Practical PC, 4e

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Chapter 1 Getting Started
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Getting Started

• In this Chapter, you will learn
• How to power up the computer
• How to start the computer
• What to do if prompted for a password
• How to use the mouse and keyboard
• How to turn the computer off
• About different types of hardware

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Wheres the power switch?

• Your PC (Personal Computer) is a system unit
  consisting of
• Physical Hardware
• A brain or microprocessor to carry out commands
• RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporary storage
• Storage media (hard disk, floppy disk, CD, etc.)

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Wheres the power switch?
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Wheres the power switch?

• Your PC is a system unit consisting of (cont)
• Software programs to perform tasks
• An operating system (I.e. Microsoft Windows)
• Application software (such as Word or Excel)
• A computer is turned on by a power switch on the
  system unit

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Starting the PC

• Booting up your PC
• Make sure the floppy drive is empty and turn the
  PC on to allow the PC to boot up.
• The operating system is stored on the hard drive
  and normally boots from there.
• The PC boot process will also check that the
  systems components are functioning correctly.

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Starting the PC

• Booting up your PC (cont)
• If you leave a disk in the floppy drive by
  mistake, the system will stop the boot process
  with a non-system disk message.
• If you have problems with the operating system
  stored on the hard drive, you can boot the PC
  from the floppy drive using a system disk to
  correct the problem.

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Starting the PC
The Windows Desktop after a successful boot of
the PC
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Using a User Id and Password

• Booting up your PC (cont)
• Your PC may be an individual (stand alone) PC or
  it may be connected to others on a network.
• If your PC is on a network, you may be asked to
  identify yourself with a user ID and password.
• A user ID identifies you individually
• A password provides security and ensures that
  only authorized people access the network.

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The Mouse and the Keyboard

• You will use both a mouse and a keyboard to input
  information to the PC.
• Normally the keyboard is used to enter text, but
  can also be used to select tasks.
• The mouse allows you to point at and select
  objects.

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The Mouse and the Keyboard
A Two-button Mouse
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The Mouse and the Keyboard
A Standard Keyboard
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Turning off the PC

• Shutting Down the PC
• Your PC may go into sleep mode if unused for a
  while, but it is still on.
• To properly turn off the computer, use the Shut
  Down Windows command.
• Turning off the power abruptly doesnt allow
  Windows to save settings and close down properly.

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Turning off the PC

• Shutting Down the PC (cont)
• Shutting down properly saves your work and cleans
  out temporary scratchpad areas.
• If the computer freezes, pressing the Ctrl, Alt
  and Del keys at the same time, may release it and
  allow for proper shutdown.

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Turning off the PC
The Turn off computer command dialog box
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Hardware Types

• There are several configurations you can select
  for your PC The basic types to consider are
• A Desktop Computer which can be bought in either
  traditional desktop or in a tower style
• Less expensive, but not easy to move
• Most computing power per dollar
• Available for about 1000

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Hardware Types
A traditional desktop configuration
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Hardware Types

• There are several PC configurations (cont)
• A Notebook (laptop) Computer
• More expensive, but portable
• Uses an LCD (liquid crystal display) screen
  instead of a monitor
• Limited number of internal devices
• Can use PC cards to connect to phone lines or a
  network
• Typically costs between 1000 and 4000 with
  about the same power as the desktop model

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Hardware Types
A Notebook computer illustrating its major
components
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Hardware Types

• There are several PC configurations (cont)
• A PDA (personal digital assistant)
• Basic level computer, but hand held
• No hard drive, software hard-wired
• Links to a PC for data exchange
• Uses simplified operating system (Palm OS or
  Windows CE)
• Costs about 300
• Documents stored in flash memory (no constant
  power source)

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Hardware Types
A PDA
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Unpacking Setting up your PC

• When you buy a new PC, you need to be able to
• Identify each of the hardware components
• Connect each of the components to the correct
  port
• Connect the components to power using a surge
  strip

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Unpacking Setting up your PC
The back of your PC and the different types of
ports
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What do you think?
Computer haves and have-nots

• Do you own a computer?
• Do you believe that not having a computer at home
  is likely to limit a persons chances to improve
  his or her economic status?
• Do you favor spending tax dollars to make
  computers available in public libraries?
• Would you favor allowing college students to
  spend their financial aid money on computers?

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Chapter Summary

• You should now be able to
• Unpack and set up your PC
• Find the various hardware components
• Boot up your PC system
• Identify the different types of systems
• Use a user ID and password
• Know when to use a mouse and a keyboard
• Shut down your PC