~ Beginners Home ~

If you are reading this, you are on the Internet. This is a website named "Computer Help". A website may have only one page or many pages. The start page is called the "Home page". A software program called a “Browser” is used to view the Internet. You may be using “Windows Internet Explorer” or “Mozilla Firefox”. There are others, but these two are the most common ones.

The mouse is used for several tasks. The mouse has a left and right button and usually a scroll wheel. Normally it shows as an arrow on the monitor when you are on a website. The arrow is moved by moving the mouse. To go to another page or a different website, you would place the arrow over a "Link". Links are how you get to another page on the Internet. A link is usually underlined text. A link can also be a graphic. When the mouse arrow is placed over a link, the arrow turns into a "Hand". When you see the hand, you would "Left Click" on the link and a new page will appear. In most cases the left button is used. A left click is usually the same as hitting the "Enter" key on the keyboard. The right button is used mostly for menus.

To the right of this page you see a bar. It is called a "scroll bar". If you place your mouse arrow on it, press and hold down the left mouse button, and move your mouse downward, it will move this scroll bar, which will move the page so you can read all of the page. There is also a up arrow at the top of the scroll bar and a down arrow on the bottom. If you place the mouse arrow on one of these arrows, and hold the left mouse button down, the page will move up or down. You can also use the up and down arrows on your keyboard to do this. Turning the scroll wheel on your mouse will also move the page up or down. Also, if you put the mouse above or below the scroll bar and left click, the page will move one whole page at a time. You can also use the "Page Up" and "Page Down" keys on your keyboard to do this.

To find whatever you are looking for on the Internet, there are "search engines". There are many of these. A few examples are Yahoo, Mamma, WebCrawler and Google.

To learn about how to use your computer, there is a help section which is very useful. To get to it, click on "Start", then "Help and Support". This will bring you to a place where you can read about different subjects and can do a search for information you need help on.

A computer uses a “monitor” to view whatever you are seeing. It is very similar to a TV. The older styles are called CRT monitors and the newer types are called LCD monitors.

There are thousands of software programs you can use. A browser is a software program used to view the Internet. Software programs can be used to write letters, make calendars & brochures, listen to music, organize information, create drawings, view pictures & movies, and much more. Some examples of software titles are Microsoft Word, Microsoft Publisher, TurboTax, CorelDraw, Family Tree Maker, Adobe Reader, iTunes and ACDSee.

If you use Cable or DSL to access the Internet, you will have a modem with lights that stay on and sometimes blink. A cable modem is connected to the same cable as your TV. A DSL modem is connected to your phone line. With DSL, you can talk on the phone and be on the Internet at the same time with only one phone line.