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Welcome to Reader's Digest Beginner's Video Guide to Home Computers.
In the next two hours, we're going to give you one-on-one instruction
on every aspect of using and enjoying your computer.
We'll show you how easy it can be to set up your computer.
And you'll learn how to use it to write letters, organize your schedule,
send email, and explore the world of the internet.
We'll start with the very basics.
And you'll move forward step by step with practical lessons
that you can take at your own pace.
So join us in discovering what your computer can do
and how it can change your life.
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Computers have changed our world and the way we live.
But for many people, the computer is still an intimidating mystery.
This video is intended to take the mystery out of your computer.
We're going to give you a one-on-one class in computer use,
starting from the very beginning.
We'll show you everything you need to know,
from setting up the computer to using the internet to make vacation plans.
Each lesson will build on the one before.
You can learn at your own pace and move on whenever you're ready.
Throughout the show, we'll hear common questions about computers
from people just like you.
We'll answer those questions.
And you'll get more information from the viewer's guide
that accompanies this video.
Whether you've used a computer a little or whether you've never even touched one,
we'll make sure that you'll understand the basics
in simple, straightforward language.
In our first hour, we'll introduce you to the computer and its abilities
and then get you using email.
In this section, we will cover setting up your computer, the desktop,
navigating the desktop, using the mouse, using the keyboard,
typing, printing, and shutting down.
After that, we'll move on to the basics of email.
So if you're ready, let's get started.
I just got a computer and I don't know how to set it up.
Can you help me?
Well, setting up a computer for the first time can be a little daunting.
But let's take a look at what the components of the computer are
and how they should be hooked up.
If you haven't set up your computer yet,
we'll show you how to do it right the first time.
Your computer actually consists of several items.
The first and most important is the system unit,
sometimes called the central processing unit, or CPU.
Now, that's simply a high-tech way of saying
the heart of your computer.
This box has all the guts and electronics to run your software,
store your documents and projects, and make the computer do everything
it's supposed to do.
Your system unit will probably have a slot for a floppy disk,
a CD-ROM or a DVD, which are all different ways to put software
and files into your computer.
The monitor is connected to the CPU and lets
you know what the computer is doing.
The keyboard allows you to tell the computer what to do.
And the mouse can be seen as an extension of your keyboard,
a different and often easier way to interact with your computer.
Finally, you'll probably have a printer,
which can print the documents you've written,
photos you've taken, or artwork you've created.
You may have other equipment as well, but for now,
we're going to concentrate on just these basics,
systems unit, monitor, keyboard and mouse, and printer.
The back of your CPU will have a number of slots and plugs
that are called ports.
Most computers have a label on each port with a picture or icon.
And by simply following these pictures,
you can plug in almost everything you need.
It's also good to know that each cable will only
fit in the port it belongs in.
So don't force a cable if it doesn't seem to fit.
Your monitor is connected by a cable to the CPU.
Often, there are screws to make sure
that the plug doesn't fall out.
Your monitor will also have a separate power
cord that must be plugged in.
The keyboard cable is plugged into the port
with a picture of a keyboard.
The mouse gets plugged into the port with a picture of a mouse.
Plug your printer's cable into the printer port.
Your computer is now connected, except for the power.
A surge protector or power strip will
allow you to plug all your computer components
into one place.
And this is going to make sure that your computer investment
isn't ruined by a sudden power surge or lightning strike.
Now you're all set to begin.
All you have to do is turn it on.
Once your computer is started, the first thing you will see
is the desktop.
This is the metaphor used by Microsoft Windows
to help you navigate around your computer.
The Windows desktop has been designed
to make the screen resemble the top of your desk,
with file folders, documents, calculators, and other items
laid out across it, just like a normal desktop.
The desktop metaphor is meant to make computer
use simple and intuitive.
If you're not sure what you should be doing with something
on screen, just imagine what you would
do if you were working on a real desktop.
Chances are, whatever you do on a normal desktop
will work equally well with a desktop inside your computer.
The important thing to remember is this.
Don't be afraid to experiment.
Every computer can instantly undo almost any mistake.
Let's look more closely at the items you will find on your
desktop.
There are a number of small pictures
with labels on your screen.
They look like a computer, or a trash can, or a folder.
These are called icons.
Icons are an easy way to identify the programs, files,
and documents that are in the computer.
They are the most common items on your desktop.
They are the most common items on your desktop.
They are the most common items on your desktop.
At the bottom of your screen, or desktop,
is a strip called the taskbar.
On the far left is a button marked Start.
There might be other icons or words on the taskbar as well.
The taskbar is a simple way to see what programs are currently
running on your computer.
Somewhere in the middle of your screen is an angled arrow.
This is called the pointer, and it's controlled by the mouse.
You will use the mouse pointer to select programs and move
around the desktop.
Now, let's begin to navigate around the desktop.
If it were a normal desktop, you'd move
things with your hands.
But on the computer, your hand is replaced by the mouse.
If you've never used a mouse before, it can look more
complicated than it really is.
The mouse is held like this, and it's usually
best to use a mouse pad.
Now, when I move the mouse, the arrow on the screen
moves with it.
When I lift the mouse into the air, the arrow doesn't move.
Now, when I put the mouse down on a slightly different part
of the mouse pad, the arrow begins to move again.
If I run out of room on the mouse pad,
I simply reposition the mouse and continue moving it.
I can reposition the mouse as much as I like, in whatever
way makes it easiest for me to move around the desktop.
The mouse has buttons at the top, which can be used for
several different tasks.
But for our purposes, we will only use the button on the
furthest left part of the mouse, the button most likely
to be used by your index finger.
Your mouse does more than just move a pointer
around the screen.
Like your hand on the normal desktop, you can use your
mouse to open file folders, push buttons, and turn pages.
I'm going to show you a little about what the mouse can do
and how you can use it.
The most important tasks the mouse performs are pointing,
clicking, double clicking, and dragging.
Let's start out by simply using your mouse
to point to an object.
I'm going to move the mouse so that the pointer is over the
icon marked Recycling Bin.
Now, I'm going to point the arrow at the Start button.
Soon the speed and the feel of the mouse and your ability to
move the pointer will become second nature.
Now, let's look at the second part of this maneuver,
clicking.
I'm going to move the mouse so that the arrow is over the
icon marked Recycling Bin.
Now, I push down and let go of the mouse button using my
index finger.
The icon has changed color.
I've selected this icon simply by clicking on it.
Now, when I move the mouse pointer away from the icon,
this remains highlighted or selected.
Now, I'll click again on another part of the desktop
that is pushed down and let up on the mouse button.
The icon has now returned to its normal shape.
Let's see what happens when we click on an object that is not
a desktop icon.
I'll move the mouse pointer to the task bar at the bottom of
the screen so that the arrow is over the button marked Start.
Now, I'll click.
Look what's happened.
A list of choices have popped up from the Start button.
This list is called a menu.
And just like a restaurant menu, it gives you a series of
choices to select.
When I move the mouse pointer and click again, the menu
disappears.
A further step in mouse skills is double clicking.
I'm going to move the mouse pointer over the icon marked
Recycling Bin.
Now, I click twice in a row.
That's all that double clicking really is.
There is now a box on the screen with new icons.
This box is what we call a window.
When you double click on an icon, a window opens up on your
desktop to show you exactly what's in that icon.
Now, I double clicked on the Recycling Bin icon.
A window opened on the screen and showed me what was in my
Recycling Bin.
You will use the Recycling Bin to throw out or delete files
or documents you may want to get rid of.
Right now, my Recycling Bin is empty.
To close the Recycling Bin window, I'll move the mouse
pointer to the bar at the top of this window.
At the far right of that same bar, you'll see three small
square boxes.
Now, we'll work with those later.
But for right now, move your pointer over the one on the
farthest right, the box with the X in it.
Click it once.
The window closes.
This is a simple way to close any window that is open on
your screen.
And now, you should be back at your desktop.
Let's try another important skill with the mouse,
dragging.
I'll use the mouse to move the pointer to the icon marked
Recycling Bin.
Now, when the arrow is directly over the Recycling Bin, I'll
push down the mouse button and hold it down.
You'll see that the icon has changed color.
Now, keeping the button pressed, I'm going to move
the mouse to the right.
Look.
The Recycling Bin is moving with the cursor arrow.
By holding down the button on the mouse, I have grabbed hold
of the icon, and I'm dragging it across the desktop.
Now, when I let up on the button and move the mouse
away, the Recycling Bin stays at the place where I let go of
the mouse button.
I can use dragging to move a document into a different
folder or to get rid of the document by throwing it away
in the Recycling Bin.
The mouse and pointer are an extension of your hand.
By using clicking, double clicking, and dragging, you
can do almost anything on the computer desktop that you
would do in a real wooden desktop.
Is there any way to practice mouse skills that's actually
fun?
Yes.
There is a way to have fun and gain
proficiency with the mouse.
Microsoft Windows includes a software version of the old
game of Solitaire, and it can be very addicting.
To begin Solitaire, I'll move the mouse pointer to the Start
button at the bottom of the screen and click.
The Start menu appears.
I'll move the pointer to the line that says Programs and
click.
A new menu or submenu appears that shows me what programs
are available.
Now I'm going to go to the top of this list to the line
marked Accessories, and I'll click on that.
Another submenu appears.
I'll move down that submenu to the item called Games.
This new menu shows you several games that you can
play that are built into your computer.
I'm going to move my pointer to the one marked Solitaire
and click.
Now I've got a green felt playing surface and a deck of
cards in front of me and the makings of a game of Solitaire.
You can click on the deck to deal more cards, drag cards to
a different pile, and get used to the feel of the mouse as
another hand.
Playing Solitaire is not only fun, it gets you familiar and
comfortable with the mouse and its functions.
To close the Solitaire game, move to the title bar at the
top of the screen.
On the left is the name of the program.
On the far right is the Close button marked with an X.
Click on the Close button.
We're back at our desktop, and you've had a chance to
practice your skills with the mouse.
Now let's take a look at your keyboard.
It'll have somewhere around 100 keys.
One part is identical to a typewriter keyboard.
Some keyboards have a numeric keypad next to the typewriter
keys, which you can use to enter numbers and figures just
like a calculator.
Now finally, at the top of the keyboard you'll find an extra
row of keys marked F1 through F12.
These are function keys, or shortcut keys.
Unless you're a programmer or a power user, you may never use
these function keys.
For now, all you really have to know is that your skills on
that old-fashioned typewriter are all you really need to
make your computer do what you want it to do.
Now I'm going to use basic keyboard skills with a word
processing program.
I'll move the mouse pointer to the Start button at the bottom
left of the screen.
I'll click once.
The menu appears.
Now I'm going to move the pointer up the menu.
As I move the pointer past the list, each
item gets highlighted.
Now I'm going to move the mouse pointer to the menu called
Programs, and click.
A menu opens up.
This menu lists all the programs on your computer,
word processing, spreadsheets, databases, art and photo
programs, and many others.
But we're looking for a word processing program.
Microsoft Works is one of the most common, and may be on your
computer already.
You might also find Microsoft Word, or you can use the word
processor in the Accessories menu called WordPad.
But for right now, we're going to use Works.
Now I'll move the mouse pointer down the submenu until
Works is highlighted.
Now I'll click.
Another menu opens up.
You see, Works has a database, a spreadsheet program, and a
word processor, which are the three most common programs,
all combined into one.
I'm going to click on the word processor.
Within a few moments, I'm looking at a screen like this.
This is the Works word processor.
At the top, there's a title bar, the bar that tells me the
name of the program.
Now on the right of that bar are three boxes.
We've already seen that the box with the
X will close the program.
Now if I click on the box in the middle, the window will
now fill the entire screen.
If I click on it again, it'll be restored back to its
original size.
This is called the Maximize button.
The button on the left of that is the Minimize button.
When I click on the Minimize button, the program window
disappears, or so it seems.
But at the bottom of the screen, on the taskbar,
there's a new button.
I can now see the rest of the desktop, and I can start other
programs, but when I want to return to the Works program,
I'll click on the button on the taskbar, and the program
will return to the screen.
These three buttons, Minimize, Maximize, and Close, are on
the top right of every program, and will always work
the same way, no matter what software you're using.
Below the blue title bar, there's a menu bar.
Now when I click on an item like File or Edit, a menu
appears.
It's got various choices for running and
formatting our document.
Below that is a toolbar.
These are icons for shortcuts and tools.
Now below these bars, there should be a large white space.
This white space is where you will write your document.
Now the mouse pointer itself has also changed in the word
processor.
When you move it over the white space, it
changes to an eye shape.
You can use the pointer in your document to insert words
into the middle of a sentence, or insert letters into a
misspelled word.
At the top left of the white space, there's a black bar.
This is called the cursor.
The cursor shows you where the next letter is going to go.
Imagine that white space as simply a piece of paper
rolled into your typewriter.
And the cursor is simply the point where you are typing.
Whatever you type appears on the white space exactly as
you typed it.
Let's try a simple to-do list.
To-do list.
Go shopping.
Go to post office.
Learn email.
Unlike a typewriter, you don't have to hit a return key or
crank a return bar.
The text will automatically move to the next line when you
run out of space.
But in almost every other respect, your keyboard is the
same as the typewriter you probably used in high school.
So you can use the keyboard to type your
text in a way that's the same as the typewriter you probably
used in high school.
To save the document, I move the mouse pointer to the menu
bar at the top and click on the word File.
A menu appears.
I'll move the cursor down to Save and click.
A new window now opens on the screen.
The title bar reads Save As.
Now this is where you name your document and
decide where to file it.
Let's type to-do list.
Now I'll move the pointer to the button marked My Documents.
This is the folder where I will store this list.
You will save most of your documents in this folder.
So now that the document is named and a file folder chosen
to store it in, I'll move the mouse pointer to the button
marked Save.
I'll click on this Save button.
The document is now saved in the computer and can be opened
again, changed, edited, and altered whenever I want.
Don't forget to resave your document every time you make
major changes so that you will always have a current version
of your document.
Now that you've tried out your keyboard skills, let's print
the to-do list.
On the top of the screen below the title bar and the menu bar
is the toolbar.
This is a bar with a series of icons.
If I leave the pointer on the icon for a moment, a small
window or balloon opens up that describes the icon's function.
I'm going to move my pointer to the icon that looks like a
printer and click.
That's all it takes.
Within moments, your to-do list will arrive out of your
printer.
Well, now you have what's called a hard copy of your
document.
This distinguishes it from the electronic copy that's inside
your computer.
Now that you've finished writing and printing your
document, let's close down your word processing program.
There are a number of ways to do that, but the simplest way
is the way we've already shown you.
I move the pointer to the three boxes at the top right of the
screen and click on the box marked X.
I'm now back at the desktop.
We'll learn more about word processing later in this video,
but if you've been following along with this tape, you
should applaud yourself for mastering your first task on
your computer.
The rest is going to be just as easy.
Now, we're going to shut down the computer and review what
we've learned.
When you shut your computer down, you can't simply turn it
off or unplug it.
The computer has to go through a series of checks and
procedures before it safely turns itself off.
The shutdown process begins by clicking on the Start button.
I'll move the pointer to Shutdown and click.
A new menu opens up to double check that that's what you
want to do.
Well, we are going to shut down now.
So if the circle next to Shutdown is not already filled
in, move your pointer to the circle and click.
Now move down to the button marked OK and click.
Your computer is now shutting down.
The screen is dark.
The computer is silent.
But it's ready at a moment's notice to pick up where you
left off.
As you practice more, you will get more comfortable with the
computer and the way it works.
Don't be afraid to experiment.
It's nearly impossible to break anything in the computer, so
go ahead and explore.
There's a lot more sitting here on your desktop than you
probably could have imagined.
In this portion of the video, we have covered a lot.
Let's review some of the more important items.
The desktop is meant to be as much like a
real desktop as possible.
And it will have access to computer folders where you
can store your documents and projects.
The programs and documents are represented by small pictures
called icons.
And the icons are the ones that you can use to
store your documents.
The documents are represented by small pictures called icons.
At the bottom of your desktop is a taskbar.
To navigate around the desktop, you use a mouse.
By rolling the mouse, you will be moving the arrow or mouse
pointer on the computer screen.
The keyboard is essentially the same as
any typewriter keyboard.
You can begin a program by moving the mouse pointer to
button marked Start on the taskbar.
When you click, a menu appears.
When you move the mouse pointer to a menu choice and
click again, you have selected that program.
Clicking selects a program.
Double clicking activates a program.
Every program has a title bar at the top with the program's
name.
Any program can be stopped and put away by clicking on the
box with the X on the upper right.
These basics will get you started and get you comfortable
with your new computer.
Now, let's learn about email, a computer skill that can
connect you to the world without leaving the comfort of
your home.
You've probably heard of email, but you may not know
how quick, simple, and easy email can be.
With just a click of your mouse, you can communicate
with anyone around the world.
Email is instantaneous, and it costs less than a phone call
or even a stamp.
We're going to spend the next part of this video showing you
everything you need to know to email your family and friends
and send everything from a short note to a family
photograph.
I want to send email to my grandkids.
Can I do that with my computer?
Sending electronic mail, or email, is as easy as typing a
few sentences and pushing a button.
Email makes use of a vast network of computers around
the world, a network we call the internet.
In order to get on the internet, you must have an
internet service provider.
An internet service provider, or ISP, is similar to your
cable TV company.
They provide the link between your computer and the internet
itself.
Like your cable company, your ISP charges a monthly fee for
access to the internet and usually provides you software
and technical support.
You've probably already heard of some of the bigger ISPs, or
internet service providers.
America Online, Microsoft Network, and EarthLink are
some of the biggest.
Who you choose as your ISP is up to you.
Most of them are similarly priced and provide similar
services.
Chances are, you already have ISP software that was loaded
into your computer when you bought it.
If not, you can get free connection software from any
computer store.
That software should walk you through the basic steps of
signing up for online service.
This computer comes bundled with software for America
Online, Microsoft Network, and CompuServe.
I'm going to demonstrate how I can sign up with one of these
services.
Though you may sign up for a different service, the process
will most likely be very similar.
Begin by adding another important piece of equipment to
your computer, a phone line.
Plug the phone line from the wall into the phone jack in
the back of your computer.
Now this will look like a regular phone jack and will
probably be marked with an icon.
The hardware to connect your computer to your phone line is
called a modem.
But today, most computers already have the modem built
in.
Now once the phone line is plugged in, I'm going to use
the mouse and navigate the pointer to the icon marked
Microsoft Network or MSM.
Now I'll double click on this icon.
After a moment, I'll hear the phone's dial tone, then the
sound of the two computers connecting.
A new window has appeared on the screen, and I'm now
officially on the internet.
My computer has linked up with another computer over miles of
phone line.
A new window will ask me a number of questions and walk
me through the entire process of
signing up for this service.
When you sign up with an internet service provider,
you'll be asked to create a username.
Now a username is simply the name by which you'll be known
in the computer.
A username must be over six letters and must have no
breaks.
This name will also be your email address, so it's often
best to make your username as close to your
full name as possible.
It'll be easier that way for your friends to remember your
email address if it's something like JohnDoe at
MSN.com rather than some nickname.
You may need a couple of choices for a username, since
there may be others on the ISP system with that same name.
You will also be asked to create a password.
This password allows you and only you to send and receive
emails at this address.
It prevents other people from reading your mail and from
using your internet account.
So choose a password that's easy for you to remember but
difficult for someone else to figure out.
Once you've chosen a username and provided the other
information called for, the ISP will set up a mailbox that
you can access from anywhere in the world.
And soon you'll be able to instantly send and receive
mail from your friends and family.
Once you have an account with an internet service provider,
you can send and receive email whenever you want.
Now we're going to use an email program called Outlook
Express, but most email programs will
work in similar ways.
First, use your mouse to move the pointer over the email
program icon.
Now double click.
A new window has opened, and your new email
program will start.
Within moments, the program will automatically connect
you to the internet and to your internet provider.
Now look closely at your email window.
You can imagine this as your own personal mail room.
You will find folders marked inbox, outbox, sent items,
and deleted items.
Just like your real desktop, these
are places that you can use to store and organize your mail.
Let's begin simply with writing a letter.
Reader's Digest has set up a special mailbox for you
to let you practice sending email right away.
So let's send our first email to Reader's Digest.
Move your pointer to the icon marked New Mail and click.
A new window is opened.
Like a word processor, the white space
is for the body of the letter.
But at the top are spaces for the address and the subject.
Move your pointer to the window that says To.
This is where you type the address of your recipient.
For now, let's type this address.
Learn computers at readersdigest.com.
Remember, email addresses do not have spaces or apostrophes.
You will eventually learn the email addresses of your friends
and of companies and organizations you want to write to.
In fact, you can create an email address book that will
remember these addresses for you.
Below the address is a window marked CC.
If you want to send a copy of this letter to someone else,
put their email address here.
But for now, we'll leave this space blank.
The third window says Subject.
This should be just a few words describing your letter
so that the recipient will know the subject of the letter
even before opening it.
Move your pointer to this window and type Test.
Now you can begin writing your letter.
To get to the main body of the letter,
move your pointer to the large blank space and click.
Or simply hit the Tab key.
The Tab key will bring you directly to the next window.
The Tab key can often be used in any software
that has a series of windows.
And it's a useful shortcut to know.
So whether you've moved to the large window
using the mouse or the Tab key, begin now to type your letter.
Dear Reader's Digest, this is a test of my email program.
Sincerely, your name.
Now you can say whatever you want in your email.
Reader's Digest will receive your test letters
and send you a reply so that you can be sure your email is
working.
Once your letter is complete, all you have to do is send it.
Above the letter portion of the window
is an icon button marked Send.
Move your pointer to this button and type
button and click.
That's all there is to it.
Your email is now sailing through the phone wires
and is almost instantaneously arriving at your recipient's
mailbox.
Email is not only for quick notes.
In fact, some have said that the rise of email
has brought back the art of letter writing,
which allows a person more time and leisure to think and respond
than a typical phone conversation.
Ah, look, we've just gotten a letter in our mailbox.
Let's read it.
Move your pointer to the letter and click.
It's a response from Reader's Digest.
Congratulations.
You have successfully sent your first email.
Happy computing.
Well, now that we've gotten our first letter,
let's review how simple it is to send email.
Click on New Mail.
Type the recipient's email address in the To box.
Move the pointer with the mouse or the Tab key
and type the subject of the letter in the Subject box.
Then move the pointer or the Tab key to the body of the letter
and begin to type.
When you finish your letter, move the mouse pointer
to the icon marked Send and click.
Your letter is now sent.
Well, we're finished now, so let's close down the email
program.
Click on the Close button on the right of the title bar.
Depending on your email program, another window
may open asking if you want to hang up
from the phone line in the internet.
If so, click OK.
Now you're back at your desktop.
The internet is truly miraculous.
Email can link you to relatives, loved ones, old friends,
and new friends with just the click of a mouse.
I've seen friends who've gotten photographs over the internet.
How hard is that?
One of the most amazing and fun things about email
is that you can send images instantaneously.
You can show people what the new baby looks like
or have a friend send you a photo of their new home.
There are a number of ways to get a photograph
from your camera and into your computer.
Digital cameras can do it simply with a wire connected
to the computer.
You can take a developed photo and put it
in a scanner, which will digitize the image.
And perhaps the easiest way is to get your photos put
on a diskette or a CD when you take your film to be developed.
Most photo shops will put your film on a disk
and give it back to you along with your pictures.
All you have to do is ask.
We're going to assume that you've done this
and that you have your photos on a CD like this
or a diskette like this.
Place either the CD or diskette in the appropriate slot
in your computer.
Choose the picture you want to send.
Now let's open your email program and get online.
Double click on the email icon.
Your computer will connect you to the internet.
After the program has opened, click on New Mail
and the familiar email window opens.
In the Send To space, write the email address
you want to send the photograph to.
I'm going to send it to Marcus.
Now tab down and fill in the subject box.
Tab down again and write your letter.
Dear Marcus, here's a photo of my new nephew.
Do you notice the family resemblance?
Now we will attach the photo.
Click on the button that says Attach.
A new window will open which asks
for the name of the picture file you want to attach.
Now we have to find the disk with your photos.
Move the pointer down to the contents of your computer.
If your photos are on a CD, click on the icon marked D.
If your photos are on a diskette,
click on the icon marked A. When you click on the icon,
another window will open showing you the contents
of the diskette or CD.
Move down the list to the photo you want to email.
When you have the photo you want to send in the preview window,
click on the button that says Attach.
You'll find that you're back at your email form
with the name of the photo file listed in the attachment box.
If you want to attach another photo, click on Attach again
and go through the same procedure.
Now you'll be back at your email form.
Just as with a regular email, click on Send.
The photo is attached to the email.
And when it arrives at the recipient's mailbox,
they'll be able to look at the photo just like any email.
Thanks, Marcia.
He does look like you.
Email has quite literally changed the way
the world communicates.
People who were once confined to their house
now have friends around the globe.
Strangers who share interests can discuss their hobbies
and exchange information.
And families separated by hundreds and thousands of miles
can talk daily, all due to the surprising power
of your home computer.
You've learned a lot about the computer
in part one of this program.
Now is a good time for a quick and easy review
of computer terms.
Let's start with the desktop.
The desktop is what you see when you start your computer.
It's an easy way to move around your computer
and get access to your projects.
Just like a real desktop, you'll find things like files, folders,
and also a recycle bin, which resembles a trash can.
Keyboard.
The keyboard is exactly like a typewriter keyboard
with some great additions like a number pad, arrow keys,
and function keys that help you move around your screen.
Icon.
Icons are pictures that look like the task they perform.
You store documents in an icon that looks like a folder.
You get email through an icon that looks like a letter.
Mouse.
The mouse lets you move around your screen or desktop.
When you move the mouse, the arrow on the screen or mouse
pointer moves with it.
The button on the top of the mouse lets you click,
double click, and drag items on your screen.
Window.
A window is an open area on the screen
where you use a file or program.
When you click on an icon, a window
opens up to show you what is in that icon.
When you click on a program, a window
opens up and lets you use that program.
Printer.
The printer can print documents, signs, banners, and even
photographs.
To print a word processing document,
move your mouse pointer to the toolbar
at the top of the page and click on the icon
that looks like a printer.
Games.
Your computer provides several built-in games.
A game like Solitaire is not only fun,
but it gives you an enjoyable way
to practice your basic computer skills.
Start button.
The Start button sits on the lower left of your screen.
You click on the Start button to begin
a program on your computer.
Menu.
Menus let you choose programs, tasks, or tools.
The Start button presents a menu of various choices.
When you move up the menu and click on Programs,
a submenu appears.
You can move down this submenu to choose a program.
Word processing.
Word processing is the act of electronically manipulating
text, or in plain language, word processing is writing.
Word processing is just like typing,
but with some extras that make it even easier
than using a typewriter.
Title bar.
At the top of every program, you'll find a title bar.
This tells you the name of the program on the left.
On the right of the bar are three boxes or buttons.
Minimize, maximize, and close, which
shrink, expand, and close down your program.
Menu bar.
Every program has a menu bar running along the top,
just below the title bar.
By clicking on a word on the menu bar, like File or Edit,
you'll see a list of options for you to choose from,
just like on a restaurant menu.
Tool bar.
The toolbar is at the top of every window,
right below the menu bar.
By clicking on an icon on the toolbar,
like a printer or a disk, you take a shortcut
to the process of printing or saving.
Save.
By clicking on File, then Save, you save your document
and protect any changes you've made.
You should save your documents every time
you finish making a change.
Shutdown.
When you are finished using your computer,
click on the Start button, then click on Shutdown,
and this will begin the process of safely turning off
your computer.
Your ISP, or Internet Service Provider,
connects you to the internet so that you can use email.
Some popular ISPs are MSN, CompuServe, and AOL.
Email.
Email, or electronic mail, lets you send letters
over the internet.
You write email on software like Outlook Explorer or Netscape
Communicator.
Once you have an email address, you
can send and receive emails instantaneously
from family and friends around the world.
Attachments.
You can send attachments with email, such as photographs.
Once you have a photograph in digital form,
you can attach it to your note by clicking on the Attach
button at the top of your email window.
When you send your letter, the picture will be sent with it.
Computer terms are all part of learning about the computer.
We hope this section has been of help to you.
Feel free to return to it whenever you want.
In the next tape, we'll take you one step further
into the internet to the fountain of information
called the World Wide Web.
Email, the internet, and the web can bring the entire world
to your door or to your desktop.
You'll also learn how to use your computer
to organize your daily life and discover the amazing abilities
of word processing.
So when you're ready, join us in the next part of the Reader's
Digest Beginner's Video Guide, which
will be the Reader's Digest Beginner's Video Guide to home
computers.
zusammentheyare
Thank you.