Some Basic Computer Tips
A collection of beginner tips appropriate for all Chromebook and Windows users.
Glossary of Computer Terms
- Right-click on everything. You can’t do any damage with the right mouse button in Windows because it’s designed only to show a context menu (a list of options appropriate for the selected object). One option is usually Properties, which gives you access to many settings and information.
- Your mouse tells you what’s happening. Look closely at your mouse cursor while moving it around – it’s not always an arrow. For example, when you’re dragging a file, Windows gives you a clue as to what will happen when you drop it, depending on what’s currently underneath the cursor.
- Help is near. In most situations, pressing F1 displays detailed instructions or brief descriptions of the controls. The help also has a search feature, letting you find information by typing a keyword.
- What is File Explorer, and how do I use it? File Explorer is an application that provides detailed information about your files, folders, and drives. You can use it to see how your files are organized, copy, move, and rename files, and perform other tasks pertaining to files, folders, and drives. You can get to File Explorer in several ways. The simplest way is to right-click the Start menu or the My Computer icon and select Explore. If your keyboard has a Windows logo key, press Win-E to launch File Explorer. Don’t be afraid to browse your hard disk. Look in all your folders, and try all the programs in the Start Menu. Explore!
- Use Shortcuts. A shortcut is a small file that lets you open a program without finding it on your hard disk. You can make a shortcut for any program, document, drive, or folder by dragging and dropping the icon onto the desktop with the right mouse button. See the next section for another use for shortcuts.
- Edit your Start Menu. You can fully customize your Start Menu – don’t bother with the Taskbar Settings, though. Open Windows Explorer, and open the Start Menu folder under your Windows directory. All the files and folders inside the Start Menu folder are mirrored in the actual Start Menu. You can drag and drop program icons into the Start Menu folder, just as easily as you can make new folders using the right mouse button.
- The Desktop is a folder. The desktop is a folder (aka directory) on your hard disk, just like any other. It’s located under your Windows directory (usually C:\Windows\Desktop\) and can contain files, folders, and shortcuts.
- ZIP files. You’ll notice that Gmail zips groups of attached files (photos), and other sites on the World Wide Web allow you to download various types of software or files. More often than not, this software is compressed into a ZIP file. A single ZIP file can contain an entire directory of files, occupying only a fraction of the disk space. This helps to reduce download time. ZIP is now built into Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and will be in the new Windows 10
- Drivers are important. A driver is a software program that helps your computer work with a particular piece of hardware, such as a sound card or scanner. Many Windows problems and errors are caused by buggy or outdated drivers. If you’re having trouble, contact the manufacturer to see if they have any newer drivers for your hardware.