Introduction to the PC / Basic PC Computer Concepts & Skills Instructor: Mary Beth McKee E-Mail: mckeemb@appstate.

edu Tel: 262-8637 ASU Computer Helpdesk: 262-6266 Hardware - The Basics The diagram shows you what a typical PC looks like. The word typical is suspect, however, because more and more companies are beginning to change the style of PCs that remained constant for so long during the industry's startup years. Computer Components o o o o o o Hard Drive Memory Processor Operating System Software Peripherals

One of the reasons for the price differences among computers today is that their speed and storage capabilities vary. The faster a PC is and the more storage it has, the higher the price will be. The System Unit The system unit is the box where the brains are kept. The system unit houses the computer's memory, circuit boards, expansion slots, power supply, and the all-important CPU (Central Processing Unit). Technically, the CPU is the actual computer, and everything else that makes up your PC helps the CPU get data and send output to other places. It's your PC's CPU that processes all the data that flows through your computer. The faster your CPU is and the more computing power your CPU has, the better (and more expensive) your PC is. Processor The CPU's speed is measured in megahertz or gigahertz, often abbreviated to MHz or GHz. This is one of those technical jargon words that indicates the number of instruction cycles your CPU can perform in a single second. Meg (or mega) always means million, so a 500MHz CPU can process 500 million instructions per second. These instructions are internal CPU codes that execute when you issue a command from the keyboard. The megahertz measurement gives the industry a fairly consistent yardstick to measure and compare CPU speeds.

The Memory RAM is memory that holds programs you are currently running, as well as all the data that goes with them. As the role of your PC grows, your programs become more complex, and your computer requires more RAM. When someone refers to your computer's memory, he or she is almost always referring to the amount of RAM you have. RAM memory is short-term PC memory. RAM holds your data and programs as well as system-controlling programs such as Windows. As you type text into a word processing program, both the program and the text you type reside in your PC's RAM. RAM memory is volatile, meaning that its contents stay only as long as the PC's power remains on. If you turn off the PC before you save the text from RAM to a disk drive or other long term storage device, you'll lose everything you typed because the PC clears the RAM memory when you turn off the PC. The more memory you have, the more your PC can process at one time and the faster your PC works. DVDs Most newer PCs come with a DVD (Digital Video Disc) drive built in that stores seven times the amount of information that a CD-ROM stores, letting you watch feature-length films from your PC. DVD is quickly replacing CD-ROM drives in newer PCs as the price for DVDs drops, and as software publishers begin writing giant programs that take advantage of the new DVD technology. Computer Desktop - Desktop Basics Your desktop is what you see on your screen once you have booted up your computer. It is the principal workspace from which you access the files and programs in your computer. There are several components to your desktop: Icons: the small images that sit on your screen, desktop icons are shortcuts for getting to files and programs. If you double-click on one, it "opens" the file or "runs" the program represented by the icon. For easy access, you may wish to put an icon for your Web browser on your desktop. Then, all you have to do is double-click that icon to launch your browser. Background: This is the backdrop for the desktop. Its appearance can be customized to suit a user's taste. For more on that, see the Brain Booster on Changing Your Screen Backgrounds. Task Bar: This is the bar across the bottom of your screen. Another way to access files and programs in your computer, the Start Bar also indicates which programs, files, and documents are currently open. The two most important parts of the Task Bar are the Start Button and the Program Icons.

System Tray

The system tray displays various program icons that are running in the background. Start Button: From this single button, you can access all parts of your computer. Click it and a Start Menu emerges from the button. You can customize this menu by adding or removing elements. Program Icons: The Task Bar displays all programs currently running on your computer. Since you can run multiple programs at once, you can use the Start Bar as an easy way to navigate between programs. The program that is "active"--the one that you are currently using--is indicated by a lighter gray than the others. Common Desktop Icons My Computer Network Neighborhood Recycle Bin Shortcuts vs Original files Shortcuts have a small arrow on the lower lefthand corner of the icon Removing shortcuts from the desktop does not remove the program; it only removes the shortcut. The original file remains in tact. Recycle Bin Placing items in the recycle bin does not delete them. The recycle bin must be emptied to permanently delete the files. Restoring Files from Recycle Bin Double click Recycle Bin icon. File > Restore Note: When recovering files from the Recycle Bin, the Restore option places the file back in the original location. To Empty the Recycle Bin Right click cursor over the recycle bin. Click Empty Recycle Bin

Launching Programs from the Start Menu When you click on the Start Button, the list of files and programs you see is called the Start Menu. To practice using the Start Menu, we're going to launch a program from it. Using the Start button This symbol indicates the options available under this heading Pop-up menus Most common selections made under the Start button Programs Control Panel Find Run When you click on the Start Button, the list of files and programs you see is called the Start Menu. To practice using the Start Menu, we're going to launch a program from it. Opening the calculator 1. Click the Start Button. Its the button in the lower left corner of your screen. Click on it to see the Start Menu. 2. Highlight Programs. Place your mouse cursor on the word "Programs". Another menu will now appear to the right. These are the programs that are installed on your computer. 3. Highlight Accessories. When you place the mouse cursor on Accessories, a third menu will appear to the right. 4. Click Calculator. Calculator is an application that comes with Windows operating system. You did it! You have successfully launched a program from the Start Menu!

How to make shortcut icons on the desktop Start > Programs > Name of Program (for example Microsoft Word) Right click on name of program Pop up window appears Click Send to >Desktop

Window size and position Maximize Minimize Resize Moving windows

Maximize Minimize

Close

Multi-tasking with a computer How many programs can be open at one time on a computer? Note: Task Bar shows the open programs. Starting a second program Switching between open programs Closing programs

Shutdown vs. Restart When you shutdown a computer, it completely powers down. Restart means the computer powers down, but it comes right back on again. Restart allows the memory cache to be cleared.

Shut down will close all applications and prepare the machine to be turned off. Some PCs will also "power off" during this process. Others will display a message when it's safe to turn off the power. It is recommended that you choose "Shut down" when you are leaving your office for the day. Restart the computer will perform a reboot of the computer. This is similar to "shutting down" and then turning the PC back on. System resources such as memory will be refreshed when restarting. You may use this option if you are experiencing problems and want to start with a "clean slate". Log off username simply disconnects you from the network and permits someone else to log on. You would use this if you wanted to log off and someone else wanted to log on to the network very quickly. Standby is an energy-saving setting that allows your PC to be available for immediate use, but saves electricity while it's in this mode. Frozen Computer Control + AL T + Delete Task List End Task that reads Not Responding If your PC totally hangs up and nothing seems to work, there's still a chance you can recover without turning off your PC. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to perform a system reboot (a fancy term for reset). This is a difficult keystroke so that you do not accidentally press the combination during your regular work and lose all your data.

When you reboot, a window appears showing a list of every program running. If you see the program listed that you were last running and that hung things up, click that program's entry and then click the End Task button. Sometimes Windows will close the offending program and everything will be fine. If your system is still hung after a minute or two after you press the End Task button, you'll have to press Ctrl+Alt+Del once again or press a reset button that sometimes appears on the front panel of your system unit to reset your computer to its startup state. Unfortunately, any data you have yet to save will be lost. Only as a last resort should you completely turn off your system unit before letting it rest a few seconds and powering it back on again to clear the hang-up.

Getting Control Start> Settings> Control Panel This allows users to view and change the properties or preferences for how the computer handles various tasks. Most common Control Panel options Display Add/Remove Programs Printers System Date/Time

My Computer vs. Explorer View (Details, List, Icons)

Using Explorer to move or copy files Right click on My Computer. Select Explore Explorer allows users to more easily move files around and create folders. To select multiple files, hold down the control key while clicking.

Different File Types and Extensions Extension .doc .wpd .txt .exe .ppt .pdf .htm or .html .zip File Type Microsoft Word document WordPerfect document Plain text file Executable file usually installs a program PowerPoint file Adobe Acrobat file Web pages (Hypertext Markup Language) code of web pages Compressed files - may contain a variety of file types, Excel, Word, etc. This format compresses file sizes to make them smaller so they can be stored to a disk or e-mailed more easily.

File Management Creating folders Deleting folders Moving files and folders

Directory Structure My Documents - common area Programs Files main folder for software on your computer Organize folders logically Create folders that represent various projects Create sub folders - folders within folders Easy to change as needs change Creating New Folders within Microsoft Word

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Zipping files to save space Common programs PKZip, WinZip, EnZip, ZipCentral Free download from web site Sample: WinZip at http://www.winzip.com/ Using Zip Programs File> New Archive (This creates a name for the zipped file.) Add Files (This allows users to select files that will be zipped.) More than one file can be selected. Click OK when done. Close Archive

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Using Appmail to Access E-Mail from any web browser http://appmail.appstate.edu/

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