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Groups > Computer Tips and Help > Discussions > Topic: Basics Of Computing
Topic: Basics Of Computing

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Susan W.	Basics Of Computing January 30, 2005 1:34 PM My precious grandmother Martha (age 85) and her baby brother Mr Bill (age 65) have always been intimidated by computers/electronics. They lived at a time of dirt floors, and candles for light. Wood cook stoves. And wells. Out houses and wading creeks with your shoes in your hands to get to school. One new pair of shoes each school year was a luxury. Mr Bill is so interested in horses and things, and finds what I print out for him from the web very interesting. But he will not sit down in front of a computer. Grandmother has a few times, but not many. Things found here in this folder are things that helped them. If you have found things that were helpful to you, please also list them here. Keep it basic, Please... Large print is easier on the eyes. Susan [ send green star]
Susan W.	The Browsers January 30, 2005 2:00 PM So much more about this subject and many others found here: http://members.aol.com/shobansen4/browsers.html [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:01 PM Meaning Of A Few (Very Few) Commonly Used Terms Call it glossary, but read it first. The Internet And The WorldWide Web A very brief introduction. The Browsers What are they? How to use them. Are they all same? Search Engines And Directories What are they? How to use them. Are they all same? Surfing The Web/Navigating Through A Web Site Learn how to find your way through the web or through a web site or a single web page. How To Deal With Pop-Ups And Other Annoying Ads These are nuisances that we all face, but there are ways to minimize them.Page stolen from Shoban Sen's copyrighted site. Capturing An Image, Copying, And Printing From The Web These are all easy to do. Learn how. How To Clear Browser Cache? Do this regularly for smooth surfing and to free up your computer's disk space. Cookies - What Are They? Read this section to clear some misconceptions people have about cookies. Safety Issues In The Internet This is something you cannot afford to ignore for your sake and your computer's sake. Links To Some Useful Sites These are things that might be needed in your daily life. How To Bookmark? You are being sent to my Computer Help site. After reading, you MUST press your browser's back button to return to this page. How To Sign A Guestbook? You are being sent to my Computer Help site. After reading, you MUST press your browser's back button to return to this page. Downloading You are being sent to my Computer Help site. After reading, you MUST press your browser's back button to return to this page. Protecting Your Computer From Virus You are being sent to my Computer Help site. After reading, you MUST press your browser's back button to return to this page. Note: The last four topics, namely How To Bookmark, How To Sign A Guestbook, Downloading, and Protecting Your Computer From Virus have been covered in my other site, "COMPUTER HELP FOR PEOPLE OVER 50". Since these topics relate to Internet use, I have listed them above. If you click on any of these topics, you will be taken to my other site. AFTER STUDYING THE TOPIC, PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRESS THE "BACK" BUTTON OF YOUR BROWSER TO COME BACK TO THIS PAGE. Please also note that links to these four topics will NOT be available from any of the inside pages of this site. Thanks for understanding. Say 'No' to paid tutorials. Learn everything here for FREE! [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:06 PM The Aim of this site is to provide Computer beginners with the information they need to ensure a trouble free experience, keep their computer in top shape, and to help them Learn the basics of the tools needed for everyday use and on the internet. [ send green star]
Susan W.	The Essential Stuff January 30, 2005 2:10 PM http://tmbzone.com/essstuff.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Why you should backup your files January 30, 2005 2:12 PM http://tmbzone.com/backup.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Maintenance January 30, 2005 2:13 PM http://tmbzone.com/maintenance.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Downloading Files And Programs January 30, 2005 2:14 PM http://tmbzone.com/download.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Useful Stuff January 30, 2005 2:15 PM http://tmbzone.com/usefstuff.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Outlook Express January 30, 2005 2:16 PM http://tmbzone.com/outlook_express.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Windows Explorer January 30, 2005 2:18 PM http://tmbzone.com/windows_explorer.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Control Panel January 30, 2005 2:19 PM http://tmbzone.com/control_panel.htm [ send green star]
Susan W.	Computers for Seniors. An online learning site for seniors, offering free lessons and help. January 30, 2005 2:20 PM http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/attc/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	Your Own Web Page January 30, 2005 2:23 PM A step-by-step guide to creating your own web pages and understanding web creation programmes http://www.tlcdesign.com.au/ozwebweaver/ http://www.tlcdesign.com.au/ozwebweaver/aamain.html [ send green star]
Susan W.	45 Years Old or Older? January 30, 2005 2:25 PM IT Skills for Older Workers. If you are 45 years or older you may be eligible for basic information technology training (IT) worth $500. You may be currently working or receiving a welfare payment, but must have no post-school IT qualifications: http://www.itskills.dest.gov.au/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	Simply written help for beginners January 30, 2005 2:28 PM http://www.learnthenet.com/english/index.html [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:29 PM This website is designed to help retired folk understand how to better use their computers. It has good online resources to speed up your learning process. There are links for beginners, to helpful tutorials, and for the more advanced user. http://www.planetkc.com/devo/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:30 PM Skills.net - A Victorian initiative to provide free or affordable Internet training and access to those who wouldn't otherwise have such access. There are Skills.net projects located across Victoria. Use the search tool on the Projects page to find your nearest Skills.net centre. http://www.skills.net.au/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:32 PM Chat rooms and Instant Messaging safety Although they offer a convenient way to communicate with other people, there are dangers associated with tools that allow real-time communication. What are the differences between some of the tools used for real-time communication, what are the dangers and how can you use these tools safely? http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-011.html [ send green star]
Susan W.	Cookies January 30, 2005 2:34 PM Cookies Not too sure about web browser cookies? Here's an easy-to-follow article "So What's A Cookie For, Anyway?" that will bring you up to speed on these little text files, what they are for, and the good and the bad of cookies. http://www.leave-me-alone.com/cookies_why.htm For more information on cookies, go to cookiecentral.com: http://www.cookiecentral.com/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	Definitions January 30, 2005 2:37 PM Acronym Finder - "The web's most comprehensive database of acronyms, abbreviations, and initialisms - 188,000+ definitions!" http://www.acronymfinder.com/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:38 PM Webopedia - "The only online dictionary and search engine you need for computer and Internet technology." http://www.webopedia.com/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:39 PM Errors on the Internet occur quite frequently - and can be quite frustrating. Many times they have more to do with the servers you're trying to access rather than your PC. Webopedia has a list of Internet messages and their meanings. Go to Quick Reference on the Menu, then to Internet Error Messages. [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:41 PM whatis?com - Definitions for thousands of the most current IT-related words. This is the place to go if there is some computer jargon you want to know about or some terminology that has you puzzled. Sure to be something here for the experienced computer buff too. http://whatis.techtarget.com/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	Email January 30, 2005 2:42 PM Email A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email is a comprehensive explanation of how to write better (more effective) emails. http://www.webfoot.com/advice/email.top.html [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:43 PM Netiquette - the Etiquette of Email. Netiquette is a set of rules for behaving properly online. When you enter any new culture - and cyberspace has its own culture - you're liable to commit a few social blunders. You might offend people without meaning to. Or you might misunderstand what others say and take offense when it's not intended. To make matters worse, something about cyberspace makes it easy to forget that you're interacting with other real people. Remember the human! Check out the core rules of netiquette. http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html [ send green star]
Susan W.	I S P January 30, 2005 2:49 PM Short for Internet Service Provider, a company that provides access to the Internet. For a monthly fee, the service provider gives you a software package, username, password and access phone number. Equipped with a modem, you can then log on to the Internet and browse the World Wide Web and USENET, and send and receive e-mail. In addition to serving individuals, ISPs also serve large companies, providing a direct connection from the company's networks to the Internet. ISPs themselves are connected to one another through Network Access Points (NAPs). ISPs are also called IAPs (Internet Access Providers). [ send green star]
Susan W.	January 30, 2005 2:52 PM This ISP directory lists Internet Service Providers who offer dialup and other internet access services in the United States, organized by local phone calling areas. Compare ISPs with local access numbers in your city,Tell your friends instead of every ISP in the entire Area Code or State. Save Time. http://www.findanisp.com/ [ send green star]
Susan W.	Search Engines January 30, 2005 2:55 PM My personal favorite is Google... You can find it and many more here.... http://freeality.com/ [ send green star]
Lucky N.	Susan January 30, 2005 3:24 PM thank you, thank you, thank you. this will help me sooooooo much [ send green star] [ accepted]
Susan W.	February 04, 2005 4:15 PM I just finished reading about the worm in Messenger and the next mail I open is more about it along with 2 more worms. There are 3 links inside the link below and I do suggest you take a peek at them. ZDNet: Printer Friendly - New Focus: Triple worm attack If you know anybody who has just started online they are very easy marks for these kind of worms because they do not know any better, copy and paste this email and send it to them. [ send green star]
Susan W.	How to make a new folder - Saving to a New Folder February 04, 2005 7:19 PM Saving to a New Folder Have you ever gone to save a file in a program like MS Word and wanted it in a different folder than the ones you have? The good news is that most programs allow you to create a folder when you save. Next to the window where you select the folder you want to save in, find the icon that looks like a folder with a star on it... ...click there and a new folder will appear. Depending on the program you may see a pop-up window asking for you to name the new file, or, you'll need to click on the new folder and give it a name. From there you can save your file to the new menu just like you normally would do. No more hassle of using Explorer or navigating through folders—just create a new folder from the "Save As" area. [ send green star]
Susan W.	How do I rename a file? February 04, 2005 7:37 PM Q: How do I rename a file? A: There are at least three ways to rename a file... 1. You could click the file name once to highlight, click a second time to make it available to change, then type in the new file name. 2. Right click the file and choose "Rename". This will highlight the file name allowing you to type in a new one. 3. Hold down the Alt key and double click the file to open the Properties box. Type the new name in the name box. [ send green star]
Susan W.	What is "Safe Mode"? February 04, 2005 7:39 PM Q: What is "Safe mode"? A: Safe mode is a Windows maintenance mode where only the bare minimum of drivers are loaded. You don't have access to CD ROMs, printers, or other non-essential devices. It's helpful to use this mode when you are having problems with your PC. For example, maybe you just installed an awesome new video card, but in all the excitement loaded the wrong driver for it. This in turn caused your video display under windows to be non-existant. If you go into Safe mode, you can fix it. I also use it to help find problems with programs. If I get lots of "illegal operation" messages, I try running the program in safe mode to see if the program itself is the problem. If the program runs fine in safe mode, I can assume I have another program or driver that's interfering with the program's operation and causing the error. (Note that not all software runs in Safe mode - especially more robust programs, but it's still worth a shot). To get to Safe mode, press the F8 key when Windows starts to boot. You have to do this BEFORE you see the first "Windows" screen. I start tapping away at mine when as soon as I get by the BIOS startup screen or the manufacturer's splash screen. Experiment and you'll get it. [ send green star]
Susan W.	February 14, 2005 11:20 AM Spyware Removal (Free Trial) Spybot -- Search and Destroy (Free) Ad-Aware (Free) Spyware Information (Free) Spyware and Malware Information [ send green star]
Susan W.	April 06, 2005 4:22 PM Q: Is there a way to make my Desktop icons bigger? A: You can use this tip to make them bigger or smaller. I'll also show you how to change the label font and its size. Windows XP Right-click the desktop and choose "Properties" Select the "Appearance" tab then click the "Advanced" button. Under "Item", pick "Icon" from the drop down list. Under "Size" use the arrow keys to make the icons bigger or smaller (you could also type in a number). Click "Apply" to make changes. If you don't like how it looks, follow the procedure again. You'll also notice "Font" and "Size". This is where you can change these settings. If you make large fonts, you may need to use a smaller font to prevent overlapping. If you don't like the way the icons are spaced you can always change that too. Under "Item" select "Icon Spacing (Horizontal)" or "Icon Spacing (Vertical). Choose a number slightly bigger than your icon size and it will adjust the space. Windows 98/ME Right-click the desktop and choose "Properties" Select the "Appearance" tab. Under "Item", pick "Icon" from the drop down list. Under "Size" use the arrow keys to make the icons bigger or smaller (you could also type in a number). Click "Apply" to make changes. If you don't like how it looks, follow the procedure again. [ send green star]
Susan W.	April 20, 2005 6:14 PM Have you ever downloaded a file then couldn't find it? I usually download to my desktop or my downloads folder, but do occasionally change folders. If you can't find a downloaded file in the usual place, try to download again and you'll see the location under the "Save in" field. Most browsers remember where your most recent download was saved. Hit "Cancel" once you know the location. [ send green star]
Susan W.	April 25, 2005 5:40 PM What is the difference between SDRAM, DIMM, SIMM, MICRO DIMM, RIMM etc? Memory types SDR SDRAM - single data - one set of data per clock cycle DDR SDRAM - dual data - two sets of data per clock cycle RDRAM - serial access Form factors SIMM - Single inline memory module - 72pin - 16bit pathway DIMM- SDR - Dual inline memory module - 168 pin - 32bit pathway DIMM - DDT - Dual inline memory module - 184 pin - 32bit pathway SODIMM - Small outline Dimm module - laptops Micro Dimm - ??? may be same as SODIMM RIMM - RDRAM - ??? [ send green star]
Susan W.	Troubleshoot Startup Problems May 01, 2005 5:52 PM Troubleshoot Startup Problems Do you have problems when you start up your computer? Does it seem to take a long time or you get strange messages? Fortunately Windows has something called "Selective Startup" that will help you figure out what's going wrong. Go to Start/Run and type "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the box. Under the "General" tab click "Selective Startup". (Screen shot shows XP, but this will work in Win 98/ME & 2K) You'll see several check boxes. Uncheck everything and reboot. Then check just the first and reboot. Did startup run smoother without any issues? Then go back to msconfig, check the next box and reboot. Continue this process until you experience your problem. The next step requires a time commitment.. Let's say that your problem appeared when you checked "Startup Items". Then go to the Startup tab and click the "Disable All" button. Check off half the boxes on the list and reboot. No issue? Then check the next half and reboot. When the problem happens, narrow down that half until you isolate which item is causing the issue. Once the offensive item is found, just uncheck it. Continue checking the rest of the boxes and rebooting to make sure you don't have more than one problem. You should get a clean boot and can get on with life. [ send green star]
Susan W.	June 03, 2005 3:25 PM Are you confused about whether to use "Save" or "Save As" when closing a file? "Save" means that the original file in which you have just made some changes will be overwritten to replace the new changes. "Save As" means that the new altered file will be saved as a separate file, and you will be prompted to give it a new name, then you will end up with two separate files, the original one plus the new one you just created. [ send green star]
Vicki G.	Thank You Susan!!! July 13, 2005 11:16 AM Susan the information and the links you have provided are absolutely fantastic. I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I will be doing a great deal of studying in the next few weeks. You really are the very best and I am delighted to have met you. The information you provide through this group is invaluable! Again Thank You !! You are a very very Special Person Vicki G. [ send green star] [ accepted]
Susan W.	July 28, 2005 7:25 AM Q: What's the difference between "run" and "save" when I download a program? A: When you are downloading a file off the internet you may get the option to "Run" or "Save". Either of these options will lead you to the setup for the program and install it on your computer, but the difference lies in where the setup file opens from. If you click "Save" you can specify where the setup file goes (My Downloads or the desktop). From there you could put it on a disk just in case you need to reinstall it or want to put it on another computer. By choosing "Run" the setup process starts once the setup file is downloaded to your temporary internet file. When you empty your temp file the setup download goes away. This is great if you aren't a download packrat, but you should be clearing out your temp files often or they can get clogged with downloads. Me? I usually download to my Desktop then delete after install or save to a Downloads folder or send to a disk. [ send green star]