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2 Minute Tutes - The Basics
In 2 minutes, you should know:
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How to turn your
computer on & off properly
The power on button is usually the main
button on the front of your computer, sometimes marked with a
symbol.
Most modern computers can now be turned off
safely by using the same button, but if in doubt, Windows users click
Start ,
Shut Down ,
OK . Apple Mac users, click
Special ,
Shut Down .
If your computer has stopped responding and
will not turn off, you can force it to shut down by holding the on/off
button in until the power goes off (usually about four seconds).
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Identifying & using common
objects
(These objects may appear differently on your
computer)
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How to use your mouse
To click an object, move the mouse until the tip of the
pointer
is over the object, then press & release the left button. A
double-click is two clicks in quick succession without moving the pointer.
Double-clicks are usually used on icons whereas single clicks are used on
buttons, menus & the web.
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Left Button |
Scroll Wheel |
Right Button |
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The scroll wheel is used in some programs to see part of your
document not currently visible. Roll it under your index finger and
your document will scroll up or down accordingly.A
right-click (a click with the right mouse button) on an object displays a
menu of some common functions for that object. For example, if you
right-click the recycle bin, you have the option to empty it.
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How to start any program
-
Click
- Point to All Programs
(just called "Programs" in
older versions of Windows)
- Point to the menu item for the program you wish to
start
- Click the name of the program
You will be able to start commonly used programs more
quickly. They may appear on the Start menu above "All Programs," as
icons on the desktop or buttons near the start button.
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Shortcuts & how to create them
A shortcut is a quick way of accessing another file.
Shortcuts are indicated by a small arrow
 in the
lower left corner of the icon. You can create a shortcut to most
files by right-clicking the file, then point to
Send To , then click
Desktop (create shortcut)
. You may now
minimize necessary windows to see your new shortcut on the desktop.
You may safely delete a shortcut because the original file
is not affected.
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Bytes, kilobytes,
megabytes & gigabytes If these terms have
confused you, you're not alone! Here's some help you can refer to
when needed. (If you start to remember these, you could be turning
into a geek!)
- Distance is measured in metres, computer storage is
measured in bytes (applies to your hard
drive or computer memory), computer speed is measured in Hertz
(applies to your computer's processor)
- One byte stores one character (a letter, number or
punctuation mark)
- A kilobyte (KB) is a thousand bytes (actually 1024
bytes)
- A megabyte (MB) is a million bytes (actually 1024 KB)
- A gigabyte (GB) is a billion bytes (actually 1024 MB)
- A typical word document may be 15 to 30 KB
- A small photo could be 40 KB
- A big photo could be 5 MB
- A word document with photos will be bigger than the
size of the photos alone
- 1 MB takes about 2 minutes to send by modem
- A floppy disk holds a bit over 1 MB (1.44 MB)
- Windows XP runs best on a computer with a speed over
500 megahertz (MHz) and memory at least 128 MB (256 MB recommended)
- A CD holds 700 MB of data or 80 minutes of music
- Hotmail (a free email service) is limited to a total
of 1 MB
- Emails over 5 MB may be returned for being too big
- New hard drives generally start from 40 GB now
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