Everything about computers from A to Z. Course: Computer User - Basic Level
01/18/2012 12/24/2015 by Mnogoto4ka
Digital technology has become familiar and easy to use. But this does not mean that it has become easy to choose specific device from the masses offered. In this article I will not present test results, but will pay attention to the most common tricks of sellers who, unfortunately, do not always strive to sell what What exactly what you need.
Computer for whom?
Before you buy a computer, you need to decide what its purpose is: games, music, movies, design, 3D modeling, or just surfing the Internet and working programs for documents.
Why can the buyer be deceived or misled? Primarily due to lack of information. Look at the configurations of system units and laptops: often they only indicate the general focus of the product, larger numbers, more impressive names. For example, “a computer for games: Intel processor four cores, GeForce video card 512 megabytes, 1.5 terabyte hard drive, 450 watt case, 5.1 sound, 2 gigabytes of RAM” (original spelling and punctuation preserved). It would seem that everything is clear, all “smart” words and numbers. Does it inspire respect? Perhaps yes. But is it clear from the above phrase which of the quad core processors Is Intel installed in this system unit? An elderly Core 2 Quad or a fresh second-generation Core i7? And what GPU is the video card on? Nvidia's half-gigabyte models can be found in all price segments, from flagships to budget variations. And with hard drive unclear: what is the spindle speed - 5400 or 7200 rpm? The entry “450 watt case” is generally incorrect: you can screw any power supply into it with four screws. And the unit itself - an expensive and high-quality Seasonic or a loudly strumming, unpleasantly smelling box without a family during operation?
The above text does not answer any of the questions posed, although it includes impressive words - Intel, GeForce, four cores, terabyte. If you don’t know what the full list of main characteristics for a particular set of hardware looks like, then study the price list for components; it usually lists all the main parameters for each component.
Accessories
So you are one on one with technical characteristics. It is assumed that the same price list shows the price for each of the components. So what's the catch? Almost every store has stale goods. It may remain after purchasing a large order or it may simply not sell well at retail (demand is less than expected). Moreover, there are already assembled system units, which a large customer for some reason refused. To expose a marketing ploy, you can go in two ways:
- scour the Internet to figure out what kind of computer you need (this is reasonable, but labor-intensive);
- ask the seller to explain why, for example, the hard drive in your PC is not 1 TB, but 2 TB, although one is more than enough for you. Shouldn't we remove an inexpensive video card for 1000-1500 rubles from the list? and make do system board with integrated video? Etc. etc. This, naturally, will require some effort, but you will figure it out faster;
Meticulous buyers are rarely fooled: it’s more expensive for themselves. So you better ask three to five additional questions and compare the answers. As a result, arguments woven out of thin air in favor of purchasing this or that device will dissipate.
What's in the case?
If system unit already assembled, then ask to see what's inside. Are the components actually installed there that are listed in the price list given to you by the seller? Are there any traces of use on them (in particular, dust on the radiator and fan impellers), because you may well be supplied with a used part or a part repaired at a service center. Surely this is not brake pads or used cartridges, the use of which is fraught with catastrophic consequences, but if the part is not new and was not warned about this, then there is a risk that they may have decided to hide something else. To save money or significantly improve your computer's performance for a little extra, check your most important components.
Hard drive . It is clear that in the current situation there is no time to be picky about them. But if possible, choose faster hard drives. Since we agreed not to look at the test results, the concepts of “slow” and “fast” are vague. If you are in last time modernized disk subsystem three or four years ago, then the speed parameters of absolutely any drive will please you. Of the relatively slow (but weakly heating) models, the most common now are Seagate Barracuda LP, WD Caviar Green, etc. They are great for file storage and network drives, but in the role boot disk noticeably slow down the loading of the system, especially a couple of months after the purchase, when a decent amount of custom applications. Such a disk should be replaced with a faster one, with a rotation speed of 7200 rpm. The loss in money is small (unless flooding in Thailand makes it untenable by the time the magazine is published), and the difference is noticeable even without a stopwatch.
CPU. Do not install top model rulers. This is especially true when choosing powerful configurations. If you compare price lists, it turns out that, for example, the processor Intel Core The i7-2600K costs more than 10,000 rubles, and the 2500K, operating only 100 MHz slower (3.3 GHz versus 3.4 GHz), costs about 7,000 rubles. So is it worth paying 3000 rubles? for 100 MHz? Of course not. However, it is more profitable for the store to sell more expensive model, and they will convince you by all means that a PC with 2600K is really faster. And here there is another danger - they may impose top-end hardware on you previous generations at outdated exorbitant prices. Do you know how much a video card costs now? GeForce GTX 295? From 12 to 20 thousand rubles. The price of modern solutions with similar performance ranges from 3 to 5 thousand rubles. depending on condition and configuration.
Additional components. You may be offered to install, for example, a separate sound card. If you are not an audiophile and professional player, then you will be quite satisfied with the built-in 5.1 audio codec, which 99% are equipped with motherboards. The seller won't even deceive you by saying that with a discrete audio card " better sound" Potentially better, but only if you have it at home good speakers are standing. But if you have acoustics at home that cost 2-3 thousand rubles, then you will be looking for this “better” for a long time.
Buying a computer is easy
Have you asked a lot of questions and received answers? Then thank the consultant for his patience, leave the store and take a walk to distract yourself. And then, after half an hour or an hour, think again about everything you heard. Consider what you see that meets your needs. Have they changed after communicating with the seller? It is possible that you have come across an experienced consultant with the skills of a psychologist. Dozens of people pass through the store every day, and after a couple of years of work, some of its employees are already able to determine from the threshold why a person came, how much money he has in his wallet, and what to draw his attention to, convincing him of the usefulness of certain products.
For those who have a decent amount of time (4-6 hours) to make a purchase, it makes sense to go through several retail outlets, asking the same questions. After the third or fourth visit, it will be approximately clear what is right for you and what is just a stale product being sold.
Do not hesitate to ask questions, do not leave unknown points unexplained. It is the consultant's job to explain to you what you do not understand. If he evades her in every possible way, draw your own conclusions. Think about what you see and carefully study the price lists.
Please note that I am not at all suggesting that you need to study 100 reviews and 20 topics on the Internet. However, it is still worth reading several articles on topics that are relevant to you, as this will make it easier to choose a model when purchasing. And in conclusion, I wish that in the store you come across completely honest and knowledgeable sellers and this article is not useful to you, and just in case, read articles about various marketing tricks.
On this page, all the lessons on the site are arranged exactly in the order in which we recommend taking them. Unfortunately, in at the moment there are gaps in the list of lessons that mandatory will be filled. Topics on which there are already articles are links (highlighted in blue with an underline) - follow them and learn! The list does not include news and some articles (for example, on solving computer problems) because They are not useful for training, however, you will receive them if you subscribe to the newsletter.
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Course: Computer User - Basic level
- What is a netbook
- What is an ultrabook
- What is a tablet
- What is a tablet phone
- USB port: what is it and what can be connected through it
- How to turn on the computer, what happens at this moment
- What is a driver? What is a graphical operating system shell
- Computer desktop.
- Mouse, cursor, how to use the mouse.
- What is a shortcut, file, program, folder.
- Basic file types. What is an extension
- What is a hard drive and how does it work ( On publication)
- Computer hard drive, partitions.
- Keyboard. How to work with her. Create a text file.
- Start menu, what's in it
- Turning off the computer. ( In progress)
- What is sleep mode and when to use it
- What is standby mode and when to use it
- Install the program. The main stages of installing any program. Where it will appear, how to find where it is installed, how to find it in the Start menu.
- We are working with the program. Standard elements programs: settings, drop-down menu, quick access panel.
- Create a shortcut. All ways.
- How to view the characteristics of your computer.
- Computer screen. Resolution, settings, change the desktop theme.
- How to install a device driver. Where to download the driver if it is not installed automatically. ( In progress)
- Computer startup. How to disable a program from startup. How to disable autoloading in the program itself. ( In progress)
- What is an archive? Working with the archiver program
- How to open a video on a computer
- How to open e-book(.pdf .djvu .pdf) ( In progress)
- How to open a presentation
- How to open a document (.doc, .docx, .fb2)
- How to find out what video card I have
- Blue Screen of Death - what is it?
- What is BIOS and what is it for?
- How to open.pdf
- How to open.mkv
- How to open.djvu
- On-screen keyboard - what is it and what is it for?
- How to change the language on your computer
- Hot Windows keys 7,8
- How to increase font size on computer
Course: Computer Security
- How to set a password on Windows
- How to come up with a complex password
- How to protect your Google account
- What is antivirus
- What is a firewall
- How to block pop-ups
- How to Make File Extensions Visible in Windows
- How to protect yourself on the Internet using the WOT extension
- Review of Kaspersky Anti-Virus
Course: Computer programs
- Punto Switcher
- Alarm clock on computer
- Program for creating videos from photos
Course: Google Services
Course: Computer User: Intermediate Level
- How to create virtual machine(virtual computer)
- How to transfer old photos to computer
- How to put a password on a folder
- How to clean the Windows registry
- How to enter BIOS
- How to format a hard drive
- How to do defragmentation of hard disk.
Course: Laptop and Netbook User
- Features of working with a laptop and netbook
- Laptop, netbook device
- Laptop and netbook keyboard - operating features
- How to extend battery life
- What to do if your laptop (netbook) gets hot
- Computer stands: cooling and not so much.
- How to enable WiFi on a laptop
Course: Computer and near-computer devices
Course: Computer and child
- Is it necessary to limit time on the computer for children and how to do it correctly?
- What can a child learn using a computer?
- How to protect your child from adult sites
Course: Internet User - Basic Level
Hello friends!
Especially for you, I have prepared 25 tips that a novice computer user should use. These are not some new products, but simply advice from my experience and that of my other students.
Perhaps they will help you make friends with your computer easier and faster, and stop being afraid of it.
After all, for some people a computer is their whole life!
1. Learn something new about computers every day
2. Don't be afraid to ask other people if something is unclear.
3. Don't be afraid to break your computer, it's hard
4. Try to look for answers to your questions on the Internet, learn to use search
5. Start simple, don’t immediately get involved in programming or other computer jungle
6. Study something on the computer every day new feature, function
7. The computer is your friend, not your enemy!
8. The computer is used to search for information
9. Sometimes you can play games on the computer when you have time.
10. The computer is your assistant in everything, be it search delicious recipe or a new fishing spot, or city news
11. A computer saves time in the modern world!
12. Always look for something interesting on the computer. If you heard that you can watch videos on your computer, try it yourself right away! And so in everything!
13. Study different new programs, some will definitely be useful to you
14. If you don’t use any programs, then remove them, do not clutter your computer
15. If you have already played enough of a game on your computer, don’t be lazy to delete it from your computer
16. Regularly clean your computer of information junk
17. Don’t forget to transfer all your videos and photos to removable media
18. Regularly scan your computer with an antivirus program
19. Regularly wipe the system unit itself and the monitor from dust, this also affects the performance of the computer
20. If you have lost sound on your computer, check to see if you turned it off yourself
21. If your keyboard or mouse stops working, check whether the wires of these devices have come loose from the system unit
22. Please do not drink tea or coffee in front of your computer or laptop! Sooner or later you will spill a cup on your laptop, no one is safe from this!
23. Explore all the capabilities of your computer as much as possible. Why have such a powerful machine and use it at only 1% of its capabilities! It’s the same as buying a fancy smartphone for 30 thousand rubles and just continuing to make calls on it!
24. If your computer is frozen, don’t be nervous and don’t rush to turn it off, wait 5-10 minutes, maybe it’s just completing its processes. And it’s not your fault at all!
25. Regularly think of how else a computer can help you!
By the way, if you have your own tips for beginners, please write them in the comments; other beginners will benefit from your experience!
Alexey Anatolyevich Gladky
Computer from “A” to “Z”: Windows, Internet, graphics, music, video and much more
Introduction
In the 21st century, not being able to use a computer is the same as not being able to read. Computerization has covered all areas of our lives: in apartments and offices, in production and in hospitals, in schools and institutes, military registration and enlistment offices and house administrations, at train stations and airports, in general - everywhere you can imagine, there are computers today. What about adults? Many modern children can operate a computer no worse than any office clerk.
Therefore, the desire to master the computer of those who until now did not have such an opportunity is understandable. Moreover, the number of such people is growing rapidly. Even if a person does not use a computer at work (after all, not everyone sits in offices), then a computer will be very useful for finding this very job (today there are many resources on the Internet dedicated to the topic of job search). In addition, computers are actively used for entertainment, searching for information, communicating, storing data, learning, watching videos, shopping in online stores, and for solving huge amount other tasks. Many, not without reason, believe that the computer will soon take the throne of the king of entertainment, which for many years has always been the television (by the way, you can also watch TV shows using a computer).
But to use a computer, it is not enough to simply buy it and turn it on - unlike the same TV. First you need to get minimum required knowledge, and this book will help you in this endeavor.
But first I would like to dispel one myth. The fact is that among certain category The following judgments are common among the population: they say, I have never dealt with a computer, it is too difficult for me, I am unlikely to be able to master it, etc. Middle-aged and older people are especially guilty of this. Needless to say, such reasoning has no basis! Nowadays, a person of any age and occupation can learn to work on a computer. This can be confirmed by the large army of preschoolers, dashingly using the mouse and keyboard, as well as their grandparents, enthusiastically corresponding on the Internet with emigrated friends, looking for tips on growing tomatoes on the Internet and looking at scanned family photographs on the computer.
PLEASE NOTE
As practice shows, even a complete “teapot” masters minimum set techniques for working on a computer in a few days maximum.
This book is addressed to those who do not have the slightest idea about working on a computer, and want to master it as quickly as possible short terms. The description in it is based on Windows example 7 Professional – latest version operating system of the most popular family in the world.
Chapter 1. What is a modern PC?
Any modern computer necessarily includes two main components: hardware and software part. In this chapter, we will learn about what each of them is and much more.
Computer hardware, or What does a PC consist of?
A computer is a set of several separate technical devices, which, when used together, form a single whole. The set of these devices may differ for each computer, depending on its configuration, purpose, operating characteristics and other factors.
« Think Tank The system unit of any computer is the system unit, since this is where information is processed and stored. Externally, it is a metal box in which various technical devices are fixed and connected to each other. We will not dwell on them in detail in this book; Let us only note that in any case, computer operation is impossible without hard drive(also called a “hard drive”), random access memory (RAM; in computer slang – “RAM”), processor, motherboard, video card, fan. The listed elements of the system unit are located inside the case; they are part of any computer, since without them its operation is in principle impossible. In addition to them, the system unit may include, for example, a built-in fax modem, a TV tuner, a sound card (for listening sound files), network card(for work in local network) and other devices, the presence of which is determined by the specific use of the computer.
Hard drive (Fig. 1.1) is a device designed to store information inside a computer. But you can also store data on external media– floppy disks (though their time is almost gone), CD- and DVD-ROMs, flash drives, etc. To use these media, the system unit has the appropriate devices: for floppy disks – a floppy drive, for compact discs – CD or DVD- ROM, flash memory is inserted into a USB port, etc.
Rice. 1.1. Hard drive
Despite the fact that the system unit is the main component of the computer, in any case, in order to operate it, a number of other components are required. technical means, which, at a minimum, include: monitor, keyboard, mouse and printer.
The monitor looks like regular TV. On its screen we see a display of processes occurring in the system unit. For a long time only CRT monitors were used, but in recent years they are being forced out of the market by more modern LCD monitors (Fig. 1.2).
Rice. 1.2. LCD monitor
Note
A CRT monitor is a monitor created based on cathode ray tube, which has been successfully used in the production of televisions for several decades. An LCD monitor is a monitor with a liquid crystal screen, it is compact, and compared to a CRT monitor it is practically harmless to the eyes.
A keyboard is a device that is used to enter input into a computer. necessary information, as well as to extract data from it. In other words, the keyboard is a tool with which the user instructs the computer to perform certain actions. The keyboard is easy to use, even beginners have no problems with it (you just need to get used to the location of the buttons). Currently on domestic market presents a great variety of the most different keyboards– traditional configuration, ergonomic, wireless, etc.
Along with the keyboard, a mouse is used to interact with the computer. Even though the keyboard does almost everything necessary actions, some operations are more convenient to perform using the mouse. The main tools of the mouse are the left and right buttons. The left button performs most basic actions; As for the right button, it is auxiliary and is usually used to call commands context menu.
NOTE
If necessary, the mouse buttons can be “swapped”, that is right button will be considered the main one, and the left one - auxiliary. This is done in the operating system settings.
In addition, any modern mouse has a wheel between the buttons, which is used to quickly scroll documents forward or backward.
A printer is a printing device designed to output information onto paper. The printer is connected to the computer (just like a monitor, keyboard, mouse and other devices) using a cable on the rear panel of the system unit (the cable connector is inserted into the corresponding port). Currently, three types of printers are widely represented on the domestic market: matrix, inkjet and laser. Let's briefly look at each of them.
Positive feature dot matrix printers (Fig. 1.3) are relatively low in price and easy to maintain. Their disadvantages include the noise produced during printing, which is absent in inkjet and laser printers.
Rice. 1.3. Dot Matrix Printer
Inkjet printers are also relatively inexpensive and offer improved print quality compared to dot matrix printers. However, their characteristic disadvantage is that they are too expensive to maintain (the cost of a new printer cartridge can be up to half the cost of the printer itself).
Laser printers are the most modern printing devices available today. Characterized by speed and high quality printing, they are more expensive compared to matrix and inkjet printers.
We looked at the most important components of a computer, without which full-fledged work on it is in principle impossible. However, one should also focus on technical devices, which, although not “vitally” necessary, nevertheless ensure the fulfillment of a number of important tasks.
Using a modem, a computer user gains access to the Internet. Modems can be either built-in (i.e. included in the system unit) or external, which are separate device, connected to the system unit. The modem establishes a connection to the Internet by dialing the appropriate phone number or in another way that is specified in the Internet connection settings (more details about setting up the connection will be discussed below in the corresponding chapter). The modem implements...
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