The Parts of a Computer
This is a graphic of a typical modern computer system. This one features a "tower" style system box rather than the desktop model which may be in front of you. If you were to walk into a computer or electronics store to buy a computer, you'd probably walk out with something very much like this - with two possible changes. First, you'd probably have a pair of speakers (or more) to go with your system which are not pictured above. (If you buy a CD-ROM, you usually also get a sound card - and if you have a sound card, you need speakers to hear the sound!) The second change is that you would probably want to have a printer to go with your system. [You would have to double check to make sure the monitor comes as part of the system - sometimes it's extra. Usually the printer is extra, but not always.]
Exactly what do you get in a typical computer system? Let's take a look:
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(You should know the various parts of a computer system, but you do NOT need to know the details I'm throwing in - unless you really are thinking about buying a computer.)
Other software may be included in your purchase. If the software is of value to you, it can be included when comparing systems; however, ignore the value of any software that you doubt you will use a lot.
First, the simple way. This works for any single computer, such as the one you may have at home. Find the on/off switches for the monitor (and printer and/or modem, if you have either of them) and the system box. (The big box that holds most of the computer's parts.) This can be a little tricky. Today, the on/off switch is most likely identified with some variation of I and O such as I/O. (I'm not positive what the I and O stand for. It could be for Input/Output, but it is more likely to stand for 1 or 0 (one or zero) which are the basic units of the binary number system that computers use. We often think of the 1 and 0 as representing an 'On' or 'Off' situation.) Some switches are 'rocker' switches but most are pushbutton. Although not as important as it once was, it is still a good idea to turn on the monitor and any peripherals (printer, modem, etc.) first before you turn on the computer's main switch. One other thing: check to make sure there is no disk in the floppy disk drive. (The floppy disk drive has a slot about 3.5 inches long and below the slot on the right side a little button. If the button seems to be sticking out quite a bit, there is probably a disk in the drive. Push the button in and remove any disk that pops out.) Now you can turn on the computer.
The computer will flash various information on the monitor's screen. Unless something has gone wrong with your machine, you can safely ignore whatever appears on the screen during startup. Eventually, you should end up with one of the Windows screens shown below. (Remember that every computer is slightly different so your screen may be somewhat different from the examples.) You've successfully started up your computer!
Now for the slightly more complicated way. This applies if your computer is physically connected to a network. (That means there is a wire that connects from your computer to many other computers.) This is most likely to be the case in a school lab or in a fair-sized office. In most cases, computers can be used whether they are logically connected to the network (which you have to do by 'logging in') or not. However, if your computer is not connected, some software may not be available, and some services, such as accessing the printer or the Internet, may not function. Some users may be given a username and password. If you have them, simply enter them on the appropriate lines when the 'Login' Box appears on the screen. Note that you never see your password on the screen, only asterixes. That's so no one can see your password. First, turn on your peripherals and then your computer, making sure there is no floppy disk in the drive. After a while, a box will appear on your screen asking for your username and password. (It probably already displays a username. If it's yours, or you don't have a user name, leave it. Otherwise, erase the wrong username and enter yours. Pressing the 'Tab' key (The one above the left shift key with arrows pointing left and right). This will move you to the next field (white box to enter information). Type in your password if you have one. Now, press the 'Okay' button. Do NOT click on 'Cancel' and do NOT click on the exit button (the button at the top right of the box with an 'x' in it). If you accidentally selected 'cancel' or 'exit', you will still load in Windows, but you will not be connected to the network. You have now successfully started up your computer and logged on to the network.
A few networks are still running
Windows 3.1x. In most cases, computers connected to these networks
are left on, especially if the individual computers lack a hard drive. If so,
you'll probably find that your computer is already turned on. All you have to
do is turn on the monitor. In order for this system to work, your connection
on the network to the server (the main computer that coordinates and distributes
data along the network)must be intact. If this connection is lost, you will
be unable to access anything that is stored on the server or any other computer
in the network. To reestablish the network connection, you may have to restart
your computer using a special boot disk.
To start up a computer, find the on/off switch. It used to be easy to find the
switch, it was located on the right side near the back. Modern computers, however,
have their on/off switch in different locations. The good news is that it is
almost always on the front of the system box and may be identified with the
symbols "O/I" or a variation thereof (an "I" inside an "O"
for example). Before you actually turn on the computer, you need to check a
couple of things:
You are now ready to turn on the computer. Simply press in the button or flick the switch. Your computer will go through a few checks before it actually starts to load in the operating system. It will check its internal RAM (Random Access Memory); it will provide you with the opportunity to check out and/or modify the CMOS settings; it will load in any needed "drivers" that enable sound cards, CD-ROMs and other devices to operate; it will provide you with an opportunity to modify or change the operating system it is going to use; and finally, it will load in the operating system which may include loading in more drivers and other small programs. Some of these additional programs may be used to connect to the network. Normally, you do not need to worry about these steps, but you may wonder why the computer takes so long and what some of the messages appearing on the screen mean. Do NOT attempt to modify the CMOS settings unless you have a problem and the computer will not start. Even so, make a detailed record of everything before and after making any changes. It is a good idea, however, to take a look at and record the CMOS settings on YOUR OWN machine. If the CMOS battery should fail, you may need to reenter these values, so keep the settings information in a safe place.
Once your computer has started, you should be at one of these points:
With any version of Windows, it is very important that you shut down the computer correctly. Follow these guidleoines: When you have finished using the computer, you should make sure that you have returned to the same screen you start from (above). (If you are running Windows 95 or 98, click on the 'Start' button and choose "Shut down". Choose "Shut down the computer". The computer will tell you when it is safe to continue.) Then, turn off whatever parts of the system were off before you began. The order is unimportant here.
Let's review:
Although you should not start up your computer with any floppy disks in the machine (unless a disk is required as mentioned above), you will need a floppy disk to save your work on. If you are using someone else's computer, you should not save your data on the hard drive or on the network. Once your computer has loaded in the menu or operating system (Windows 98), it is safe to place your data disk in the floppy drive. Fortunately, you'll most likely be using a 3½" disk.
This disk is specially designed so that it
is almost impossible to insert it into the drive incorrectly. If you have a
floppy disk handy, take a good look at it. You should notice that there is a
metal cover on one end. If you are very careful, you can slide this cover revealing
an opening in the hard plastic shell. This opening gives the drive's head access
to the magnetic material underneath (the actual "disk"), which is
dark brown in color. Release the metal cover and it should slide back over the
opening. This opening is the most vulnerable part of the disk. Should any foreign
material, including fingerprints, get into the opening and onto the magnetic
disk, your data may be ruined. Always keep this metal cover in place.
At the other end of the floppy you should see two square holes. If you only see one hole, you have a double-density disk, something we will explain in a later lesson. One of the holes should have a small square piece of plastic that will slide either to cover the hole (so no light will pass through) or open the hole so that light does pass through. This is called the write-protect notch. In normal use, the hole should be covered. In this position, you can read information from the disk and you can write or store information on the disk. It is "read/write enabled". When the hole is uncovered, information can be read from the disk, but nothing can be written to or stored on the disk. It is "write protected". If you have a "boot up" disk, it should always be kept "write protected" which will prevent any viruses from being written to the disk and loaded into the computer at start up.
Between the two holes and reaching down almost to the metal cover is a rectangular indent. This is where the disk label should be placed. This is the front of the disk.
The back of the disk features a round metal "hub" which holds the magnetic disk in place, and which is used by the drive to spin the disk.
The disk is inserted with the top of the disk up or facing you and the metal cover entering the drive first. The disk should slide all the way in and you should feel and hear a click as the disk snaps into place. You should also notice a small button in the lower right of the drive that snaps out as the disk is seated. To remove or eject the disk, just push in this button. The disk will pop out a small fraction of an inch and you can then remove it safely. Never try to remove the disk when the light on the drive is lit. Once in a while, there will be a problem with the computer and you may have to remove the disk when the light is still on, but this should be avoided as much as possible.
If you have your data disk, you can insert it into the computer now. If it does not slide into place easily, you may be trying to insert it incorrectly, or you may not have inserted it evenly. Don't force it! Take it out, check to make sure that you are inserting it correctly (see above) and try again.
One of the hardest things you will have do in the next few sessions is manipulate the mouse. Your mouse will become your best friend, but, like all friendships, it takes a while before you get comfortable with each other. Take the mouse in your hand, let your index and third finger rest gently on the left and right buttons respectively. If your mouse has a third, middle, button, it can largely be ignored. If you are left-handed, you may want to explore the possibility of changing the mouse buttons' orientation. First, however, try manipulating the mouse with your right hand. If you're left handed, but can't get used to using the right hand, ask your instructor to set you up in the left handed mode. In time, we'll add a short lesson to cover this situation.
Spend some time moving the mouse around. The faster you get comfortable manipulating the mouse, the faster you'll feel comfortable using a computer in general. As you move the mouse, watch the arrow or mouse pointer move on the screen. When you begin to feel comfortable, and can control the mouse's movements, try clicking the left and right buttons. For now, make sure the mouse pointer is over a blank space or ordinary text for now. You need to be able to click the mouse button without moving the mouse pointer. Be patient, this takes a little time. When you have gained some confidence with clicking, try double clicking. Double clicking means to push, release, push the button VERY quickly. You won't likely need to double click with the right button. Practice clicking the left button on the vertical scroll bar, positioning the mouse pointer on the long vertical bar either above or below the "thumb" (lesson 1). (Don't forget where you started from). Finally, drag the thumb up or down. Dragging means to click on the object (the thumb), hold the mouse button down, and move the mouse. When you have moved it to its new position, release the button. Let's summarize what we have learned:
We are assuming that you will be working on a computer equipped with Windows 95 or 98. (From now on, we'll use "Windows 98" or "Win98" to mean either Windows 95 or Windows 98.) If you are working with Windows 3.x, some of the following will not apply. Most, however, will be the same or very similar. One of the major differences is the desktop or opening screen. Windows 3.x normally started up with an open window called "Program Manager", you started working by finding the program you wanted from among the "groups" in the "Program Manager" window. (Each group is represented by a small graphic called an "icon". Double-click on the icon to open up its window; then double-click on the program's icon.) Here's a look at Windows 3.x Program Manager:
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Windows 3.x |
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Windows 95 or 98 |
The desktop or start-up screen for Windows 98 consists of a nearly blank screen with a rectangular strip along one edge of the screen. This strip is called the task bar. It is usually located along the bottom of the screen, although it can be "attached" to any edge. If you don't see the task bar, try running the mouse pointer along each edge of the screen. The task bar should appear. On the task bar, you should see a rectangular "button" labeled "Start". You may see other items on the task bar as in our illustration, or the "Start" button may be the only item visible. By clicking on the start button with the left mouse button, you can get access to your programs or documents.
You may also notice a few other icons on the desktop, as in our illustration.
They may look different on your desktop. You will probably see icons for "My
computer", "Network Neighborhood", "Inbox", and "Recycle
Bin". Other icons may also be visible. If you see an icon representing
a folder, double-clicking on the folder will get you access to other programs
or data.
To start up a program, click on the "Start" button. The main menu will pop up as shown here: What appears at the top of this menu will differ from our illustration (which lists "Corel Office 7" and the "Microsoft Network"), but the bottom section should be the same. Notice that, ironically, you end your Windows 98 session ("Shut down") by clicking on the "Start" button. The other two menu choices we are interested in at the moment are "Programs" and "Documents".
"Documents" keeps a listing of the last documents or data that were worked on on this computer. If you are sharing the computer, this probably won't be very useful. Its usefulness is also hampered because you have no control over what documents get listed - and too often the document you want isn't or is no longer listed. However, if the document you want is listed, this is actually the quickest and easiest way to get started. Just click the document and the program that created it will load and then the document will be loaded into the program ready for you to continue work.
Your other choice is "Programs". You can select either "Programs" or "Documents" just by moving the pointer over the menu choice and pausing. A new menu will pop up. If an arrow appears to the right of an item, that item contains even more items that will appear if you move onto that item. Once you find the program you want, just click on it once. The program will load in, but you will still need to load in the document or start a new one.
