Forward/intro This book only covers the very basics of computing, using as little typing as necessary. You may never want to make a document, but by following the step by step guides, you will gain confidence and understanding, and become familiar with computer language etc. It is very simplistic and repetitive, as it is designed to help technologically isolated adults who have never even turned on a computer before. It is ideal for use as a guide to teach others the basics. This is only a basic understanding and more detailed books are available at libraries and bookshops. Microsoft also has wonderful help and tutorials available online. It is for designed for an off the shelf, computer with the windows 7 operating system and internet explorer 9. To help use this guideask the technician to install igoole for your home page, A hotmail account in windows live mail, Microsoft security essentials, a desktop shortcut for solitaire and http://freecomputerbasics.wordpress.com/ and Adobe reader. 1
CONTENTS. Page Let s Get Started 3 The Mouse 4 The Curser and its Functions 5 The Keyboard 6 Key Functions 7 Windows 7 Desktop 8 Windows 7 Start Menu 9 Create and Save a Document in Wordpad 11 Find and Reopen a Document or Photo 16 Delete a File or Folder 20 Recycle Bin 21 Surfing the Internet 22 Visit a Website 25 Using a Search Engine (google) 26 Favourites, in brief 29 History 31 Browser Tools 32 2
Let s get started Okay, so you bought the machine. Someone has come by and set it up for you and shown you how to use it, but now they have gone, and you have forgotten what to do. Don t forget, Click always means left click, unless otherwise stated. While you use a power switch to start your computer, DO NOT turn it off with this switch. Always turn it off through your start menu (shut it down). Click on the start button in the bottom left corner to bring up the start menu, then click on the words shut down, and your computer should turn off. Occasionally it may do updates before it shuts down completely, that is not unusual. However, it is possible that your computer may freeze up or the keyboard or mouse may break etc and you cannot turn it off this way. In this instance press in the power switch (the one you use to turn it on with) for several seconds, until it turns itself off. It usually takes several steps to permanently delete most things, so don t worry about deleting things accidently. You may send something to another place in the computer, it should still be retrievable. Until you are absolutely sure about your actions, do not permanently delete anything, and do not alter the preset default settings. As you work on something, you may alter the settings for the page or file you are working on only, not the default settings. When you open a new page or application, everything will be set back at the default settings. If the screen suddenly goes blank, or goes back to the desktop (how it looked when you turned it on), Don t panic. First check that the computer is still getting power, and the screen is on. If you haven t touched anything for a while, and the screen is blank your computer may have put itself into sleep mode. This is a power saving action. To wake it up simply tap any key (ie any old key, not a key called any), or move your mouse around, and your desktop or page should reappear. If you can see the desktop, it is possible you have run the curser over the Show Desktop button in the lower right corner of the screen, and the cursor is not actually on the screen. If you cannot see the curser or pointer on the screen, move your mouse around to get it back on the screen. If you can see the pointer on the screen, look at the taskbar along the bottom of your screen and see if an icon is highlighted. If it is, click on it, and hopefully your page will reappear. You may have accidently clicked on the Show Desktop button, or on the minimize button near the top right hand corner. 3
Mouse The mouse controls the curser, (the symbol on your screen which moves with your mouse). The curser is used to point, to point and click, to move objects around (drag and drop), to move insertion point, and to select etc. Depending on whereabouts on the page you are, what you are doing and which program you are using, the curser can look like an arrow (pointer), a hand, an I beam, an envelope and a few other forms. Scroll means move the page up or down to see the top or bottom, because the whole page is too big to fit on your screen. You can either use the scroll bars on the page, or click into the page, and roll your mouse s scroll wheel up and down. Keep the heel of your hand on the table so that the mouse itself stays still. Occasionally a page is too wide for your screen, then a dragable scroll bar will be available on the bottom of the page. Click always means a single click on the mouse s left button, unless other wise stated. When you tap the mouse button down, you should hear the click Double click means two left clicks in rapid succession. Right click means a single click of your mouse,s right button and is usually used for displaying menus and options. Hover is when you place your pointer over something, without clicking it. When you hover over a button or similar, it s function or name should be displayed. The mouse shown here is a right handed wireless mouse. Place your hand over the mouse, with the heal of your hand resting lightly on the table. Your index finger rests on the left button, and the next finger rests on the right button. Your thumb, and little finger and ring fingers, gently hold the sides. To move your curser up and down the screen, slide the mouse up and down the table. To move the curser across the screen, slide the mouse sideways across the table. Do NOT turn the mouse. To move the curser, your mouse must slide on the table, so if you run out of table space, simply pick up the mouse, and place it on anothe part of the table. The curser should stay still on your screen while the mouse is in the air. If your curser moves erratically, check that your palm heal is lightly resting on the table. Sometimes the working surface is reflective or too smooth. Try a mouse pad, or non reflective mat, like a hand towel etc. 4
Curser Appearance and Function Pointer To click on something, rest the tip of the pointer onto whatever you want to click on, and tap the appropriate mouse button. Tap hard enough to here the Click. I Beam. If you move your curser over a document where you can type, it will usually look like I. It is an indication of where your sleeping curser is. When you actually type, the I Beam may dissappear, but if you want to find it, simply move your mouse. I Insertion point. The flashing line which shows where your typing is going to appear, is called the insertion point. To move the insertion point, you need to put the Ibeam where you want it type, and click, and your insertion point will move there, under the Ibeam. As you type, the insertion point will move along with your typing, the Ibeam will probably temporarily dissappear. To Drag Place your pointer on the object you want to drag, press down the left button, and hold it down while you move the curser to where you want the object to go too. Release the mouse button, and the object should drop there. As you drag the object, your curser will probably look like an envelope and arrow. Some objects must be clicked on first to select them, before they can be dragged. Hand When your cursor turns into a hand, you are hovering over a link. If you click the left mouse button you will open the link, usually another page or website, which is linked to the spot you were hovered over when you clicked. To Select, (highlight) Occasionally you may want to change some text. In this instance you drag your curser from one end to the other across the required text and release the mouse button. The text should now be selected and can be altered, dragged, deleted etc. After you have altered it, you must put your insertion point back where you wish to continue typing. To deselect the text, simply place your curser in a white part of your page, and click. Warning- When something is selected you must alter it, or deselect it before you can continue typng etc, or the selected text will be deleted. If you do accidently delete something, click on the undo button. 5
Keyboards Backspace Key Caps Lock Shift Key Enter Key Shift Key Control Key Space Bar Control Key A very basic keyboard, basic but quite adequate, containing all of the keys you need. Escape Key Backspace Delete Key Caps Lock Shift Key Control Key Space Bar Control Windows Key Windows Key Arrow Keys Enter Key Shift Key A full keyboard with shortcuts, arrow keys, an extra set of numbers, function keys (f keys), and more. Most desktop computers come with a full keyboard, while netbooks and tablets normally have a basic keyboard, as they are designed to be as light as possible. Laptop computers usually have a keyboard which is between a basic and a full keyboard. 6
Key Functions Arrow Keys Can be used to move the insertion point around precisely. Backspace Key Deletes a character to the left of the insertion point. Caps Lock Control (Ctrl) Delete Key Enter Key Escape Key Shift Keys Space Bar Windows Keys Locks the letters in capitals, when off the letters are in lowercase. Can be used in conjunction with other keys for specific functions. Deletes a character to the right of the insertion point. Moves to the next line. Or used on internet to enter details. Similar to a cancel button. Very handy when you are working in full screen mode, and the button are not on display. Pressing the escape key will usually the screen to the normal viewing mode. Held down while tapping another key, to get the uppercase. Tap this bar once to put a space between your words. Hold it down to make multiple spaces for a larger gap. Brings up the start menu. 7
Windows 7 Desktop Desktop icons (shortcuts Start button Taskbar icons (shortcuts) The Desktop Task Bar Internet connection Speaker volume Show desktop When you turn on your computer the screen should look something like this. You will probably have different icons (shortcuts), and a different desktop background (this is the windows background) but the basic layout should be very similar. This initial screen is called the Desktop. It serves the same purpose as a real desktop. Through the start button, and shortcut icons you can access all of your programs and files. Desktop shortcuts are icons on the desktop which when double clicked on will open up the relevant program or file. You can drag the icons around the desktop and position them where you want. You can also Pin some shortcuts on your task bar and start menu as well. Along the bottom of your desktop is a narrow strip. This is your taskbar. Whether you are playing solitaire, surfing the net, or writing an email, this taskbar will be on display, unless you deliberately remove it. When you have a program open, there will be a highlighted icon on the taskbar. The taskbar can also show the time, date, speakers, and internet connections. Choose to use www.shops-nz.co.nz Online shopping directory 8
Windows 7 Start Menu Click on the start button in the bottom left corner, to access the start menu. The start menu is like the front door to your computer. You can access everything from it. The items displayed on the menu vary, depending on the user s requirements Turn your computer off by clicking on the shut down button. Very occasionally you may need to turn your computer off using the power button, eg if your screen goes blank, or the computer stops responding. Then you would do a forced shut down by holding in the power button for several seconds, until it turns off. Beside the shut down button is a drop down arrow. If you click on it you will get another menu. At this point, you probably won t want anything in this menu. To remove an unwanted menu which is on display, left click somewhere else on the screen, and the menu should disappear. If it is an unwanted dialogue box on display, you will need to click on the X in the corner, or click on the cancel box. 9
When you navigate around in the start menu, you will often find that when you click on a menu of options, another menu will appear. Click on the start button to open the start menu again. Click or hover over All Programs. Now you can access all of your programs. You may need to move the slider bar to see all of the contents. If you cannot see the program or application you want, then it is probably in a folder. (An example would be wordpad, it is in the accessories folder). If you don t know where the program you want is, you can type the name into the search box and press the enter key. Your computer will find it for you. 10
Creating and saving a document in Word Pad. First navigate to Wordpad through your start menu. Click on the start button Click or hover over All Programs Click on the Accessories Folder Click on Wordpad and a wordpad page (window) will open on your desktop. Save Undo / Redo Title Bar Minimize Maximize/Restore Down File Home View Close Ribbon, (tools) zoom Wordpad Icon Task Bar Wordpad Window 11
. If the Wordpad program has opened in the smaller sized restored down window Click on the Maximize/Restore Down button, so that it fills the whole screen. Because Wordpad is open, the wordpad icon has appeared in your taskbar. If you click on this icon your wordpad window will disappear from your screen but because the program is still open, the icon will still be in the taskbar. Click on the wordpad icon again, and the wordpad window will reappear. If you use a program frequently, you can pin it to your taskbar, but if you are using an unpinned program, the icon will disappear when you close out of the program. Your insertion point should be flashing at the top of the page. If it isn t, put your curser into the page and click. An insertion point should then appear. This is where your typing will start unless you choose otherwise, and it will move along automatically as you type, to where the next letter will be. Type this is my first document Do not worry about spelling capitals etc., this exercise is only to show you how to make and save a document. 12
At this point, any work you have done on the page is not saved, Which means that if there is a power cut etc, the computer has no record of your typing (changes). To fix this, we must name and save the work you have done on the document. There are several ways to save a file. Click on the SAVE button near the top left corner of your screen. It looks something like a tv. You should now have the save as dialogue box open. It won t have the same folders as this, but should be similar. The file name bar will probably have the default name Document. You need to change the name, so that you will remember what the file is about. The default name (document), should already be selected (highlighted). If it isn t selected, you will need to select it first, then rename your file- first attempt You do not need to backspace or delete selected words. When you start to type selected words or items will disappear automatically. Note, you cannot have two current files in the same place with the same name. 13
The file name bar now reads- first attempt. In the address bar (near the top of the dialogue box), it should read Libraries Documents. This is the default place where your computer saves most text documents. Click Save, and you will save the changes you have made to the document. The dialogue box will disappear, and your document now has a name along the top, (first attempt). Now if you close the document, turn off your computer, or if there is a power cut, the changes to this point are saved in the documents library of your computer, on a file named first attempt. If you change your mind, and don t want to save the page, simply click on cancel. If you make more changes, these changes will not be saved until you actually save them by clicking the Save button. Because you have already given the file a name and address, nothing obvious happens, so do not panic. If in doubt click it again, it won t matter. It is good practise to click the save button every five or ten minutes, you never know when you may have a power cut. 14
When you have finished working on your document, you will want to close it. Click on the X in the top right hand corner of the screen. If you have named it, and saved all of the changes already, the page will disappear, straight to where you saved it too (in this case, your documents library). If you have made more changes since you named and saved it, you will get a dialogue box. Click on save if you want to save the changes, or don t save if you don t want to save them. If you have not named it yet, you will get the previous box. 15
Find and reopen a saved document or photo Now that the document has been saved to your computer, it is referred to it as a file. To read or work the file again after it has been saved and closed, you will have to find and reopen it. Remember, you gave the file a relevant name (first attempt), and saved it to Documents. Windows 7 uses an internal filing system referred to as libraries. Libraries are designed to help you navigate around in your computer easily. Generally when you save a document it s saved to your Documents Library, your pictures are saved to your pictures library and music to your music library. There are several ways to get to your Libraries, including desktop shortcuts, through the taskbar icon, through the start menu and through the file button. In this example open your documents library through your start menu. Click on the start button to get the start menu. Click on Documents in the right hand column of the menu. Address bar Undo/redo Tool bar Folders panel Contents panel View button Instant search close Preview pane button Libraries icon Task bar And your Documents Library will open on your desktop. The contents may look different to the view shown, don t worry about that for now. Because you are in your documents, the address bar should read- Libraries Documents. The word Documents in the Folders Panel, and the Libraries Icon should be highlighted. If you click on the Libraries Icon on the taskbar, your documents window will disappear. It has not closed, but you have minimized it to the taskbar. Click on the Icon again, and your documents window will reappear. 16
You can easily change how your contents are displayed, Click on the little triangle near the right hand top corner (view menu). A drop down menu should appear for you to change their appearance. You can click on the view you like, or drag the sliding bar up and down to change it. The top view on this page is large icons, while the above view is list. The yellow folders represent folders, and the page looking icons represent loose files. The file first attempt which you saved earlier should be in the contents panel. Double click on it. The file first attempt should reopen on your desktop, just as it was when you saved it. 17
If first attempt didn t open, don t worry. Right click on first attempt to bring up this menu, then Left click on Open, and it should open as above. When you reopen a file, you reopen the program, so the Wordpad Icon should be on your taskbar. Put an insertion point where you want to start typing by putting your curser there and clicking. Remember you will need to save any changes you make, but you won t have to rename it. When you have finished, save and close it. When you close it, it will go straight back to your documents library. If you choose to Not Save any changes, then the file will close and be saved in it s original form. This can be useful if you make an error, and cannot find a way to fix it. To close your Documents Library, click on the X in the top right hand corner. 18
Finding a Photo is Just as Easy. Most photos are automatically saved as JPEG files, in your Pictures Library. To find them through your start menu Click on the start button to bring up the start menu. Click on the word Pictures in the right hand column. This time your Pictures Library should open. The address bar should read- Libraries- Pictures. The word Pictures in the Folders Panel and the libraries icon on the taskbar should be highlighted. Photos are often easier to find if they are displayed as icons, if yours aren t Click the view drop down triangle, and change the view to icons. To open a photo Double click on the photo. If it is in a folder, you will need to open the folder first by double clicking on it. Click the X in the top right hand corner to close the JPEG (photo). You will probably still be in your Pictures Library, so you will need to close it too. 19
To Delete a File or Photo Select the item you wish to delete. Do not open it as you cannot delete an open item. Right click on the name to bring up this menu. Left click on Delete. In this case I have chosen a word document, but you can delete a photo or folder in the same way. Note- you must right click within the shaded area, or you will get a different menu. Read the dialogue box which appears and check that it is the item you wish to delete. Click Yes if you are sure you want to delete it, and the item and the dialogue box will disappear, or No and the dialogue will disappear but the item will remain unaffected. OOPs!!! Did you delete a file you wanted to keep? Don t panic you haven t really deleted it yet, it has gone to your recycle bin. Go to your recycle bin and restore it. If you are finished in your library, you just click on the X in the top right corner. 20
Your Recycle Bin When you delete an item, it usually goes to your recycle bin. Somewhere on your desktop there should be a button for your recycle bin. Double click on it to open the recycle bin. This recycle bin contains the file I deleted earlier. WARNING when you empty an item from here, it is gone permanently. Only a computer technician can retrieve items deleted from the recycle bin. If you want to return the all of the files to their original places, Click on Restore All Items or you can Click on Empty Recycle bin to permanently delete all of the files in the recycle bin. If there are several items in the recycle bin, and you want to delete or restore them individually, select an item, and right click on it to get this menu. Click on Restore, and the file will go straight back to where it came from, or click on Delete, but again, if you delete it, it is permanently deleted. When you are finished, click on the X in the top right corner to close the recycle bin. 21
Surfing (Searching) the Net. The internet is the name for the global network which computers can use to connect too each other. Your computer can be connected to the internet either through dial up or broadband. This gets the information to your computer, but you still need software to access the information. This software is called your Browser. Windows 7 has a browser called Internet Explorer preinstalled, so this is the browser I am using here. At the time of print latest version of Internet Explorer was Explorer 9. Firefox and Google Chrome are two other common browsers, but they must be installed. On your desktop and taskbar there should be an icon like this. It is the Internet Explorer Button, which you click on to open your Internet Explorer browser. If it isn t on your taskbar or desktop, you will need to find Internet Explorer through your start menu. Internet Explorer Ribbon Main Panel Internet Explorer Icon Button Task Bar Along the top of your screen is the internet explorer ribbon. It has the tools you need to navigate the internet, and the address of the site you are looking at. All public websites have a URL (uniform resource locator) address. These URL addresses start with http://, but your computer automatically types this for you. There are no gaps in addresses, so they have hyphens (-) instead or run the words together. The main panel displays the website you are looking at which, in this case is my home page, igoogle. Along the bottom is your task bar. This has the buttons you need to navigate around in your computer. It should have an Internet Explorer Icon button. Don t forget click, always means one left click unless otherwise stated. 22
Menu Bar Undo/redo Address bar Minimize Restore down/maximize Close Tools Tab Home Favourites Along the top of your screen is the Internet Explorer ribbon. Your version may look slightly different. It has the address bar, redo and undo buttons, minimize, maximize, restore and close buttons, and a home, favourites and tools button. As with the other programs, pop ups, dialogue boxes etc. the X in the top right hand corner will close it. There are more tool bars and options available. To display the other bars and options- RIGHT click in a blank area along the top of the explorer ribbon and you should get this menu. Click on the bars you would like to display. To remove the bars you simply bring back the menu and click on the name of the bar you want to remove to untick it. Normally I only leave the Menu Bar, and Lock the toolbars options ticked, as the more bars you have on display, the less room there is for the Main Panel. 23
The Main Panel is where the website you are visiting is displayed. When you open your browser, the page it opens on is called your home page. I use my igoogle as my homepage, as I like to use google as my search engine for surfing the net. Google changes regularly and offers limitless layouts and themes so don t be alarmed if yours looks different to mine. If you are having problems reading a website because of the zoom size Left click on the tools icon on your internet explorer ribbon, to bring up this menu Click on zoom, then slide over to the sub menu, and choose the zoom you would like. Remember though, the larger the zoom, the more you may have to scroll down the page. To change your homepage Click on the tools button on your internet explorer ribbon again. Click on Internet Options. tabs Check that it opened on the General tab. Type in the address of the site you would like as a homepage. If you have the site you want on your screen you can just click on current. Click Apply, and then click Okay. 24
To Visit a Website If you know the URL address of the website you want to look at, type it into the address bar on the internet explorer ribbon and press the enter key on your keyboard. Select (highlight) the name already in the address bar. You should just have to click in the bar to select it, but occasionally you may need to drag your curser over the existing name. Simply type in the address you want, and the new address will replace the selected one. In this case I typed in- shops-nz.co.nz (Your browser will add http://www. automatically). Press enter on your keyboard, and the page should appear. If you pressed enter and the site doesn t appear wait a minute then, select and then retype the address, checking that you have no mistakes or spaces and press enter again. Most websites contain links to take you to other pages and even other sites. These links can be logos, pictures, words, ads etc. When you hover your curser over a link, it will usually turn into a hand, and it will often display where the link will take you. You simply click on it if that is where you want to go. 25
Undo Button Home Button If you click on a link, and want to go back to the previous page, click on the undo button on your internet explorer ribbon to go back to your previous page/ pages. To go back to your homepage, click on your homepage button. Using a Search Engine Basics (google) If you do not have the address, you can use a search engine e.g. google. There are many search engines, but Google is very good, and very user friendly. Search Bar Google Search Button Simply enter the word or words in the search bar, and press the enter key on your keyboard, or click on the google search button. Don t forget to tap the enter key. As you start to type Google anticipates your search and offers suggestions. You can totally ignore the suggestions, and keep typing, but if google does put up the words you are typing, you can click on it so you don t have to finish typing it in. Here I am searching for - online shops in New Zealand. I have only typed online shops and google has already offered me online shops nz. I will click on the suggestion and google will show me the search results automatically. 26
Search Bar Number of Results Paid ads Scroll Bar Search Results This is the first page of results for my google search for online shops nz. The ads down the right hand side and in the shaded area at the top are paid ads. Businesses pay to for google to put their ads there. The ads below the shaded area are the actual search results. The scroll bar at the side tells me I am not seeing the entire page. If you don t see the website you want scroll down the page, either with your mouse s scroll wheel, or with the slider on the side of the page. When you hover over a result, a couple of arrow heads appear on the right side of it. Here I have chosen- shops-nz.co.nz Hover over the arrows, and you will be given a preview of the site. To go to the site, itself you can click on the preview, or on the site s name. When your curser turns into a hand it is indicating that you are hovering over the link. 27
When you click on a website its address will appear in your address bar. You are now looking at the site, as if you are reading a brochure. Undo Button You can click on the links to be taken to other pages, sites etc. This particular site also contains links to other sites. If you want to go back to a previous page and you can t see a link back, use the Undo button on you internet explorer ribbon. Google changes the order of the results changes constantly, sometimes a site appear on page one then the next month on page ten, so don t limit your search to the first page. With google, you can search for almost anything. Try searching for Houses for rent in Levin, or try How to make bread, or even - three legged cows. To return to previous pages, or sites you can click on undo button. To get back to your home page, click on the Home button on your internet explorer ribbon. If you have found what you were looking for, you can close out of your browser (internet explorer) by clicking on the X in the top right hand corner. 28
Favourites, in brief. When you find a website you want to revisit, you can bookmark it or put it in your favourites so that is easy and quick to revisit it. Then you just have to open your browser, (internet explorer), click on the favourites button, click on a site you have added, and you will be taken straight to the site. You do not need to search for the site or type in the address. How to add a website link With the website you want to add open on your screen, Click on the Favourites button. Check that the menu that opens is the favourites tab. If not click on the Favourites tab. 29
Click on Add to Favourites button. An Add a Favourite dialogue box should appear. The Name bar should be selected (highlighted). Some site s names are not easy to recognize, so the sites description is in the name bar instead. Read it, and if you like the description and will recognize it, leave it alone but if you don t like it, rename it. Note it will be created in your favourites folder. I am ignoring the new folders option, as this is only a basic guide. Click on ADD, and a link to the site will be added to your favourites. Now, when you go to your home page, you can Click on your favourites button, and there should be a link to the site you have just added. When you click on it, you should be taken straight to the site. To delete a site from your favourites, right click on it to bring up the menu, and click on delete. The link will probably be totally deleted in this one action. It will not go to your recycle bin. Don t panic, you can add it again if you want. Remember, you are not deleting the website, just your link or shortcut to it. 30
History Your browser records the sites you visit for a short length of time, (usually 20 days). When you click on the favourites button, there are three tabs available. Click on the history tab. The records are usually arranged into folders. To open a folder to look in it, click on it. The sites you have looked at should appear. In the above case, I clicked on the Today folder. I can see I looked at three websites today, and if I want to go back to one, I can just click on it. To delete a site, right click on it for the menu, and then click on Delete. Again, you are only deleting a link or shortcut, NOT the website itself. 31
Browser Tools To the right of your favourites button is your tools button. If you chose to not have the menu bar on display, you can access many of the tools with this button. When you click on it you will bring up this menu. It contains several options which in turn have sub menus. If you do not want to use any of the options you simply click somewhere else on the page and the menu should disappear. If you hover over the print, file, zoom or safety options, a relevant sub menu will appear to the side. You must slide your mouse straight across to get into the sub menu, or it will disappear. Once in the sub menu you can slide your mouse up and down. The two options you are most likely to want here are the print and zoom options. Many websites do not print out as they appear on the screen and spread out over many pages, so it is often worth looking at the print preview before you print them. To go back to the site from the print preview, you will probably have to close it. If you are having trouble reading the website on your screen, you can alter the zoom. Simply click on the zoom% you want in the sub menu, or click on zoom in or zoom out. 32