4 weeks to heaven

 Basic computer architecture  Power-up  Starting up Windows  Mousing  Keyboard  windows  Finding and starting programs  Working with documents  Using “thumb” drives  Using the Internet  “Doing”  Shutting down

 Case  Power Supply  Motherboard  CPU  Memory  Hard Disk  DVD/CD Drive  Keyboard  Mouse  Display  Printer  USB port  Ethernet port

 Communicates with you  Display  Keyboard  Mouse  Sound  Performs tasks for you (Big Black Box)

 Operating System  Talks with you – in your language - through the keyboard, mouse, display and speakers  Talks with you in its language – pop-up windows and buttons  Talks with all the components in a computer in their language  Translates back and forth between the two  Provides services that make it easier to write better application programs

 Write a letter  Build this presentation  Search the Internet  Do  Manage and edit photos…  Track investments  Pay your bills  Play music  Record DVDs  Paint a picture  Design a house  Edit home movies  Keep your calendar

 The display, or sometimes called a monitor, usually has its own power switch. Turn that on first.  To turn the computer on, press the power button.  A well-adjusted computer will go though a startup sequence for a couple of minutes then either ask you to sign on or just show you the Desktop.

 If you are asked to Log On, click on the icon next to your name. You may be asked for a password.  Eventually a screen will appear called your Desktop. You can choose the background image, your favorite cat, perhaps.  On the Desktop is an icon for each program you use frequently.

 If the program you want is shown on your desktop, use the mouse to place the cursor (arrow) over the icon, then, without moving the mouse, click the left mouse button twice.  If the desired program is not shown, place the cursor on the Start button (lower left of screen), click the left mouse button once, and move the mouse so that the cursor is on All Programs.

 The Start Menu will appear.  Move the cursor to the right into the Start Menu, then move the cursor up to the desired program and left click on it.  If the Start Menu contains an icon for a folder, then when you reach that point, the programs (or more folders) in that folder will be shown. Move the cursor to the program you want and left click.

 The main Hard Disk is called, the “C” Disk.  When the computer is put together the disk is formatted into blocks where data can be stored.  Your Hard Disk contains data: the Operating System, Programs, and Documents.  Windows places all data into Folders on the Hard Disk.  Each Folder has a name like “My Pictures”

 You can have folders in folders in folders, etc. (C:\Users\John\Documents\My Pictures\)  You can rename them, move them and delete them.  You can put documents (sometimes called files) into them.  You can look at what disks you have in your computer, and what’s in them by clicking on My Computer.

 You can create them  You can store them for later use  You can search for them  You can print them  You can delete them  You can send them to someone else  You can’t eat them

 windows are used to communicate between you and the computer.  They can come from Windows, or from a program you are running.  The top line is the Title Line. On the left is the name of the program. On the right is are the Minimize, Maximize and Close buttons.  Next are the Toolbars. The ones labeled File, Edit, View, etc. contain all the commands you can use with that particular program.

 Sometimes there is another toolbar below that with icons representing frequently used commands and functions.  Next is the main body of the window. This is where the program displays information or gets information from you.  The bottom bar is the Status bar. It usually shows you the status of the program.

 If you click on the Maximize icon the window will expand to occupy the entire display, hiding everything else. Clicking on it again will undo that, restoring the window to the size it was before. Double clicking on the title bar does the same thing.  If not Maximized, you can move the window around by positioning the cursor in the title bar, holding the left mouse button down and dragging it to another position.

 The Minimize button makes the window disappear from your desktop! But, the program is still running, and is represented by the Task box in the Task Bar.

 Also, you can position the cursor on the top or side edge of the window, hold the left button down, and drag the edge of the window, changing its size. This also works on the corners and changes size in both directions at once.  You can have many windows displayed at once. This means that many programs can be running at the same time.

 To end an application program click on the button in the window that says Exit or End or OK, if not there use File | Exit or the red-Xed Close button on the top right of each window.

 Your Desktop contains wallpaper, as a background, and icons for frequently used programs or data.  The bottom edge contains  The Start button  The Quick Launch buttons  A button for each program that is running  the Taskbar and System Notification area

 Besides getting to All Programs, the Start button leads to a list of recently run programs, Help and support for Windows and your computer, a search program, your printers and other devices, and frequently used data, such as My Pictures.  The Quick Launch icons (not there by default) start frequently used programs with one click.  The Task buttons are important. There is one for every running program.

 If a program is running, but is not shown on your Desktop, click on its task in the Taskbar and it will be shown again as a window on your desktop. Click on the task again and it will be Minimized.  If you right click on a task in the taskbar, a context menu is shown with several options.

 Contains icons for system programs which are running in the background  Shows the status of those programs and allows you to communicate with them  Shows the date and time