Computer Basics

1. Computer Basics Paraprofessionals For Deborah Cottle Brown Elementary ITS

2. Parts of Computer • Computers are made of many electronic components or parts. These components each have a special job and they all work together to make your computer operate. Some components are hidden inside the computer, where you can't see them. Others can be seen partly from the outside.

3. Outside Parts of Computer • CPU is the “brains” of the computer. It houses the main processor and various drawers for disk drives. It is also known as the tower case. (work) • Monitor is the viewing screen. The monitor allows you to 'see' what you and the computer are doing together. (Output) • Speakers are output devices that allow you to hear sound from your computer. Computer speakers are just like stereo speakers. (Output) • Thekeyboard has keys for characters (letters, numbers and punctuation marks) and special commands. Pressing the keys tells the computer what to do or what to write. (Input)

4. Outside Parts of Computer • Mousehas a special ball that allows you to roll it around on a pad or desk and move the cursor around on screen. By clicking on the buttons on the mouse, you give the computer directions on what to do. (Input) • Printertakes what you see on the computer screen and prints it on paper. These printers can be either an inkjet or laser. (Output) • Scannercopies a picture or document into the computer. (Input) • Digital Camera (not shown)inputs photographs into a computer. Photos are taken with the camera away from the computer and stored on a memory chip. Then the camera is plugged into the computer, so that the images can be downloaded. (Input)

5. Windows and its Components The main components of Windows when you start your computer are the Desktop, My Computer, Recycle Bin, Start Button, Taskbar, and Shortcuts to applications. After opening an application, you will also have a window with an active application which will appear in your desktop and taskbar.

6. Desktop Graphics • This background graphic is called Wallpaper. It is essentially a backdrop for your work area. • Another important graphic feature that you will find on a desktop is an icon. Icons are small pictures that are linked to programs. Double-clicking on the icon runs the program or accesses the file and right-clicking accesses a menu offering options, actions and properties. Certain icons are a permanent fixture on the desktop. The user can put other icons on the desktop that will quickly access programs or files - like a shortcut. Icons can be moved around on the desktop by clicking and dragging them. • One of the most important icons on the desktop is My Computer, which accesses drives, printers, the Control Panel and other system applications. • Another important icon that you should know about is the Recycle Bin. It has the same purpose that a real trash can does - you put things in it that you no longer need or want.

7. Taskbar • At the edge of the screen (usually the bottom edge), you will see a long, thin bar with a box labeled "Start" on one end and a clock on the other end. This is the taskbar - another graphic tool that helps you to access programs and files. You may see icons on the taskbar, too. These are called "Quick Launch" icons that allow one-click access to frequently used programs.

8. Start-menu options: • If you click on the "Start" button, a box called a menu will appear. The menu will contain several words. Some words will have arrows next to them that access other menus. • Programs - accesses installed programs. • Favorites - accesses book-marked web pages. • Documents - accesses the most recently opened documents. • Settings - accesses system applications such as Control Panel, printers, taskbar and Start Menu options. • Find - searches for specific files or folders. • Help - offers helpful topics for computer use. • Run - user can input commands to run specific programs. • Log Off - allows a password-protected user to log off and another to log on. • Shut Down - shuts down or restarts the computer.

9. Minimize/Maximize/Close Buttons In the top-right corner of your document are the Minimize/Maximize/Close buttons. The first one when clicked minimize your screen, sending it to the taskbar. The second one maximize your screen, filling all desktop with the document you are working with. The last button is used to close your document.It is best practice to work with your document window maximized.

10. Right and Left Click • To use the mouse, usually you click the left button. However you can also right-click to display a hidden menu related to the object you are in when clicking. This menu can vary depending on which application you are using. • With right-clicking, you can operate different functions such as: • Copy/cut or paste a text, file, or folder. • Rename or delete a file or folder.

11. Highlight Put your cursor at the beginning of a word or sentence you want to highlight, then click and drag your mouse to the end of the selection.

12. Copy/Cut and Paste Text

14. Copying or cutting and pasting a text in Microsoft Word: Highlight the text you want to copy or cut, press CTRL+C (for copy) or CTRL+X (for paste). Insert your cursor where you want to paste the text. Paste your text by pressing CTRL+V. The text will appear.

15. Standard and Formatting Toolbars Toolbars are rows of buttons and boxes. When you click on a button or box, an application opens or a task is performed. Toolbars normally appear at the top of an application's window. The Standard Toolbar shown in the image below is from Windows Explorer; the standard toolbars in other applications may have buttons that allow you to open a new document, save, print, and spell check. The Formatting Toolbar is used to format a text using alignments, font type, font size, bold, italic, and lists. It is provided in most applications. The image below shows the Formatting Toolbar from Netscape Composer.

16. Save and/or Save As

17. Print Command To print a page go to the File menu and select Print. A window will pop up with options for how many copies and which pages you want to print. Other options are also available depending on the printer.

18. New Folder To create a New Folder, which means a new directory (a place where documents from the same subject are stored), go to the File menu, then New and select Folder from the pop-up menu, either in My Computer or in Windows Explorer. To open Windows Explorer, click the Start button, select Programs/Accessories/Windows Explorer.

19. Copy/Move Files • To copy and move a file or folder, use Windows Explorer. • To open the Explorer application, click the Start button and select Programs and Windows Explorer (some computer have Explorer under Programs/Accessories). • Copy or move a file using Menu command: • Select the disk drive that contains the file by clicking twice on it. • Click on the folder where the file is located • Select the file by clicking on it. • Go to Edit menu, select Copy (if you want to retain a copy of the file in the original place) or Cut (if you want to move the file). • Navigate to the new location where you want to paste • the file. • Go to Edit menu, select Paste. • The same procedure can be used if you want to copy • or move an entire folder.

20. Shortcut A shortcut creates a button or icon which typically stays on the desktop and when clicked, quickly allows you to start a program or open a file without having to go to its permanent location on your computer. To create a shortcut,open the Windows Explorer or go to the Start menu, select the file or program you want to create a shortcut for, place the cursor on the icon for the file, then right-click and select Create Shortcut from the menu that pops up. The shortcut file will be created. After that, you drag the shortcut file to the desktop and whenever you click on it, it will open the application or document related to the shortcut. Drag and Drop Drag is when the mouse button is held down while the mouse is moved. It is mostly used to move files around in Windows Explorer or in some other applications. Drop is the release of the button, after finishing dragging the mouse.

21. Rename a Folder or File • Using Windows Explorer you can rename or delete a file or folder. • To Rename a file or folder: • Navigate and select the file or folder you want to rename from the proper drive (c:, a:). • Go to the File menu and select Rename. • The file name will be highlighted and blinking in the right corner waiting for you to type the new file name.

22. Delete a Folder or File • To Delete a file or folder: • Navigate and select the file or folder you want to delete. • Go to the File menu and select Delete.

23. Recycle Bin • When you delete a file from your computer's hard drive, it is removed to the folder called Recycle Bin. Files deleted from your hard drive are still available for restoring if needed, unless you empty your Recycle Bin.  • To restore the files, open the Recycle Bin folder by double-clicking the icon on your desktop, select the file and then select Restore. • To clear the Recycle Bin, select Empty Recycle Bin and the files will be permanently removed from your computer. • Note that the recycle bin does not apply to the contents of a floppy disk. If you delete a file from a floppy disk, it is permanently deleted, and you cannot restore it.

24. URL The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is simply a Web address for a Web site or, in other words, the address of files on the World Wide Web.The last part of the address identifies the type of organization or the country where it is located, like: .edu is for education, .com is for company, .org is for organization, .gov is for government. .uk for England, .br for Brazil, .fr is for France Examples: The URL for UMUC is:http://www.umuc.edu The URL for Amazon Bookstore is:http://www.amazon.com The URL for World Bank is:http://www.worldbank.org The URL for Internal Revenue Service is:http://www.irs.gov The URL for London BBC News is:http://www.bbc.co.uk

25. File Extensions A file extension is the three letters of a file name after the dot. It is created by the application when you save a file. It is the way operation systems identify which application to use to open a file. Windows often doesn't list them when you are searching for a file, but they are there. Examples are: .txt, .doc, .exe, .html, .jpg, .gif, .wav. However, sometimes you will want to save a file with different extensions. In order to do that, select Save As in the File menu. The Save As box will open. Choose from the drop-down menu next to Save As Type the type you want to save. The extension of the type will be created for you by the application. Here is an example from Microsoft Word: Some file extensions: Graphic files: .bmp,.gif, .tif,.jpg Word document: .doc Program file: .exe Webpages files: .htm,.html Unformatted text: .txt Excel spreadsheet file: .xls Compressed file: .zip Rich Formatted Text: .rtf Sound file: .wav Acrobat Reader file: .pdf

26. Types of Programs There are many different types of programs for the computer. They are grouped according to the tasks that they perform. Here are some very common types of programs and some examples of their uses: • Word processing - letter writing, essays, writing stories • Database - address books, mailing lists • Spreadsheets - storing financial information • Research - encyclopedias, informational programs • Entertainment - games, music/video programs • Education - skill practice games, tutorials, how-to programs • Desktop Publishing - creating birthday cards, newsletters, etc.

27. Computer Care and Safety • Never spray your monitor screen (or any other computer component) with glass cleaner. Instead, spray a lint-free cloth lightly with glass cleaner, then clean the screen. Be sure to hold the cloth away from the computer when spraying. • Computer components should be kept as dust-free as possible. • Canned air or small computer-specific vacuum cleaners are an excellent way to clean keyboards, computer case vents, or around disk drive openings. • The rubber ball inside the bottom of a mouse may need occasional cleaning. If the mouse does not perform correctly, check your user guide for cleaning directions.

28. Computer Care and Safety • Never try to remove the cover on your computer to clean inside. Instead, take it to an authorized service technician for cleaning. • Keep all liquids and food items away from your computer. Liquids and food crumbs can damage delicate electronic circuits. Also, mixing liquids and electronic components can cause serious electrical shock! • Wash your hands before using the computer to avoid "sticky keys." • When in doubt about how to clean your computer system, consult your user manual or technical support.

29. Computer Care and Safety • It is important to remember that your computer is connected to electricity. If you have an Internet connection, that also means that your computer is connected to a telephone line or cable connection. These are also conductive connections. That means that lightning could be conducted to your computer through any of these connections. For safety reasons, you should never use your computer during a storm. • Many computer users purchase surge protectors to safeguard their system. Just like the name implies, surge protectors are designed to protect computers against electrical surges or lightning. However, these devices can fail; so, it's best to stay clear of the computer during storms. • Install one program at a time to make sure it does not conflict with your system.

30. Viruses • Viruses and worms are names for pesky computer-unfriendly programs that can accidentally be downloaded into your system. Some are just a nuisance, but others can crash your system and cause irreparable damage. • To avoid these nasty creatures, follow these safety tips: • Install, use and regularly update virus software • Never open an email attachment unless you know and trust the person who sent it. • Do not accept downloads from Internet sites that you don't know and trust.

31. Resources • Websites www.irvingisd.net www.kidsdomain.com http://www.computerlab.kids.new.net/parts.htm http://www.kidsandcomputers.com/kids/lessons/lesson1.htm http://www.umuc.edu/distance/odell/ctla/basic_skills/training.shtml#window