PARTS OF A COMPUTER AND

WINDOWS

HARDWARE CPU —a chip inside the computer

that processes data and instruction from the RAM and controls the flow of data

Hard Disk/Drive—large capacity storage device.

RAM (memory)—the area of the computer that holds the instructions (programs) and information you give it. When the computer is turned off, data in it disappears.

Keyboard/Mouse—hardware components that are used to issue commands.

Monitor—used to display processed data.

Measuring Computer Speeds

Megabyte, gigabyte —terms used to measure how much a hard drive can hold, and how much memory (RAM) is in a computer

Megahertz, gigahertz —terms used to measure how fast a CPU will process data.

SOFTWARE/APPLICATION SOFTWARE Instructions that tell your computer how to

perform a task. It is stored on disks in program files. It cannot be seen or touched.

The purpose of an operating system is to organize and control hardware and software so that the device it lives in behaves in a flexible but predictable way

There are two main kinds: Application (like Word, PowerPoint, Games, Paint,

etc.) System—Windows 98, XP, Vista, Windows 7,etc.

Operating System Disk Operating System —Software that allows

the user to communicate with the computer and manage files.

A Few of the Operating Systems being used today include Window 95/98/xp etc.

GUI (Graphical User Interface) —uses pictures to issue commands to the computer.

Control Panel —A place where you can change many of the settings on your computer.

Accessories —Programs (applications) that come with Windows.

Parts Windows My Computer—Allows you to view the

components on your computer and the contents of folders.

Icon—A graphic representation of a program or file.

Task bar —The horizontal bar at the top of a window that holds the window’s name.

Commands —Instructions that cause an action to be carried out. (can be issued by double clicking the mouse, keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+C), or selecting from a menu.

Managing a Computer in Windows My Computer—Allows you to view the

components on your computer and the contents of folders.

Explorer—Allows you to see the structure of the folders on your computer.

Folder—a structure that holds files and other folders.

Subfolder—a folder that is within another folder.

Keyboard Shortcuts—key combinations that are used to activate commands (Ctrl+X will cut)

Parts of Windows Control Panel —A place where you can

change many of the settings on your computer.

Accessories —Programs (applications) that come with Windows.

Parts of a Window

Title bar/caption bar/Window Title—The horizontal bar at the top of a window that holds the window’s name.

Menu bar —The bar located under the title bar that lists the available menus.

Standard toolbar —The bar located under the menu bar that uses icons for issuing commands.

Parts of a Window Cont.

Workspace —The inner part of the window where the work in a program is carried out.

Scroll bars —located on the side and bottom of the window to see information that won’t fit in the window.

Parts of a Window Cont. Minimize —A button located at the right

side of the title bar that you can click to reduce a window to a task button on the taskbar.

Maximize —The button in the middle of the three buttons located at the right end of the title bar; it enlarges a window to its greatest possible size.

Restore —The button in the middle of the three buttons located at the right end of the title bar; it enlarges a window to its greatest possible size.

Close—Exits the program and Window

Parts of the Windows Identified

Managing a Computer in Windows Cont.

Dialog box—Used to supply information needed to carry out a command.

Accessories—Different kinds of programs that come with Windows.

Control Panel—a folder that contains commands to change many of the settings on your computer.

Working with Programs & Files

When you give the computer the command (double click on the icon) you are actually telling the computer to load the program or file into the RAM or computer’s memory.

Multitasking—When you have more than one program or file loaded into the computer’s memory at the same time.