Getting Started with Computer

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Basic steps when you started PC is short for a personal computer. The components of a PC can be divided into two broad categories: hardware - the computer's physical components software - the electronic data,  programmes or code, that runs on the computer

Brief review of key hardware components

Some of the computer's most important hardware components include the following:

The system unit The system unit is a case or cabinet that contains all the components that make your computer work. It normally sits on a desk or on the floor. Some of the key components contained in the system unit are the hard disk - a magnetic disk where all the programs and data that you are working on are stored the processor - the brains of the computer, where most calculations take place the sound card - the component that enables your PC to manipulate and output sound

The monitor

This is where the programs and your work are displayed on-screen.

The mouse

The mouse is a pointer device for marking and selecting on-screen items. As you move the mouse across a flat surface, an on-screen arrow, known as a cursor, follows its movements.
Any action that can be done using a mouse can also be done from the keyboard, so you can ignore the mouse.

The keyboard

The keyboard is an essential part of your computer. It is the mechanism by which you tell the computer what to do by pressing individual keys or combinations of keys.

Printer, speakers, headphones, scanner

A printer is a machine connected to the PC for printing documents.
A scanner is a device that can copy images or text into your computer so that they can be stored in an electronic format.

Shutting down the computer correctly

Always be sure to shut down the computer correctly. The following keys are used for shutting down the PC:

Windows logo key Arrow keys Enter Make sure you know where these keys are. To shut down your computer: Press the Windows logo key to display the Start menu. Use the arrow keys to investigate the options in the Start menu. Select the Shut down option and press Enter. In the Shut Down Windows dialog box, select the Shut down option and press Enter.

Your computer will now shut down. Try starting it again. Shut it down and start it up several times until you feel familiar with the process.

Launching programs

While you can set up keyboard shortcuts to launch different programs, a common way to launch a program in Windows is from the Start menu. Here we're going to launch a simple text editor program called Notepad.
To launch Notepad from the Start menu:

• Press the Windows logo key.
• Use the up arrow until you find the Programs submenu and open it with the right arrow.
• Use the arrow keys to find and open the Accessories submenu.
• Use the down arrow to find the Notepad program and press Enter.
• Shut down Notepad by pressing Alt + F4.

Reading through a file

The easiest way to read through a file, such as a text file, word processing document or e-mail, is to use the arrow keys:

• The down arrow allows you to read the next line.
• The up arrow allows you to read the previous line.

Exercise 1

• Open a document on your PC - ask the teacher to help you.
• Use the down arrow key to read through the document line by line.