Introduction to Computers II A Presentation of the Elmhurst Public Library

Class Objectives Applications: what they are, how to find them, creating shortcuts for them. Folders and Files: Creating, Naming, Copying, and Moving them. Deleting files and the Recycle Bin. Searching for folders and files in your computer. Very Basic Computer Troubleshooting.

Terms and Concepts Right-click, (“Action” and “Options“) “Pop-up” menus Dragging folders and files Drive Letters: C:, D:, E:…. USB (Universal Serial Bus) Removable Drives

Explaining Drives Your computer stores all its information in drives. Drives are organized in the My Computer window. Each drive has a letter assigned to it. All computers have a C: drive. Also known as the hard drive, or local disk. Located inside your computer, cannot be seen or removed. Contains all the files a computer needs to operate

Explaining Drives, cont. There is no B: drive. Other removable drives (CD-Rom drives and USB drives) are labeled D:, E:, F: and so on as needed.

Applications An application is any piece of software (a program) that is installed on your computer and can perform a specific task. Examples are Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Internet Explorer:

Finding Applications All applications are found in the My Computer window They are in the C: drive (Local Disk) in the Program Files folder. It’s hard to find applications this way- better to use the Start Menu.

Finding Applications, cont. It’s easy to find almost all applications on the Start menu. Click on Start button in the lower left-hand corner to begin Click on “Programs” heading and a list will appear. You can browse from the list and find your application.

Creating Shortcuts You can create a Shortcut icon if use a particular application often. Clicking on a Shortcut icon takes you directly to an application without having to use the Start Menu. To create a shortcut, find the application on the start menu. Right-click on the application. On the pop-up menu, click on “Send to” and then select “Desktop.” A new shortcut icon will appear on the desktop.

Creating Folders and Files Creating a new folder Go to “My Computer” and click on the “C:” drive. Click on “File and Folder tasks,” then “Make a New Folder.” Name your folder and REMEMBER WHERE YOU PUT IT!

Moving Folders and Files If you want to put a file in another place (like a floppy disk) you can do either of 2 things: Move it or copy it. To move a file, click on the file and hold down the mouse button. Then you can “drag” the file to another location. Let go of the button once you’ve put the file where you want it. Note: this will move the entire file, not make a second copy of it!

Copying Folders and Files o Double click to open the folder that contains the file that you want to copy. o Right click on the file that you want to copy and select “Copy” from the pop-up context menu. o Double click to open the folder into which you will copy your file. o Right click and select “Paste” from the pop- up context menu.

Deleting Files and the Recycle Bin To delete a file, do one of two things: right- click and select delete from the pop-up menu, or…. Click on a file and drag it on to of the Recycle Bin icon, then release the button. Deleted files usually stay in the Recycle Bin until you “empty” it. You can “restore” a file from the Recycle Bin if you change your mind.

Searching for folders and files From the Start menu, click on “Search” The “My Computer” window also has a “Search” button on the toolbar Choose “For Files or Folders…” and the Search window will appear.

Searching, cont. You can enter the title of the file or folder in the search box, and the computer will search for that particular folder. You can also look for a specific word in the file (which is useful if you can’t remember the title of the file).

Help! My computer is frozen! By pressing the “Ctrl,” “Alt” and “Delete” keys at the same time, you can summon the “Task Manager.” The Task Manager can shut down stubborn applications that are frozen. You can also reboot an unresponsive computer by pressing the Ctrl- Alt-Delete keys repeatedly.