Basic Computers for Beginners

Basic Computers for Beginners

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Let’s Get Started

Basic Computers for Beginners is designed to be read in order. Readers should begin with section one and continue through the material as if they were actually taking a computer course. The sections all relate and build upon each other.

Readers should keep a computer close at hand while reading Basic Computers for Beginners. We recommend you read through an entire section and then go back and try the steps outlined in the section.

Keep a pen or pencil handy to take notes and go at your own pace. You’ll be a computer wiz before you know it!

Table of Contents

Basic Parts of a Computer
  • Section 1: Pieces and Parts of the Computer
    • Desktop Computer
    • Laptop Computer
    • Monitor
    • Keyboard
    • Printer
    • Central Processing Unit (CPU)
    • Operating System
    • Mouse
  • Section 2: Places to Store Your Stuff
    • Hard Drive
    • Flash Drive
  • Section 3: More About the Mouse
    • Learning to use the Mouse Correctly – YEAH!
    • Holding the Mouse Correctly: Visual Guide
    • The Mouse and its Buttons
  • Section 4: Mouse Clicks & Tricks
    • Making the Mouse Easier to Use
    • Single Clicks vs. Double Clicks
    • If All Else Fails
Using Your Computer
  • Section 5: Turning the Computer ON
    • How Do I Turn the Computer ON?
  • Section 6: This is Your Desktop
    • Background
    • Icons
    • Task bar
    • Start Menu
  • Section 7: Working with the Start Menu
    • Opening Notepad
    • Opening Notepad: Step by Step Instructions
  • Section 8: Working with Windows
    • Window Characteristics
    • Title Bar
    • Menu Bar
    • Corresponding Task bar Button
    • Minimize Button
    • Maximize/Restore Button
    • Close Button
    • Using Menus
Notepad and Typing
  • Section 9: Working with your Notepad
    • What is Notepad?
  • Section 10: The Keyboard
    • Basic Keys for Typing
  • Section 11: The Blinking Cursor
    • What is the Blinking Cursor?
    • Controlling the Blinking Cursor
    • Accidental Highlights
  • Section 12: Important Keys and Their Functions
    • The Backspace Key
    • Solutions: WhenWordsRunTogether
    • The Delete Key
    • The Enter Key
    • Moving Text Down a Page
    • Creating New Paragraphs
    • Separating Text
    • The Shift Key
    • The Tab Key
    • The Caps Lock Key
Turning Off Your Computer