Computer Operation: Tutorials

Vian Public Schools
 Online Technology Competencies
 

Introduction:

Computers consist of hardware and software. A computer's hardware is defined by the following fundamental components: Input Devices (e.g. mouse, keyboard); Processing Devices (e.g. Central Processing Unit - CPU); Output Devices (e.g. Monitors, Speakers, Printers); and Storage Devices (e.g. Hard Drive, Floppy Drive, CD ROM, ZIP and JAZ Drives).
Operating Systems are series of commands that dictate the hardware to preform all functions. Applications are specific programs that allow the user to create products and perform user-defined actions.

Recent updates in operating systems (OS) have incorporated many common features, making Windows 95 and the Macintosh OS similar in look and function. Both OS can support more than one application running at one time (multi-session), and feature the drag and drop function (allows the operator to click and drag icons and files from one location to another).


TUTORIAL 1.1 Start up and shut down computer system and peripherals

In order to properly start up and shut down a computer system's hardware (physical components of the computer), follow these steps:

For Windows machines, to start the system:

Press the power button for the computer and wait a couple of minutes until the system software "warms up" the system.

The power button is on the hard drive case on Windows machines (PC's).

You may hear a beep and the sounds of spinning, cooling fans as soon as the computer begins its startup process, or boot process. Every computer should have a "boot disk" to get the system running if the hard drive is having difficulties.

After a minute or two, your computer should be ready to use.


To turn a system off, do the following:

          1. Close all applicaitons.
          2. For Windows 95, choose 'Start/Shut Down' and choose 'Yes' to Shut down
          3. Be sure the screen or monitor is off.

TUTORIAL 1.2 Identify and use icons, windows, menus

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

The graphical user interface is the communication link between you and the computer software. Your system and application software tell the computer's processor what to display on the monitor. Interface is a term for the way we communicate with computers, the human-computer interface. The graphical user interface for VPS machines is the desktop software installed on every computer system on campus. Windows '95/98 and Windows 3.1, are the operating system software packages that run the applications you use and allow you to communicate or interface with the computer. In order to interact in a more user friendly manner than the command-line interface like MS-DOS, the GUI utilizes the following interface elements:
Window
A rectangular area that displays information, such as the contents of a document or the controls of an application. A window can be opened, closed, moved, sized, maximized, and minimized. There are two types of Windows:
    1. Application Windows- Rectangle windows on the Desktop containing applications, menus and document(s).
    2. Document Windows- Rectangle windows within an application window for viewing and working on a document.
Title Bar
Located at the top of the window. It displays the name of the application, the name of the document, or the device which the window represents.


Menu Bar

Menu bars run along the top of an application window directly underneath the title bar. Menu bars display the name of the application's drop-down menus(File   Edit   View ...). Each menu consists of related commands or options.


Menu

A list of related commands or options. To see the list of what each menu contains, click with mouse on the menu name. An ellipsis, or three dots after a menu command, indicates that a dialog box will open when you select the command (e.g. 'Open...').


Icons

Graphical symbols that execute one or more commands when clicked or double-clicked with the mouse or other pointing device.


Pop-up menu

Appears when you click on the start button, or click with the right mouse button on different areas of the desktop or on certain icons (also referred to in Windows '95 as short cut menus)


Drop-down menu

Menus that drops down when you select the name from the menu bar.


Dialog Boxes

These are used to enter additional information that is needed in order to carry out a command. The different ways that you can enter information into a dialog box are as follows:
Mouse Actions
It is important to understand how a mouse is used and how it accesses menu commands within an application. Mouse techniques involve actions that allow you to select functions on your screen. These are the following mouse techniques:


Point

Description: Move the pointer to a specific place on the screen by moving the mouse.

Purpose: Point to an object before performing an action, such as selecting the object.

Click
Description: Press and quickly release the left mouse button once.

Purpose: Select an object.

Double-Click
Description: Quickly press and release the left mouse button twice.

Purpose: Open an object or select a word of text.

Right-Click
Description: Press and release the right mouse button.

Purpose: Display a shortcut menu.

Shortcut menus: You can use your right mouse button to click any item and see a shortcut menu. This menu contains common commands that you can use on the item you clicked. For example, by clicking a file with your right mouse button, you can choose to open, copy, or delete it.

Drag

Description: Hold the left mouse button, move the mouse to a different location, and then release the button.

Purpose: Move objects on the desktop or select text. Move folders and files also.

Right-Drag
Description: Hold the right mouse button, move the mouse to a mouse to a different location, and then release the button.

Purpose: Create shortcuts, move or copy icons.

Practice with the game Solitaire on a Windows machine. In the Windows 95 system software installation, the game of electronic solitaire is included. This is an excellent computer game to gain mouse proficiency.

TUTORIAL 1.3 Start an application and create a document

Go to the Computer Technology Lab for this tutorial or to a machine that you know has Microsoft Word loaded on it.

    1. Go to a machine that is already on and that has Microsoft Word loaded on it.
    2. On the computer, locate the icon for Microsoft Word.
    3. Use your mouse to click on the icon twice or click on the icon once and press enter. Wait a few miuntes for the word processing program to load.
    4. On a Windows 95 computer, click on the 'Start' button, move your mouse to 'Programs' and select 'Microsoft Word'.

TUTORIAL 1.4 Name, save, retrieve, and revise a document

Storage

A hard drive or disk drive that stores information and data allows you to save and retrieve documents of any kind.. The hard disk stores the document(s) in long term permanent storage, (nonvolatile memory). Storage Media are the physical components, or materials, on which data is stored. Examples include a disk or diskette, hard drive, CD, or tape cassette. A drive is the hardware device that reads and writes information to and from a storage medium. The storage device can read and write to many formats.


Two main technologies used to store data:

  1. Magnetic storage in the form of magnetic disks (random access)

    2. Examples include a 3 1/2" floppy diskette, a hard disk drive. Also in the form of Magnetic tape (sequential access)
  2. Optical storage that includes CD-ROM's and Video Laser Discs

    3.  

     

    Hard drive/disk: The Hard drive and disks are one unit. The disks (platters) are sealed inside the hard drive and cannot be removed. Consists of one or more rigid metal platters coated with a metal oxide material that allows data to be magnetically recorded on the surface of the platters. Data is stored in the same manner as on diskettes. Most hard disks cannot be removed from the processor unit. Unlike diskette drives, the read/write heads on a hard disk drive do not actually touch the surface of the disk. A hard disk can store far more data than can a floppy diskette. The Hard disk are sealed inside the hard drive and can not be removed.

Floppy Diskette: circular piece of oxide coated plastic that stores data as magnetic spots. The floppy diskette is inserted into the floppy disk drive in order to read/write information or data to the diskette. Unlike the hard disks a floppy diskette can be removed from its drive. The light on the disk drive will come on while the read/write operations are taking place. When this light is on DO NOT insert or remove the diskette, it could cause damage to the diskette. Floppy disks are used to:
      1. Load new programs or data onto the hard disk
      2. Trade data with other users
      3. Make a second (backup) copy of the data on the hard disk


    Write protect feature: small square located at the lower left corner of diskette. When it is in the write position, this allows you to save on and retrieve files from the diskette. Feature is active when the slide is up and the square is not open. Protect position allows you to retrieve and view the files on the diskette. You can not save to a disk that is set to the protect position. The protect feature is active when the slide is down and the square is open.


Most Common Uses Of Floppy Disks

TUTORIAL 1.5 Use printing options

Landscape and Portrait orientation.

Standard is Portrait (with paper size 8-1/2x11) the print goes across the 8-1/2" width of the paper. For Landscape the printing would be across the long side of the paper.


Explanation of DPI
Look in Definitions for DPI

Types of Printers

Printers are peripheral devices that produce hard copies of your information. There are two types of printers:

  1. Impact- Strikes an inked ribbon against paper. The advantage of this type of printer is that you can print on mulitpart forms. Dot matrix is a type of impact printer that uses a dot pattern to represent characters.
  2. Non-impact- Ink Jets and Laser printers. The advantage of non-impact is higher quality text and graphics capabilities.

TUTORIAL 1.6Insert and eject floppy disk and CD-ROM

For Windows 95/98 machines, insert the diskette, shiny side down and towards the computer.

To Eject a disk:

TUTORIAL 1.7Format, name/rename floppy disk and hard disk

To format a diskette


  1. If the disk you want to format is a floppy disk, insert it into its drive. Otherwise, go to step 2.
  2. Double-click the My Computer icon, and then click the icon for the disk you want to format. (Be sure not to double-click the disk icon, because you can't format a disk if it is open in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
  3. On the File menu, click Format.
Notes:
Formatting a disk removes all information from the disk.

You cannot format a disk if there are files open on that disk.
 If the disk has been compressed, use DriveSpace, or other compression software, to format the disk.
 For Help on an item, click  at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.

TUTORIAL 1.8Copy document from hard disk to floppy disk and vice versa

To copy a document from the Windows hard disk to a floppy disk

  1. Insert the disk in the floppy disk drive.
  2. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, click the file you want to copy.
  3. On the File menu, point to Send To, and then click the drive you want to copy the file to.

TUTORIAL 1.9Create and name/rename subdirectories/folders

For Windows

  1. Open Windows Explorer
  2. Click on the drive to which you wish to add a folder
  3. Go to the menu File and choose the option New and then choose Folder (File/New Folder)
  4. Rename the folder by clicking on it once, waiting a second and then clicking on the name of the folder.
  5. Type the new name of the folder.
  6. Hit enter or mouse click anywhere in the open window.
TUTORIAL 1.10Save, open, place documents inside subdirectories/folders

Files and Folders

Three Basic Kinds Of Files:
Storing Information Efficiently
To store information efficiently (in order to find it at a later date quickly) you need to tell the computer the following information usually through the Save as... feature in the application you are using when initially creating the file: Page NumberDrives:
Folder/subfolder
Used to organize your data by grouping related files in one area on your hard drive & diskettes.


Name

It is necessary to use the MS-DOS file naming system for Windows Computers.
File name: A filename can contain up to 255 characters, including spaces. It is a good habit to use only numbers and letters and not special characters such as \, /, >, <, ", *, etc. This is necessary because some characters are invalid. Invalid means that the operating system uses those characters to indicated special meaning. For example: the Backslash (\) is used to separate the individual parts of the directory path. (C:\dos\virus\f-prot).

Type

File Type: The file type is used to identify what application the file was created in. The extension is usually 1-3 characters, beginning with a period. The extension is automatically assigned by the application you are using. However, you may change the extension assigned to some files. This is done in the save as... dialog box in the save File as Type text box. Here, you can indicate the format you wish the file to be saved in.
 
To save a document to a particular directory (folder)
  1. Go to the file menu, click Save As...
  2. To save the document in a different folder or drive, click the down arrow in the Save in box, or double-click a different folder in the folder list.
  3. The Save in box should display the name of the folder you wish to save in.
To save the document in a new folder
  1. click Create New Folder.
  2. In the File name box, type a name for the document.
  3. You can use long, descriptive file names if you want.
  4. Click Save.
To open a document from a particular directory
  1. Go to the file menu, click Open.
  2. In the Look in box, click the drive, folder, or Internet location that contains the document.
  3. In the folder list, double-click folders until you open the folder that contains the document you want.
  4. Double-click the document you want to open.

TUTORIAL 1.11Open and work with more than one application at a time


Beginning with the third tutorial in this web site, you will be using this internet browser application and MS Word, two applications at one time. Click here to see how to work with more than one application at a time.
TUTORIAL 1.12Use special operating features for people with disabilities

 
Accessibility options for people with disabilities

Windows provides several accessibility features to make computers more accessible to people with disabilities. For example:
 

  • For people who have restricted movement, Windows can use the keyboard for the mouse pointer, and you can adjust your keyboard settings.
  • For people with low vision, bigger fonts and high-contrast color schemes are available.
  • For people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing, Windows can visually indicate when the computer makes a sound.


Although these features are designed for people with disabilities, they are useful to everyone. To see these features, double-click the Accessibility Options icon in Control Panel.
If this component is not on your computer, look up "installing, accessibility components" in the Help Index.

1.13 Computer Operation Definitions
 
 GUI - Graphical user interface-the communication device between the user and the computer
Document- A file produced by an application like a word processor or database program
Application- A software program that allows you to work with information and translate it for other mediums. A word processing program, a database managment package, and spreadsheet software are all examples of applications
K (kilobyte)= 1,000 bytes of information; 1,000K = 1 megabyte = 1 MB
Hierarchical file system- A system of folders and subdirectories that contain related information
Directory- A section of a drive. May contain one or more subdirectories
Operation system- The files that allow your hardware to communicate with the software.
System software- Software designed to run the entire computer and other applications
RAM- Random Access Memory-the main memory of the computer. The operating memory.
TUTORIAL 1.14Storage capacity of floppy/hard disks, CD-ROMs
Type of storage Storage Capacity
5 1/4" Floppy Diskette  1.2 MB or 720 K (HD or DD) 
3 1/2" Floppy Diskette  1.44 MB 
CD-ROM  600+ MB 
Hard Drive  140 MB up to 23 GB (23,000 MB) 

TUTORIAL 1.15Similarities/differences and advantages/disadvantages of various operating systems


Types of Computers
Supercomputer- Most powerful computer available today. Huge amount of information accessed very quickly. Costs millions of dollars.
Mainframe computers- Largest computer in common use. Tremendous amounts of input, output, and storage.
Minicomputers- Some of the desirable features of a mainframe. Capabilities are in between mainframes and PCs.
Workstations- Between minicomputers and PCs (microcomputers) in terms of processing power.
Personal computers (PCs)-
Microcomputers
 The computers found in offices, classrooms, and at home.
Popular Personal Computer Operating Systems
  • Command-Line Interface
  • MS-DOS
  • OS/2
  • Macintosh Operating System
  • Unix
  • Microsoft Windows NT, 98, 95, & 3.x

TUTORIAL 1.16Make more memory available

Add more RAM to your system

Increase the memory reservation for an application

Increase and use virtual memory

TUTORIAL 1.17Install/reinstall and update system software and printer drivers

Update system software

Update printer drivers

TUTORIAL 1.18Exchange disks and files among Macintosh, MS-DOS/Windows and Apple II computers


Exchanging disks among the Macintosh and Windows platforms takes special considerations. Older Macintosh computers must be loaded with PC Exchange software. The newer and more common Macintosh computers can read Windows/DOS diskettes directly and can convert many application formats as well.

Many applications on all types of computers can read text files. Study your application to determine how to save a file into text format. Audio, image and video files require special conversion software to transpose from one operating system and application to another. As far as Macintosh files working on a PC, Windows 95 handles some of these. Do not expect all files to be supported by another similar application that runs on another operating system.

Other Computer Operation Resources

http://www.creativelement.com/win95ann/

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This list is derived from the Technology Advisory Commitee

These pages are copyrighted by Vian Public Schools, 1999.