Learning More About Your Computer

The average computer user is now more knowledgeable and more savvy with computers and related software, since we’ve been owning and using them for about 15 years now. I have been purposely learning terms, techniques, studying processes and etc because 1) I am a naturally curious person, and 2) learning about how computers/software works makes me a much better computer user, and 3) I can be our family’s IT person, rather than forking out hundreds of dollars to pay a technician. It’s been worth it. I love tinkering with computers. Most of my education has been through trial and error, though!

If you are interested in learning more about what’s in your computer, you need to start by learning the many terms and definitions. For example, do you know what an iso file is? You may need to know what that is, and how to create one, if you ever want to make a “bootable” CD, DVD, or SD card for your computer. I learned that an iso file is an image file with data– I needed to burn my Linux operating system data into an iso file in order for the computer to read it and start up with it.

There are numerous helpful resources to aid in learning about computers and software. One tip I always give to new computer users is to subscribe to e-zines from technology sites. Some great e-zines are from Kim Komando (komando.com), WindowsXPNews.com and VistaNews.com, and the Cnet.com emails. All are free.  Kim Komando’s emails are wide-ranging– she addresses things beyond the computer, like GPAs, cell phones, televisions, cameras. The WindowsXPNews is excellent, and centers on issues pertaining to, obviously, users with Windows XP. All these emails are free. Check those out.

Learning more about computers isn’t hard. I knew nothing about computers when I got my first PC in 1999 (a used 1984 Macintosh it was!). Of course, I am still learning and there’s a lot more to learn- but at least at this point I am able to help others with the stuff I have figured out.

In the next few posts, I will be going over some basics to computer Internet security and use. I’ll highlight some important issues and run through things you can do to secure your computer and make it more efficient. Stay tuned!