by Technophobes;the Kicking;Screaming Is This Thing On?: A Computer Handbook for Late Bloomers
• Is the hour correct in the Current Time box? If not, move the mouse onto the hour and click to select it. Hit the number on your keyboard to type in the correct hour or use the arrows.
• Do the same for the minutes and seconds.
• Click on AM or PM to switch between the two.
• Click on Save to have the clock display the current time.
• Move the arrow to Show All and click to get back to the System Preferences window.
Mouse Traps
Now we’ll customize the mouse to suit you.
• Single-click on the Mouse icon.
• Click on Mouse (Trackpad, if you have a laptop) in the tabs.
• Tracking Speed has an arrow indicating the speed with which the mouse arrow will move across the screen. Click and drag the arrow to the speed you think it should be. Mine is set on the slowest speed, which is easiest for me; only you be the judge can what’s best for you. You can always come back to this window and readjust it at a later date.
• You can also adjust the double-click timing. Click and drag the arrow to whatever point on the continuum you think best represents how you double-click. This, too, can be changed easily if you find you need the timing adjusted.
• Once the Mouse or Trackpad window is closed, your changes will be made. You can always come back to this window and change these preferences whenever you wish.
This is a fine time to take a break. Just leave your computer as it is and come back when you’re ready.
• This window allows you to adjust your mouse settings.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click and drag “tracking speed” pointer to what best suits you.
2. Click and drag the “double-click speed” to what best suits you.
3. Click to close the window and save the changes.
Selecting a Background
The background on your desktop screen is also referred to as wallpaper. Your operating system comes with several different styles of wallpaper, and you can personalize your desktop by selecting one that appeals to you.
CLICK AND GO
1. Click on Nature folder.
2. Click on wallpaper that appeals to you.
3. Click on Screen Saver.
4. Click on screen saver of your choice. Or click on Options to see more choices.
5. Click and drag arrow to adjust when screen saver will appear.
6. Click Close Box to close window and save the changes.
• Is the System Preferences window still open on your screen? If not, go to the and access the System Preferences or you might only have to click on Show All to get there, if your Keyboard & Mouse window is still open (start on page 158 for how to open the System Preferences). Find the Desktop & Screen Saver icon. Single-click on the icon to see its contents.
• You will see a menu of image folders to the left. For this exercise, click on the Nature folder.
• If a Scroll Bar is available, scroll using the arrows at the bottom of the image to see what other images are available.
• When you find an image you like, click on it with the mouse.
• Bingo! There’s your background.
Now, let’s select a screen saver.
• Click on Screen Saver icon.
• Click on any of the screen savers in the left side of the window. You will see a sample appear in the right side of the window.
• Click on the Options button to view a list of Display Options. To activate one of the choices, click in the box to the left. A check will appear. To deactivate an option, click in the box to remove the check.
• There is an arrow you can click and drag to indicate how many minutes or hours should elapse before the screen saver is activated. (Mine is set for ten minutes.)
• If you click on Test the entire screen will show your choice of screen saver. You can simply move the mouse or click anywhere on the screen to return to the Desktop & Screen Saver window.
• Click on to close the window and save changes.
WHAT AM I SAVING MY SCREEN FROM?
Screen savers were originally designed to protect the screen from “screen burn.” Computer screens used to become damaged when the same screen image remained on the screen for too long. Improvements in the design of screens make this unlikely. Nowadays screen savers are more for visual entertainment.
You can open all the items in the System Preferences to see what they contain. For that matter, you can click on anything on the computer screen as long as you don’t hit the Return key, which instructs the computer to take an action, or you don’t click on an action key (OK, Yes, Apply). In fact, it is a good idea to return to the System Preferences window and make changes to the mouse and the background whenever you feel inspired. It is only through practice that you will really become comfortable with your computer. Play around here as often as you would like. If you open a window and are concerned that you’re heading into unknown territory, simply close it by using the Close Box or clicking on the word Cancel, Finish, or Exit.
Getting in the Swing
It’s a lovely thing to listen to music while working (or playing) at the computer. Grab a CD that you enjoy, and let’s learn how to play music.
• Place the CD, label side up, into the CD slot and give it a gentle push. The computer will pull the CD into the slot.
• Wait a moment and an image of a CD will appear on the Desktop.
• Next, a window containing the software iTunes should open automatically.
• Click on the arrow to play the CD.
• The songs (or “tracks”) on the CD are listed in the largest pane of the iTunes window. To play a specific track, move your mouse over the one you want to play and double-click it.
• There is an arrow at the top of the iTunes window that you can click and drag to increase or reduce volume.
There are a couple of other options for controlling the volume. Your speakers or monitor may have a volume control. Fiddle with them to set a comfortable volume for you.
• When you want to remove the CD, close iTunes by clicking in the Close Box. Then simply click and drag the CD icon into the Trash on the desktop, which now that you’re dragging the CD may look like for Eject. If that doesn’t expel the CD, you might have to depress and release the button on the top right of the keyboard.
• When you insert an audio CD, a window may appear that looks something like this. It allows you to choose a CD track and adjust the volume.
Job Well Done
If you’ve been using the book sequentially, at this point you should see a light at the end of the tunnel. The computer is more and more under your control. Stick with the book, and by the end you’ll be in total control. Repeat any part of this chapter and the previous one until you are ready to go on the Internet in Chapter 13.
Q: The Task Bar at the bottom of my computer screen has moved from the bottom of the screen to the side. It works where it is now, but how did it get there and can I move it back?
A: Click and drag is the answer for both how it moved and for how you can move it back to its original position. Believe it or not, at some point you accidentally clicked and dragged the Task Bar (some call it a System Tray) to the side of the screen. Place your mouse anywhere on the Task Bar and now click and drag to the bottom of your screen. Release the mouse. The task bar should be back where you like it.
Q: Is there a way to open an icon without double-clicking?
A: Yes. If double-clicking is really a struggle for you, you can single-click on the icon and then depress and release the Enter/Return key.
Q: Is there a way to scroll without using the mouse?
A: Yes, you can also move up and down a page using the arrow keys located on the bottom right of your keyboard. Sometimes it helps to click on the web page first, then use the arrow keys. But I would like you to practice with the mouse because the arrow key option does not work on all websites.
Q: What does PBKC stand for?
A: PB
KC is a charming acronym to tease computer users. You ask a technician, “What’s wrong with my computer?” He responds, “It’s a PBKC (pronounced pebkack).” It stands for “problem between keyboard and chair”!
THE NEWLYWED GAME
CHAPTER 13
Spanning the Globe
“Surfing the net”—traveling around the World Wide Web
The Internet looms in front of us as the Wild West did for the early settlers. As we hear more about the Internet and its limitless possibilities, none of us wants to be left behind. It is the land of opportunity, yet it is full of unknowns and it may seem like a long, hard journey to get there. Take heart, we will access the Internet and learn about websites together, and in no time at all you’ll be zipping around the Web with ease.
If you are chomping at the bit to get to e-mail, you can move on to the next chapter and come back to this one later. However, I strongly suggest that you go through this chapter first because it has information that will enhance your e-mail experience.
A Quick Overview
As you likely know, the Internet is a huge system that connects computers all over the world. The World Wide Web is today’s modernization of the old government-issue Internet, which consisted of convoluted codes on a black screen. The World Wide Web (www) was designed to make the Internet accessible, with colorful graphics, sound, and a user-friendly environment.
Surfing the net (net = Internet) isn’t very different from channel hopping on your television set. Sometimes something will really hold your interest; other times it’s fun to change from one channel to the next; and then there are times when you can’t find anything that suits your needs. The Internet, like TV, can be seductive, a great way to escape, and an opportunity to learn something new. All you need to connect to the Internet is a computer, a modem, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
* * *
“I was skeptical that the Internet could follow the progress of the companies I helped develop before my retirement, as all the younger folks at the company kept saying it could. They were right. I monitor the companies’ status daily and feel very much in the loop. I’ve never been better informed.”
—Joshua
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Finding Your Internet Service Provider (ISP)
The process of choosing an online service is another one of those cases where you might want to call in the cavalry. Ask a friend or relative for their advice on which company to choose and even have them come over and help you get started. Start by contacting your local phone company (Verizon, AT&T, SBC, etc.) or your cable television company (Time Warner, Comcast, etc.) to see what sort of a package they offer in combination with services they already provide you. When you buy your computer, one or several online services (for example AOL or EarthLink), may have arranged to have their software preinstalled on the hard drive. If the service you choose is among them, you can click on the icon on the desktop and follow their step-by-step instructions to get started.
When you’ve registered with an ISP, you have the benefit of the online services that it has put together for you. Your service may have chosen from the Web certain periodicals, travel resources, shopping areas, and so on, and will have direct links to them for your convenience. Each online service varies with what it offers. All of them provide access to the Internet and e-mail.
I highly recommend that you choose a high-speed connection. As I mentioned earlier in Chapter 8, dial-up connections to the Internet are slow and no longer competitively priced. You can get a high-speed connection for almost the same price and zoom around the Internet with greater speed and less chance of being cut off.
A Reminder to Keep Track of Your Trial Subscription
Many online services offer a free trial period. But you must remember to cancel your trial subscription if you no longer want the service. Even though you won’t be billed for the trial period, the online service provider will have asked for your credit card information to start your account. If you forget to cancel the account, it will start billing your credit card when the trial period is over and continue to do so until you cancel the subscription. Mark your calendar—there will be no reminder from the online service provider.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
As you register with your ISP, pay very careful attention: If a customer service telephone number crosses your path at any time, be sure to write it down. After you’ve completed the registration process, that number can be rather elusive. This may be your only opportunity to note it. Grab it while you can.
Getting Connected
Depending on which Internet Service Provider you choose, you may have to set up the connection or they may send a technician to your home to do it for you. If you’re setting it up, you will have received a box containing the modem and some cables. The modem is the device that will ultimately connect your computer to the Internet. If you’re uncomfortable or timid about installing the modem or the software on your own, either call the company’s 800 number and have one of their technicians on the phone while you go through the installation steps or ask a friend or family member to help you. It may even be worth it to pay someone to help you. You can often find an industrious high school or college student who would be happy to offer assistance for a lot less money than you would pay a professional computer technician. Whoever is helping you, don’t let him or her leave until you’ve turned the computer off after installation, turned it back on, and are sure it is all working properly.
At some point during the installation you may be asked to fill in a form on your computer screen, providing your name, address, telephone number, and credit card information so that your online service can bill you monthly. Generally, you can move from one text box to another by hitting the Tab key (located to the left of Q on the keyboard). If you want to access a text box out of sequence, you can move the mouse arrow anywhere inside the white part of the text box and click to activate the text box. You’ll see a flashing vertical line (referred to as the cursor or blinking cursor) in the far left of the box. That indicates that you can start typing at that location. (Refer to Chapter 12 if you need a refresher on how to use the Scroll Bar.)
• A page of the registration process for EarthLink.
DON’T FORGET TO CLICK IN THE BOX!
This is a crucial thing to remember. It is the most common thing that people forget. You must click inside the text box to activate it so it will accept your typing instructions.
Choosing a User Name and Password
A user name is the name you use when you’re on the Internet or sending e-mail. The next chapter goes into more detail about e-mail, but you may need to decide what your user name will be now, in order to connect to the Internet. Here’s an example: If I was an America Online customer, and my user name was Peach, my e-mail address would be [email protected].
Now that I’ve mentioned it, let’s identify all the parts of my fictitious e-mail address.
[email protected] is the e-mail address.
peach is the user name.
@ means “at.”
aol.com is the “domain name,” or mailing address.
“Case sensitivity” means that it matters whether the letters are in upper- or lowercase. At this time, most online services are not case sensitive when dealing with user names. Having said that, I still try to type my user name in the same case that I originally chose. Because passwords can be case sensitive, be sure to type your password in the same case as you originally chose. For this reason it is easier to choose a password that is all in lowercase.
When deciding on your user name, keep in mind that people will need to know your e-mail address so that they can send you e-mail. It seems silly to point that out, but I’ve had clients pick rather embarrassing user names and regret it when they had to tell people, “My e-mail address is [email protected].”
Be prepared not to get the user name that you hoped for. With hundreds of millions of people on the Internet, it’s probable that someone may already have your
first choice of user name. Have several options ready.
The e-mail service will also ask for a password. A password verifies who you are each time you sign on to the service. Choose a password that comes easily to you. There isn’t a whole lot of espionage with home computers, so you needn’t come up with something really far out. But please don’t use the same password that you use for your bank account or ATM card.
Make sure you write down your e-mail address and password. For safekeeping, why not stash it in your “Computer Instructions” envelope?
Once you’ve successfully registered, I want you to sign off and sign on from scratch. Practice, practice, practice.
KEY TO PASSWORDS
Most passwords need to be at least six characters long. It’s a good idea to make your password a combination of letters and numbers—that makes it harder to guess.
Signing Off and Signing On
Some online services require you to sign on to access the Internet. Others allow you to connect to the Internet just by double-clicking on an icon on the Desktop. Some remember your user name and password, and others ask that the information be typed in every time. If you need to type information into a text box, remember to click on the box with your mouse to activate the text box and use Tab to get from one text box to the next.