1 Getting Started - the basics

When your computer was first set up, there would have been four main components – the box (or tower), the screen (or monitor), the keyboard, and the mouse. You may have other components – webcam, speakers, microphone, modem, a printer, and so on, but the basics are the four mentioned above. We’ll go through them in order. At the bottom of each article, you'll see arrow buttons, at the right and at the left, to scroll through the articles.

The tower is the part of the computer that houses all the software you’ll be using. Like any electrical device, it will need adequate ventilation, so make sure that it isn’t too packed in, otherwise your computer won’t work as well. It’s also the place where the majority of the cords are, so it will need to be in a place where these are not too accessible by young grandchildren / your pet! There will be a main cord, from the tower to the wall, and another to each of the other devices – monitor, keyboard, mouse, etc. Make sure each is inserted properly, and not loose / about to fall out, otherwise this can cause untold frustration!