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Understanding Computers⚓︎

Summary⚓︎

Having a basic understanding of computer skills is no longer nice to have, but instead, a must to be able to survive in the digital age. Your knowledge of using a computer will likely vary depending on your lifestyle, age, and other factors. However, it's still a great idea to stay current and at least have a basic understanding.

The following will be a primer on basic computer skills that everyone should know, especially when working with computers.

Computer Hardware⚓︎

Computers are machines. Most machines are made of various, sometimes moving, parts that allow them to function in different ways. These hardware components have been specially designed over the years to perform their unique functions with varying speed, capacity, and ability levels. Hardware components come in all shapes, sizes, and capacities, each with a specific role in the function of a computer system.

Computer Hardware

Besides providing the space for the hard drive, CPU, and other components we haven't covered yet to plug into, the motherboard is home to BIOS, or Basic Input/Output System, the very minimal piece of software that comes with a computer. When you first turn off a computer, it must boot from BIOS before it loads the operating system.

The motherboard also allows users to plug in peripherals like a mouse and keyboard. If you look behind any computer tower and see where all the plugs and wires are coming out, that's the motherboard.

The graphics card, or video card, is the component that outputs images onto your computer's display or monitor. While some motherboards offer built-in, onboard, or integrated video cards, the quality is not as good as that of a dedicated video card that you purchase separately and install onto the motherboard yourself.

High-end graphics cards are most popular among people who value the quality of their computer's display, like PC gamers or people who work in 3D graphics or digital art.

Remember, computers are electronic, and they can't run without power! The power supply unit is the component that converts AC power into low-voltage DC power to run the sensitive components inside your computer. Power supply units come with fans to lower the heat inside your computer, as overheating can affect your computer's performance and endanger its components.

A hard drive is probably the most familiar computer hardware for non-tech savvy folks, but don't fret if you're not in the know! A hard drive is a computer's storage device. If you've ever saved a picture from the internet or saved a Word file in your documents, you've placed that data onto your computer's hard drive.

A hard drive contains various components, such as the spindle, actuator, and platter. On hard disk drives, the platter is the spinning plate of aluminum, ceramic, or glass — depending on your type — that stores your computer's information and performs read/write operations. When we say your computer's information, we mean the information on your hard drive since that is where your operating system, and all your files, are stored.

The amount of data your hard drive can store depends on its capacity. Early hard drives (we're talking 1950s early) could hold about 5 MB, or megabytes, of data, and they were almost as big as an industrial-sized fridge-and-freezer combo unit. Physical bulk aside, 5 MB is about the size of one MP3! It's nothing. More recently, hard drives have become much smaller in physical mass and can store vast amounts of data, ranging from about 250 to 500 GB, or gigabytes, for the average computer user, to 1 TB, or terabyte, for the power user. One terabyte is 1,048,576 megabytes!

Recently, solid-state drives have been increasing in popularity. Unlike hard disk drives, solid-state drives don't contain moving, spinning parts, making them quicker and more reliable in storing your data and improving your computer's overall performance.

The "brain" of your computer, the central processing unit — also called the processor — does exactly what its name suggests: it processes all of your computer's functions. Processors are small, square components with pins and connectors on one side that let you plug them into the CPU socket on the computer's motherboard. Because CPUs need to calculate and process information, most come with a heat sink and a fan to keep the component cool.

Selecting the Right Peripherals⚓︎

So you can have a hard drive, motherboard, CPU, graphics card, and power supply unit, but without peripherals, your computer is useless. Peripherals are the physical hardware that allows computer users to interact with the computer.

Besides these, your computer's tower, or case, is vital. It's the container that holds all the parts in place, keeping them safe from outside elements and giving a convenient space for everything to stay securely plugged in.

Peripherals

A monitor is the computer's display. Without this, you wouldn't be able to see anything you're doing on the computer, rendering the machine useless if your goal is to use it for email and browsing the internet!

A mouse is an object that lets you click around the screen, drag and drop things, and interface with the objects displayed on the computer's monitor.

The keyboard is what allows you to type things into your computer. Without a keyboard, you wouldn't be able to input commands in the BIOS, write emails to your friends, or get much work done.

Other computer peripherals that enhance your computer experience are speakers, which produce sound generated from your onboard or dedicated sound card; headphones, which allow for more discrete sound enjoyment; and microphones, which let you use your voice to communicate with others on the internet or record your voice for videos and music, and more.

Installing the Right Software⚓︎

Unlike hardware, software is not a physical component of your computer. Instead, it's a program that your computer runs to allow you to do certain things.

The operating system is essential software you should know when getting into computers. An operating system, or OS, is not just one piece but a collection of software that acts as the foundation for everything you can do on your computer. As its name suggests, an operating system is a system by which all other software, and even hardware components, operate on your computer. For instance, if you're reading this, you're probably running an operating system right now, most likely Windows 7 or Mac OSX, or maybe even Linux.

Other important computer software includes word processors, such as Microsoft Word, or image editing programs like Photoshop. If you're in Information Technology, you may need programming or development tools.

Learning How to Use an Operating System⚓︎

Think of an operating system (OS) as the interface which lets you communicate with the computer. Most of you will start your computer experience with Windows, the operating system built by Microsoft. Some will begin with Mac OS X, the operating system used on Apple computers.

For this article, we will assume that you are using Microsoft Windows. You will be pleased to know that these operating systems are pretty similar. If you can work with Windows, it won't take long to work with OS X, and vice versa.

To use an operating system effectively, you should be able to perform the following:

  • Finding, running, and closing a program.
  • How files, folders, and directories work.
  • Saving a file.
  • Using Windows Explorer to find and open a file.
  • Shutting down and restarting a computer.

If you prefer to use Mac OS X instead, you might want to take a quick refresher course or boot camp. It operates similarly to Windows, but there are some differences, like only having a single-button mouse.

Using Word Processors⚓︎

Now that you know how to use an operating system, you will undoubtedly be excited to get some work done. One of the first things you should familiarize yourself with is the humble word processor. A word processor is a software application that can create textual documents. Think of it as an incredibly powerful typewriter.

Windows ships with WordPad and NotePad — two simple yet effective text editors. Their Mac OS X equivalents are TextEdit and Notes.

You will need a more robust program like Microsoft Word if you want to do something more than writing a basic text document. Microsoft Word is a part of the Microsoft Office suite of software tools. It is a highly capable word processor that can create everything from a simple letter to a complicated graphical flyer.

Knowing your way around a word processor is crucial to getting the most out of your computer. You should be familiar with the following before you proceed further:

  • Opening Microsoft Word.
  • Creating a new document in Word.
  • Using basic formatting functions (bold, italics, underline, font size, and type).
  • Saving and printing a finished document.

Getting Online⚓︎

A computer without internet is like a Corvette without gas; it might look great sitting on the curb, but you aren't going anywhere without gas.

The internet is one of the greatest inventions of mankind. You can use it to stay in touch with friends and relatives, follow the news, reference encyclopedias, shop for things, and search for virtually anything. Getting familiar with the internet is the first step in unleashing the computer's full power.

To use the internet, you will need a web browser. A web browser is a software application that can open websites and communicate with the internet. Both Windows and Mac OS X ship with built-in web browsers — Internet Explorer and Safari, respectively. There are other browsers as well, but for now, these should suffice.

Using the internet requires that you have basic competency with the following tasks:

  • Finding and opening a web browser
  • Opening a website
  • Understanding links
  • Creating and using an email account
  • Searching on Google
  • Using Wikipedia as a reference tool
  • Opening a video

A lot of people today use computers for social media. Others use it for activities like blogging.

Starting a Blog⚓︎

Starting a blog is a great way to familiarize yourself with your system and connect with others. Many people start a blog by first going to a web hosting service such as DreamHost or GoDaddy, or by going through WordPress. Blogs use systems like WordPress or Blogger, which are known as "content management systems." CMS solutions make it easy to create a website. You post "content" (articles, pictures, etc.), and the system generates a website for you!

A blog is a way to create a professional persona, save recipes, or update people on your children and your family. To start a blog, you need a name and a general theme. You'll "design" your blog through a point-and-click interface and write "posts" that will immediately be published on the internet.

Computer Social Skills⚓︎

Communicating by computer is a little different. First, there are several modes of communication: email, instant messaging, and social media. Second, there are ways of conveying emotion in a text-based medium.

Understanding how to connect with people is essential. Email is more like a letter; you might get an immediate response, but you might not. Not everyone checks their email all the time. Instant messaging is more like text messaging; you will usually get an instantaneous response, but not if they're away.

And you have to be careful when sharing information on social media: Anything that's online can never be removed.

Basic Graphic Design⚓︎

There will always be a time when you're called upon to develop a flyer or build a basic website. When that happens, you will need to understand graphic design.

You can explore the basics of graphic design through MS Paint. Microsoft Paint is a software solution that comes with the Windows operating system. It's one of the simplest graphic design solutions out there.

Basics of Microsoft Paint include:

  • Selecting: You can use the selection tool to select part of an image to be moved or otherwise manipulated.
  • Cropping: You can select part of the image and select the "crop" button, which cuts the rest of the image out.
  • Filling: You can use the "fill" tool to fill a portion of the image with a selected color.
  • Erase: You can erase parts of the image with the eraser tool.
  • Pen: You can draw directly on the image with the pen tool.
  • Shapes: You can put different-colored shapes in the image.
  • Text: You can type text directly on the image.

With these features alone, you can do a decent job cropping, editing, and labeling an image. Anything more advanced will require knowledge of a solution like Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Troubleshooting⚓︎

When something goes wrong on your computer, your first inclination may be to call tech support. But while that's a direct answer, part of being "computer savvy" is trying to figure out the solutions to your problems yourself.

Troubleshooting is an iterative testing process. You check each part of the process and then figure out what's wrong.

Let's say your Wi-Fi is down. Your testing process might go like this:

  • Ask to determine whether other people can get on.
  • If other people are on, it's an issue with your computer.
    • Check to make sure you're using the correct password.
    • Restart your computer and try to log in again.
  • If it's down for everyone, it's a problem with the internet.
    • Restart the router and the modem.
    • Call the telecommunications company.
graph LR
  A[Start] --> B{WiFi?};
  B -->|Yes| C[It's you...];
  C --> D[Debug];
  D --> B;
  B ---->|No| E[It's them ...];

By investigating further on your own, you can solve a lot of problems — and learn more about the computer systems you use.

Programming⚓︎

How does a computer know what to do when you ask it to do something? It's all about programming. Every software system on your computer is lines of written code. This code is written in a language that the computer understands. The code tells the computer things like "Open a screen, put an image on it, and let the user click the image to make it larger or smaller."

Programming is a great skill to develop. Some common programming languages include JavaScript, Python, and C++. If you know programming, you can get a great job in the IT field. And you can engage in fun hobbies such as designing and developing your games.

References⚓︎