Central Processing Unit

The most important part, also called the Central Processing Unit or CPU, is a box that includes many pieces that are not particularly relevant to us at this time. These pieces, inside of the box, perform the jobs of the computer. One of the assignments of this unit is to join all the other pieces connected to it. Another job of this unit is to perform calculations, exactly the same types of calculations you were performing in primary school, except that this box can handle them very (extremely) fast, so fast that there is no human being who can match that speed. Besides the calculations, this unit also performs other assignments that it receives from various sources including you and the external units that are connected to the CPU.

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Nine Steps to Securing Your Computer

- Always keep backups of important information and keep them in a safe place. It is better to store them away from your home, if at all possible as this will give you additional protection against fire, theft etc. 

- Update and patch your operating system, browser and any software frequently. If auto update options are available, use them.

- Make sure that you have antivirus/anti-malware software installed, that it is up-to-date and has the latest patterns installed. If it has an auto-update mechanism, ensure that it is enabled. 

- Install a personal firewall. Many home routers provide some kind of firewall functionality but it is always worth having the additional protection offered by a personal firewall. Many home user security packages (e.g. Norton Internet Security) include firewall functions or you can opt for a separate firewall such as ZoneAlarm. 

- Check the settings in your Internet browsers. Active-X and JavaScript are used by hackers to install malicious software ("Malware") on computers. Internet Explorer offers a number of "zones" for grouping sites, by default everything is in the Internet zone. Set the security level of the Internet zone to high. Internet Explorer also offers a trusted sites zone for sites that you trust, set the security level in this zone to medium. 

- Do not open unknown email attachments from unknown senders and be extremely suspicious of attachments from known senders that seem out of character for the sender. Many viruses and other pieces of Malware spread by compromising email clients and sending themselves to people in the address book. 

- Do not run programs of unknown origin as they can contain malware even if they appear to do something harmless. Resist the temptation to forward such programs on to friends, family and colleagues because they are funny or interesting. This is another mechanism used by malware authors to spread their programs. 

- Disable the Windows "hidden extension" feature. By default Windows will hide the file extensions of known file types. This option should be turned off and you will be more able to see any unusual file extensions that may be there. 

- Consider disconnecting your computer from the network and/or turning it off when you are not using it.

-You should also consider making a boot or emergency disk for use in case or computer is compromised by malware. Fundamentally, you can never be too vigilant and the simple steps discussed above may prevent you falling foul of a damaging attack.

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Introduction to Computers

The computer as we know it is a group of pieces of hardware put together to  get a job done faster. To accomplish its various tasks, the computer is made of different parts, each serving a particular purpose almost independent of, or in conjunction with, other parts. You don't necessarily need to know how these parts operate, at least not at this time, but you should be aware of their co-dependence to take advantage of their various characteristics. 

A computer is primarily made of the Central Processing
Unit (usually referred to as the computer), the monitor, the
keyboard, and the mouse. Other pieces of hardware, commonly referred to as
peripherals, can enhance or improve your experience with the computer.

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Restarting Your Computer

(To shutdown and immediately restart your computer)
1. Click on the Start at bottom left corner of screen
2. Click on Shutdown (A Shut Down Windows dialog box will appear)
3. Click on Restart
4. Click on OK

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Shutting Down Your Computer

1. Click on the Start at bottom left corner of screen

2. Click on Turn Off Computer

3. Click on Turn Off

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Turning On Your Computer

1.On the front of your computer, you should see two buttons. The power button is the top one with a hole in the middle of it. The bottom button is a reset button. 2.Press the button

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Drives

Drives are devices used to store data. Most computers have at least two drives: a hard drive C:\ (which is the main means of storage) and a floppy drive (which stores smaller volumes of data (1.44 Mb) on 3.5" disks - floppy disks). The hard drive is typically designated the C:\ drive and the floppy drive is typically designated the A:\ drive. If you have an additional floppy drive, it is typically designated the B:\ drive. You will also have network drives on your computer, depending on authorization and rights of each user. This drives will typically be labeled F:\ or H:\ or G:\

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What is Directory

· Directory o A Directory is the path given to a folder on a drive. For example a text file called Phone Numbers is located in the My Documents directory on the C:\ drive. It would therefore read "C:\My Documents\PhoneNumbers.txt"

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File Extensions

File Extensions are the ending letters associated with a file and an application that it can be manipulated in. This way Windows knows to tell which program to open the file you want to manipulate. For example a text file has an extension of .txt, so a text file created in Notepad called Phone Numbers would look like this PhoneNumbers.txt ... You do not have to assign a file extension to a file that you create. The program you use will automatically do this for you. All you need to do is give it a filename. Some other common extensions are as follows:
.doc = Microsoft Word Document
.xls = Microsoft Excel Document
.ppt = Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation
.mdb = Microsoft Access Database
.bmp = Windows Bitmap Picture
.wav = Sound File
.html or .htm = Internet Document

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Short Cut Icon

Icons with an arrow in the lower left corner (picture on left) are shortcut icons. If you double click on them they will open up the program that the icon displays on it.

An Icon is a graphic image. Icons help you execute commands quickly. Commands tell the computer what you want the computer to do. To execute a command by using an icon, double-click on the icon.

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Internet Explorer

The Internet Explorer icon launches the Internet Explorer browser. The Internet Explorer browser is what you will use to access the Internet and the World Wide Web.

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Folder

The My Documents folder is nothing more than a regular folder that resides on your Windows Desktop. However, it offers an easy-to-reach location where you can store and retrieve important data, and the icon is always available in Explorer Windows and on the desktop.

Folders are used to organize the data stored on your drives. Think of your drives as filing cabinets. You want to sort your filing cabinets with folders that store different files. The files that make up a program are stored together in their own set of folders. You will want to organize the files you create in folders. You will probably want to store files of a like kind in a single folder.

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Recycle Bin

When you delete an object, Windows 98 sends it to the Recycle Bin. You can restore objects that are located in the Recycle Bin or you can permanently delete them by right clicking on the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin.

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My Computer

My Computer icon provides access to the different parts on your computer. You can access the different drives (Hard Drive, Floppy Drive, Network Drives) inside My Computer.

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Notification Bar

You'll typically find the Notification bar (System Tray) in the lower right hand corner of the Windows Desktop. The Notification bar contains a display of the current computer time, and the icons representing the programs activated when Windows first starts up.

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Taskbar

In the bottom section of the screen, there is (or there may be) a long object. It is called the Taskbar. The taskbar is usually located on the bottom of the desktop.

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