Odds and Ends RAM and ROM Required Skills and Terminology

Starting a Computer Locate the Start button or switch Press or switch the button Be patient, let the computer “boot” Do not try to operate the computer until the cursor “hour-glass” is no longer displayed

BOOT or Booting Up The term boot comes from an old term, “pull up by the boot-straps” This means to start from nothing, load everything fresh Often, booting a machine will solve earlier problems and make it work better

ROM When a computer first starts it uses ROM or READ ONLY MEMORY ROM is memory that cannot be changed by the user ROM controls the most basic functions of a computer system, even before the OS takes control

RAM After a computer boots, many functions are kept in RANDON ACCESS MEMORY RAM is volatile, it is not retained when the computer is restarted or shut-down RAM allows the computer to do several things at once, and remember what it has just completed and not yet saved

Storage Primary Storage is storage that is available only to computer, examples are RAM, CDs, and cache Secondary Storage is storage accessible by the user, examples are floppy disks, CD-RW, disk drives, network drives

Storage and Saving Work completed by a user before it is saved is held in primary storage (RAM) and is lost if not saved before exiting the program or CPU After it is saved, it is held in secondary storage, no matter the media Changes are held in RAM, until saved

Hardware vs. Software Hardware is a components that can be touched, even if it is inside the CPU Software is the programming packages that operate the software Firmware is software that is stored in ROM, it controls the most basic activities of the computer

Starting an Application If an icon is on the desktop, double-click If an icon is in the Quick Launch, click only once (double-clicking may cause an error) In a menu, such as the START menu or the All Programs menu, click only once

Opening a Folder If an icon is on the desktop, double-click If the icon is in another opened folder, such as My Computer or My documents, double-click If the folder is in the All Programs menu, just point to the folder, no click necessary

Shutting Down A computer should NEVER be shut down using the button or switch unless it is locked up and there is no other choice Select the START button and the Shut Down option Restart may be an option, look closely and select wisely

Practice what you have learned thus far. Tomorrow is your first project.