojans, like viruses, may cause harm to either a computer system's hosted data,
functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are executed. Some
viruses have symptoms noticeable to the computer user, but many work unnoticed with
marked stealth.
Most personal computers are now connected to the Internet and to local area networks,
facilitating the spread of malicious code. Today's viruses may also take advantage of
network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging, and file
sharing systems to spread.
A computer virus is usually hard to detect if it's disguised as a harmless file, in the case of
a Trojan horse virus. This type of virus doesn't replicate itself like most viruses, but
instead opens your computer up to malicious imposters. Leaving you to wonder, how
you can tell if you're computer is infected?
Luckily, your computer after coming in contact with a virus or worm will display some
symptoms and signs of infection. It is particularly useful to know the signs that indicate
an infection. Because you can unintentionally introduce a virus to your computer at
anytime when you run an infected program or open an email attachment. To guard
against this you need a good anti-virus program
2.3.2.1 Signs of a Computer Infection

Some signs that may indicate that your computer is infected include:
1. Your computer functions slower than normal
2. Your computer responds slowly and freezes often
3. Your computer restarts itself often
4. You see uncommon error messages, distorted menus, and dialog boxes
5. You notice applications on your computer fail to work correctly
6. You fail to print correctly
7. The computer makes abnormal sounds
8. Files and folders disappear
9. Memory becomes inaccessible
2.3.2.2 Types of Viruses
What are the types of computer viruses and worms that you're computer can come into
contact with? The list of viruses is quiet long and complex. So, we simplified the list by
mentioning few broad categories of viruses that can put your computer and all your personal
data on it, in danger. These computer viruses include:
2.3.2.2.1 Boot Sector viruses
A boot sector virus infects diskettes and hard drives. All disks and hard drives contain
smaller sections called sectors. The first sector is called the boot. The boot carries the
Mater Boot Record (MBR). MBR functions to read and load the operating system. So, if a
virus infects the boot or MBR of a disk, such as a floppy disk, your hard drive can become
infected, if you re-boot your computer while the infected disk is in the drive. Once your
hard drive is infected all diskettes that you use in your computer will be infected. Boot
sector viruses often spread to other computers by the use of shared infected disks and
pirated software applications. The best way to disinfect your computer of the boot
sector virus is by using antivirus software.
2.3.2.2.2 Program viruses
A program virus becomes active when the program files (usually with extensions .BIN,
.COM, .EXE, .OVL, .DRV) carrying the virus is opened. Once active, the virus will make
copies of it and will infect other programs on the computer.
2.3.2.2.3 Multipartite viruses
A multipartite virus is a hybrid of a Boot Sector and Program viruses. It infects program
files and when the infected program is active it will affect the boot record. So the next
time you start up your computer it'll infect your local drive and other programs on your
computer.
2.3.2.2.4 Stealth viruses
A stealth virus can disguise itself by using certain tactics to prevent being detected by
antivirus software. These tactics include altering its file size, concealing itself in memory,
and so on. This type of virus is nothing new, in fact, the first computer virus, dubbed
Brain, was a stealth virus. A good antivirus should be able to detect a stealth virus lurking
on your hard drive by checking the areas the virus infected and evidence in memory.
2.3.2.2.5 Polymorphic viruses
A polymorphic virus acts like a chameleon, changing its virus signature (also known as
binary pattern) every time it multiples and infects a new file. By changing binary
patterns, a polymorphic virus becomes hard to detect by an antivirus program.
2.3.2.2.6 Macro Viruses
A macro virus is programmed as a macro embedded in a document. Many applications,
such as Microsoft Word and Excel, support macro languages. Once a macro virus gets on
to your computer, every document you produce will become infected. This type of virus
is relatively new and may slip by your antivirus software if you don't have the most
recent version installed on your computer. .

2.3.2.3 Active X and Java Control
Some users do not know how to manage and control their web browser to allow or
prohibit certain functions to work, such as enabling or disabling sound, pop ups, and so
on. Leaving your computer in danger of being targeted by unwanted software or adware
floating in cyberspace.
2.3.3 Computer Safety Precautions
What safety precautions should be undertaken in order to protect your computer from frequent
break down?
 Never use the computer in a dusty environment

 Water or moisture should be avoided near computers or in a computer room.
 Never eat or drink in a computer room. Liquids might splash on the machines.
 Do not smoke near computers.
 Do not block the ventilation holes on a computer when it is hot.
 Use a dry, clean cloth to clean not a wet cloth.
 Computer rooms must be well ventilated. Computers hate heat or stuff atmosphere.
 Do not allow or bring diskettes from outside. They may have viruses.
 Do not switch the computer on and off abruptly or irresponsibly.
 Protect the machines using UPS and stabilizers.
 When In Doubt? Please Ask An Expert.
2.3.4 Protect yourself: Computer Health and Safety issues
The information in this guide will help you to develop good working practices when using a
personal computer or workstation.
If you learn good habits now, it saves you from experiencing problems in the future.
2.3.4.1 Adopt a good posture

A good working posture is one which can be sustained with the minimum of static muscular
effort. In general, a varied working position is better than a fixed working posture.
However, a working position which is static and relaxed is better than one which is static and
tense.
Your upper body is most comfortable when:

 Your back is supported.
 Your head is up.
 Your upper arms are relaxed.
Your hands and wrists are most comfortable when:

 Your forearm is nearly at a right angle to your upper arm.
 Your wrist is in a straight line with your hand and forearm.
Adjust your seating position

In order to improve your posture, adjust your chair so that:
 Your lower back is supported.
 Your knees are level with your hips.

 Your feet are flat on the floor.
 Your eye level is just above the top of the screen. Tilt your screen if necessary.
 The screen is directly in front of you, not at an angle.
Type using both hands ... or better still, learn to touch type
If your arms are raised or your wrists are bent for long periods of keyboarding, tendon and
nerve disorders can result.
It is worth learning to touch type because typing encourages the correct positioning of your
hand and wrist so you will not overstrain your forefingers.
Remember that using the mouse a great deal can put a strain on your hand and wrist muscles.
2.3.4.2 Repetitive Strain Injury - RSI

Keyboard-induced RSI is caused by a combination of rapid keyboard movements, by arms in a
static position, over a long period of time.
There are several factors that can lead to keyboard-related RSI.
These include:
 Rapid, repetitive movements.
 An awkward working position.
 An excessive workload.
 Tight deadlines.
 Inadequate rest breaks.
To prevent the symptoms of RSI, watch your posture, work at a steady rate and take regular
breaks from the screen.
2.3.4.3 Eyes right

According to medical evidence, computer use is not associated with damage to your eyes or
eyesight; nor does it make existing defects worse.
However, eye muscles that shift focus between your source document and a screen for a long
period of time can tire.
The symptoms of eye strain include:
 Headaches
 Itching eyes
 Burning eyes
 Blurring
 Nausea
 Fatigue.
If you wear contact lenses you may experience the sensation of dry eyes whilst using a
computer. This is because you may blink less often than usual.
2.3.4.4 Radiation
The Health and Safety Executive state that there is no evidence that electromagnetic radiation
emitted from computers causes miscarriages, cataracts or skin diseases.
2.3.4.5 Take a break

To prevent the onset of fatigue, you should have a break, or change of activity, for about 10
minutes after every uninterrupted 60 minutes of computer work.

2.3.4.6 Short, frequent breaks are more satisfactory than occasional, longer breaks.
If possible, breaks should be taken away from the screen.
In between breaks, look into the distance and stretch occasionally.
Your safety in the computer laboratory
 Please refrain from eating and drinking in the labs.
 Avoid obstructing gangways with your bags, coats or belongings.
 Remove your printout from the printers before you leave the lab.
Reviewquestion

3 Unit 3
GENERAL OPERATION OF A COMPUTER
3.1 Starting (Booting) a Computer
Booting is the process of starting a computer and loading the operating system into RAM in
order the computer to be used.
Types of Booting
3.1.1 Cold Booting
Is the process of starting your Computer and loading the operating system by turning power on
(Main power supply, UPS, System unit, Monitor). It involves starting a computer that has been
previous off.
3.1.2 Worm Booting

is the process of restating your computer and loading the operating system after it has been
running, you just press restart button or using a three key combination i.e. Ctrl+Alt+Del. This
can be after a computer has hanged i.e. when its not responding to any command
3.2 Computer peripherals

Refers devices connected to the computer system unit and controlled by the CPU such as
keyboard, mouse, printer, card reader etc. The point of connection is called the port.
3.3 System Unit

The unit houses the brain of your computer, including the memory, power
supply, and central processor. All other components are considered
peripheral.
Turning on the Computer
To turn on the computer, press the power button on the front of the System
Unit. The power button has this symbol. Depress the button and the
computer will begin to boot up. The term boot up refers to the loading of
the operating system and other basic software. The procedure also determines
what peripheral devices are connected to the computer.
3.3.1 Lights on the Front
Green lights indicate that the power is on and the equipment is running.
Orange lights indicate that the equipment is in a low-power or sleep mode. The equipment is
still on but not running.
Note: Computers should be plugged into a surge protector (suppressor) or UPS
(Uninterruptible Power Supply). A surge protector protects the computer from power surges
that can occur in electrical lines. An UPS has a battery that will maintain power for a period of
time in the event of a power outage. This enables the user to shut the computer down
properly before the discontinuation of power from the source.
3.3.2 Keyboard Operation
Alphabet keys

The letters of the alphabet and some punctuation marks are in these three rows. The order of
the keys is called QWERTY from the order of the keys on the top row. This arrangement of the
letters was inherited from the typewriter. It is not the most efficient layout. With the first
typewriters, the typists had trouble with the mechanical keys jamming each other because the
typists could strike the keys faster than the keys could get out of each others' way. So the
letters were arranged to slow down the typists' speed. Now that electric typewriters and
computer keyboards no longer have mechanical keys, a more efficient layout could be used.
But so many people are familiar and skilled with the old way that it doesn't seem likely that
the layout will change.
Alt
The Alt key does things by itself. But if you hold it down while pressing another key, the effect
of that key may be different from usual. Exactly what will happen will depend on what
program is running at the time.

Arrow keys
These four keys are used to move the cursor on the screen. The up and down arrows move
the cursor up or down one line. The left and right arrows move the cursor one character.
- -
- -
Keyboard
When you press the Tab key, the cursor navigates around the screen in a predetermined path.
The Tab key scrolls from the top to the bottom of the screen. If you want to scroll up, hold
down the Shift key and press the Tab key.
Some computer users prefer to use the keyboard to accomplish various tasks on the screen.
They rely on the Alt, Ctrl, Tab, and Enter keys to activate the same functions as the mouse.
With both the mouse and keyboard, you can accomplish nearly every task.
3.3.2.1 Keyboard Tips
Press - Push down on a key to initiate an action on a screen in Cyber LAB.

 Underlined Letters - When a letter in a button name is underlined, it indicates that
you can use a shortcut key to do a task.
For example, to activate the OK button, click it or press the Alt key and the
underlined letter of "O," namely Alt + O.

Keyboard key functions are:

 Alt Key - A key on the keyboard that is used in combination with a letter to produce
an action in the application.
 Arrows - You can use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to move up and
down a drop-down list on the screen or a selection list. Use the left and right arrows
to move in text boxes.
 Backspace Key - You can use the Backspace key to delete individual characters that
you entered in a text box.
 Two other ways to delete text in a text box are:
1) Double-click to highlight all the text in a text box and then press the Delete key,
or
2) In a text box that offers an options list, double-click to highlight the text in a text box
and then select another option from the list that displays.
 End Key - Use the End key to navigate to last text typed in a line or to the end of a
line in a text box.
 Enter Key - After you enter information in a text box, use the Enter key to accept the
information into Cyber LAB.
 Home Key - Use the Home key to navigate to the left-hand margin of a text box or
screen.
 Tab Key - Use the Tab key on the keyboard to move down a screen and the Tab and
Shift keys to move up the screen.

3.4 Other Equipments
The monitor must also be powered along with any other peripheral devices (such as a printer
or scanner), other than the keyboard and mouse. The keyboard and mouse receive power
from the CPU.
3.5 Windows Desktop
The windows desktop contains various icons, which access programs operating in the Windows
operating system. An icon is a symbol or graphic representing a program or command.
3.5.1 Moving around the Windows Desktop
To move around the Windows Desktop, use the mouse. The mouse will move the arrow on
the screen.
3.5.2 Windows Buttons
There are buttons on the screen, which enable you to perform commands within a window.
Buttons usually are smallish gray squares that contain an icon. Buttons are activated by
moving the mouse pointer so that the tip of the pointer is pointing to the center of a button,
then click the mouse.
Three buttons found on almost every window are the minimize, resize, and
close buttons. These are found in the upper right corner of each window. The minimize button
allows you to minimize or set aside a program, so it remains open or active, but allows you to
see the Windows Desktop. The resize button (also called the maximize or restore button)
allows you to change the size of the window on the screen. The close button closes the window
and program. You would need to restart the program if you click on the close button.
3.6 Computer Rules and Lab care
1) A computers must rest on a firm table to avoid shaking , shaking may damage the disk
2) Never abstract the ventilation of the computer casing
3) Never connect computer when the system unit is on
4) Never move the system unit when power is on
5) Avoid diskettes coming from outside, because they may come with Virus
6) Ensure that the computer is in an open space where there is free air circulation
7) Ensure that there is Antivirus
8) Always use stabilizers to protect your computer from damage by power fluctuations
9) Ensure that the connection is firm
10) Service your computer at least twice in a year
11) Do not open a computer for inside cleaning , unless you are qualified person( Technician)
3.7 Precautions taken in keeping diskettes

1) Do not fold a disk
2) Do not place a diskette near magnetic field such as near a radio speaker or on top of your
CPU or near electronic motor
3) Keep the diskette away from intense heat
4) Do not expose it to x-Ray
5) Do not drop water on the exposed surface of a diskette
6) Do not force it into the drive , it should slip in with little or no resistance
7) Do not remove or insert it from its drive when the drive active light is on
8) Do not drop it on a hard surface e.g. on a floor

3.8 Important Keyboard Shortcuts
3.8.1 Windows system key combinations
 F1: Help
 CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu
 ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs
 ALT+F4: Quit program
 SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently
3.8.2 Windows program key combinations
 CTRL+C: Copy
 CTRL+X: Cut
 CTRL+V: Paste
 CTRL+Z: Undo
 CTRL+B: Bold
 CTRL+U: Underline
 CTRL+I: Italic
 CTRL+O: open
 CTRL+P: print
4 Internet
4.1 Introduction
By the turn of the century, information, including access to the Internet, will be the basis for
personal, economic, and political advancement. The popular name for the Internet is the
information superhighway. Whether you want to find the latest financial news, browse
through library catalogs, exchange information with colleagues, or join in a lively political
debate, the Internet is the tool that will take you beyond telephones, faxes; The Internet
supplements the traditional tools you use to gather information
4.2 Definition of Internet
The Internet links are computer networks all over the world so that users can share resources
and communicate with each other. Some computers have direct access to all the facilities on
the Internet such as the universities. And other computers, e.g. privately-owned ones, have
indirect links through a commercial service provider, who offers some or all of the Internet
facilities. In order to be connected to Internet, you must go through service suppliers. Many
options are offered with monthly rates. Depending on the option chosen, access time may
vary.
The Internet is what we call a met network, that is, a network of networks that spans the
globe. It's impossible to give an exact count of the number of networks or users that comprise
the Internet, but it is easily in the thousands and millions respectively. The Internet employs a
set of standardized protocols which allow for the sharing of resources among different kinds
of computers that communicate with each other on the network. These standards, sometimes
referred to as the Internet Protocol Suite, are the rules that developers adhere to when
creating new functions for the Internet.
The Internet is also what we call a distributed system; there is no central archive. Technically,
no one runs the Internet. Rather, the Internet is made up of thousands of smaller networks.
The Internet thrives and develops as its many users find new ways to create, display and
retrieve the information that constitutes the Internet.

An intranet is a private computer network that uses Internet protocols and network
connectivity to securely share part of an organization's information or operations with its
employees.
4.3 History & Development of the Internet
In its infancy, the Internet was originally conceived by the Department of Defense as a way to
protect government communications systems in the event of a military strike. The original
network, dubbed Arpanet (for the Advanced Research Projects Agency that developed it)
evolved into a communications channel among contractors, military personnel, and university
researchers who were contributing to ARPA projects.
The network employed a set of standard protocols to create an effective way for these people
to communicate and share data with each other.
ARPAnet's popularity continued to spread among researchers and in the 1980 the National
Science Foundation, whos NSFNet, linked several high speed computers, and took charge of
what had come to be known as the Internet. By the late 1980's, thousands of cooperating
networks were participating in the Internet.
In 1991, the U.S. High Performance Computing Act established the NREN (National Research &
Education Network). NREN's goal was to develop and maintain high-speed networks for
research and education, and to investigate commercial uses for the Internet.
The rest, as they say, is history in the making. The Internet has been improved through the
developments of such services as Gopher and the World Wide Web. Even though the Internet
is predominantly thought of as a research oriented network, it continues to grow as an
informational, creative, and commercial resource every day and all over the world.
4.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Internet
4.4.1 Advantages
4.4.1.1 Email
Email is now an essential communication tools in business. It is also excellent for keeping in
touch with family and friends. The advantages to email is that it is free ( no charge per use)
when compared to telephone, fax and postal services.
4.4.1.2 Information
There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject
known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market
information, new ideas and technical support.
4.4.1.3 Services
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking and
applications, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line or cost more.
4.4.1.4 Buy or sell products
The internet is a very effective way to buy and sell products all over the world.
Communities
Communities of all types have sprung up on the internet. Its a great way to meet up with
people of similar interest and discuss common issues
4.4.2 Disadvantages
4.4.2.1 Theft of Personal information
If you use the Internet, you may be facing grave danger as your personal information such as
name, address, credit card number etc. can be accessed by other culprits to make your problems
worse.

4.4.2.2 Spamming
Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and
needlessly obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you, and
so instead of just ignoring it, you should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that
using the Internet can become that much safer.
4.4.2.3 Virus threat
Virus is nothing but a program which disrupts the normal functioning of your computer
systems. Computers attached to internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up
into crashing your whole hard disk, causing you considerable headache.
4.4.2.4 Pornography
This is perhaps the biggest threat related to your childrens healthy mental life. A very serious
issue concerning the Internet. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can
be easily found and can be a detrimental factor to letting children use the Internet.
4.5 Advantages and Disadvantages of Networking Computers
4.5.1 Advantages of Networking
4.5.1.1 Connectivity and Communication
Networks connect computers and the users of those computers. Individuals within a building or
work group can be connected into local area networks (LANs); LANs in distant locations can
be interconnected into larger wide area networks (WANs). Once connected, it is possible for
network users to communicate with each other using technologies such as electronic mail. This
makes the transmission of business (or non-business) information easier, more efficient and
less expensive than it would be without the network.
4.5.1.2 Data Sharing
One of the most important uses of networking is to allow the sharing of data. Before
networking was common, an accounting employee who wanted to prepare a report for her
manager would have to produce it on his PC, put it on a floppy disk, and then walk it over to
the manager, who would transfer the data to her PC's hard disk
4.5.1.3 Hardware Sharing
Networks facilitate the sharing of hardware devices. For example, instead of giving each of 10
employees in a department an expensive printer, one printer can be placed on the network for
everyone to share.
4.5.1.4 Internet Access
The Internet is itself an enormous network, so whenever you access the Internet, you are using
a network. The significance of the Internet on modern society is hard to exaggerate, especially
for those of us in technical fields.
4.5.1.5 Internet Access Sharing
Small computer networks allow multiple users to share a single Internet connection. Special
hardware devices allow the bandwidth of the connection to be easily allocated to various
individuals as they need it, and permit an organization to purchase one high-speed connection
instead of many slower ones.
4.5.1.6 Data Security and Management
In a business environment, a network allows the administrators to much better manage the
company's critical data. Instead of having this data spread over dozens or even hundreds of
small computers in a haphazard fashion as their users create it, data can be centralized on
shared servers. This makes it easy for everyone to find the data, makes it possible for the

administrators to ensure that the data is regularly backed up, and also allows for the
implementation of security measures to control that can read or change various pieces of
critical information.
4.5.1.7 Entertainment
Networks facilitate many types of games and entertainment. The Internet itself offers many
sources of entertainment, of course. In addition, many multi-player games exist that operate
over a local area network. Many home networks are set up for this reason, and gaming across
wide area networks (including the Internet) has also become quite popular. Of course, if you
are running a business and have easily-amused employees, you might insist that this is really a
disadvantage of networking and not an advantage!
4.5.2 Disadvantages of Networking
i. If Sever develops a fault then users may not be able to run the application programs.
ii. A fault in the network can cause user to lose the data.
iii. If the network stops operating then it may not be possible to access to various
computers.
iv. It is difficult to make the system secure from hackers,
v. Easy spread of Virus because of sharing resources
vi. Decisions on resource planning tend to become centralized.
vii. As traffic increases on a network the performance degrades unless it is designed
properly.
viii. The larger the network becomes difficult to manage.
4.6 What makes the internet work?
The unique thing about the Internet is that it allows many different computers to connect and
talk to each other. This is possible because of a set of standards, known as protocols that
govern the transmission of data over the network:
TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol). Most people who use the Internet
aren't so interested in details related to these protocols. They do, however, want to know
what they can do on the Internet and how to do it effectively.
4.7 Components of the Internet
4.7.1 World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (abbreviated as the Web or WWW) is a system of Internet servers that
supports hypertext to access several Internet protocols on a single interface. Almost every
protocol type available on the Internet is accessible on the Web. This includes e-mail, FTP,
Telnet, and Usenet News. In addition to these, the World Wide Web has its own protocol:
HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP. These protocols will be explained below.
The World Wide Web provides a single interface for accessing all these protocols. This creates
a convenient and user-friendly environment. It is not necessary to be conversant in these
protocols within separate, command-level environments, as was typical in the early days of
the Internet. The Web gathers together these protocols into a single system. Because of this
feature, and because of the Web's ability to work with multimedia and advanced
programming languages, the Web is the most popular component of the Internet.
The operation of the Web relies primarily on hypertext as its means of information retrieval.
HyperText is a document containing words that connect to other documents. These words are
called links and are selectable by the user. A single hypertext document can contain links to
many documents. In the context of the Web, words or graphics may serve as links to other

documents, images, video, and sound. Links may or may not follow a logical path, as each
connection is programmed by the creator of the source document. Overall, the Web contains
a complex virtual web of connections among a vast number of documents, graphics, videos,
and sounds.
Producing hypertext for the Web is accomplished by creating documents with a language
called HyperText Markup Language, or HTML. With HTML, tags are placed within the text to
accomplish document formatting, visual features such as font size, italics and bold, and the
creation of hypertext links. Graphics and multimedia may also be incorporated into an HTML
document.
HTML is an evolving language, with new tags being added as each upgrade of the language is
developed and released. For example, visual formatting features are now often separated
from the HTML document and placed into Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). This has several
advantages, including the fact that an external style sheet can centrally control the formatting
of multiple documents. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), led by Web founder Tim
Berners-Lee, coordinates the efforts of standardizing HTML. The W3C now calls the language
XHTML and considers it to be an application of the XML language standard.
The World Wide Web consists of files, called pages or home pages, containing links to
documents and resources throughout the Internet.
The Web provides a vast array of experiences including multimedia presentations, real-time
collaboration, interactive pages, radio and television broadcasts, and the automatic "push" of
information to a client computer or to an RSS reader. Programming languages such as Java,
JavaScript, Visual Basic, Cold Fusion and XML extend the capabilities of the Web. Much
information on the Web is served dynamically from content stored in databases. The Web is
therefore not a fixed entity, but one that is in a constant state of development and flux.
4.7.2 E-mail
Electronic mail, or e-mail, allows computer users locally and worldwide to exchange messages.
Each user of e-mail has a mailbox address to which messages are sent. Messages sent through
e-mail can arrive within a matter of seconds.
A powerful aspect of e-mail is the option to send electronic files to a person's e-mail address.
Non-ASCII files, known as binary files, may be attached to e-mail messages. These files are
referred to as MIME attachments. MIME stands for Multimedia Internet Mail Extension, and
was developed to help e-mail software handle a variety of file types. For example, a document
created in Microsoft Word can be attached to an e-mail message and retrieved by the
recipient with the appropriate e-mail program. Many e-mail programs offer the ability to read
files written in HTML, which is itself a MIME type.
4.7.3 Telnet
Telnet is a program that allows you to log into computers on the Internet and use online
databases, library catalogs, chat services, and more. There are no graphics in Telnet sessions,
just text. To Telnet to a computer, you must know its address. This can consist of words
(locis.loc.gov) or numbers (140.147.254.3). Some services require you to connect to a specific
port on the remote computer. In this case, type the port number after the Internet address.
Example: telnet nri.reston.va.us 185.
Telnet is available on the World Wide Web. Probably the most common Web-based resources
available through Telnet have been library catalogs, though most catalogs have since migrated

to the Web. A link to a Telnet resource may look like any other link, but it will launch a Telnet
session to make the connection. A Telnet program must be installed on your local computer
and configured to your Web browser in order to work.
With the popularity of the Web, Telnet is less frequently used as a means of access to
information on the Internet.
4.7.4 FTP
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol. This is both a program and the method used to transfer
files between computers. Anonymous FTP is an option that allows users to transfer files from
thousands of host computers on the Internet to their personal computer account. FTP sites
contain books, articles, software, games, images, sounds, multimedia, course work, data sets,
and more.
If your computer is directly connected to the Internet via an Ethernet cable, you can use one
of several PC software programs, such as WS_FTP for Windows, to conduct a file transfer.
FTP transfers can be performed on the World Wide Web without the need for special
software. In this case, the Web browser will suffice. Whenever you download software from a
Web site to your local machine, you are using FTP. You can also retrieve FTP files via search
engines.
4.7.4.1 E-mail Discussion Groups
One of the benefits of the Internet is the opportunity it offers to people worldwide to
communicate via e-mail. The Internet is home to a large community of individuals who carry
out active discussions organized around topic-oriented forums distributed by e-mail. These
are administered by various types of software programs.
A great variety of topics are covered by discussion groups. When you subscribe to a group,
messages from other subscribers are automatically sent to your electronic mailbox. You
subscribe by sending an e-mail message to the address of the group. You must have a e-mail
account to participate in a listserv discussion group.
Listserv, majordomo and Listproc are among the programs that administer e-mail discussion
groups. The commands for subscribing to and managing your list memberships are similar to
those of listserv.
4.7.4.2 Usenet News
Usenet News is a global electronic bulletin board system in which millions of computer users
exchange information on a vast range of topics. The major difference between Usenet News
and e-mail discussion groups is the fact that Usenet messages are stored on central
computers, and users must connect to these computers to read or download the messages
posted to these groups. This is distinct from e-mail distribution, in which messages arrive in
the electronic mailboxes of each list member.
Usenet itself is a set of machines that exchanges messages, or articles, from Usenet discussion
forums, called newsgroups. Usenet administrators control their own sites, and decide which
(if any) newsgroups to sponsor and which remote newsgroups to allow into the system.
There are thousands of Usenet newsgroups. These range from academic to recreational
topics. Serious computer-related work takes place in Usenet discussions. A small number of e-
mail discussion groups also exist as Usenet newsgroups.

The Usenet newsfeed can be read by a variety of newsreader software programs. For
example, the Netscape suite comes with a newsreader program called Messenger.
Newsreaders are also available as standalone products.
Usenet is not as popular nowadays as it once was. Blogs and RSS feeds are newer modes of
communication that have caught the interest of Internet users.
4.7.4.3 Chat & Instant Messaging
Chat programs allow users on the Internet to communicate with each other by typing in real
time. They are sometimes included as a feature of a Web site, where users can log into the
"chat room" to exchange comments and information about the topics addressed on the site.
Chat may take other, more wide-ranging forms. For example, America Online is well known
for sponsoring a number of topical chat rooms.
Internet Relay Chat (IRC) is a service through which participants can communicate to each
other on hundreds of channels. These channels are usually based on specific topics. While
many topics are frivolous, substantive conversations are also taking place. To access IRC, you
must use an IRC software program.
A variation of chat is the phenomenon of instant messaging. With instant messaging, a user on
the Web can contact another user currently logged in and type a conversation. Most famous is
America Online's Instant Messenger. ICQ, MSN and Yahoo also offer chat programs. Open
Source chat programs include GAIM and Jabber.

4.7.5 E-mail (detailed description)
Electronic mail, or e-mail, is probably the most popular and widely used Internet function. E-
mail, email, or just mail, is a fast and efficient way to communicate with friends or colleagues.
You can communicate with one person at a time or thousands; you can receive and send files
and other information. You can even subscribe to electronic journals and newsletters. You can
send an e-mail message to a person in the same building or on the other side of the world.
4.7.5.1 Advantages of E-mail
i. Email is effective in providing quick answers to yes and no, type questions. eg. Do you
do international delivery?
ii. Email is effective in finding the right person in an organization or company to answer
your question.
iii. Email is good to make appointments for busy people.
iv. Email can distribute information quickly to many people for the time it takes to email
one person.
4.7.5.2 Disadvantages of E-mail
i. Email can become time-consuming for answering complicated questions and
misunderstandings can arise because cultural differences in the interpretation of certain
words. The telephone is much better for providing detailed answers or if you feel that
the question is not absolutely clear.
ii. Email can compromise the security of an organization because sensitive information
can be easily distributed accidentally or deliberately. Email should be entrusted to well
trained and trusted staff members.
iii. You can only send to a person who has the e-mail and you cant send something
physical like money
4.7.5.3 How does E-mail Work?
E-mail is an asynchronous form of communication, meaning that the person whom you want
to read your message doesn't have to be available at the precise moment you send your
message. This is a great convenience for both you and the recipient.
On the other hand, the telephone, which is a synchronous communication medium, requires
that both you and your listener be on the line at the same time in order for you to
communicate (unless you leave a voice message). It will be impossible to discuss all the details
of the many e-mail packages available to Internet users.
Fortunately, however, most of these programs share basic functionality which allows you to:
*send and receive mail messages
*save your messages in a file
*print mail messages
*reply to mail messages
*attach a file to a mail message
4.7.5.3.1 Parts of an E-mail address
Senders address
Receivers address
Subject
Message
4.7.5.3.2 Reading an Internet Address
Sample Internet Address: [email protected]

The Internet address has three parts:
i. A user name [custcare in the example above]
ii. An "at" sign (@)
iii. The address of the user's mail server [aucegypt.edu in the example above] Sometimes
it's useful to read an Internet address (like [email protected]) or a domain name
from right to left because it helps you determine information about the source of the
address.
An address like [email protected] doesn't tell me much about the person who's
sending me a message, but I can deduce that the sender is affiliated with an
educational institution because of the suffix edu
EDU Educational sites in the United States
COM Commercial sites in the United States and Uganda
GOV Government sites in the United States
NET Network administrative organizations
MIL Military sites in the United States
ORG Organizations in the U.S. not covered by the categories above (e.g., non-
profit organizations).
4.8 Introduction to the World Wide Web
The World Wide Web (also referred to as WWW or W3) is the fastest growing area of the
Internet. While gopher was an important step in allowing users to "browse" through the
Internet's vast resources, the World Wide Web has raised excitement about the Internet to
new heights.
What makes the World Wide Web appealing and innovative is its use of hypertext as a way of
linking documents to each other. A highlighted word or phrase in one document acts as a
pointer to another document that amplifies or relates to the first document. When looking at
a WWW document, the reader doesn't have to follow every pointer, or link (also called a
hypertext link), only those that look interesting or useful. In this way, the user tailors the
experience to suit his or her needs or interests. The other very appealing aspect of the World
Wide Web is the use of graphics and sound capabilities. Documents on the WWW include
text, but they may also include still images, video, and audio for a very exciting presentation.
People who create WWW documents often include a photograph of themselves along with
detailed professional information and personal interests. (This is often called a person's home
page.)
4.8.1 What makes the WWW work?
WWW is another example of client/server computing. Each time a link is followed, the client is
requesting a document (or graphic or sound file) from a server (also called a Web server)
that's part of the World Wide Web that "serves" up the document. The server uses a protocol
called HTTP or Hypertext Transfer Protocol. The standard for creating hypertext documents for
the WWW is Hypertext Markup Language or HTML. HTML essentially codes plain text
documents so they can be viewed on the Web.
4.8.2 Uniform Resource Locators or URLs:
A Uniform Resource Locator or URL is the address of a document you'll find on the WWW.
Your WWW browser interprets the information in the URL in order to connect to the proper
Internet server and to retrieve your desired document. Each time you click on a hyperlink in a

WWW document, you're actually instructing your browser to find the URL that's embedded
within the hyperlink.
The elements in a URL: Protocol: //server's address/filename
Hypertext protocol: http://www.aucegypt.edu
File Transfer Protocol: ftp://ftp.dartmouth.edu
4.8.3 WWW Clients or "Browsers"
The program you use to access the WWW is known as a browser because it "browses" the
WWW and requests these hypertext documents. Browsers can be graphical, like Netscape and
Mosaic, allowing you to see and hear the graphics and audio; text-only browsers (i.e., those
with no sound or graphics capability) are also available. All of these programs understand http
and other Internet protocols such as FTP, gopher, mail, and news, making the WWW a kind of
"one stop shopping" for Internet users.
4.8.4 Search Engines
Search Engines, Help you to look for the information you a searching: These search engines
search through the Web documents, identifying text that is the basis for keyword searching.
Each search engine works in a different way. Some engines scan for information in the title or
header of the document; others look at the bold "headings" on the page for their information.
The fact that search engines gather information differently means that each will probably
yield different results. Therefore, it's wise to try more than one search engine when doing
Web searching.
i. Yahoo
ii. Google
iii. Met search etc
4.9 Internet Connection
4.9.1 Choosing an Internet Provider?
What should one look for when choosing an Internet Provider?
As internet professionals, we are often asked "Can you help me find an internet provider?"
The answer is "Yes, we can." Whether looking for a new internet service provider (ISP) or
simply replacing your old one, there are several key factors to consider. People are different
and so are their needs in internet providers. Some people need only residential access while
other road warriors need local phone numbers across the entire continent. Regardless of what
kind of internet user you are, here are some of the key factors to consider when choosing a
new internet provider:
i. Local Access Numbers
ii. High Speed Connections
iii. Stability
iv. Reliability
v. Free Technical Support
vi. Free Email
vii. Free Spam Filtering
viii. Web Hosting
4.9.1.1 Local Access Numbers
It is important that you are able to get to the internet from your choice of locations. If you
only want to connect to the internet from your home, a local internet service provider may be
a good choice or a national service provider that has local access numbers in your area may

better serve your needs. However, if you will be traveling and using your computer on the
road, then a national provider will be your best choice.
4.9.1.2 High Speed Connections
High speed internet access can come in many shapes and sizes. Many internet providers tout
their high speed technology such as cable. Some ISPs can provide dial up accelerators directly
over an existing phone line at a much lower cost by using advanced data compression
technology.
4.9.1.3 Stability
You want to choose an internet service provider that will meet your needs for years to come.
Many internet service providers disappeared in the dot com crash of the last few years. Many
others were built just to make a quick buck. You should choose a company that is built to last
for the long run. The long run is a foreign concept to much start up internet providers.
4.9.1.4 Reliability
A fast, cheap connection is no good if you get disconnected every 10 minutes. Your internet
service provider should keep you connected.
4.9.1.5 Free Technical Support
Many ISPs provide only online support. This can be effective and it keeps costs down.
Sometimes though, you just need to talk to a person. The best internet service providers have
24 hour toll free support available at no cost to you.
4.9.1.6 Free Email
Most ISPs give you a number of email accounts when you sign up. The important question is
do you have control of the accounts? The internet service provider should give you a
customer control panel to administer you own email accounts.
4.9.1.7 Free Spam Filtering
Do you get tired of junk email filling up your in box? While no one can completely stop it,
quality internet providers automatically filter incoming email and prevent known offenders
from getting through. Look for ISPs with quality spam filtering.
4.9.1.8 Free Website Hosting
Your internet service provider should provide free website hosting for your personal website.
Five to ten megabytes is plenty. This space is great for personal sites, but is not the best place
to put your business website. Business sites should have their own dedicated web address
such as www.your-business.com.
4.10 Internet Connection Options
Until recently, the two primary methods of accessing the Internet were through a network
connection, allowing users of local area networks (LANs) to go online through their school or
workplace systems, and dial-up connections through a modem and phone line. However, new
connection options allow for greater speeds and flexibility, while keeping costs to a minimum.
4.11 Newer connection options
4.11.1.1 Cable Internet
These systems allow your computer to connect to the Internet through the same cable that
carries your TV signal. Monthly service charges are usually not much more than standard
modem connection costs, but you have to rent or purchase a "cable modem." Additionally, your
computer will need an Ethernet card (a special circuit board that allows for network
connections). Not all cable service operators offer this service; call your local operator for more
information.
4.11.1.2 Satellite connections
DirecPC (http://www.direcpc.com/) allows you to download Internet files via a satellite
connection. This is an efficient method for receiving large Web graphics and other items, but
you still need a modem connection for other features. You must purchase the connection
hardware as well as subscribe to the service.
4.11.1.3 Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN)
An ISDN line is a type of digital phone line that can transmit data many times faster than a
conventional modem and phone line. To learn more about ISDN, go to
http://www.isdn.ocn.com/index.shtml
4.11.1.4 Wireless connections
Pagers, cellular phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) now allow varying levels of
Internet access, from notification of E-mail to limited Web connections. Many of these services
remain in the experimental stage.
4.11.1.5 WebTV
Introduced in late 1996, WebTV (http://www.webtv.net/) provides Web and E-mail access
through ordinary television sets. The connection is made through a custom high-speed modem.
You must purchase a special set-top unit for your TV, plus subscribe to the connection service.
Recently, similar systems by other manufacturers have appeared on the market to compete with
WebTV.
4.12 Networking Hardware
Networking hardware includes all computers, peripherals, interface cards and other
equipment needed to perform data-processing and communications within the
network. CLICK on the terms below to learn more about those pieces of networking
hardware.
This section provides information on the following components:

 File Servers
 Workstations
 Network Interface Cards
 Switches
 Repeaters
 Bridges

 Routers
4.12.1 File Servers
A file server stands at the heart of most networks. It is a very fast computer
with a large amount of RAM and storage space, along with a fast network
interface card. The network operating system software resides on this
computer, along with any software applications and data files that need to be
shared.
The file server controls the communication of information between the nodes
on a network. For example, it may be asked to send a word processor program
to one workstation, receive a database file from another workstation, and store
an e-mail message during the same time period. This requires a computer that
can store a lot of information and share it very quickly. File servers should have
at least the following characteristics:
 800 megahertz or faster microprocessor (Pentium 3 or 4, G4 or G5)
 A fast hard drive with at least 120 gigabytes of storage
 A RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) to preserve data after a
disk casualty
 A tape back-up unit (i.e. DAT, JAZ, Zip, or CD-RW drive)
 Numerous expansion slots
 Fast network interface card
 At least of 512 MB of RAM
4.12.2 Workstations
All of the user computers connected to a network are called workstations. A
typical workstation is a computer that is configured with a network interface
card, networking software, and the appropriate cables. Workstations do not
necessarily need floppy disk drives because files can be saved on the file server.
Almost any computer can serve as a network workstation.
4.12.3 Network Interface Cards
The network interface card (NIC) provides the physical connection between the
network and the computer workstation. Most NICs are internal, with the card
fitting into an expansion slot inside the computer. Some computers, such as
Mac Classics, use external boxes which are attached to a serial port or a SCSI
port. Laptop computers can now be purchased with a network interface card
built-in or with network cards that slip into a PCMCIA slot.
Network interface cards are a major factor in determining the speed and
performance of a network. It is a good idea to use the fastest network card
available for the type of workstation you are using.
The three most common network interface connections are Ethernet cards,
LocalTalk connectors, and Token Ring cards. According to a International Data
Corporation study, Ethernet is the most popular, followed by Token Ring and
LocalTalk (Sant'Angelo, R. (1995). NetWare Unleashed, Indianapolis, IN: Sams
Publishing).
4.12.4 Ethernet Cards
Ethernet cards are usually purchased separately from a computer, although
many computers (such as the Macintosh) now include an option for a pre-

installed Ethernet card. Ethernet cards contain connections for either coaxial or
twisted pair cables (or both) (See fig. 1). If it is designed for coaxial cable, the
connection will be BNC. If it is designed for twisted pair, it will have a RJ-45
connection. Some Ethernet cards also contain an AUI connector. This can be
used to attach coaxial, twisted pair, or fiber optics cable to an Ethernet card.
When this method is used there is always an external transceiver attached to
the workstation. (See the Cabling section for more information on connectors.)
Fig. 1. Ethernet card.

From top to bottom:
RJ-45, AUI, and BNC connectors
4.12.5 LocalTalk Connectors
LocalTalk is Apple's built-in solution for networking Macintosh computers. It
utilizes a special adapter box and a cable that plugs into the printer port of a
Macintosh (See fig. 2). A major disadvantage of LocalTalk is that it is slow in
comparison to Ethernet. Most Ethernet connections operate at 10 Mbps
(Megabits per second). In contrast, LocalTalk operates at only 230 Kbps (or .23
Mbps).
Fig.2. LocalTalk connectors
Ethernet Cards vs. LocalTalk Connections
Ethernet LocalTalk
Fast data transfer (10 to Slow data transfer (.23

100 Mbps) Mbps)
Expensive - purchased Built into Macintosh

separately computers
No computer slot
Requires computer slot
necessary
Available for most Works only on

computers Macintosh computers

4.12.6 Token Ring Cards
Token Ring network cards look similar to Ethernet cards. One visible difference
is the type of connector on the back end of the card. Token Ring cards generally
have a nine pin DIN type connector to attach the card to the network cable.
4.12.7 Switch
A concentrator is a device that provides a central connection point for cables
from workstations, servers, and peripherals. In a star topology, twisted-pair
wire is run from each workstation to a central switch/hub. Most switches are
active that is they electrically amplify the signal as it moves from one device to
another. Switches no longer broadcast network packets as hubs did in the past,
they memorize addressing of computers and send the information to the
correct location directly. Switches are:
 Usually configured with 8, 12, or 24 RJ-45 ports
 Often used in a star or star-wired ring topology
 Sold with specialized software for port management
 Also called hubs
 Usually installed in a standardized metal rack that also may store
netmodems, bridges, or routers
4.12.8 Repeaters
Since a signal loses strength as it passes along a cable, it is often necessary to
boost the signal with a device called a repeater. The repeater electrically
amplifies the signal it receives and rebroadcasts it. Repeaters can be separate
devices or they can be incorporated into a concentrator. They are used when
the total length of your network cable exceeds the standards set for the type of
cable being used.
A good example of the use of repeaters would be in a local area network using
a star topology with unshielded twisted-pair cabling. The length limit for
unshielded twisted-pair cable is 100 meters. The most common configuration is
for each workstation to be connected by twisted-pair cable to a multi-port
active concentrator. The concentrator amplifies all the signals that pass
through it allowing for the total length of cable on the network to exceed the
100-meter limit.
4.12.9 Bridges
A bridge is a device that allows you to segment a large network into two
smaller, more efficient networks. If you are adding to an older wiring scheme
and want the new network to be up-to-date, a bridge can connect the two.
A bridge monitors the information traffic on both sides of the network so that it
can pass packets of information to the correct location. Most bridges can
"listen" to the network and automatically figure out the address of each
computer on both sides of the bridge. The bridge can inspect each message
and, if necessary, broadcast it on the other side of the network.
The bridge manages the traffic to maintain optimum performance on both
sides of the network. You might say that the bridge is like a traffic cop at a busy
intersection during rush hour. It keeps information flowing on both sides of the
network, but it does not allow unnecessary traffic through. Bridges can be used
to connect different types of cabling, or physical topologies. They must,
however, be used between networks with the same protocol.
4.12.10 Routers
A router translates information from one network to another; it is similar to a
super intelligent bridge. Routers select the best path to route a message, based
on the destination address and origin. The router can direct traffic to prevent
head-on collisions, and is smart enough to know when to direct traffic along
back roads and shortcuts.
While bridges know the addresses of all computers on each side of the
network, routers know the addresses of computers, bridges, and other routers
on the network. Routers can even "listen" to the entire network to determine
which sections are busiest -- they can then redirect data around those sections
until they clear up.
If you have a school LAN that you want to connect to the Internet, you will
need to purchase a router. In this case, the router serves as the translator
between the information on your LAN and the Internet. It also determines the
best route to send the data over the Internet. Routers can:
 Direct signal traffic efficiently
 Route messages between any two protocols
 Route messages between linear bus, star, and star-wired ring topologies
 Route messages across fiber optic, coaxial, and twisted-pair cabling
5 Computer Crime
Introduction
There are no precise, reliable statistics on the amount of computer crime and the economic loss
to victims, partly because many of these crimes are apparently not detected by victims, many of
these crimes are never reported to authorities, and partly because the losses are often difficult to
calculate. Nevertheless, there is a consensus among both law enforcement personnel and
computer scientists who specialize in security that both the number of computer crime incidents
and the sophistication of computer criminals is increasing rapidly. Estimates are that computer
crime costs victims in the USA at least US$ 5×108/year and the true value of such crime might
be substantially higher. Experts in computer security, who are not attorneys, speak of
"information warfare". While such "information warfare" is just another name for computer
crime, the word "warfare" does fairly denote the amount of damage inflicted on society.
5.1 Internet and computer security
It is a fact; the Internet is just not a safe place to connect your computer to. There are worms
constantly scanning for vulnerable computers to infect, Trojans disguised as helpful programs
but actually install malicious ones, spyware that reports your activities back to their makers,
and hijackers that take control of your web browser and browsing experience. For those
people who have been the victim of one of these mentioned infections, removing them and
getting your computer back in your control can be a daunting and frustrating experience. The
purpose of this is to teach you how to setup your computer in such a way that you minimize
as much as possible the risks of contracting one of these infections. Each step is very easy to
do and regardless of your computer experience you will have no trouble following along. It is
also important to note that there is not one step listed below that is more important than the
other. They are all equally important to keeping your computer safe and secure.

Educate yourself and be smart about where you visit and what you click on - Understanding
how you can get infected and what to avoid when using the Internet will be the most important
step in keeping your computer clean and secure. The majority of people who have infections on
their machines were infected due to lack of knowledge and clicking on things that they should
not. I will provide a list of actions under this step that you should not do:
i. Do not open attachments from users that you do not know. This is one of the most
effective ways for viruses to infect you. If you do not know the user, then simply do not
open the email and delete it.
ii. Never open an attachment that is a .exe, .pif, .com, or .bat unless you specifically know
the file is clean. The majority of these are always bad!
iii. If you visit a site and a popup appears saying that your computer is unsafe, ignore it!
These are gimicks that are used to make you click on the ad which then can potentially
install unwanted malware.
iv. When you go to a site and a popup occurs, many times they will make them look like a
normal Windows message box in order to trick you into clicking on them. Instead just
close them by clicking on the X.
v. Do not visit porn sites! I know some of you may not be happy about this, but the reality
is that the majority of spyware and browser hijackers are put on your computer through
porn sites.
vi. Read the license agreement for any software that you install. Many free downloads are
offered with spyware and other programs that you DO NOT want on your computer.
Reading the agreement may help you to spot them.
vii. Use an AntiVirus Software - It is very important that your computer has an antivirus
software running on your machine. By having an antivirus program running, files and
emails will be scanned as you use them, download them, or open them. If a virus is
found in one of the items you are about to use, the antivirus program will stop you from
being able to run that program and therefore infect yourself.
viii. Update your AntiVirus Software - There is no point running an antivirus program if
you do not make sure it has all the latest updates available to it. If you do not update the
software, it will not know about any new viruses, trojans, worms, etc that have been
released into the wild since you installed the program. Then if a new infection appears
in your computer, the antivirus program will not know that it is bad, and not alert you
when you run it and become infected. Therefore it is imperative that you update your
Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish) so that you are
protected from all the latest threats.
ix. Occasionally Run Online Virus Scans - Unfortunately not all antivirus programs are
created equal. Each program may find infections that other antivirus programs do not
and vice-versa. It is therefore recommended that you occasionally run some free online
antivirus scanners to make sure that you are not infected with items that your particular
antivirus program does not know how to find. Two online scanners that we recommend
are:
http://housecall.antivirus.com/
http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/
Every once in a while, maybe once every 2 weeks, run one or both of these scanners to
see if they find anything that may have been missed by your locally installed antivirus
software.
x. Use a Firewall - I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your
computer. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken
over. You may say "Why do I need a firewall?" I have all the latest updates for my
programs and operating system, so nobody should be able to hack into my computer".
Unfortunately that reasoning is not valid. Many times hackers discover new security
holes in software or operating system long before the software company does and
therefore many people get hacked before a security patch is released. By using a
firewall the majority of these security holes will not be accessible as the firewall will
block the attempt.
xi. Update your security programs regularly - As always if you do not update your
programs, your programs will not be able to find the newest infections that may be
racing around the Internet. It is therefore important that you upgrade the software
and spyware/virus definitions for a particular program so that they are running the
most effectively.
xii. Switch to another browser, like Firefox, or make your Internet Explorer more secure
- Internet Explorer as shipped is by default insecure. With that said you have two
choices; either make Internet Explorer more secure or switch another browser like
Mozilla Firefox. It's an excellent browser and is secure right after installing it. You can
find more info on switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox.
5.2 New crimes in cyberspace
There are three major classes of criminal activity with computers:
 Unauthorized use of a computer
 This might involve stealing a username and password, or might involve accessing the
victim's computer via the Internet through a backdoor operated by a Trojan Horse
program.
 Creating or releasing a malicious computer program (e.g., computer virus, worm,
Trojan horse).
 Harassment and stalking in cyberspace.
5.3 Old crimes
Similarly, many crimes involving computers are no different from crimes without computers:
the computer is only a tool that a criminal uses to commit a crime. For example,
 Using a computer, a scanner, graphics software, and a high-quality color laser or ink jet
printer for forgery or counterfeiting is the same crime as using an old-fashioned printing
press with ink.
 Stealing a laptop computer with proprietary information stored on the hard disk inside
the computer is the same crime as stealing a briefcase that contains papers with
proprietary information.
 Using the Internet or online services to solicit sex is similar to other forms of
solicitation of sex, and so is not a new crime.
 Using computers can be another way to commit either fraud.
5.3.1 False origin
There are many instances of messages sent in the name of someone who neither wrote the
content nor authorized the sending of the message. For example:

i. E-mails with bogus addresses are sent automatically by malicious programs (e.g., the
Melissa virus in 1999, the BadTrans worm in 2001, the Klez program in 2002).
ii. Posting messages in an Internet newsgroup or online bulletin board with a false author's
name that is intended to harm the reputation of the real person of that name.
These acts might be punishable by existing criminal statutes that prohibit impersonation,
forgery, deceit, or fraud. However, a judge might decide that the specific language in old
statutes about writing or signature does not apply to e-mail. Rather than write new statutes for
forged e-mail addresses or unauthorized sending of e-mail in someone else's name. Legislatures
therefore need to broaden the existing criminal statutes for analogous crimes with paper and
ink.
Similar issues arise in both: (1) fictitious addresses in some unsolicited commercial e-mail, also
called spam or junk e-mail, and (2) fictitious source IP addresses in denial of service attacks.
5.3.2 Unauthorized Use
Unauthorized use of computers tends generally takes the following forms:
i. Computer voyeur
ii. The criminal reads (or copies) confidential or proprietary information, but data is
neither deleted nor changed.
a. In 1999, the Melissa virus infected a [possibly confidential] document on a
victim's computer, then automatically sent that document and copy of the virus
via e-mail to other people. Subsequently, the SirCam and Klez malicious
programs made a similar release of [possibly confidential] documents from a
victim's computer. These malicious programs are a new way to release
confidential information from a victim's computer, with the confidential
information going not to the author of the malicious program, but to some
person unknown to the author of the malicious program.
iii. Changing data
For example, change a grade on a school transcript; add "money" to a checking
account, etc. Unauthorized changing of data is generally a fraudulent act.
iv. Deleting data
Deleting entire files could be an act of vandalism or sabotage.
v. Denying service to authorized users
On a modern time-sharing computer, any user takes some time and disk space, which is
then not available to other users. By "denying service to authorized users", I mean
gobbling unreasonably large amounts of computer time or disk space, for example:
a. By sending large amounts of junk e-mail in one day, a so-called "mail bomb",
b. By having the computer execute a malicious program that puts the processing
unit into an infinite loop, or,
c. By flooding an Internet server with bogus requests for webpages, thereby
denying legitimate users an opportunity to download a page and also possibly
crashing the server. This is called a denial of service (DoS) attack.
During 1950-1975, computer programs and data were generally stored on cardboard cards
with holes punched in them. If a vandal were to break into an office and either damage or
steal the punch cards, the vandal could be adequately punished under traditional law of
breaking and entering, vandalism, or theft.
However, after about 1975, it became common to enter programs and data from remote
terminals (a keyboard and monitor) using a modem and a telephone line. This same
technology allowed banks to retrieve a customer's current balance from the bank's central
computer, and merchants to process credit card billing without sending paper forms. But this
change in technology also meant that a criminal could alter data and programs from his home,
without physical entry into the victim's building. The traditional laws were no longer adequate
to punish criminals who used computer modems.
Most unauthorized use of a computer is accomplished by a person in his home, who uses a
modem to access a remote computer. In this way, the computer criminal is acting analogous
to a burglar. The classic definition of a burglary is:
The breaking and entering of a building with the intent to commit a felony therein.
In traditional burglaries, the felony was typically an unlawful taking of another person's
property. However, in the unauthorized use of another's computer, the criminal "enters" the
computer via the telephone lines, which is not breaking into the building. Either the burglary
statute needed to be made more general or new criminal statute(s) needed to be enacted for
unauthorized access to a computer. Legislatures chose to enact totally new statutes.
To successfully use a remote computer, any user (including criminals) must have both a valid
user name and valid password. There are several basic ways to get these data:
a. Call up a legitimate user, pretend to be a system administrator, and ask for the
user name and password. This sounds ridiculous, but many people will give out such
valuable information to anyone who pretends to have a good reason. Not only should
you refuse to provide such information, but please report such requests to the
management of the online service or the local police, so they can be alert to an active
criminal.
b. Search user's offices for such data, as many people post their user name and password
on the side of their monitor or filing cabinet, where these data can be conveniently seen.
c. Write a program that tries different combinations of user names and passwords until one
is accepted.
d. Use a packet "sniffer" program to find user names and passwords as they travel through
networks.
e. Search through a garbage bin behind the computer building in a university or corporate
campus, find trash paper that lists user names and passwords.
A disgruntled employee can use his legitimate computer account and password for
unauthorized uses of his employer's computer. This can be particularly damaging when the
disgruntled employee is the computer system administrator, who knows master password(s)
and can enter any user's file area. Such disgruntled employees can perpetrate an "inside job",
working from within the employer's building, instead of accessing a computer via modem.
The computer voyeurs, like petty criminals who peek in other people's windows, generally hack
into other people's computers for the thrill of it. In the 1970s and early 1980s, many of these
computer voyeurs also used technology to make long-distance telephone calls for free, which
technology also concealed their location when they were hacking into computers. Many of
these voyeurs take a special thrill from hacking into military computers, bank computers, and
telephone operating system computers, because the security is allegedly higher at these
computers, so it is a greater technical challenge to hack into these machines.

The criminals who change or delete data, or who deliberately gobble large amounts of
computer resources, have a more sinister motive and are capable of doing immense damage.
5.3.3 Altering websites

In recent years, there have been a large number of attacks on websites by hackers who are
angry with the owner of the website. Victims of such attacks include various U.S. Government
agencies, including the White House and FBI. Attacking the FBI website is like poking a lion
with a stick.
In a typical attack, the hacker will delete some pages or graphics, then upload new pages with
the same name as the old file, so that the hacker controls the message conveyed by the site.
This is not the worst kind of computer crime. The proper owner of the site can always close the
website temporarily, restore all of the files from backup media, improve the security at the site,
and then re-open the site. Nonetheless, the perpetrator has committed a computer crime by
making an unauthorized use of someone else's computer or computer account.
One example of punishment for the crime of defacing a website is the case of Dennis M.
Moran. On 9 March 2001, Moran (alias "Coolio"), a high school dropout, was sentenced in
New Hampshire state court to nine months incarceration and ordered to pay a total of
US$ 15000 restitution to his victims for defacing two websites:
1. In November 1999, he defaced the website of DARE America, an organization that
campaigns against use of illicit drugs, whose website was in Los Angeles, California.
2. In February 2000, he defaced the website of RSA Security in Massachusetts.
3. In February 2000, he made "unauthorized intrusions" into computers at four different
U.S. Army and Air Force installations.
5.3.4 Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks
A denial of service attack occurs when an Internet server is flooded with a nearly continuous
stream of bogus requests for WebPages, thereby denying legitimate users an opportunity to
download a page and also possibly crashing the web server.
Criminals have developed a simple technique for executing a distributed DoS attack:

i. The criminal first plants remote-control programs on dozens of computers that have
broadband access to the Internet. The remote-control program will, at the command of
the criminal, issue a nearly continuous series of pings to a specified victim's website.
ii. When the criminal is ready to attack, he instructs the programs to begin pinging a
specific target address. The computers containing the remote-control programs act as
"zombies".
iii. The victim computer responds to each ping, but because the zombie computers gave
false source addresses for their pings, the victim computer is unable to establish a
connection with the zombie computers. Because the victim computer waits for a
response to its return ping, and because there are more zombie computers than victims,
the victim computer becomes overwhelmed and either (a) does nothing except respond
to bogus pings or (b) crashes.
iv. Typically, after one or two hours, the criminal instructs his programs to stop pinging the
victim. This brief duration is not because the criminal is a nice person, but because

long-duration attacks make it easier for engineers at the victim's website to promptly
trace the source of the attacks.
The following is one case involving a famous series of DoS attacks:
 The Yahoo website was attacked at 10:30 PST on Monday, 7 Feb 2000. The attack
lasted three hours. Yahoo was pinged at the rate of one gigabyte/second.
 The websites of amazon.com, buy.com, cnn.com, eBay.com were attacked on Tuesday,
8 Feb 2000. Each attack lasted between one and four hours. CNN reported that the
attack on its website was the first major attack since its website went online in
August 1995.
 About fifty computers at Stanford University, and also computers at the University of
California at Santa Barbara, were amongst the zombie computers sending pings in these
DoS attacks.
 The attacks received the attention of President Clinton and the U.S. Attorney General,
Janet Reno. The FBI began to investigate. A CNN news report posted at 18:44 EST on
9 Feb 2000 quotes Ron Dick of the FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center as
saying "A 15-year-old kid could launch these attacks. It doesn't take a great deal of
sophistication to do."
 His remark was prophetic, because, on 18 April 2000, a 15-year-old pupil in Montréal
Canada was arrested and charged with two counts of "mischief to data" arising from his
DoS attack on CNN. Because he was a juvenile, his name can not be publicly disclosed,
so he was called by his Internet pseudonym Mafiaboy. The Royal Canadian Mounted
Police seized Mafiaboy's computer.
 CNN reported that Mafiaboy was granted bail, with the following conditions:
o "May only use computers under the direct supervision of a teacher."
o "Prohibited from connecting to the Internet"
o Prohibited from entering "a store or company where computer services or parts
are sold."
o "Barred from communicating with three of his closest friends."
5.3.5 Malicious Computer Programs
The following are general terms for any computer program that is designed to harm its
victim(s):
Malicious code
Malicious program
Malware (by analogy with "software")
Rogue program
Malicious computer programs are divided into the following classes:
i. A virus is a program that "infects" an executable file. After infection, the executable
file functions in a different way than before: maybe only displaying a benign message
on the monitor, maybe deleting some or all files on the user's hard drive, maybe altering
data files.
The word "virus" is also commonly used broadly to include computer viruses, worms,
and Trojan Horse programs. For example, so-called "anti-virus software" will remove
all three classes of these malicious programs.
ii. A worm is a program that copies itself. The distinction between a virus and worm is
that a virus never copies itself a virus is copied only when the infected executable file
is run.

In the pure, original form, a worm neither deleted nor changed files on the victim's
computer the worm simply made multiple copies of itself and sent those copies from
the victim's computer, thus clogging disk drives and the Internet with multiple copies of
the worm. Releasing such a worm into the Internet will slow the legitimate traffic on the
Internet, as continuously increasing amounts of traffic are mere copies of the worm.
Beginning with the Klez worm in early 2002, a worm could drop a virus into the
victim's computer. This kind of worm became known as a blended threat, because it
combined two different types of malicious code.

iii. A Trojan horse is a deceptively labeled program that contains at least one function that
is unknown to the user and that harms the user. A Trojan horse does not replicate, which
distinguishes it from viruses and worms.
Some of the more serious Trojan horses allow a hacker to remotely control the victim's
computer, perhaps to collect passwords and credit card numbers and send them to the
hacker, or perhaps to launch denial of service attacks on websites.
Some Trojan Horses are installed on a victim's computer by an intruder, without any
knowledge of the victim. Other Trojan Horses are downloaded (perhaps in an attachment in
e-mail) and installed by the user, who intends to acquire a benefit that is quite different
from the undisclosed true purpose of the Trojan horse.
iv. A logic bomb is a program that "detonates" when some event occurs. The detonated
program might stop working (e.g., go into an infinite loop), crash the computer, release
a virus, delete data files, or any of many other harmful possibilities. A time bomb is a
type of logic bomb, in which the program detonates when the computer's clock reaches
some target date.
v. A hoax is a warning about a nonexistent malicious program.

6 MICROSOFT WORD
6.1 Introduction to Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is a powerful tool to create professional looking documents.
This information will help you get started with Microsoft Word and may solve some of
your problems, but it is a very good idea to use the Help Files that come with Microsoft
Word.
6.2 Starting Microsoft Word
Two Ways
1. Double click on the Microsoft Word icon on the desktop.
2. Click on Start --> Programs --> Microsoft Word
6.3 Viewing the toolbars
The toolbars in Microsoft Word provide easy access and functionality to the user. There
are many shortcuts that can be taken by using the toolbar. First, make sure that the proper
toolbars are visible on the screen.
1. Click View
2. Select Toolbars
3. Select Standard, Formatting, and Drawing

4. Other toolbars can be selected if you wish
Name Icon Description

New Blank Creates a new, blank file based on the default
Document template.
Open (File menu) Opens or finds a file.
Saves the active file with its current file name,
Save (File menu)
location, and file format.
Sends the contents of the document as the body
Mail Recipient
of the e-mail message.
Prints the active file or selected items. To select
Print (File menu)
print options, on the File menu, click Print.
Print Preview (File
Shows how a file will look when you print it.
menu)
Checks the active document for possible
spelling, grammar, and writing style errors, and
Spelling and
displays suggestions for correcting them. To set
Grammar (Tools
spelling and grammar checking options, click
menu)
Options on the Tools menu, and then click the
Spelling and Grammar tab.
Removes the selection from the active document
Cut (Edit menu)
and places it on the Clipboard.
Copy (Edit menu) Copies the selection to the Clipboard.
Inserts the contents of the Clipboard at the
insertion point, and replaces any selection. This
Paste (Edit menu)
command is available only if you have cut or
copied an object, text, or contents of a cell.

Copies the format from a selected object or text
and applies it to the object or text you click. To
copy the formatting to more than one item,
Format Painter
double-click , and then click each item you
(Standard toolbar)
want to format. When you are finished, press
ESC or click again to turn off the Format
Painter.
Reverses the last command or deletes the last
Undo (Edit menu)
entry you typed.
Redo (Edit menu) Reverses the action of the Undo command.
Inserts a new hyperlink or edits the selected
Hyperlink
hyperlink.
Displays the Tables and Borders toolbar, which
contains tools for creating, editing, and sorting a
Tables and Borders
table and for adding or changing borders to
selected text, paragraphs, cells, or objects.
Enter a magnification between 10 and 400
Zoom percent to reduce or enlarge the display of the
active document.
The Office Assistant provides Help topics and
Office Assistant
tips to help you accomplish your tasks.
6.4 Creating A New Document
1. Click on File
2. Select New
o To create a blank document, simply select Blank Document. To create a document
based on one of the templates provided in Microsoft Word, select which one you would
like to create and select OK
6.5 Formatting Text
1. Highlight the text that you want to format by dragging your mouse over while
holding down the left mouse button
2. Change the text to your desire
Or

You can go to format then click Font and make choice of what you want to format for example
, font size, font color, font type, font style, underline e.t.c.
6.6 Inserting Items in Word Documents

6.6.1 Inserting a Table
1. Click where you want your table to go
2. Click Table at top of screen
3. Select Insert
4. Select Table
5. Give your table dimensions

6.6.2 Inserting a Picture
1. Click where you want your picture to go
2. Click Insert at top of screen
3. Select Picture
4. Select Clip Art or From File
5. Select picture and click Insert
6.6.3 Inserting Page Numbers and Date/Time

2. Select Page Numbers and/or Date & Time
6.6.4 Using Borders in your Document

1. Click format on the menu bar
2. Select Borders and Shading
3. Select the Box
4. Choose the Border Style you need
5. Click OK.

6.6.5 Spell Checking Your Document
1. Click Tools at top of screen
2. Select Spelling and Grammar
6.6.6 Saving and Moving Text
6.6.6.1 Saving Your Document
In order to save your file for the first time, you need to follow the following procedures.
1. Click File on the Menu bar
2. Click Save AS
3. Choose the location i.e my documents, Flash, Desk Top, Floppy drives e.t.c
4. Type the file Name e.g Peter
5. Click Save.
After Saving your work with the name, then you can make continuous saving by clicking
on File , Save ,by clicking on the save Icon on the Standard tool bar of Pressing CTL +S
6.6.6.2 Saving Your Document Using Password

Data or Information should be protected from unauthorized users and in this case you can
achieve this by putting password on your file.
Click File on the menu bar
Click on SAVE AS
Select TOOLS on the Dialog box as shown bellow

Enter any character or Number as your PASSWORD to open , You neet to confirm the
Exact password by re entering as the computer will be requesting you and finally click
SAVE
6.6.6.3 Moving (cutting) text
Highlight the text that will be moved and select edit/ cut from the menu bar, click the cut
button on the standard bar, or press CTRL + X at once. This will move the next to a clipboard.
To move a small amount of text a short distance, the drag and drop method may be quicker.
Highlight the text you want to move click the selection with the mouse, drag the selection to
the new location, and release the mouse button.
6.6.7 Copying text
To copy text, choose edit/copy, click the copy button on the standard tool bar, or press CTRL +
C to copy the text to the clipboard.
6.6.8 Paste text

To paste cut or copied text, move the cursor to the location you want to move the text to and
select edit /paste button on the standard toolbar, or press CTRL +V.
6.6.9 Columns
To quickly place text in a column format, click the columns button on the standard toolbar and
select the number of columns by dragging the mouse over the diagram.
For more columns options, select format / columns from the menu bar. The columns dialog
box allows you to choose the properties of the columns. Select the number and width of the
columns from the dialog box.
6.6.10 Drop caps
A drop cap is a large letter that begins a paragraph and drops through several lines of text.
6.6.10.1 Adding a drop cap
i. Place the cursor within the paragraph whose first letter will be dropped or highlight
the letter to be dropped.
ii. Select format / drop cap from the menu bar.

iii. The drop cap dialog box allows you to select the position of the drop cap, the font, the
number of lines to drop, and the distance from the body text.
iv. Click OK when all selections have been made.
v. To modify a drop cap, select format / drop cap again to change the attributes, click on
the letter and use the handles to move and resize the letter.
6.6.11 Bulleted and Numbered lists
i. Click the bulleted list button or numbered list button on the formatting tool
bar.
ii. Type the first entry and press ENTER. This will create a new bullet or
number on the next line. If you want to start anew line with out adding
another bullet or number, hold down the SHIFT key while, press ENTER.
iii. Continue typing entries and press ENTER twice when you are finishing
typing to the end the list.
6.6.12 Addition
Use the increase indent and decrease indent buttons on the formatting tool
bar to create lists of multiple levels.
NOTE; You can also type the text first, highlight the section, and press the bulleted or
numbered list buttons to add the bullets or numbers.
6.6.13 Nested list
To create a nested list, such as a numbered list inside of a bulleted list, follow these steps;
1. Type the list and increase the indentation of the items that will make up the nested list
by clicking the increase indent button for each item.
6.6.13.1 Lists
Bulleted and numbered lists
Nested list
Formatting list
6.6.13.1.1 Formatting list

Using the bullets and numbering dialog box can change the bullet image and numbering
format.
1. Highlight the entire list to change all the bullets or numbers or place the cursor on one
line within the list to change a single bullet.
Access the dialog box by selecting format/ bullets and numbering from the menu bar or by
right clicking within the list and selecting bullets and numbering from the dialog box.
6.6.14 Auto shapes

The auto shapes toolbar will allow you to draw many different geometrical shapes, arrows,
flow chart symbols, stars, and banners on the document. Activate the auto shape as toolbar
by selecting insert / picture / auto shapes or view / toolbars / auto shapes from the menu bar
or clicking the auto shapes button on the drawing tool bar click each button on the tool bar to
view the options for drawing the shape.
6.6.15 Headers and Footers
 A header is text that is added to the top margin of very page such as a document title or
page number and footer is text added to the bottom margin. Follow these steps to add or
edit headers and footers in the document.

 select view/ header and footer from the menu bar. The header and footer tool bar will
appear and the top of the page will be highlighted.
 Type the heading in the headerbox. You may use many of the standard text formatting
options such as font face, size, bold, italics.
 Click the Insert Auto text button to view a list of quick options available.
 Use the other options on the toolbar to add page number, the current date and time.
 To edit the footer, click the switch between header and footer button on the tool bar.
 When you are finished adding headers, and footers, click the close button on the toolbar
6.6.16 Printing Your Document
In order to get a hard copy from what you have typed, you need a Printer connect to your
computer and Installed or save your work on any Secondary Storage device e.g flash ,CD e.t.c
then Open your File and follow the following procedures.
i. Click on file
ii. Select Print
iii. Select the printer Name or Type connect to your computer
iv. Specify the number of pages to be printed for example if you want to print all pages,
choose ALL from print Rage, if you want to print the Current page only , then choose
Current Page from the print Rage and if you want to specific pages to be printed , then
specify the page numbers e.g 2-6 or 2,3,5,6 e.t.c
v. Specify the Number of copies per page you would like to be printed.
vi. Specify the page layout either Portrait or Landscape by clicking on Properties then
make selection.
vii. Finally click Print

7 SPREAD SHEETS USING MICROSOFT EXCEL
7.1 Starting Excel 2003
In the following exercises you will learn some of the necessary steps to create a spreadsheet
using Microsoft Excel 2003 for Windows 2000, Me, and XP. You will learn not only how to
type various items into the spreadsheet, but also how to copy columns, widen columns, fill
columns, add, subtract, multiply, divide, do graphics and a variety of other things.
To begin, load the spreadsheet by quickly clicking twice on the Excel 2003
Windows Icon in the Windows Screen. If you do not see an Excel Icon,
click-on the Start Button in the lower left corner of the screen, move the
cursor up to Programs, and then move to Microsoft Excel 2003 and click-on it.
A spreadsheet is a number manipulator. To make the manipulation of numbers easier all

spreadsheets are organized into rows and columns. Your initial spreadsheet will look
something like the one below:
Notice that the main part of the spreadsheet is composed of Rows (Labeled 1, 2, 3, 4,
etc.) and Columns (Labeled A, B, C, D, etc.). There are a lot of rows and columns in a
spreadsheet. The intersection of each row and column is called a cell. In the image
above the cursor is on the home cell A1. Notice Row 1 and Column A are bold,
and colored orange. This indicates what is called the address of the cell. Notice
right above cell A1, that A1 is displayed in a small box called the Name Box.
Whenever you click on a cell the address of that cell will be shown in the Name Box.
In this tutorial, whenever we indicate that you need to click the mouse, it will mean
to click the left mouse button unless we indicate that you should click the right
mouse button. So, always click left unless we tell you otherwise.
7.2 Moving Around the Spreadsheet
You can move around the spreadsheet/cells by clicking your mouse on various cells, or by
using the up, down, right and left arrow movement keys on the keyboard. Or, you can
move up and down by using the elevator bars on the right and bottom of the spreadsheet.
Go ahead and move around the spreadsheet. Hold down the down arrow key on the
keyboard for a few seconds then click-on a cell. Notice how the Name Box always tells you
where you are. Now hold down the right arrow key on the keyboard for a few seconds.
Notice how the alphabet changes from single letters (A, B, C,. . Z) to several letter
combinations (AA, AB, AC). There are hundreds of columns and thousands of rows in a
spreadsheet. Anytime you desire to return to the Home Cell (A1) simply click-in the Name
Box and type-in A1. Then tap the Enter key and you will go to cell A1. You can go to any
cell by this method. Simply type-in a row and column, tap the Enter key, and youll go to that
cell.
Now that you have the feel of how to move around Excel spreadsheet, go to the cells as
indicated below and type-in the following:
Cl (Your Name)'s Budget. It should look similar to the image below. Do not tap Enter
when you finish
Look at cells C1 and D1. Notice how your entry has spilled over from C1 into D1.
Sometimes this is a problem, and sometimes it is not. Tap the Enter key and then click-on cell
D1 and type-in the word BONZO and tap Enter key.
Notice how Bonzo now COVERS the right part of your original entry!! Now move back to
cell C1 and click-on it. Look at the upper part of the spreadsheet, just above the cells where
you typed Bonzo. Your name and the word budget are still there! Bonzo only COVERED the
portion in cell D1. See the image and arrow below.

There are several ways to take care of this. For the moment move back to cell D1 and click-
on cell D1. Tap the Delete key (above the arrow movement keys on the keyboard). Notice
that Bonzo disappears and your entire entry reappears. This is one way to expose the entry.
We'll look at some others as we go along.
Now we'll continue making some entries. Move to the following cells and type-in the
information indicated. You can click-on each cell and then type-in the entries.
If you happen to make a mistake simply retype the entries. Later on we'll see how to edit
mistakes. Any time you want to replace something in a cell you can simply retypea new entry
and it will replace the old one.
Cell Type-in
A3 Income
B4 Parents
B5 Job
B6 Investments
B7 Total
A10 Expenses
B11 Food
B12 Beverages
B13 Parties
B14 Miscellaneous
B15 Total
Your spreadsheet should now look like the picture on the right.
At this point you probably have noticed, the words "Investments" and "Miscellaneous"
run over the spaces given in the cells. Do not be concerned at this point. We ll soon fix
this.

Now, type the numbers in the
cells indicated:
C4 300
C5 50
C6 150
When you type-in the 150, tap

Enter.
Your spreadsheet should look

like the one on the right. We
would like to place an underline
at the bottom of the three
figures so that we can indicate a
total below in cell C7. Point to
cell C7 with the mouse. That's
where we want the line -- always
move the cursor to the place
where you want to insert a line.
With the Arrow on cell C7 tap the RIGHT mouse
button.
A sub-menu with a caption Format Cells
appears.
The right click will always bring up a menu

that is tailored to the place where you click.
This will work in any Microsoft Windows
product. You can always tell where you click
the right mouse button for the cursor arrow will
always be in a corner of the menu that appears
exactly where you clicked the right mouse
button..
Select Format Cells.

When the Format Cells menu screen below appears, select Border.
Look at the Line

Style box in the lower
right. There are
several types of lines
that you can choose.
Point to the thick
single line in the
Style Area (see
arrow) and click the
left mouse button. A
box will go around
the line. Look at the
area which says
Border. Point to the
upper part of the
Text box (see arrow)
and click the left
mouse button. A
thick black line will
appear at the top of
the Text box.
If the thick line does not show-up at the top of the Text box, click-again at the top
line area in the Text box and the line will disappear. Then click-on the thick, single
line in the Line Style box again and repeat the previous instructions. If, somehow, you
make a mistake, simply click on and off in the Text line boxes. You will notice that
the lines appear and disappear. This is called a toggle in computer jargon. So, work at
this until you get the line on the top or where you want it. We have just indicated that we
want a single thick underline at the top of the cell C7. Point to OK and click the left
mouse button.
When you return to the spreadsheet, click somewhere other than cell C7. This is
called clicking away. You should now see a line at the top of cell C7. Sometimes the
box highlighting a cell hides the lines. If you messed-up, try again.
Now type in the numbers in the cells indicated.

C11 30
C12 50
C13 150
C14 70 (After you type 70, tap the Enter key)
Now, underline the top of cell C15 like you did cell C7.
7.3 Widening Columns
You probably noticed, as you typed in the numbers, some of the words were just too
wide for the default cell width (Investments and Miscellaneous). Let's widen column B
to take care of this.
Slowly move the mouse arrow to the right edge of the B cell (between the B and the
C). The cursor will turn into an arrow pointing right and left with a small vertical line
in the middle (see arrow below). Hold down the left mouse button and move (drag)
the line to the right.
As soon as you start to move (drag), a dotted vertical line will go down the
spreadsheet and it will move as you hold down the left button and drag the mouse.
Keep dragging to the right until you are past the widest word and a bit more (for some
space). Release the button. The column is widened. Notice in the upper left corner of
the screen, below File in the menu bar, and above the buttons, that as you hold down and
drag that it tells you that current width of the column.
This is one way to widen a column. Here is another way. Point to

the B at the top of column B (in the Gray area) and click the left
mouse button (The cell should turn dark blue and the column light
blue.).
Now, keeping the cursor somewhere

in the blue area, click the Right
Mouse Button. Notice that a menu
with Column Width appears.

Click-on Column Width and type in 15 and click-on OK. This is another way to
widen a column.
7.4 Inserting Rows
Oops... a mistake (on purpose). We haven't left enough room at the top of the
spreadsheet to insert some budget months. So... move the cursor to the gray 2 along the
left edge (this is the second row) so we can insert two new rows. Click the left mouse
button. You will notice that the whole row goes light blue and the 2 turns dark blue.
Make sure the cursor arrow is either on the 2 or somewhere in the blue row.
Click the RIGHT mouse button. A drop down menu will

appear. Point to Insert. Click the left button on Insert.
Notice how one row was inserted and how everything below
moved down. Do this again to insert another row. Excel,
and all spreadsheets, will remember where they moved
your work and automatically adjust for these changes.
Income should now be in cell A5.
7.5 Aligning Cells
Now we'll type some more. Go to cell
C3 SEPT (Type-in SEPT and tap the Enter key)
Notice again how SEPT is automatically left aligned. Logically,

since you are using Excel, the English version, the text is left aligned
so that all of the text entries will line up nicely in the column cells.
We would like to center SEPT in cell C3. Click on cell C3 to mark
the cell. One way to center SEPT is to simply click-on the Center
button in the button bar at the top of the screen. Make sure that you are ON cell C3,
then click-on the center button (see image above right). Youll notice that SEPT is now
centered in cell C#.

Here is another way to center SEPT. Click RIGHT
on cell C3. Then click
on Format Cells.
When the
Format
Cells Menu
appears, click-on
the Alignment
Tab and then click-
on -- Horizontal -
Center --Vertical -
Center -- then click
OK. Try it.
This is how you can align words for neatness. You can also point to several cells you
want aligned and do this. We'll try that next.

Now type the below text in the cells indicated.
D3 OCT
E3 NOV
F3 DEC
G3 MONTHLY TOTALS (tap the Enter key and then correct the width of
this column)
Next well highlight cells C3 through G3. To do this, point to C3 and click the Left
mouse button. Then, holding down the left mouse button, drag the mouse to the right
through G3 when the cells are highlighted take your finger off of the left mouse
button. Then point to the group of cells and click the right mouse button to bring up the
Format Cells menu. Click on Alignment and choose Center (vertical & horizontal).
Then point to OK and click the left mouse button. All of the cells will then be as
centered.
You could also click the Center button as you did before.
MONTHLY TOTALS will not fit its space when you do this. But, you know what to
do. Move the cursor over the line between cells G and H and drag the line to the right to
widen the G cell just like you did a few minutes ago.
7.6 Saving Spreadsheets
We have done quite a bit of work so now is a

good time to save our spreadsheet. Point to File
in the Menu Bar at the top of the spreadsheet.
Point to Save As and click-on Save As. A
Save As menu box appears (like the one
below).
Notice in the upper left corner

that there is a box to the right of
Save In: with a down pointing
arrow to the right. Click-on the
arrow. This will show you all of
the drives and folders where you may save your work.

When you see the drop-down list in the Save in: area, choose the drive where you want to
save your file. If you are going to use a diskette, put a formatted 3 ½ diskette in the A
Drive, then click-on the 3 ½ Floppy (A): We are going to save our file on the Local Disk
(C:) our hard drive, so we chose that drive in the image above (see top arrow).
To the right of File name: delete the information (which is in the box) and type-in
MYBUDGET (see lower left arrow). This is the name under which you are saving your
file. (In the future you will choose logical names for your spreadsheets as you save
them.) Now point to Save and click the left mouse button (see lower right arrow).
7.7 Exiting Spreadsheets
Anytime you need to leave your spreadsheet

simply click on File in the menu bar, then
click-on Exit. If you have not saved your
spreadsheet, a reminder box will appear asking
you to do so.
7.8 Retrieving Spreadsheets

When you need to return to a spreadsheet, you first load Excel, as you did originally
(Page 1). When Excel is on the screen, click-on File in the menu bar then click-on Open.
The following Open menu screen will appear:
Click on the down arrow to the right of the Look in: box (Similar to the arrow in the
Save in: box see top arrow). Click-on the 3 ½ Floppy (A:), or the drive or folder you
chose. Files saved on a disk or in a folder will appear in the box below. Click-on your
file (MYBUDGET), and then click-on Open. Your file will open. You could also
double-click quickly on the file to open it.
Also, if you have not done so already, move your cursor slowly over the "buttons"
located below the menu bar. You will notice a little box appears that tells you what
these buttons do. These little boxes are called Text Help boxes. Many of them will save
you extra clicks by using them. Notice, that under File and Edit in the Menu bar,
there are a small folder (Open) and a diskette (Save). Clicking-on them will take you
directly to Open and Save.
7.9 Adding Numbers
Next we want to learn how to add numbers. There are several ways to do this. Each
method has its advantages and disadvantages.
To do this, begin by moving your cursor to cell C9, and clicking-on cell C9.

Always move to the cell where you want the answer to be located.
7.10 Working with Simple Formulae in Excel
7.10.1 Using Type in Method.
We want to add the three numbers in cells C6, C7 and C8. To use this method type-in
(using the keys on the keyboard) the following in cell C9:
= C6 + C7 + C8
Your spreadsheet should look like

the image to the right as you are
typing in this equation. Note: you
dont have to use capital letters
we only did this because they are
easier to see in the tutorial.
Now tap the Enter key. Then,

click on cell C9 again. The total
of these cells will now appear in
C9.
When you have completed typing your equation, you will see
this formula in the area below the menu bar.
Change the number in cell C6 to 500 (and tap Enter). See how the total
AUTOMATICALLY recalculates!!!
THIS IS THE TRUE POWER OF THE SPEADSHEET!!!
Whenever a number is entered in a cell the entire spreadsheet will automatically

recalculate.
Something happened here. Notice how you typed in an (equal sign) = before the cell
location. If you had simply typed in C6 + C7 + C8, Excel would have thought this entry
was a word (text) and this entry would have shown as you typed it.
Try this if you want. Any time you create an error in Excel, you can simply re-type or
edit the formula to correct the error.
The Type in Method is really easy if you have a few numbers and can see their cell
locations on the screen. If you have a lot of cells in the formula, which are on several

screens, this is not such a great method. The next method will work a lot better for
numbers all over the place.
7.10.2 Subtraction, Multiplication, and Division
You can put in a (minus) - for subtraction, (asterisk) * for multiplication, and (slash) /
for division. As you become more capable we'll, build some nifty formulas using these
features.
7.10.2.1 Point Method
Move to cell C9 again and click-on it. We'll now add the numbers a second way. Tap
the Delete key on the keyboard to delete the current formula.
First, tap the = and then POINT (move) the cursor over cell C6 using the mouse, tap
the left mouse button on cell C6 (you will see a marquee box go around the cell). Now
tap a + and move cursor to C7, tap the left mouse
button, and tap another + and move the cursor to
C8 and tap the left mouse button (notice how as
you " + and point " the addition formula is being
built in cell C9), now tap Enter. The same
formula can be built using the arrow movement
keys on the keyboard (except that you dont have
to click-on each cell as the cell is marked - as you move the arrows). Notice, as you are
entering the cell addresses, that as you place another + in the formula, that the cursor
returns to cell C9. Also notice, as you point to each cell that it is highlighted by a
marquee box. This tells you what cell youve pointed to. Pretty neat!
This method is good when you need to move to numbers that are spread out all over
the place. Some people like it best and use it all the time -- it's your choice.
7.10.2.2 Function Method
Move again to cell C9. Delete the formula by tapping the Delete key again.
Now type in the following:

=SUM(
[This tells Excel that we are going to sum some numbers in a RANGE which will
follow the =SUM(.]
There are two ways to put in this range:
7.10.2.3 Arrow Key and Anchor Method

With the keyboard arrow keys, move the cursor to cell C6. As you move you will
notice that the cell where the cursor is located appears after the =SUM(. When you get
to C6 tap the . (Period) Key. This is called an ANCHOR and holds one end of the
RANGE in place. You will notice that a C6:C6 appears in the formula area under the
button bar. This is a one cell range. Now move, with the arrow keys, to cell C8. See
how cells C6, C7 and C8 are highlighted. This indicates the Range is C6:C8. Excel
assumes, logically, that these are the numbers you want to add. Now tap Enter. The
numbers still add, but now the formula reads =SUM(C6:C8) instead of =C6+C7+C8 like
it did before.
7.10.2.4 Mouse Method

Move again to cell C9. Delete the formula in cell C9 by tapping the Delete key. Type
in =SUM( as you did before. Point to Cell C6 with your mouse cursor. Click and
hold down the left mouse button and move/drag the cursor down to cell C8. (Cells C6,
C7 and C8 should be highlighted.) Now tap Enter.
This =SUM Function is a great way to add a lot of numbers, or a block/range of

numbers. By simply anchoring, and using page downs, or using the mouse, you can
highlight lots and lots of numbers to add quickly. However, since it only sums you can't
do subtraction, etc.
Point to cell C9 again. Tap the Delete key to remove the formula currently in cell C9.
This is a really important DELETE, since what well explain below wont work
correctly if you do not delete the formula in cell C9.
7.11 Functions
There are a number of formulas built into Excel, like

Sum. These formulas are called Functions. Below the
Menu Bar (see right) you will see a “sigma” ∑ with a
small down triangle to the right of the sigma (see
arrow on diagram to the right). Click on the down
triangle. The drop down menu that you see on the
right will appear. Move down to More Functions and
click-on More Functions.
Two menu screens will now appear at the same time. An Office Assistant will
appear (see image on left of next page) and you can ask it questions (the little assistant
may be a paper clip or just about anything). The Insert Function menu screen will also
appear (see image on right of next page). The two menu screens work together to assist
you when you are using functions.

Lets work with the
Insert Function menu
screen. Click-on the
small down arrow to
the right of Or select a
category: (see arrow at
left).
In the drop down menu

that appears you can see
that there are all kinds
of formulas (functions)
that come with Excel
spreadsheet (e.g.
statistical,
mathematical, financial,
etc.). Instead of having
to go to math, financial,
or statistical tables in a
book, you can enter data from your spreadsheet into the formulas and receive answers.
This is a really great, timesaving feature. Well now show you how to use the Help
features of Excel 2003 to work with and understand these functions.

Click-on All in the drop down menu.
The Select a function menu will look like the image below.
Look at all the functions (formulas)! Well just go through how to use the addition
formula (SUM) in this tutorial. If you need these formulas in the future, you ll know
theyre here.
Use the elevator bar on the right side of the Select a function menu screen to move
down the list until you see SUM. Click-on SUM.
Then click-on OK.
Remember, you clicked-on Cell C9 which was empty because you deleted the
formula in that cell.

When you click-on OK, the Function Arguments menu screen (above) will appear. If
you look at the top of the screen in the SUM area, youll see that Excel 2003 has
guessed that you desire to add the numbers above cell C9 where you clicked in your
spreadsheet. Smart Excel! Notice that it indicates that cells C6:C8 will be added (sum
cells C6 through C8 the colon (:) means through. It also indicates the numbers in
cells C6, C7 and C8 and give you the sum {300;50;150} = 500 (right arrow above).
But its a little unclear how Excel did this. The Help in Excel Functions is excellent. So,
to see how this SUM equation works, well go to Help. To do this, click-on Help on this
function in the lower left corner of the screen (see lower left arrow above).

On the right side of your screen you will see a Microsoft Office Excel Help window
appear (similar to the one above) that will show you how to use this SUM function (or
any function).
One of the really neat things about these Help windows is that there are examples for
each function. We moved down the SUM help screen using the elevator bar on the
right of the help screen. The bottom of the screen looks like the image at the top of the
next page. Spend a few minutes looking at the SUM Help window and notice all of the
features.
The bottom
of the SUM
help screen
looks like
the image
on the left.
Notice that
it gives you
examples
from a
small
spreadsheet
that has
data in cells
A1 through
A6. It uses
these
numbers in
the
examples at
the bottom of the help screen.

When you have reviewed all of the help you care to see, carefully click-on the X at the
upper right corner of the Microsoft Office Excel Help blue bar to close the Microsoft
Excel Help window. If you accidentally close the spreadsheet, simply reply yes to
Save, and then re-open the spreadsheet as you did on pages 10 & 11.
The Function
Arguments
menu screen
will still be
on the screen.
If the Office
Assistant is
still on the
screen simply point to it and click the RIGHT mouse button. A pop-up menu will
appear. Click-on Hide. This will put the Assistant away until we need it again
As you can see, in the area to the right of Number 1, the Wizard has guessed that
you want to add the numbers in the range C6 to C8. Now that you are becoming
proficient with Excel, well try something special. Carefully, point to some plain
part, in the gray area above. Click and hold down the left mouse button, and drag the
above SUM box away so that you can see your numbers in C column cells. When

you have done this, release the mouse button. Now click-on the small box on the right
edge of the Number 1 area (see arrow above). It has a little red arrow in it.
The below Function Arguments window will appear.
Highlight cells C6 to C8 in the spreadsheet (click-on C6, hold down the left mouse
button, and drag until the three cells are highlighted). A marquee will begin to
flash around the cells, indicating they are highlighted (left arrow above). The Function
Arguments area will appear as above. Now click-on the small button on the right of
the cell (see right arrow above). The numbers will show in the area to the right of
Number 1. Now, click-on OK at the bottom of the Function Arguments menu screen.
Youll see that the SUM formula [=SUM(C6:C8)] shows in the formula area at the
top of the screen. This is a really handy method to highlight a “group” of numbers you
want to add.
AutoSum METHOD - ∑
Since we add numbers more than any other operation in spreadsheets,

Excel spreadsheet has an additional feature - Auto Sum. Move to cell C9
again and tap the delete key to erase your last formula. Now look at the
upper area of the screen, just below the menu bar, for a ∑ (summation)
symbol button. Point to it and click with the left mouse button. WOW
!! Automatic addition!! Notice that the cells, you’d
logically desire to add, have a marquee around them
and that the SUM function is displayed in cell C9.
Youll need to confirm that this is the correct formula.
So, tap the Enter key and the SUM function will now
be set in cell C9. Any time you want to add using this
method just click-on the cell where you desire the total
to be and click-on the ∑.
This would be a good time to save your work. Periodically save and replace your
work in case you loose power to your computer
Now move to cell C17 and add the total Expenses in cells C13 to C16 - using each of
the four methods.
While you are in cell C17, go ahead and place a line at the top of cell C17 using the
format cells border method that you learned on Page 5.
Subtraction

In cell A19 type-in Net Income. Next, adjust the width of column A (Page 6).
Click-on cell C19.
In cell C19 we want to subtract ( - )the amount in for Expenses in cell C17 from the
amount for Income in cell C9. This can be accomplished by using either the Type-In
Method or Point Method. Go ahead and do this. Dont forget to tap the Enter key to
confirm your formula.
The formula should look like =C9-C17
7.12 More Cell Formatting
We want our numbers to look better. To do this we'll include dollar signs and decimal
points in our numbers. This is done by using the mouse. Point to cell C6, hold down
the left mouse button and drag down slowly to highlight cells C6 through C19. Your
screen should look like the one at the top of the next page.
Now point anywhere in the highlighted

area and click the RIGHT mouse
button. A pop-up menu will appear.
Click-on Format Cells (like you have
done before).
Click-on the Number “Tab at the top of the Format Cells menu screen. Point to
Currency and click-on Currency.

Notice several things. The right side shows the number of decimal places. The 2 is the
default for cents. We'll use 2. Notice above the Decimal Places that there is a sample
of what our number will look like. At the lower right it shows how negative numbers
can appear, depending on your choice. When a negative number is calculated, it will
appear with your choice. Now click-on OK. All the numbers now have $. If you have
large numbers that are "too wide" for the current column width you will see some
######## in the cells where these numbers are located. If this occurs in your
spreadsheet, go ahead and widen the columns as you did previously (Page 6).
Your spreadsheet numbers should now

look like the one on the left.

7.13 Division and Percent
Now move to cell A21 and type in the word Percent. We're going to calculate a fun
percentage to show you how division works and give you some more practice with
numbers.
Now move to cell C21. Using either the Type-In Method or the Point Method, divide
( / ) the amount for Income in cell C9 by the amount for Expenses in cell C17.
[The formula should look like =C9/C17]
This will give you a horrid number so why not put a percent symbol with it. Now well
repeat what we did above to format our $$$$.
Point to cell C21 and click the RIGHT mouse button. Point to Format Cells, then click
the Number tab, then click-on Percentage. Select zero ( O ) Decimal Places. Click
OK. Ta Da !!! a %.
7.14 Copying
We could repeat what we did to this

point and fill in the Income and
Expenses for each of the remaining
columns. There is a simpler way to do
this. Assuming our income and expense
amounts are about the same, throughout
the months, we want to copy the
amounts in Column C to Columns D,
E and F. This will require two steps.
Move your cursor to cell C6. First, we'll

highlight what we want to copy; next
we'll tell the spreadsheet where we
want to place what we've copied. So,
point to C6, hold down the left mouse
button and drag down the column
until cells C6 through C21 are high-
lighted. Your highlighted area should
look like the one on the left.

Now, point to Edit in the Menu bar. Click the left button. Point to
Copy in the menu that appears. Click the left button. The menu
disappears.
You will notice that once again, when you highlight an area, a
marquee of running lights moves around the copy area. So, youll
know you highlighted the correct area (image on right).
Now we'll tell the program where to copy the information. Point to
cell D6, click and hold down the left mouse button and drag down
and to the right to cell F21 (This will highlight three columns --
OCT, NOV, DEC -- to copy to.). When you have finished your
highlighting, your screen should look like the one at the top of the
next page.
Now point to Edit in the Menu Bar again and click the left button. Point to Paste. Click
left button. Wow !' All those numbers and dollar signs and formulas -
EVERYTHING - was copied in a flash!! That sure saved us a lot of time.

Click on a cell away from the area where the numbers are located. This will turn-
off the highlight. Tap the Esc key and the marquee will also disappear.
Note: You can also utilize the copy and paste buttons in the button bar to do this if
you desire.
Change a few numbers in each of the months in both the income and expense
areas to see how the spreadsheet works. (This will make the graphs well create
more realistic when we create them later in the
tutorial.)
This would be a great time to Save again.
Now for something to do on your own
Entering formulas in the Monthly Totals

Column
Move to cell G6 under the title Monthly Totals.

Choose one of the formulas you learned earlier
to add each of the amounts in Parents for the
four months. Use any of the four methods you desire. Your spreadsheet should
look like the one to right, just before you copy the formulas.
After you have completed your

formula copy it to cells G7
through G19. You will see some
"stuff (zeroes)" in cells G10, 11,
12, and 18. This is because there
was "nothing there" to add. So,
go in and clean-up these cells by
deleting the zeros in these cells.
Next, go to cells G9 and G17 and

underline like you did before
(Page 5).
Copying Percentage Formula
Notice that we didnt copy the percentage formula when we

started this last copying effort. If we had copied a SUM formula,
it would have added the four percentages. We dont want the
sum of the percentages. We want a percentage of just the
Monthly Totals. So, we need to copy this percentage separately. Now, copy the
percentage formula in cell F21 to cell G21. Now put a $ in cells G6 through G19
if you need to, and a % in G21. Your spreadsheet column G should look
something like the image on the right
This would be a great time to save again.

Absoluting (and multiplication)
There are times, when we are working with a spreadsheet, that we do not want a cell to
"roll" to the next column when we use the copy feature of the spreadsheet like it did
in our last copying exercise. To stop the cells from rolling we utilize something called
absoluting. The following is an illustration of absoluting.
Go to cell A23 and type-in Number. Go to cell A25 and type-in Result.
Go to cell C23 and type in a 2 and tap the Enter key.

We'll now create a formula to multiply our number times Net Income. You may use
either the Type-in or Point method. Go to cell C25, and type-in a formula to multiply
cell C23 times cell C19.
The formula should look like: =C23*C19
The result in C25 should be two times the net income in cell C19.
Now copy the formula in cell C25 to cells D25, E25, F25 and G25. Your row 25 should
look similar to the one below.
Uh Oh!!! Where did all of those "0's" come from?
Point to each of the cells D25, E25, F25 and G25. Notice, as you click on each cell and
look at the screen, how C23 (the cell with the 2) "rolled" and became D23, E23, F23
and G23 (which are blank - this caused the "0's"). A blank times a number is a
0.We want the 2 to be in each formula and not to "roll".
To do this we utilize something called Absoluting or Anchoring.
Go back to cell C25. Now we'll enter the formula again, but a little differently
(to anchor the 2).
Type-in a =C23 (or you could type = and point to C23). NOW, tap the F4 key.
Notice, in the Edit bar at the top of the screen, that the =C23 changes to: $C$23.
(This tells you that cell C23 is absoluted or anchored. The "$'s" indicate the
absoluting.) Now finish the formula by typing in or pointing *C17 as before. Tap
Enter.
The formula should look like: =$C$23*C19
Now copy the formula in cell C25 to cells D25, E25, F25 and G25 again. Your row 25
should look similar to the image below.
The numbers should now be correct. Point to cells D25, E25, F25 and G25 (like you did
before). You will notice the "$'s" have copied the =$C$23 to each cell (absoluting) and
the Net Income figures have rolled as they should. Absoluting is something you should
know and understand.

Pause and reflect -- Look at all you have accomplished. If you want go in and change
some more numbers or change the income and expense titles to something you feel is
more fun or appropriate, please do so.
This would be a great time to Save again.
The next important lesson is to learn how to print. This done with a few easy steps.
7.15 Printing
First, move to cell A1.
All of the Windows spreadsheets try to figure out what you want to print. Sometimes they're right,
sometimes they're wrong. So........
The most important thing with printing is to tell the printer what to print.
Unlike a word processor, you may need to highlight what you want to print. For the
moment, well assume that Excel 2003 will guess correctly, and that you have not
clicked somewhere that will cause a problem. If you do have problem, which well
know in a second, well show you how to take care of the problem a bit later.
It's usually a good idea to see what our printout will look like before
you print it. First, well use a Print Preview to see what our
spreadsheet looks like. To do this well click-on the Print Preview
Button in the Button Bar. Point to the Print Preview button and click
on it.
A picture, of what our printout will look like, appears on the next page.
At the top of the Print Preview screen you will see the button bar above. Well use a
number of the buttons on this bar to assist us with our printing.
Notice that the Next and Previous buttons at the left end of the bar are not highlighted
with text they are just gray. This means that the buttons are not active. This
indicates that we are OK with our spreadsheet it is all on one page. If we saw that the
Next button was active, this would mean that there are other pages to our spreadsheet. If
youll look at the lower left corner of the Print Preview screen youll see: Preview:
Page 1 of 1. This confirms that our spreadsheet is on one page. If you do not see this
combination, well show you how to take care of it later.

If you do see this combination, click-on the Print button. Click-on OK in the Print
menu screen that appears. Label this printout as: Default Spreadsheet Printout.
Next
,
notice that an image of your spreadsheet appears below the button bar (above).
If you move your cursor over the spreadsheet, youll notice that the
cursor changes from an arrow to a tiny magnifying glass. If you
click the left mouse button, your magnifying glass will zoom-in on
the exact spot where the magnifying glass is located. If you click-
again, it will zoom-out. Try this a couple of time. It is a really handy
feature.

Now click-on Setup in the top button bar.
The Page Setup menu screen at the top of the next page will appear.
Notice that the Page Setup menu screen indicates that you are in Portrait view. Now
well enhance the spreadsheet to make it a bit more presentable. In the Orientation
area click-in the small circle in front of Landscape (see arrow above). The spreadsheet
will now print on the page as indicated. Next, in the Scaling area, click-in the box to the
left of % normal size. Using either the up/down arrows, or by typing in the
information, change the size to 125. Then click-on OK.
Your spreadsheet will now be larger and fill the paper more appropriately. Click-on Print
and when this spreadsheet comes out of the printer label it: landscape enlarged to
125 %.

Go ahead and adjust the size of your spreadsheet so that it becomes too large to fit on
a single page. Set the Scaling to 200 and click-on OK. When you return to the Preview
screen, the Next and Previous buttons at the top will now be active, and youll see 1 of 3
or 4 pages in the lower left corner of the screen. Go ahead and click-on the Next and
Previous buttons to get a feel of the size of your spreadsheet. If you click-on Print
(please dont do it), youll get these 3 or 4 pages. If you made a mistake when you
created the spreadsheet, you might see that you have 58 pages in your spreadsheet!
Now, click-in the small circle to the left of Fit 1 page(s) wide by 1 tall in the Scaling area
and make sure that 1 page is set. Excel 2003 will now return your spreadsheet to one
page. Try other things here. Work with the Margins, Header/ Footer, and Sheet tabs at
the top of the Page Setup menu screen. Any time you desire to print, go ahead and do
so. This will give you a feel for how the spreadsheets will print. When you are finished,
simply click-on Close and you will return to your spreadsheet.
Many folks ask how to center a spreadsheet on the page. This feature is located in
Margins at the bottom of the Margins screen. Simply click-on Margins at the top of the
Preview screen or on the Margins tab when you are in the Page Setup screen.
Many folks also ask about how to place gridlines and show the row and column
headings (A, B, C and 1, 2, 3) in their spreadsheet printouts. This feature is located on
the Sheet tab in the Setup screen menu.
Cure for the problem

If you have too many spreadsheet pages
Simply click-on cell A1 and highlight

your spreadsheet down through cell
G25. This time however, after youve
highlighted A1 through G25, click-on
File in the Menu Bar and then click-on
Print. In the lower left corner of the
Print menu screen you will see an area
that looks like the image on the right.
Click-in the small circle to the left of
Selection. This indicates to Excel that you only want to print the area you ve highlighted.
Click OK. Only the section that youve highlighted will print. You can still modify
your spreadsheet if you desire. Once youve clicked by Selection, you may click-on the
Preview button in the Print menu screen and you will see a preview of your highlighted
area. Follow the instructions above to modify as you desire.
Now we'll call it a day and close Excel 2003 for Windows. First, let's save our work one
more time. If you forget, Excel will remind you to do it. What a nice program!!
Point to the Edit menu and click the left button. Point to Exit. Click the left button.
That's it for now.

When you return, we'll retrieve our work and do some really neat graphics. To open your
spreadsheet again, follow the instructions on Pages 10 and 11.
7.16 Graphics
This will be a lot of fun. We are now going to turn your spreadsheet numbers into
graphics -- bar charts, pie charts, etc. This will greatly assist you when you display and
explain your work.
Before we do this there are a couple of essential steps. First we have to tell an Excel
2003 "Wizard" what we want to chart and then were we want the chart to go.
First: in cell B9 type-in Income (to replace the word Total). Next, type-in Expenses in
cell B17 for the same reason.
VERY IMPORTANT.
Something new.... Hold down the left mouse button and highlight cells B3 to F3. Next
HOLD DOWN the Ctrl key at the bottom of the keyboard, and while you are holding
it down, highlight cells B9 through F9. You will now see two "ranges" highlighted.
Hold down the Ctrl again, and highlight cells B17 through F17. These three ranges
will make up your chart. The x-axis will be made up of B4 - F4. And, the two sets of
bars (series) will make-up Income and Expense. When you complete the above
instructions, your screen should look like the one below.

If your spreadsheet does not look exactly like the one above, please try again. This is a
bit tricky and it often takes even experienced spreadsheet folks a couple of tries to get
the highlighting just right.
Well use the easiest method for our first chart (graph).
In the Menu Bar click-on to Insert, then click on Chart.

The Chart Wizard Step 1 of 4 Chart Type menu
screen will appear (like the one at the top of the next
page).
The Chart Wizard

shows the various types
of charts in Chart type:
(on the left side of the
menu screen).
Examples of the
selected chart type
show on the right under
Chart sub-type. Well
stay with Column and
the chart selected for
now.
Click Next.
The Step 2 portion of the menu appears (as shown on the right).

The Wizard (on the last page) shows you what your chart will look like. The ranges you
selected originally are shown in
the Data range: area. If you
did not highlight as indicated,
your chart wont "look right."
Your chart should look like
the example above. If you
click-on the Series tab at the
top of the Wizard screen, youll
see a new Wizard screen that
shows you where the Income
and Expenses series came from.
Click-back on the Data range
tab at the top. Now click-in the
little circle in front of
Columns. The Wizard will
indicate that the chart has been
rotated 90 degrees and thus
the axis has changed. This is
often called a pivot. Click-
back in the small circle in front
of Rows. Click Next again.

The Chart Wizard Step 3 of 4 menu will appear: Titles (similar to the image above).
Click-in the blank area under Chart Title. A flashing cursor will appear. Type-in your
name with an apostrophe () s and the word Budget (ex. Janie's Budget). Now, click-
in the area under Category (X) axis: and type in Months. Next, click-in the area under
Value (Y) axis: and type in Dollars. You probably noticed that as you entered these
titles, the chart in the area on the right of the Wizard changed to give you an instant
preview of your final chart. You will also notice that there are several tabs at the top of
the Wizard. Click-on each of the tabs and see what they do. Notice how some change
axis and put in grid lines. The legend is the small box on the right, which indicates
what the colors of the bars represent (Income and Expenses). Click Next one last time.
The Step 4 page of the Wizard will now appear (image at the top of the next page)
This is the final Wizard page. Youll notice that it asks you where you want to put your
chart. Since this is your first chart, it is best if you select As a new sheet: (see arrow
above). This will put your chart on a new tab called Chart 1. Now click-on Finish,
Youll see that you chart has a tab of its own at the bottom of the screen, and fills an
entire screen.
WOW!!!! There's your chart. Again, notice that Excel created a new tab at the bottom
of the spreadsheet that says Chart 1. Any time the numbers change on Sheet 1, the
bars in Chart 1 will reflect the change automatically! Click on the Sheet 1 and Chart
1 tabs to get the feel of going back and forth between the data and the chart. After you
make your changes, click on the Chart 1 tab and youll see how the chart has changed.
Now it would be a good time to Save again.
In Excel 2003, when you save your spreadsheet, you also save your graph. Your graph
is saved wherever you are working in the graph.
7.17 Changing (Renaming) Excel 2003 Tabs
If you would like to have logical names for your Excel 2003 spreadsheet tabs rather
than Sheet 1 and Chart 1, well now show you how to do this.

At the bottom of your spreadsheet
you will see you tabs (like the
image on the right). To change
the name of one of the tabs, place
your cursor over a tab and click
the RIGHT mouse button.
Well change the name of Chart 1 first.
When you click the Right mouse button the drop down
menu screen to the right will appear. Choose Rename.
When you choose Rename, the Chart 1 tab will turn
black like the image on the right. As soon as you see
this, type in the name you want for your chart. We typed in
Budget Chart.

As soon as we began typing, the tab name changed. When
we finished, our chart tab looked like the one on the right.
Go ahead and name your Sheet 1 tab something more logical

than Sheet 1. We named our Sheet 1 tab Budget Data.
Note: We are about to do some things which could mess-up your graph. If you do get
"messed-up" in the graph - don't save again. Simply Close the worksheet and DON'T
SAVE. Open the worksheet again and you will be in a nice neat graph where you can
experiment some more.
Let's really get "Snazzzyyy".
Click on the Budget Chart (or whatever you named it) tab.
Click-once on your title at the top. A box with little squares on the corners will
appear. These are sizing grabbers. When you move the cursor over them you will
notice that the cursor changes to small, directional arrows. If you click, hold down the
left mouse button, and drag when you see these arrows, you will notice that the Title Box
gets larger or smaller as you drag. Next, click-on the name of your budget until you get
a flashing cursor somewhere in the title. With the arrow movement keys, or mouse,
move to the end of the title, to the right of the "t" in Budget, and tap Enter. Type in Fall
2003. Now click at the beginning of your name, hold down the left mouse button, and
drag to highlight the first line of the budget title with your name in it. Keeping the
cursor on the dark area, click the right mouse button. Click-on Format Chart Title.
A Format Chart Title

menu screen, like the one
on the right, should
appear.
Instructions on how to
change the font appear at
the top of the next page.
Change the Font to Times New Roman (by moving up and down with the arrows) or
any font that you like. As you change things you will see the results in Preview on the
Computer Application Skills Diploma Nursery Teaching DNT-In-Service Page 116

lower right. Change the size to 20. Change the color if you want. Click OK. Your title
should look something like the one below.
Click-on the upper right hand corner of your gray graph area. You will see little
squares now appear at the four corners and sides of the graph area. Point to the upper
right corner square and move the cursor until you see an arrow with two heads  .
Hold down the left mouse button and drag down and to the left then let go. Your graph
will get smaller. Now point somewhere in an open gray area of the graph (not on one of
the bars) and click again. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the graph area so
it looks more "appropriate".
Click-on the Legend on the right (box with Income and Expenses). When you see the
corner grabbers, make the Legend box a bit larger. Then click right in the Legend
area. Click Format Legend. Click the Font tab. Make the font bold and size 14.
Click OK.
If you desire to change the colors of the Income and E2003ense bars in the graph,
simply move the mouse over one of the bars and click the right mouse button. Notice
all the bars with the same color now have a little square in the middle of each bar. The
right click marked the bars. Click Format Data Series. Choose a color you like and
then click OK.
Now let's look at your graph and then print it. Go to File - Print Preview. If you like
what you see go ahead and print the graph. If not, close Preview and make some more
graph changes.
Whenever your graph is visible, you can point to any area of the graph, and click the
right mouse button on the area, and edit that particular area. You can also click-right in
the chart itself. In the menu that appears, click-on chart type and then select a different
type of chart.
You can really go wild at this point. If you make a mistake, simply click
the undo button at the top of the menu screen and try again.
Note: No matter what type of printer you have, graphs take awhile to print. Be patient.
8 Ms Power Point
8.1 Introduction into Microsoft PowerPoint
Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful tool to create professional looking presentations and
slide shows. PowerPoint allows you to construct presentations from scratch or by using
the easy to use wizard.

This tutorial will help you get started with Microsoft PowerPoint and may solve some of
your problems, but it is a very good idea to use the Help Files that come with Microsoft
PowerPoint, or go to Microsoft's web site located at
8.2 Starting Microsoft PowerPoint
Two Ways
1. Double click on the Microsoft PowerPoint icon on the desktop.
2. Click on Start --> Programs --> Microsoft PowerPoint

8.3 Creating & Opening a Presentation
After you open up Microsoft PowerPoint, a screen pops up asking if you would like to
create a New Presentation or Open An Existing Presentation.
8.4 AutoContent Wizard

o Creates a new presentation by prompting you for information about content, purpose,
style, handouts, and output. The new presentation contains sample text that you can
replace with your own information. Simply follow the directions and prompts that are
given by Microsoft PowerPoint.
 Design Template
o Creates a new presentation based on one of the PowerPoint design templates supplied
by Microsoft. Use what is already supplied by Microsoft PowerPoint and change the
information to your own.
 Blank Presentation
o Creates a new, blank presentation using the default settings for text and colors. Go to
next step: Creating A Blank Presentation
8.5 Opening an Existing Presentation
1. Select Open An Existing Presentation from the picture above
2. Click on your presentation in the white box below step 1
o If you do not see your presentation in the white box, select More Files and hit OK.
o Locate you existing Presentation and hit the Open button

8.6 Create a Blank Presentation
After you select Blank Presentation a window pops up asking you to select the layout of
the first slide.
8.6.1 Pre-Designed Slide Layouts (Left to Right)

 Title Slide
 Bulleted List
 Two Column Text
 Table
 Text & Chart
 Chart & Text
 Organizational Chart
 Chart
 Text & Clip Art
 Clip Art & Text
 Title Only
 Blank Slide
NOTE: If you already know what you want in your next slide, it is a very good idea to
choose one of the pre-designed layouts from above. However if you do not, then you can
still insert what you want in throughout your Presentation anytime you desire. Just
choose Blank Slide and insert items as you see fit.
8.6.2 Different Views That PowerPoint Demonstrates
There are different views within Microsoft PowerPoint that allow you to look at your
presentation from different perspectives.
Slide Sorter Slide Show

Normal View Outline View Slide View
View View

Switches to Switches to Switches to Displays Runs your
normal view, outline view, slide view, miniature slide show in a
where you can where you can where you can versions of all full screen,
work on one work with the work on one slides in a beginning with
slide at a time structure of slide at a time presentation, the current
or organize the your file in complete with slide if you are
structure of all outline form. text and in slide view
the slides in Work in graphics. In or the selected
your outline view slide sorter slide if you are
presentation when you view, you can in slide sorter
need to reorder slides, view. If you
organize the add simply want to
structure of transitions, view your
your file. and animation show from the
effects. You first slide:
can also set 1. Click
the timings for Slide Show at
electronic the top of the
slide shows. screen
2. Selec
t View Show
8.7 Slide Manipulation

8.7.1 Inserting A New Slide
2. Select New Slide
8.7.2 Formatting A Slide Background
o You can format your slide to make it look however you would like, whether it be a
background color, picture, or a design template built into Microsoft PowerPoint. The next
step will show you how to apply a Design Template, but the other items mentioned above
can be accomplished the same way.
1. Click Format at the top of the screen

2. Select Apply Design Template
3. Select Design you wish to apply

4. Click Apply Button
8.7.3 Inserting Clipart & Pictures

1. Display the slide you want to add a picture to.
2. Click Insert at the top of the screen
3. Select Picture
4. Select Clip Art
5. Click the category you want
6. Click the picture you want
7. Click Insert Clip on the shortcut menu
8. When you are finished using the Clip Gallery, click the Close button on the Clip
Gallery title bar
9. Steps 1-4 are very similar when inserting other Pictures, Objects, Movies,
Sounds, and Charts
8.7.4 Adding Transitions to a Slide Show
You can add customized transitions to your slide show that will make it come alive and
become appealing to your audience. Follow these steps when adding Slide Transitions.
1. In slide or slide sorter view, select the slide or slides you want to add a
transition to.
2. On the Slide Show menu at the top of the screen, click Slide Transition

3. In the Effect box, click the transition you want, and then select any other options
you want
4. To apply the transition to the selected slide, click Apply.
5. To apply the transition to all the slides, click Apply to All.
6. Repeat the process for each slide you want to add a transition to.
7. To view the transitions, on the Slide Show menu, click Animation Preview.
Viewing the Slide Show
You can view your slide show by any of the following ways:
1. Click Slide Show at the lower left of the PowerPoint window.
2. On the Slide Show menu, click View Show.
3. On the View menu, click Slide Show.
4. Press F5 on the keyboard
8.8 Navigating While In Your Slide Show
 Forward Navigation
o Simply click on the left Mouse Button or hit the Enter Button on your keyboard
 Reverse Navigation
o Hit the Backspace on the keyboard
 Exiting the show
o Hit the Esc Button on the keyboard
8.9 Pack up a presentation for use on another computer
1. Open the Presentation you want to pack
2. On the File menu, click Pack and Go
3. Follow the instructions in the Pack and Go Wizard.
8.10 Unpack a presentation to run on another computer
1. Insert the disk or connect to the network location you packed the presentation to
2. In My Computer, go to the location of the packed presentation, and then double-
click Pngsetup
3. Enter the destination you want to copy the presentation to
8.11 Printing
Select File Print from the menu bar to print the presentation.
8.11.1 Print Range
Select all to print all the slides in the presentation.
8.11.2 Current Slide
This option prints only the current slide.
8.11.3 Slides
This option prints only selected number of slides. For example enter slide numbers in the
slides field to print only certain slides say from 1 5 out of 10 slides.
8.11.4 Copies
Enter the number of copies of each slide specified in print range and check the collate box if
necessary.
8.11.5 Print What Options

 Slide - Prints a full page slide on each page.
 Hand Outs - Prints as many slides as you designation on each page.
 Notes Page - Prints one slide with that slides notes on each page.
 Outlines View - Prints the outline of the presentation.
 Choose Pure black and white if you are printing with a black and white printer.
 You can choose to frame your slides. click OK to print.
8.12 Bulleted Lists on Design Templates

Bulleted lists allow you to clearly display the main points of your presentation on slides. The
text boxes on design templates already include bulleted lists. Click the place holder on the
slide to begin adding text and press the ENTER key to return to the next line and add a new
bulleted item to go to the next line with out adding another bullet, hold down the SHIFT key
while pressing ENTER.
8.12.1 Bulleted List from a Text Box
If you are not creating a bulleted list from an existing placeholder on a design template, or if
you would like to add an additional bulleted list, follow these steps to create a new list.
1. In slide view, create a text box by selecting Insert Text box from the menu bar.
2. Draw the text box on the slide by holding down the left mouse button while you
move the mouse until the box is the size you want it.
3. Choose Format  Bullets and Numbering from the menu bar.
4. Change the size of the bullet by changing the percentage in relation to the text.
5. Choose a color for the bullet from the color menu. Click more colors for a larger
selection.
6. Select one of the seven bullet types shown and click OK.
OR
 Click the picture button to view the picture bullet window select one of the
bullets and click OK.
 Click the character button to select any character from the fonts on the
computer. Select a symbol font such as wingdings or webdings from the
bullets from drop down menu for the best selection of icons. Click on the
characters in the grid to see them longer click OK when you have chosen
the bullet you want to use.
 Click OK on the bullets and numbering window and use the same methods
described in the Bulleted lists on design templates to enter text into the
bulleted lists.
8.12.2 Numbered Lists
1. Create a text box.

2. With the text box selected, choose Format Bullets and numbering from the menu bar.
3. Click the numbered tab at the top of the bullets and numbering window.
4. Change the size of the numbers by changing the percentage in relation to the text.
5. Choose a color for the numbers from the color menu. Click more colors for larger
selection.
6. Change the start value if the numbers should not begin with 1.
7. Select one of the seven list types shown and click OK.

8.12.3 Adding Notes
From normal view, notes can be added to the slide. These notes will not be seen on your
presentation, but they can be seen printed out on paper along with the slide, the notes refer
to by selecting print what: Notes pages on the print menu. These are normally speaker s
notes and can be used for reference as one gives the presentation.
8.12.4 Adding Video

To add video to your presentation select Insert Movies and Sounds  Movie from file or insert
an animation from Microsofts gallery, choose Insert  Movies and Sounds Movie from
Gallery. Select the video file and click OK.
8.12.5 Action Buttons
Use the action toolbar to add functioning buttons to slides in a presentation.
1. Select Slide Show Action buttons from the menu bar. Click the bar a cross the top of
the button menu and drag it off the menu so it becomes a floating tool bar.
2. Click one of the button faces and draw the button on the slide using the mouse. The
action settings menu will then appear.
3. Set the actions under other the mouse click or mouse over tabs. Actions specified for
mouse click will execute when the button is clicked on the slide while actions for mouse
over will occur when the mouse pointer hovers over the button.
4. Select an action for the button by choosing a hyper link to destination.
5. If you want a sound to be played when the buttons is clicked, check the play sound box
and choose a sound from the drop-down menu.
6. Click OK.
8.12.6 Presentation Design Tips

1. Use contrasting colors for the text and the background so the text will be easy to read.
2. Use font size large enough to be seen from the back of the room where the presentation
will be held. A font size of 24 point or larger is recommended.
3. Use short phrases and sentences to convey your message.
4. Use simple slide transitions too many different transitions will distract your audience
from the subject of the presentation.
5. Avoid clicking the slides with too much text or graphics your audience should hear
what you have to say and note be distracted by a busy screen.
6. Keep text simple and easy to read by not using many different text affects such as bold,
italics, underlined, larger font size for emphasis within a sentence, or a different font all
on the same slide.

9 MS Access
9.1 Introduction into Microsoft Access Starting Up Microsoft Access
Microsoft Access Description
Microsoft Access is a powerful program to create and manage your databases. It has many built
in features to assist you in constructing and viewing your information. Access is much more
involved and is a more genuine database application than other programs such as Microsoft
Works.
This tutorial will help you get started with Microsoft Access and may solve some of your
problems, but it is a very good idea to use the Help Files that come with Microsoft Access
First of all you need to understand how Microsoft Access breaks down a database. Some
keywords involved in this process are: Database File, Table, Record, Field, Data-type. Here is
the Hierarchy that Microsoft Access uses in breaking down a database.
Database File: This is your main file that encompasses
the entire database and that is saved to your hard-drive
or floppy disk.
Example) StudentDatabase.mdb
Table:A table is a collection of data about a specific
topic. There can be multiple tables in a database.
Example #1) Students
Example #2) Teachers
Field:Fields are the different categories within a Table.
Tables usually contain multiple fields.
Example #1) Student LastName
Example #2) Student FirstName
Datatypes:Datatypes are the properties of each field. A

field only has 1 datatype.
FieldName) Student LastName
Datatype) Text
This tutorial will help you get started with Microsoft Access and may solve some of your
problems, but it is a very good idea to use the Help Files that come with Microsoft Access (or
any program you use for that matter).
9.2 Starting Microsoft Access
 Two Ways
1. Double click on the Microsoft Access icon on the desktop.
2. Click on Start --> Programs --> Microsoft Access

9.2.1 Creating New, and Opening Existing Databases
The above picture gives you the option to:

 Create a New Database from scratch
 Use the wizard to create a New Database
 Open an existing database

o The white box gives you the most recent databases you have used. If you do not see the
one you had created, choose the More Files option and hit OK. Otherwise choose the
database you had previously used and click OK.
9.2.2 Create a database using the Database Wizard
1. When Microsoft Access first starts up, a dialog box is automatically displayed
with options to create a new database or open an existing one. If this dialog box is
displayed, click Access Database Wizards, pages, and projects and then click OK.
If you have already opened a database or closed the dialog box that displays when
Microsoft Access starts up, click New Database on the toolbar.
2. On the Databases tab, double-click the icon for the kind of database you want to
create.
3. Specify a name and location for the database.
4. Click Create to start defining your new database
9.2.3 Create a database without using the Database Wizard
1. When Microsoft Access first starts up, a dialog box is automatically displayed
with options to create a new database or open an existing one. If this dialog box is
displayed, click Blank Access Database, and then click OK.
If you have already opened a database or closed the dialog box that displays when
Microsoft Access starts up, click New Database on the toolbar, and then double-click the
Blank Database icon on the General tab.
2. Specify a name and location for the database and click Create. (Below is the
screen that shows up following this step)
9.3 Tables
A table is a collection of data about a specific topic, such as students or contacts. Using a
separate table for each topic means that you store that data only once, which makes your
database more efficient, and reduces data-entry errors.
Tables organize data into columns (called fields) and rows (called records).

9.3.1 Create a Table from scratch in Design view
1. If you haven't already done so, switch to the Database Window You can press
F11 to switch to the Database window from any other window.
Double-Click on "Create table in Design view".

(DESIGN VIEW)

Define each of the fields in your table.
Under the Field Name column, enter the categories of your table.
Under Data Type column, enter the type you want for you categories.
The attribute of a variable or field that determines what kind of data it can hold. For
example, in a Microsoft Access database, the Text and Memo field data types allow the
field to store either text or numbers, but the Number data type will allow the field to store
numbers only. Number data type fields store numerical data that will be used in
mathematical calculations. Use the Currency data type to display or calculate currency
values. Other data types are Date/Time, Yes/No, Auto Number, and OLE object (Picture).
o Under the Description column, enter the text that describes what you field is. (This field
is optional).
o For our tutorial enter the following items:
9.3.2 Primary Key

 One or more fields (columns) whose value or values uniquely identify each record in a
table. A primary key does not allow Null values and must always have a unique value. A
primary key is used to relate a table to foreign keys in other tables.
 NOTE: You do not have to define a primary key, but it's usually a good idea. If you
don't define a primary key, Microsoft Access asks you if you would like to create one
when you save the table.
 For our tutorial, make the Soc Sec # field the primary key, meaning that every student
has a social security number and no 2 are the same.
o To do this, simply select the Soc Sec # field and select the primary key button
o After you do this, Save the table

9.3.3 Switching Views
 To switch views form the datasheet (spreadsheet view) and the design view, simply
click the button in the top-left hand corner of the Access program.
Datasheet View Design View
Displays the view, which allows you Displays the view, which allows you to enter
to enter raw data into your database fields, data-types, and descriptions into your
table. database table.
9.3.4 Entering Data
 Click on the Datasheet View and simply start "chugging" away by entering the data into
each field. NOTE: Before starting a new record, the Soc Sec # field must have something
in it, because it is the Primary Key. If you did not set a Primary Key then it is OK.

9.3.5 Manipulating Data
 Adding a new row
o Simply drop down to a new line and enter the information
 Updating a record
o Simply select the record and field you want to update, and change its data with what
you want
 Deleting a record
o Simply select the entire row and hit the Delete Key on the keyboard
9.3.6 Advanced Table Features w/Microsoft Access
 Assigning a field a specific set of characters
o Example) Making a Social Security Number only allows 9 characters.
1. Switch to Design View
2. Select the field you want to alter

At the bottom select the General Tab
3. Select Field Size

4. Enter the number of characters you want this field to have
 Formatting a field to look a specific way (HINT: You do not need to assign a field a
specific set of characters if you do this)
o Example) Formatting Phone Number w/ Area Code (xxx) xxx-xxxx
1. Switch to Design View
2. Select the field you want to format
3. At the bottom select the General Tab
4. Select Input Mask Box and click on the ... button at the right.
5. Select Phone Number option
6. Click on Next
7. Leave !(999) 000-0000 the way it is. This is a default.
8. Click Next
9. Select which option you want it to look like
10. Click Next
11. Click Finish
 Selecting a value from a dropdown box with a set of values that you assign to it.
This saves you from typing it in each time
o Example)Choosing a city that is either Auburn, Bay City, Flint, Midland, or Saginaw
i. Switch to Design View
ii. Select the field you want to alter (City)
iii. At the bottom select the Lookup Tab
iv. In the Display Control box, select Combo Box

v. Under Row Source Type, select Value List
vi. Under Row Source, enter the values how you want them displayed, separated by a
comma. (Auburn, Bay City, Flint, Midland, Saginaw)
NOTE: This will not alphabetize them for you, so you will have to do that yourself. It
should look something like this:
Select in the datasheet view and you should see the change when you go to the city field.
1.
9.3.7 Relationships
After you've set up multiple tables in your Microsoft Access database, you need a way of
telling Access how to bring that information back together again. The first step in this
process is to define relationships between your tables. After you've done that, you can
create queries, forms, and reports to display information from several tables at once.
A relationship works by matching data in key fields - usually a field with the same name
in both tables. In most cases, these matching fields are the primary key from one table,
which provides a unique identifier for each record, and a foreign key in the other table.
For example, teachers can be associated with the students they're responsible for by
creating a relationship between the teacher's table and the student's table using the
TeacherID fields.
Having met the criteria above, follow these steps for creating relationships between
tables.
1. In the database window view, at the top, click on Tools ---> Relationships
2. Select the Tables you want to link together, by clicking on them and selecting
the Add Button

3. Drag the primary key of the Parent table (Teacher in this case), and drop it into
the same field in the Child table (Student in this case.)
4. Select Enforce Referential Integrity
o When the Cascade Update Related Fields check box is set, changing a primary key
value in the primary table automatically updates the matching value in all related records.
o When the Cascade Delete Related Records check box is set, deleting a record in the
primary table deletes any related records in the related table
5. Click Create and Save the Relationship
9.4 Forms
A form is nothing more than a graphical representation of a table. You can add, update,
and delete records in your table by using a form. NOTE: Although a form can be named
different from a table, they both still manipulate the same information and the same exact
data. Hence, if you change a record in a form, it will be changed in the table also.
A form is very good to use when you have numerous fields in a table. This way you can
see all the fields in one screen, whereas if you were in the table view (datasheet) you
would have to keep scrolling to get the field you desire.
9.4.1 Create a Form using the Wizard
It is a very good idea to create a form using the wizard, unless you are an advanced user
and know what you are doing. Microsoft Access does a very good job of creating a form
using the wizard. The following steps are needed to create a basic form:
1. Switch to the Database Window. You can do this by pressing F11 on the
keyboard.
2. Click on the Forms button under Objects on the left side of screen
3. Double click on Create Form Using Wizard

4. On the next screen select the fields you want to view on your form. Most of the
time you would select all of them.
5. Click Next
6. Select the layout you wish
7. Click Next
8. Select the style you desire...HINT: if you plan on printing your form, I suggest
you use a light background to save on printer toner and ink
9. Click Next
10. Give you form a name, and select Open the Form and enter information
11. Select Finish
12. You should see your form. To adjust the design of your form, simply hit the
design button (same as with the tables), and adjust your form accordingly
9.5 Reports
A report is an effective way to present your data in a printed format. Because you have
control over the size and appearance of everything on a report, you can display the
information the way you want to see it.
9.5.1 Create a Report using the Wizard
As with the Form, it is a very good idea to create a report using the wizard, unless you are
an advanced user. Microsoft Access does a very good job using the wizard to create
reports.
keyboard.
2. Click on the Reports button under Objects on the left side of screen
3. Double click on Create Report Using Wizard
4. On the next screen select the fields you want to view on your form. Most of the
time you would select all of them.
5. Click Next
6. Select if you would like to group your files. Keep repeating this step for as many
groupings as you would like.
7. Click Next
8. Select the layout and the paper orientation you desire
9. Click Next
10. Select the style you desire...HINT: if you plan on printing your report, I suggest
you use a light background to save on printer toner and ink
11. Click Next
12. Give you report a name, and select Preview the Report
13. Select Finish
14. You should see your report. To adjust the design of your report, simply hit the
design button (same as with the tables), and adjust your report accordingly
9.6 Creating Mail Merge Labels using a Wizard
Microsoft Access lets you create Mailing Labels for your database that you have. To do
this do the following:
keyboard.
2. Click on the Reports button under Objects on the left side of screen

3. Click on New
4. Select Label Wizard and the table you would like to get your information from.
5. Click OK
6. Select the layout of your labels
7. Click Next
8. Select the font size and color you want on each label
9. Click Next
10. Select how you want your label to look
11. Click Next
12. Select how you want your labels sorted
13. Give your label report a name and preview it

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TEAM UNIVERSITY

DIPLOMA IN NURSARY TEACHING

COMPUTER APPLICATION SKILLS

COURSE CODE: UCC 1102

EXPECTED LEARNING OUT COMES

UNIT 2: Basic Computer Processing

UNIT 3: Computer architecture 5 hour

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 2

UNIT 4: Introduction to operating systems 5 hours

 Windows Professional/xp/vista, Windows NT4.0, Linux/Unix

UNIT 5: The Internet and the World Wide Web 5 hours

 Internet; World Wide Web;

UNIT 6: Word Processing 5 hours

UNIT 8: MS Power Point 5 hours

UNIT 9: Computer Design & Graphics 5 hours

 Corel Draw; Photo paint; front page; Publisher

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 3

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 4

IMPORTANCE OF COMPUTER EDUCATION TO STUDENTS

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 5

Computer-Based Instruction; Computer-Based Instruction (CBI) refers to any teaching

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 6

Computing is all around us

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 7

Rewarding career opportunities

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 8

Figure 1: Basic parts of a Computer

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 9

Storage Device (RAM)

Input device Processing Device Out put device

1.2.4 Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Computers

1.2.4.2 Disadvantage of Using Computers

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 10

1.3 Computers In Society

1.3.1.1 Computers in Education

1.3.1.2 Computers in Business

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 11

1.3.1.5 Industrial Enterprises

1.3.1.6 Computers in Medicine

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 12

1.3.1.7 Computers in Entertainment

1.3.1.8 Computers in Communication

1.3.1.9 Computer in Science and Engineering

1.3.1.10 Computer in Military

1.3.2 Limitations of Computers in our Society

1.3.2.2 Computers are Vulnerable to Data Loss

1.3.2.3 Computers Have no Common Sense

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 13

1.3.2.5 Technology Changes Very Often

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 14

1.4.3 Ability to Store and Retrieve Data

1.4.5 Artificial intelligence

1.5 Evolution of Computers

1.5.1 First Generation

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 15

ENIAC performed ballistics trajectory calculations with 160

1.5.5 Fifth Generation

Computer Application Skills DNT-in-service Lecture Materials Page 17