Transcript Exam 1 Study Guide

Exam 1 Study Guide
ICS100
Dave Pai
1/29/2007
How to Change your HCC
Network Account Password
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Go to: http://www.hcc.hawaii.edu/chpass
Password Requirements are???
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I don’t know what they are
If yours doesn’t work, try at least 8 characters with
at least 1 non-letter
Microsoft Word – How to do!
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Formatting
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Fonts – Font, size, text decoration, bold, …
Paragraphs – Alignment, indents, bulleted list
Images – Insert, format (location, how aligned
with text)
Chapter 1
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Computer Fluent
Being a savvy computer user
Artificial Intelligence
Computers are Data Processing Devices: Data vs
Information
The Language of Computers
Bits and Bytes
Computer Hardware
Computer Software
Be sure to reread the summary items 1-10 on pages
30-31
Chapter 2
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Input devices
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Most common input devices are:
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Output devices
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The most important output device is:
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Monitor as it shows us our work.
Monitors
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keyboard
Mouse
CRT monitors are less expensive, have better picture quality, and wider viewing angles
than LCD monitors.
LCD monitors take up less space, use less electrical power, weigh less, and can cause
less eye strain.
Printers
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Not as important an output device as a monitor because you can operate a computer
without a printer.
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Laser
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Black and White, cheaper per page, faster output, don’t smudge when wet
Inkjet
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More affortable color printing, lower initial cost, slower than laser
Chapter 2 Cont.
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Power off your computer if you are not going to be using it again sometime soon
Restarting the computer is a good idea if the computer has been running a long
time
Inside the System Unit
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Motherboard
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RAM (random access memory)
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Needed for the operating system and any application to run
Fastest access memory so it is easy to add/edit your work
Volatile and so is not maintained when the application using the RAM is closed or the
power is shut off
ROM (Read Only Memory)
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Houses CPU (brain), RAM, ROM, and CMOS
BIOS chip contains the instructions for starting up the computer
Nonvolatile so is available even when the power was just shut off (important for start up)
Since is read-only, the important instructions for starting the computer cannot be altered
or accidentally deleted
CMOS (Complimentary Metal-Oxide semiconductor) chips
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Holds the specific hardware configurations for the computer
Chapter 4
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Computer Software – Software can be broken down into two
categories:
 Operating System software
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Application software
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completes the boot-up process
sets up the environment for applications to run
takes control over the hardware
manages the computer main memory (RAM)
Programs that we use to get work done on the computer
Productivity Software
 Includes things like a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation
software, database software
What-if Analysis
 Testing different assumptions in the same analysis
Chapter 4 cont.
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Integrated software applications versus software suites.
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Save vs. Save As
Getting help with software
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Integrated software applications are single applications that can perform a variety of commonly used
tools found in productivity software.
Software suites are a group of several software applications that have been bundled together as a
package. Software applications that belong to a suite tend to work better together, than with
applications that are not part of the suite.
Use the application’s help menu
Search online
Online forums and online tutorials
Can I just delete a program to uninstall it?
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NO! – You must “Uninstall” it
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Most applications make use of multiple files and also make changes to the System Registry (under
Windows)
By the same token, a lot of software cannot be installed simply by copying all its files to a computer
(because it needs to be configured).
Ethics: Can I borrow software that I don’t own?
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No, you should not
Consider using free Open Source software alternatives instead.
Chapter 5
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Desktop Operating Systems
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What the Operating System Does
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Technical Support
The User Interface
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Provides the user interface
Manages memory and storage
Manages hardware and peripheral devices
Provides a consistent way for applications to work with the software
Trends in IT: Why isn’t everyone using Linux? (Pg 197)
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Windows XP, Mac OSX, Unix, Linux
GUI (graphical user interface)
Visual Interface like icons, menus and toolbars
Why does the operating system need to manage the processor?
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To allow for multitasking (running more than one application at a time)
Chapter 5 cont.
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Why does the operating system have to manage the computer’s memory?
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How does the operating system manage storage?
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It maintains a file system that allows you to create folders to help organize your work
Allows you to choose filenames that help to describe the contents of a document
What are the steps involved in the boot process?
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To make sure there is enough RAM to run your applications
BIOS is activated
BIOS checks hardware
BIOS loads functions into RAM
BIOS loads main operating system functions from hard drive into RAM
Configuration files are checked (see figure on Page 203).
What’s the difference between warm boot and cold boot?
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A warm boot is restarting the machine without shutting it down
A Cold Boot is starting up the machine after it has been shut off
Chapter 5 cont.
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Organizing your files
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Are there special rules I have to follow when I name files?
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Most word processors recognize the RTF format
RTF includes formatting
Plain text files (.txt extension) can be opened on any computer system
Text files do not save any formatting
Working with files
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Some operating systems (Windows and Unix, in particular) use the extension to help identify what
application software to use
Microsoft Word documents have a .doc extension
A Filetype for Everyone – Rich Text Format (RTF)
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Depending on the operating system some characters have special meaning so they are not allowed
Filename Extensions
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Folders allow files to be grouped into categories
Subfolders can be used to further break down categories
Store the files in the appropriate folders with appropriate filenames
Deleted files often go into the Recycle Bin (trash) where they can be recovered until you
permanently purge them.
What is file compression?
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Reducing the file size
Done mainly to reduce network transmission time
Any Questions?
Exam 1 will be Wed., 1/31/2007
so be On Time! 