Computer Training

Computer Fundamentals

1HARDWARE: “WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW TO BUY A COMPUTER?”.................................... 5

1.1WHAT PIECES ARE FOUND IN A COMPUTER?........................................................................................................7

1.2PERSONAL COMPUTER HISTORY....................................................................................................................... 10

1.2.1Microprocessor Revolution/Evolution.............................................................................................. 11

1.2.1.1Processor Families....................................................................................................................................   11

1.2.1.2Clock Speeds.............................................................................................................................................   11

1.2.1.3Faster is Better..........................................................................................................................................   12

1.2.2Displays............................................................................................................................................. 14

1.2.2.1Monitor Operation....................................................................................................................................   15

1.2.2.2Health Concerns........................................................................................................................................   16

1.2.3Storage Leaps.................................................................................................................................... 16

1.2.4Memory Dumps................................................................................................................................. 19

1.3WHAT DO I NEED?....................................................................................................................................... 20

1.3.1Depends on Use................................................................................................................................. 21

1.3.2System Configurations.......................................................................................................................21

1.4WHAT CAN I ADD LATER?............................................................................................................................ 23

1.4.1Easy Upgrades.................................................................................................................................. 25

1.4.2Difficult Upgrades (Advanced)..........................................................................................................26

1.4.3Most Difficult Updates (Expert)........................................................................................................ 27

1.4.4Hardware Sources............................................................................................................................. 29

1.5HOW DO I SET UP MY COMPUTER? .............................................................................................................. 31

1.5.1Out of the Box.................................................................................................................................... 31

1.5.1.1Do you have to install computer cards?.....................................................................................................  32

1.5.1.2Cabling......................................................................................................................................................   32

1.5.1.3Remove any inserts for floppy/CD-ROM drives.......................................................................................  33

1.5.2Piece-Meal (Building Your Own Computer) (Expert only)...............................................................33

1.5.2.1Inventory: make sure you have everything!...............................................................................................  33

1.5.2.2CPU construction......................................................................................................................................   34

1.5.2.3Configuration............................................................................................................................................   34

1.5.3Software Installation [functioning CD-ROM required]................................................................... 35

1.6PROPER CARE OF COMPUTER (CPU, MONITOR, FLOPPIES, ETC.)......................................................................... 36

1.6.1Heat/Moisture/Dirt............................................................................................................................ 36

1.6.2Power.................................................................................................................................................36

1.6.2.1Leaving Computer “on”............................................................................................................................   37

1.6.2.2Turning off/on...........................................................................................................................................   37

1.6.2.3Storms.......................................................................................................................................................   38

1.6.3Viruses............................................................................................................................................... 39

1.6.4System Maintenance.......................................................................................................................... 40

1.6.4.1Disk verification/defrag.............................................................................................................................   40

1.6.4.2Cleaning temporary files (Windows, Netscape, AOL...)............................................................................ 41

1.6.4.3Disk compression......................................................................................................................................   42

1.6.4.4Empty Trashcan........................................................................................................................................    42

1.6.5When Do I Upgrade?........................................................................................................................ 42

1.7IF SOMETHING GOES WRONG, WHO CAN I TALK TO?....................................................................................... 44

2OPERATING SYSTEMS: “HOW DO I WORK WITH THE COMPUTER?”.................................. 46

2.1BOOT UP SEQUENCE....................................................................................................................................... 47

2.2INTERACTING WITH THE COMPUTER................................................................................................................... 49

2.2.1Various Input/Output Devices........................................................................................................... 49

2.2.2Motifs (Interfaces)............................................................................................................................. 50

2.2.3Files/Filesystems/Drives....................................................................................................................50

2.2.4Backups............................................................................................................................................. 51

2.2.5What is Compression? (Advanced)................................................................................................... 52

2.3BASIC TYPES OF OPERATING SYSTEMS AVAILABLE............................................................................................. 54

2.4WORKING WITH DOS.................................................................................................................................... 56

2.4.1Commands/command-line................................................................................................................. 56

2.4.2Running a program........................................................................................................................... 57

2.5WORKING WITH WINDOWS/WIN95.................................................................................................................. 58

2.5.1Desktop & tools................................................................................................................................. 58

2.5.2Basic & common icons: their function.............................................................................................. 59

2.5.3Setting-up printer/modem/monitor.................................................................................................... 59

2.5.3.1Setting-up Printer......................................................................................................................................   59

2.5.3.2Setting-up Modem.....................................................................................................................................   59

2.5.3.3Reconfiguring Monitor..............................................................................................................................  59

2.5.4Using windows...................................................................................................................................60

2.5.4.1Shortcuts vs. real.......................................................................................................................................   61

2.5.4.2FileManager/Explorer...............................................................................................................................   61

2.5.4.3Task bar/list...............................................................................................................................................   62

2.5.5Making your Hardware Configuration List...................................................................................... 62

2.5.6The Windows 95 Registry (Expert Only)........................................................................................... 63

2.5.7Shutting-Down (Turning Off) Computer........................................................................................... 63

3WINDOWS APPLICATIONS: “HOW DO I ??? ON THE COMPUTER?”.......................................65

3.1COMMON OPERATIONS FOR ALL APPLICATIONS................................................................................................... 66

3.1.1Menus/Popups/Toolbars/Dialogs...................................................................................................... 66

3.1.2Saving/retrieving files .......................................................................................................................67

3.1.3Help subsystem.................................................................................................................................. 68

3.1.4Printing .............................................................................................................................................70

3.1.5Selecting, Cutting and Pasting ......................................................................................................... 71

3.1.6Undo/Redo ........................................................................................................................................ 71

3.2WORD PROCESSORS: “WRITE LETTERS, ETC.”................................................................................................... 73

3.2.1Selecting/Changing Fonts ................................................................................................................ 74

3.2.2Changing Alignments ....................................................................................................................... 75

3.2.3Adjusting margins/tabs...................................................................................................................... 76

3.2.3.1Margins.....................................................................................................................................................   76

3.2.3.2Tabs..........................................................................................................................................................    76

3.2.4Summary & Tool Bar.........................................................................................................................77

3.2.5Exercise: Write a letter...................................................................................................................... 78

3.3SPREAD SHEET: “MANAGE NUMBERS”............................................................................................................. 79

3.3.1What is a spreadsheet? a cell?.......................................................................................................... 79

3.3.2Entering Data.................................................................................................................................... 80

3.3.3Spreadsheet Organization................................................................................................................. 80

3.3.4Computing a Column.........................................................................................................................80

3.3.4.1Cell Addresses...........................................................................................................................................   81

3.3.4.2Column Sum ............................................................................................................................................   81

3.3.4.3Row/Column Magic..................................................................................................................................   81

3.3.4.4More Sums................................................................................................................................................   82

3.3.4.5Errors........................................................................................................................................................    82

3.3.5Other Tools........................................................................................................................................ 82

3.3.6Exercise: Construct a Simple Checkbook Balancer.......................................................................... 83

3.4DATABASE: “MANAGE DATABASES”.................................................................................................................84

3.4.1What can I do with databases?..........................................................................................................85

3.4.2How are they organized?.................................................................................................................. 85

3.4.3How do I build a database?.............................................................................................................. 86

3.4.4How do I query?................................................................................................................................ 87

3.4.5How Do I Create an Input Form?..................................................................................................... 88

3.4.6Exercise: Construct a home-storage database..................................................................................89

3.5PRESENTATIONS: “CREATE PRESENTATIONS”...................................................................................................... 90

3.5.1Describe purpose...............................................................................................................................90

3.5.2Exercise: Make a sales pitch presentation........................................................................................ 91

2

3.6GRAPHICS: “PAINT PICTURES”......................................................................................................................... 92

3.6.1What are Pixel/Vector Graphics?..................................................................................................... 93

3.6.2How do I draw/write/edit/cut?...........................................................................................................93

3.6.2.1Drawing Lines, Boxes and Circles............................................................................................................   94

3.6.2.2Typing Some Words..................................................................................................................................  94

3.6.2.3Zooming and Editing Pixels......................................................................................................................   94

3.6.2.4Cutting and Pasting...................................................................................................................................   95

3.6.3What do I need to print/display/share my pictures?..........................................................................95

3.6.3.1Sharing Pictures........................................................................................................................................   96

3.6.3.2Printing Pictures........................................................................................................................................   96

3.6.4Exercise: Make a poster.................................................................................................................... 97

3.7INTERNET: “WEB SURF”.................................................................................................................................98

3.7.1What Is the Internet? the Web? a Homepage?.................................................................................. 99

3.7.2What Does It Have for Me?............................................................................................................. 100

3.7.3What Kinds of Things Can I Do?.................................................................................................... 100

3.7.4How Do I “Surf the Web”? Search on Topics?.............................................................................. 101

3.7.5What about “Smut Pages”?  How to Protect My Family?............................................................. 101

3.7.6What About Security? Can People Do Things to Me?.................................................................... 101

3.7.6.1Passwords................................................................................................................................................   101

3.7.6.2Credit Cards............................................................................................................................................   101

3.7.6.3Inactive Accounts....................................................................................................................................   102

3.7.6.4Any Other Suspicious Activities.............................................................................................................   102

3.7.7What Services Are Available on the Internet?.................................................................................102

3.7.7.1Electronic Mail (EMail)..........................................................................................................................   102

3.7.7.2Chat.........................................................................................................................................................   102

3.7.7.3Internet Relay Chat (IRC).......................................................................................................................   103

3.7.7.4Usenet.....................................................................................................................................................    103

3.7.7.5Internet Phone (EPhone).........................................................................................................................   103

3.7.7.6Cyber-Rooms..........................................................................................................................................   104

3.7.8Sources? (Freenet [text only], CompuServe, AOL, ...)................................................................... 104

3.7.9Exercise: Find some pictures of Saturn.......................................................................................... 104

4APPENDIX A: FONTS............................................................................................................................ 106

5APPENDIX B: STANDARD WINDOWS ICONS................................................................................ 107

6LISTING OF FIGURES.......................................................................................................................... 111

7LISTING OF TABLES............................................................................................................................ 112

8GLOSSARY.............................................................................................................................................. 113

9INDEX....................................................................................................................................................... 122

Notes about this manual:

It was my intent to make this useful and easy to use by everyone—yes, even from those who have used a computer to those who have never touched one.  Please note that it was written for those who have never touched a computer.

Organization.  This text tries to build on itself.  I was very concerned about “overload” (too much information which leads to frustration) and even “underload” (too little—which leads to confusion).  Everything in the textual parts

which are not flagged as “Advanced” or “Expert” are important to understand why the computer does certain things and why it can’t do other things.  Please be

patient and read through all of it.  It is also intended to be a reference once you’re done with the course.  So, there are several Tables and Indices at the end of the text.

Notation.  You may see some interesting notations in this text.  To help you, this notation tries to be consistent with computer manuals.  For example, you may see

<Enter>.  This means (and all other angle-bracketed notes) a particular key on the keyboard (in this case, it means the Enter key to the right of the alphabetic keys). If you see <Ctrl-F> or <Alt-F4>, that means holding the <Ctrl>, <Alt> or <Shift> key then pressing the other key (e.g. <Ctrl-F4> means pressing the <F4> key while holding the <Ctrl> key). Also, Edit|Cut means “under menu ‘Edit’ select option ‘Cut’.”

Suggestions. Suggestions are always welcome. I didn’t design this course for me but for you. If there is anything that I can do to help you work with computers, please let me know.

1HARDWARE: “WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW TO BUY A COMPUTER?”

What is a computer?  I guess the easiest way I can explain it is as a little machine that follows very specific instructions over and over.  A computer cannot learn and, unless told to do so, won’t respond to anything. Think of it as a very dumb dog that you have to teach to catch a ball every day and every time you want to play.1

Computers do very complex math.  Mind you, it is always related to the basics: add, subtract, multiply and divide.  But as anyone who has had algebra and calculus will tell you: if you do enough of these basics, you can get approximations of more sophisticated math that are pretty close to reality. Computers do this math very quickly. Often these calculations are done in millions per second.  Imagine multiplying 10 million pairs of multi-digit numbers per second.  I have a hard enough time myself doing a 3-digit multiplication in less than a minute.

Computers can store a vast amount of information and retrieve it at extraordinary speeds. When everything works correctly, this data is as fresh and unblemished by time as when it was first stored.  It can record information about everything (given it has sufficient storage capacity). While this may not seem to be a great achievement, think about this: when you last went to the store, how much did you pay for each item you bought? Computers can store this kind of information a lot better than we can recall it.  Also, one

of those CD-ROMs that we see so frequently can store the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica along with photos. (Please note that if you buy their CD-ROM set, it has more than just text and photos.  So, the set has several CD-ROMs.)

What have computers done for us?  Consider the following:

10.

1.   Made the world incredibly smaller by facilitating communications.

2.   Advanced science and medical discovery more in 10 years than in centuries of history.

3.   Designed cars, roads, cities, clothing, etc.

4.   Tested transportation long before the prototypes ever left their studios.

5.   Exploded our imaginations with color and virtual reality.

6.   Controlled our market-place and caused the “Black Monday” crash.

7.   Hinted that a passenger aircraft over Saudi Arabia was an enemy and recommended firing on it.

8.   Opened freedom of speech to areas all over the world via the Internet.

9.   Abetted fraud, laundering and gambling.

1 Today (12/4/96), I read plans to make machines “more intelligent”.  A quote from Bill Gates, Microsoft CEO: “If a human assistant works for you over a period of years, your efficiency in working with him gets dramatically better and he can anticipate your interests and you can use shorthand ways of communicating. With a computer today, even if you use it for a couple of years, you are basically working with it the exact same way. It's not learning in the way a human assistant would.  On the simplest level, the next generation of computers would learn the kind of information you like to see.  They're going to know how you are reacting to things, and essentially put together, for example, the kind of newspaper that meets your interests.”  (Investor's Business Daily 3 Dec 96 A8)

The list goes on and on.  The computer has done a lot to shape the modern world—some good and some bad.  In all, it has been a great blessing when properly used.  What can computers do for you?  Well, hopefully, this text will show you.

 

Adapter Cables Cache Card Slot Cards CD-ROM CPU Disk DRAM DVD Floppy Glidepoint Harddisk Keyboard Micro- processor Modem

1.1WHAT PIECES ARE FOUND IN A COMPUTER? Most of the time it refers to a card that plugs into the motherboard adding special capabilities not originally found on the computer.  Other times it refers to tools to convert one connector type to another. A thick wire that connects the computer to the external device or power. An interface between the CPU and the memory (RAM and ROM).  It helps the CPU keep running even though the RAM may be too slow.  It does this by keeping a copy of what the processor has read/written. The slots found on the PC motherboard may be one of five types: ISA, EISA, MCA, VESA & PCI..  Slower adapters (like I/O boards) can be ISA.  But for the best performance, use VESA or PCI for harddrives, CD-ROMs or Video adapters. An option (adapter) which is a printed circuit board that plugs into the motherboard. A disk made of plastic and aluminum which can store up to 650MB of data.  Usually these disks cannot be written to, instead they often are used to distribute software from companies. Central Processing Unit. The “brain” of the computer. It executes commands which, eventually, we see as a response to our input. Without the CPU, the computer is nothing. A storage medium to keep data while the computer is turned off. RAM that uses a device called a “capacitor” to store each bit.  The problem with this is the capacitor loses the charge very quickly. Therefore, the DRAM has to be “refreshed” to keep the data valid.  This is thus far the cheapest RAM. The next generation CD-ROM which will store 10-20x the current capacity. A disk that has flexible media (the actual material onto which the data is recorded).  The material and flexibility is a lot like that of a cassette tape. A mouse-replacement that has a little pad that you can use to move the mouse pointer.  Simply glide your finger over the surface and the pointer will move.  To “click”, tap the pad.  To “double-click” double-tap the pad. A medium to store data for the computer while the power is out.  It uses a hard material (typically aluminum). A typewriter-like tool that has keys. Sends letters or commands to the computer. A CPU that composes only one chip.  Some CPUs may actually be several square feet is size; but, the microprocessor is designed to be 100% self-contained in a single chip. A device that will let your computer talk to other computers through the telephone line.

 

Monitor   The CRT or display that shows the words, graphics, etc., to the user.  It is a critical part of a user’s interface.

Motherboard   A printed circuit board that has (at least) slots to connect cards into.

Often, they also include a CPU and memory.

Mouse   An input device which has one to three buttons and when you move it, it causes the arrow in a Windows display to move.

Open

Architecture

The original computer companies hid their secrets from competitors by keeping their architecture closed (proprietary). IBM made the IBM PC an open architecture, allowing anyone to make options for it.

Parallel   A type of port which transmits and receives several bits of data at a time

(typically 8 bits).  Typically used to connect to printers.

Ports    Connectors (usually in the back of the computer) which connect to external devices (e.g. mouse, keyboard, modem, printer, display, etc.)

Power supply   A basic component in the computer that converts the outlet power into power that the computer can use.

Printer   An external device that takes commands and data from the computer to place on paper. There are several types of printers: daisy-wheel, matrix, laser, thermal, inkjet, and plotter.

RAM   “Random Access Memory“.  A pool of storage for the CPU.  It can be written to/read from in any order (unlike a VCR tape which is serial— you have to wind to the place you want).  There are several types of RAM: SRAM, DRAM, EDO-RAM.

ROM   “Read Only Memory“.  Memory that has imprinted in it data and programs for the CPU which cannot be erased or written to.

Scanner   An external device that is able to optically read in printed material—kind of like a copier, but it stores the image on the computer instead.

Serial   A type of port that transmits only one bit at a time.  In order to send a byte of data, the data has to be “turned on its side” and send out bit by bit.

SRAM   RAM that does not “lose its mind” if not refreshed.  This is typically used in caches.  It tends to be much more complicated than DRAM and thus much more costly.

Surge protector

A device that will isolate your computer from outlet power problems

(spikes and noise).

rackball   A mouse replacement that is a small box with a ball in the center.  You roll the ball in the direction you want the pointer to go.

Trackpoint   A mouse replacement with a little rubber post between the “g” and “h” keys on some laptop computers.  Gently push the post in the direction you want the mouse pointer to go.

UPS   “Uninterruptable Power Supply”. This is a box that is like a surge protector but will keep you going even if you lose power.  You can plug your computer into.  If you have a brown- or black-out, this unit will

keep you running for 3 minutes to an hour (certainly enough time to save your work and shutdown the computer).

There are many pieces to a computer, as you can see by the jargon list. The computers we use today are many times more complex than those from twenty years ago.  We want our machines to do so much that the industry is always striving to reach these seemingly endless (and nearly unattainable) goals.