Computer Literacy CPU101_S RU

So I'm back in school for a degree in Internet Media and Web Design... and I get stuck taking Computer Literacy. ME?! So annoyed... I missed the test out by 2 points!

So my first hopework assignment was to answer questions... I plugged MG and everything... but i'm so annoyed. Figured I'd share my homework, because my annoyance it pretty apparent...

Software upgrades are a constant fact of life when working in any digital career path. It is very important to know how to determine which version of software you have installed and how to install new software. How would you accomplish the following tasks. Give reasons to support your answer.

How do you determine which version of software you have installed on your computer? How do you find this information?

What is RAM and why is it important when working with software?

Software requires a minimum amount of RAM to install each program. How do you determine the minimum amount of RAM required? If your computer does not have enough RAM, how will find the resources to upgrade to more RAM?

How do you install software?

For most software you start the program and locate the Help menu. (File, edit, view.... help at the top of the screen) It usually has an about option which will tell you. A box will pop up that displays program information, including the version number. This is called a dialog box. For Windows click on the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, click the Start button and then click "Run". In the Run dialog box, type: "winver" and a dialog box displays the version that you are running. For vista type it in the "search" box. I have windows version 5.1.

RAM stands for Random Access Memory. It's essentially how fast the computer can think. More RAM means it can think faster, and certain programs require more than others because there is a lot more the system needs to keep track of. When someone refers to how much memory your system has, they usually mean RAM. Click your start menu and open "Control Panel." (Unless you have a Mac, in which case I'm so sorry...) After it opens right click on the icon that says "system." It will open on the General tab and give you a run down of what you have. I have 2.41 GHz (Gigahertz) 3.00 GB (Gigabytes) of RAM

Usually the minimum system requirements, including RAM, are listed on the packaging or in the Download description of whatever software you are trying to install. If your system is inadequate you must first know how old your system is and what's in it. Use the trick I just showed you to determine that and call an expert. Some older systems and motherboard configurations are incompatible and you just plain need a new computer. Other times you can determine what type of memory slots you have and buy additional sticks of memory that you can open the tower and insert into your system. If everything I said is over your head you would unplug it and carry it to a local computer store, like Best Buy, and make them do it for you.

You can install software in one of two ways. First you pop the CD into the drive and it will likely automatically start up. You simply follow the instructions and it will install itself. I would advise EVERYONE who is installing software to read carefully. Most software these days is packaged with other software you don't need that automatically installs unless you tell it not to but un-checking the "Install this?" box. The other way to install software is to download it from a file site. The one I use for EVERYTHING is Majorgeeks.com because they guarantee it is not bundled with spyware or junkware which sites like download.com get paid to bundle in. How do I know this? The owner of Majorgeeks is my best friend and personal tech, and I would beat him up if his software download messed me up. You first have to download the file. I would recommend you save it to your drive first. For people unfamiliar with computers, I have them save it to their desktop so they can find it easily. After it downloads it will either ask you if you want to install or you can double click on it and it will start up. Again, read everything and follow the directions. Sometimes both methods will require you to restart your computer before you can use the software, make sure you saved everything else you were doing first. Then voila... new software.

 

Question 3:

Where can you find resources for help and information on your computer’s hardware and operating system? Include two answers for finding help about your computer.

First, address where you find help resources on your actual computer. What panel do you access and how did you find it? What content was included?

Secondly, include one external website for your particular computer model. Include the full URL of the site. An example of a full URL is http://www.google.com. The link needs to have the http:// for the link to work properly. Do not include a search engine such as yahoo.com or google.com in your response. Be specific to your computer manufacturer.

Why is there no question 2?

Oops, I answered part one in question one. Except I accidentally said right click instead of double click and I apologize. Allow me to correct…

Click your start menu and open "Control Panel." After it opens double click on the icon that says "System." It will open on the General tab and give you a run down of what you have: Your Operating System, Registration, Processor and RAM.

There are other tabs as well which offer more information about your computer. Computer name allows you to name it (I named mine something not so nice after it caused me grief last time) so it can be identified if it’s on a Network. Hardware gives you the device manager, (which tells you what’s IN your computer) the drivers (the part of the computers brain that makes each individual program work) and the Hardware profiles (where you can set up different hardware configurations). Advanced allows you to configure Performance, user profiles and system recovery. System restore allows you to set what point in time you want the computer to remember how it was set up incase it crashes. Automatic updates lets you set when windows will update – Turn it off!!! Sometimes Windows updates and breaks itself!!! Check it on your own every 2 months or so. And remote allows you to set up so another person in another place can access your computer – like a technician.

Rule of thumb – If you don’t know what it’s for, LEAVE IT ALONE!!!

My computer no longer is the same computer I purchased. The first thing I do whenever I buy a new computer is reformat it, because all that nonsensical software they include makes it run slow and stupid. Plus I HATE Norton Anti-virus, it’s a resource hog and can actually corrupt files, not to mention how hard it is to shut off and interferes with everything that needs to access the internet. Stupid program, use AVG… Ok, end Rant.

I also rolled back to Windows XP because Vista still has a lot of compatibility issues I don’t want to work with yet. Microsoft rushes to release a product then fixes it as it goes… I’ll just wait 'til it’s fixed, thank you.

Anyway, originally my system was an Acer that I bought at Wal-Mart before I gutted it and upgraded the memory and the video card, (Yay Newegg.com) threw in my old hard drive and disconnected the Vista drive for easy plug and play incase I crash my system… again. (I have bad power! I’ve burnt out 4 power supplies and last time it arced and welded itself to the motherboard. It was BAD.) I had to, it wouldn’t play World of Warcraft correctly, and it was obnoxious. Anyway... I’m sorry I rant a lot. I’m a geek and software hardware relations annoy me.

According to my tower I have an Acer AST-180 UA380B Which Acer.com translates into an Aspire T180. http://global.acer.com/products/desktop/ast180.htm That tells what was in it when I bought it. It now has Windows XP Professional Version 5.1 Service pack 2, 4 sticks of 1 Gig memory and a NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT PCI Express video card.



I guess it's an easy A but OMFG... so boring. I wonder if I'll get points off for sarcasm... because I submitted it exactly as is. It's a forum style interaction. I have to post my response and it's critiqued by my peers. This should be fun.

 

There is a solution to 'Bad Power'. I have a rural address - long distance between transformers making them vulnerable to additional sudden power usage by another houshold. The solution that worked for me: Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) battery backup. It's not just for maintaining power, it's for maintaining 'good clean power' to your computer and peripherals. The UPS cuts out all the dips, brownouts, and high frequency oscillations that are daily occurrences in a rural area. Buy a 750 VA and above. Get a 1200 if you can afford it.

Nice work on your new course!

 

To me, your "sarcasm", or humor as I would name it, shows that you have an easy familiarity with the subject. If the teach is a real "stick u.the a." kinda person, they might not like it, but you'll find out. I think you did a great job, I read it all!

: )

 

Yeah I have one of those. After i melted the powersupply CP wouldnt let me have my tower back until I bought one