PC and Windows Appreciation (½ day)

“Computers look simple but underneath they are incredibly complex machines.  Luckily they are also incredibly useful – if you know how to make the most of them!”

Target Audience

Existing PC users who need to quickly boost their skills and start to use their PC as an effective working tool.

Aim

To ensure attendees are confident in the use of Windows and know how to make the most of their PC hardware.

Content

• What makes your PC tick – overview of key components (and why you need to know about them)…
  • The Processor (what it does and which one you need)
  • Memory (what it does and how much you need)
  • Hard disk drives (what they do, how big they should be, how to check they’re ok and how to avoid breaking them!)
  • Optical drives (features of each format - Blu Ray, DVD, CD-ROM)
  • Flash storage (how to use and secure them)
  • Checking the specification of your PC (in Windows
  • Common terms explained (e.g. RAM, ROM, Bits, Bytes, MHz, GHz)
• How to file & find stuff (exploring Windows Explorer – in detail)
• Using the Taskbar to switch programmes, arrange windows side-by-side, create your own shortcuts and check what’s running
• Creating program shortcuts on the Desktop (and organising them into folders)
• Improving your work speed with Keyboard and Mouse shortcuts
• Checking the settings of your printer (and other hardware)
• Overview of backup procedures (and why we need to use them)
• Utilities to keep your PC running at its best (e.g. disk defragmenter)
• Using the Internet to find useful information and handy utilities