Although this page is intended mainly for beginners, even fairly experienced computer users may find something useful here.
A single web page cannot possibly tell you everything you need to know in order to use a computer. This page is just an attempt to list some essential hints.
Because this web page is intended to be introductory, it does not go into every possible detail. Pedants may find that some technical matters are simplified. In some areas I merely mention a topic with little or no explanation; details may be added or linked to in the future.
I have no connection with any of the companies, organisations and individuals mentioned on this web page, except for being in most cases one of their satisfied users. In many cases alternative products are available, some of which may be just as good as the ones mentioned here.
- Most people find using computers difficult and frustrating. This is quite normal and nothing to be worried about. A considerable amount of perserverence is required.
- Try to find a friendly knowledgeable local acquaintance who can assist you. Nothing beats having someone sat beside you offering help and encouragement on an individual basis.
- Read the computer's manual. This may come in electronic form on the computer itself rather than in the form of a printed book. Even though much of the manual may not make sense at first, you can return to it later when needed. It's a good idea to have some idea of the subjects it covers.
- Learn the correct names for the main parts of the computer: the processor, the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, the hard disk, memory (also called RAM, random access memory), the optical drives (CD and DVD drives), the printer, the scanner and any other devices.
- 1 bit (binary digit) is a single off or on element in a computer.
1 byte contains eight bits and roughly corresponds to one character (one letter or one digit). However, most programs have a considerable overhead for formatting and other information. Some programs use two bytes per character instead of one.
1KB (1 kilobyte) = 1024 bytes.
1MB (1 megabyte) = 1024KB.
1GB (1 gigabyte) = 1024MB.
1TB (1 terabyte) = 1024GB (not yet in common usage).
Modem data transfer rates are stated in bits (or kilobites) per second, not bytes (or kilobytes) per second.
- Some capacity figures:
| 3.5 inch floppy disk | 1.4MB |
| Memory (RAM) | Typically in the range 512MB to 2GB in modern computers (as at Jan-06). |
| Hard disk | Typically in the range 60MB to 250MB in modern computers (as at Jan-06). |
| CD | 700MB |
| DVD | Stated as 4.7GB but actually 4.2GB is a more realistic figure. |
As a rough guide, text files (Word documents etc) take up the least amount of storage space, followed by still images, then music files and finally moving images (video files) which can be huge.
- Learn the correct names and common uses for the special keys on the keyboard, including all the punctuation keys and all the various keys which perform special operations. However, these operations can differ somewhat between programs.
Some punctuation keys and their names:
| ! | Exclamation mark |
| " | Double-quote |
| £ | Pound sign |
| $ | Dollar |
| € | Euro |
| % | Percent |
| ^ | Carat |
| & | Ampersand (short for the word "and") |
| * | Asterisk |
| ( | Open round bracket |
| ) | Close round bracket |
| - | Minus sign or hyphen (the same character is used for both purposes) |
| _ | Underline |
| = | Equals |
| + | Plus |
| [ | Open square bracket |
| ] | Close square bracket |
| { | Open curly bracket |
| } | Close curly bracket |
| ; | Semi-colon |
| : | Colon |
| ' | Single-quote |
| @ | At sign (used in email addresses) |
| # | Hash |
| ~ | Tilde |
| \ | Backslash (not used in web site addresses) |
| | | Vertical bar (sometimes called vertical line) |
| , | Comma |
| . | Full stop (or in US English: period) |
| < | Less than, or open angle bracket (the same character is used for both purposes) |
| > | Greater than, or close angle bracket (the same character is used for both purposes) |
| / | Forward slash (used in web site addresses) |
| ? | Question mark |
Some special purpose keys and their common uses (but uses do vary between programs, sometimes drastically so. In particular, games often vary considerably from non-games programs:
| Esc | Escape. Often used to exit from the current state. |
| F1 | Often used to invoke a Help screen. |
| Print Screen | Sadly in Windows this doesn't print the screen. Instead it usually copies it to the clipboard, from where it can be pasted into a program that can actually print it. |
| Pause | Sometimes pauses a program; often used in games. |
| Left pointing arrow | Left delete, or backspace. Deletes the character to the left of the text cursor. |
| Insert | In some programs, toggles between insert and overstrike mode. |
| Home | In many programs, moves the text cursor to the start of the line. |
| Page Up | In many programs, moves the text cursor up one page. |
| Delete or Del | Right delete. Deletes the character to the right of the text cursor, or the currently selected text, or the currently selected item or items. |
| End | In many program, moves the text cursor to the end of the line. |
| Page Down | In many programs, moves the text cursor down one page. |
| Num Lock | Toggles the numeric keypad between digit keys and cursor movement keys. |
| Two horizontal arrows pointing in opposite directions | Tab. Moves the text cursor to the next box in a dialog box. Use Shift/Tab to move to the previous box. |
| Caps Lock | Toggles the caps lock state on or off. When on, all letters typed are input in upper case. |
| Upward pointing outline arrow (two keys, near bottom left and bottom right of the main keyboard) | Shift. Use in combination with normal keys to get upper case letters and the upper symbol on keys which have two symbols. |
| Ctrl | Control. Used in combination with normal keys for a variety of purposes in different programs. |
| Alt | Usually used before one or more normal keys, for a purposes in different programs. Sometimes used in combination with normal keys. |
Most modern keyboards have additional special keys which invoke various Windows operations.
- Items such as usernames and passwords, and also web page addresses and email addresses, must always be entered with complete 100% accuracy. No leeway whatsoever is permitted. Beware of mistaking similar characters such as the letter o and the digit zero, or the letter l ("el") with the digit one. Beware of confusing a slash (/) with a backslash (\), or an ampersand (&) with an "at" sign (@). Beware of mixing up lower case (small letters) with upper case (capital letters). Beware of accidentally inserting or removing spaces or full stops (US English: periods). If the computer rejects your username or password, check that the Caps Lock is off.
- Try to get a feel for when you should left-click with the mouse, when you should right-click and when you should double-click. Practice double-clicking as most people find it extremely difficult at first. Also practice dragging, and drag-and-drop.
- Use the computer itself to obtain information and assistance. Before purchase, visit manufacturers' web sites to obtain details of products. Consider downloading product manuals, which is good advice for other products besides computer equipment. To obtain assistance, first try the Help option within the relevant program. Also use manufacturers' and software publishers' web sites, and search engines such as Google (external link verified Jan-06).
For computer hardware product reviews try Tom's Hardware Guide (external link verified Jun-05) although it is deeply technical in places.
Another excellent source of information on all subjects is Wikipedia (external link verified Jan-06), which is a free online encyclopedia written by its readers.
Forums (web based discussion areas) are another excellent source of information. Forums are offered by many manufacturers and software publishers, and also by some independent organisations. Forums are also available for the discussion of many other non-computer-related subjects.
Search engines and forums are in almost all cases free of charge, but forums usually require that you register with your name and email address.
- Explore the availability of free or relatively inexpensive computer literacy courses in your area.
- Before plugging in or unplugging any signal cables, always shut down the computer and disconnect it and all its associated devices from both the mains and the phone line.
- When there is a risk of a thunderstorm (US English: electrical storm), or whenever you leave the house, shut down the computer and unplug it and its associated devices from both the mains and also the phone line.
- Don't just turn off the computer, use the option in the Start menu to shut it down properly. If you just switch it off you might lose or corrupt some files.
- Be sure to locate the computer somewhere where you are physically comfortable using it. Ensure that the desk space and the lighting is appropriate. Learn how to adjust the angle of the keyboard and the monitor if possible, and also the monitor's brightness and contrast. The size of the text on the monitor can also be adjusted but unfortunately this is a rather more technical matter, best left to an expert.
- To keep up-to-date, consider subscribing to one of the computer-related email newsletters. Recommendation: Fred Langa's Langa List (external address verified Jan-06). I suggest opting for the free version initially. To subscribe you only need to enter your email address and there is no risk of incurring spam as a result of doing so. You can unsubscribe at any time.
- Install an anti-virus program and keep its definition list up-to-date very frequently. I recommend updating the definition list daily. Recommendation: the free version of Grisoft AVG (external link verified Jan-06). Only one anti-virus program should be installed on a computer.
- Before opening any file which you download on the Internet or load onto the computer from a floppy disk, CD, Iomega Zip disk, USB memory key or by any other means, virus scan it. This should be done regardless of how much you trust the source of the file, because that person's computer might be infected without them realising it. To virus scan a file, open Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder which contains the file, right-click on the file, and select the relevant option from the resulting menu. You should also save all email attachments and virus scan them before opening them. Never open an attachment directly in your email program.
- Install a firewall program. I use the free version of Sygate Personal Firewall but I believe this is no longer available. The free version of Zone Alarm (external link verified Jan-06) is generally highly regarded as an alternative. Only one firewall program should be installed on a computer, so if you install another be sure to disable the primitive firewall program which is supplied as part of Windows XP. Firewall programs do not have definition lists, so they do not need to be kept up-to-date regularly.
- Install one or more anti-adware/anti-spyware program. Some of the best known programs are LavaSoft AdAware (external link verified Jan-06), Microsoft AntiSpyware (external link verified Jan-06), PestPatrol (external link verified Jan-06), and Spybot Search And Destroy (external link verified Jan-06). All of these are either free of charge, or have a free version available. It is vital to keep the definition lists of these programs up-to-date frequently, perhaps on a monthly or weekly basis, before performing a full scan. You can have as many of these programs installed as you wish but it is best to only activate the realtime protection of one of them to avoid clashes. These programs often list "false positives", claiming to have found a security hazard in a file which is actually completely safe. In addition, they often list items such as cookies and programs "most frequently opened" lists which are totally safe. Therefore treat any warnings issued by the programs with great care and do not just blindly delete all the items that they list.
Perform a quick scan with at least one anti-adware/anti-spyware program at least once a week, and a full scan at least once a month.
Be extremely wary regarding the installation of any other anti-adware/anti-spyware programs. While many are genuine, many are not and actually install adware, spyware or other malicious software onto your computer.
- Always download and install Microsoft's Windows security and critical updates as soon as they are released. Many hackers immediately examine the updates and write programs to exploit them.
- Frequently backup your data files to external disks, such as writable CD's or DVD's. You can use a cycle of CD-RW or DVD+/-RW disks. Your data files include such things as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, anything else you have created, and anything else you have obtained from another source and wish to retain. This could include saved web pages and email messages (although sadly backing up email messages is a complex subject and beyond the scope of this document). Assume that all the data on the computer's hard disk could be lost at any time - which could happen. You do not need to backup Windows' program files, or the program files for which you have the original CD. If you have downloaded programs via the Internet then backup the files you downloaded.
- CD's hold much less information than DVD's. R disks can only be written onto once. RW disks can be erased and written onto again many times, and are therefore somewhat more expensive. RW disks are ideal for backups.
- Be aware of the common email scams such as the Nigerian bank account scam and phishing attacks. In the Nigerian bank account scam you receive a message asking you to help in the transfer of a large sum of money, for a financial reward. The scam is to get you to reveal your bank account details. In a phishing attack you receive an email which appears to be from a financial organisation such as bank or PayPal. A link in the message does not go to the actual organisation but to the criminals, who hope that you will reveal your account details. Be extremely wary of any email of this type. If you receive any such message delete it and never reply to it. Never click on a link in an email message which appears to be from a financial organisation. Links can easily be made to appear genuine but in fact connect you to a criminal web site.
- If you regularly receive a large amount of spam (junk email) then consider installing an email filter program. Recommendation: MailWasher (external link verified Jan-06). MailWasher was free but I am not sure that it still is. If you receive spam, the best policy is to just delete it. Never reply and do not attempt to "bounce" it.
- Instead of using the Microsoft Internet Explorer web browser program and associated Outlook Express email program which are supplied with Windows, consider using Firefox web browser program (external link verified Jan-06) and associated Thunderbird email program (external link verified Jan-06). Many people consider these to be superior and more secure than the Microsoft programs. All four programs can be installed at the same time. You can switch use between Internet Explorer and Firefox as you desire. However, switching between email programs is not recommended because stored messages will then be split between them. When Thunderbird is installed it will offer to copy old email messages from another program such as Outlook Express and this offer should be accepted. These programs will also offer to copy favourites (bookmarks) and your email address book, options which should also be accepted.
- Do not install any of the peer-to-peer music sharing systems such as KaZaA. These are by far the most common source of malicious software which in many cases is extremely difficult to fully eradicate. Try to avoid younger relatives installing such sofware on your computer.
- At first, try to concentrate on the fundamental windows operations which are common to most programs, such as maximising, minimising and closing windows. Also learn all the various ways in which scroll bars work. You can click the arrows at each end, or the blank space either side of the slider, or you can drag the slider itself.
- To copy something, even when the Edit > Copy menu option is unavailable as is often the case in dialog boxes, select it in the usual way (for example, drag over a section of text with the mouse), then press CTRL/C (while holding down either of the CTRL keys, tap the C key). This copies the selected item into the clipboard. The clipboard is sometimes called the cut and paste buffer.
To paste the contents of the clipboard (what you previously copied), even when the Edit > Paste menu option is unavailable, click with the mouse at the place where you wish to insert, then press CTRL/V.
You can cut instead of copy by pressing CTRL/X instead of CTRL/C. When you copy the original is left intact, whereas when you cut the original is deleted.
CTRL/C, CTRL/V and CTRL/X work in many programs but not all of them.
- Unless the program prevents it, store data files separately to program files. That policy makes them easy to backup. You can adopt any system for the data file folder structure that you wish but it is vital to adopt some system. Two common systems are to store all the files associated with each program in a separate top-level folder, or to store all the files associated with a particular subject in a separate top-level folder. As you save a file, create a new folder within your data file folder system for it if that is appropriate. Do not be afraid of creating new folders within your data file area, it should be an everyday action.
- Take some time to get on friendly terms with the Windows Explorer program (which is not the same as Internet Explorer). You can do what you like in your data file folder area, at the risk of accidentally deleting or mislaying a file that you want to keep. Do not change anything anywhere else. In particular, do not change anything in the Program Files folder or in the Windows folder. In Windows Explorer you can drag and drop files and folders, but you can also copy and paste (or cut and paste) them, which many people find easier.
- The "verb before noun" principle: In many places you have to select something before specifying what you want to do with it. For example, in Word you must select a section of text before saying that you want it in a different font, a different size, or a different colour. However, when opening or saving a file it's the other way round, verb before noun, you say what you want to do before choosing the file.
- The "typing replaces selection" principle: in many places, if something is selected and you start typing, you will delete what is selected. If you want to edit (modify) selected text, click again in it so that it isn't selected.
- In many places you can select a contiguous set of items in a list as follows: left-click on the first item, then left-click while holding down either Shift key on the last item. You can start at either end of the list. This also often applies with sections of text.
- If you want to select some items from a list, first select one of them by left-clicking it. Then left-click while holding down either CTRL key on each of the other items you wish to select. If you accidentally select an item by mistake, CTRL/click on it again to deselect it. This works in many places in Windows but not all.
- Many programs offer an "undo" button, which enables you to rectify a mistake. However, most programs only offer a single level of "undo", so be careful. A few programs such as modern versions of Word and Excel offer multiple levels of "undo".
- In Microsoft Word, learn about all the useful things you can do by clicking in various ways in the left margin.
- In Microsoft Word, learn how to use tables. They may appear a little daunting at first but really are quite easy and incredibly useful.
- In Microsoft Excel, learn about all the useful things you can do in and around cell borders.
- When a program or Windows displays an unusual message, read it and think about it before acting. If the message contains detailed information, consider writing it down so as to keep a record. This particularly applies to error messages.
- Keep a diary, either on the computer or on paper, of any major changes you make to the computer. This includes installing new hardware and new software, and any significant configuration changes you make. This information can prove invaluable when trying to sort out problems. The diary could also contain a note of your usernames and passwords, provided it is kept in a very secure place.
- The differences between memory and hard disk:
Memory is electronic, integrated circuits (chips). It has no moving parts. The memory chips are permanently mounted onto small printed circuit boards called memory modules, and the memory modules are held in sockets on the system board. Memory loses its contents when the computer is switched off. It is very fast. It holds a relatively small amount of information compared with a hard disk. In simple terms, memory is used to hold the programs and files that the user currently has open.
A hard disk is magnetic. A set of parallel disks revolves at high speed and one or more read/write heads move in and out to transfer information to or from the disks. Hard disks are usually separate devices mounted inside the processor box but not on the system board. Hard disks retain their contents even when the computer is switched off. Hard disks can hold much more information than memory. In simple terms, the hard disk holds all your programs and files, including the ones not currently in use.
- If one or more of a program's toolbars disappears, try looking in the programs View menu for an option to restore it.
- Learn how to search for files and folders on your computer. It is even possible to search for a particular piece of text within files - all the file which contain that text will be listed. Windows comes with its own built-in search facility, or you can download a superior alternative such as Agent Ransack (external link verified Jan-06).
- In dialog boxes, you can move from box to box by pressing the Tab key, which has two arrows pointing in opposite directions and is usually located above the Caps Lock key on keyboards. You can also click in a box with the mouse. Don't press the Return or Enter keys until you have entered all the information, as they usually signify that you have finished. On some web pages you are moved from box to box automatically, which is intended to be helpful but can be confusing.
- Try to develop a feel for when you should wait while Windows or a program completes an operation, and when it is safe to proceed with something else at the same time. For example, even on a very fast computer it is wise to disable the screen saver and not perform any other action while writing to a CD or DVD disk.
- It may seem obvious, but learning how to type is a very useful skill for all computer users. In particular, learn how to use the Shift keys properly. Hold down either Shift key, tape the normal key, then release the Shift key. If you wrongly jab at both keys at the same time then it's a 50-50 chance whether you'll get the lower case or the upper case character.
- There are a number of configuration changes which can be made to make Windows run faster and more efficiently, and to save hard disk space. However, making these changes is probably inappropriate for a beginner. If you have an expert to hand, or once you become one yourself, consider reducing the size of the Internet Explorer cache, the Recycle Bin, and the System Restore facility.
- There are a number of routine "housekeeping" tasks which should be performed regularly on a computer in order to keep it running smoothly. These include physical tasks such as cleaning dust from the fans, and software tasks such as deleting the contents of the Windows Temp file, and defragmenting the hard disk. All these tasks are probably beyond what a beginner would feel comfortable attempting, so best left for an expert, or until later. Don't neglect them forever though, or they may cause you some extremely serious problems.