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Computer Basics

When you are a new computer user these computer basics tutorials below can be very useful and save you hours of time. People often forget that there are actually people that are just starting to use a computer for the first time and need to learn the real basics of a computer.

Learning computer basics is not a hard task, but practice does make perfect. So if you are interested in computers you should examine this entire computer basics section and also see our video tutorials page for more information.

NOTE FOR SENIORS:

• To make the text bigger, hold the CTRL key on your keyboard in and then press the + sign key.

• To make the text smaller again hold the CTRL key on the keyboard and press the - key (minus). Always located near the (plus) + key.

Basics Computer Tips

• A Guide to Basic Computer Terminology

• Computer Terms and their meanings

• Where are the keys on the keyboard and what do they do?

• Tips to shut down your computer

• Beginners guide to using a computer mouse? Tips and tricks.

• How to open a compact disc (cd) to view the contents

• Top 10 Basic computer user tips

Basic Computer Tricks

• Shortcut Keys Look like a pro using these tricks.

• How to cut, copy and paste Text or pictures POPULAR

• Computer Maintenance Checklist

• Burn a CD Use the built in Cd Burner Program for Windows XP. All you have to do is put a cd in your drive and then drag and drop the files that you want to burn to the cd. Windows makes it very easy.

• Lock the taskbar to stop it from being accidentally moved or changed

• How to pin a shortcut to a program in the start menu

Basic Computer Hardware

• Drives The different types of computer drives

• Memory What is computer memory.

• External Hard drive What is it and why do I need one?

• Disc Formats? What is a CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, or a DVD-RW

• Usb Flash Drive What is it and why do I need one?

• Disc or Disk What is the difference?

Basic computer file system

• File extensions What are they?

• Windows Control Panel A basic summary of what is in the Windows control panel and what settings you can change from there. The control panel in Windows is where all your different settings are. You can access the system properties box, folder options, printer options, internet options, and more..

• Folders or directories What are they and how do they work?

• What is a cookie? And why do we need these files?

• Creating, saving, copying, pasting, and moving files or folders on your computer.

• What is the difference between "Save" and "Save as" when saving a file?

• What files are safe to delete or remove from my Computer?

Basic Software

• Programs You need on your computer

• Device Drivers What and where are they?

• What is a Virus and how do I know if I have one?

• What is a Cookie? If you use a computer you will need to know what this is. POPULAR

Find Basic Computer Settings

• System properties box (info about your computer) where is it?

• Run Command Window Some useful commands you can type in

• Computer Name Where is my computer name? XP and Vista

• Your computer Specs find out all the information about your computer