Computers For Kids
by
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In this chapter we will get into the steps that the computer takes when you first turn it on. We will also explain some of the choices that you have if you do not want to boot up the computer normally. This would be for troubleshooting purposes. The Boot Process So, what does this word “boot” mean? The word boot in computer talk means “to start up”. So, booting up the computer means to turn on or start the computer up. When you first turn on your computer, the first thing that is seen by the system is the power supply. If the power supply is not working properly, the computer will not proceed to boot up. Next, the power supply gives power to the motherboard which then tries to locate the CPU, memory and other vital components. The most obvious component that you will notice is the video display. The computer sends out signals to the video card and then translates those signals into pixels which is what you see on the screen. If there is any issue with any of these components, the computer will either do one of two things: • Give a few beep error codes. • Display an error message on the screen. This book will not go into specific error codes. These error codes are known as POST error codes. When you get a POST error code, you will need to do some research on the internet. You should do your research through Google – the search engine of choice. In most cases, you can just enter the actual error code and it will return more than a few results. At this point in the boot up process, it may be a hardware failure where you may need to swap out a video card or change memory. Providing there are no error messages on boot up, let’s proceed to the next step in the process. After your computer detects the vital components and starts displaying information on the screen, you will see the manufacturer’s logo along with some special keys that you can press to get into different modes. Some of the keys that you may see on this screen are: • F2 to run Setup • F12 to see the boot menu The “F” keys or better known as “function” keys are located at the top of your keyboard. They are labeled as F1, F2, F3, and so on. F2 – Entering Setup The F2 key is a very powerful key on your computer. If you hit this key while still seeing the manufacturer logo screen, it will say “Entering Setup” in the lower left corner of your screen. When you enter setup, you will be presented with a screen that shows you the basic configuration of the computer. This is known as BIOS. NOTE: All BIOSes are NOT the same! The wording and the actual features may be different. We will take a general look at some BIOS features. Please keep in mind that this will not be a technical discussion about BIOS, just an introduction. Let’s run through some of the items that are on this screen. You should familiarize yourself with some of these as you may need them when you start to learn how to troubleshoot computer problems. The first item we will discuss is the “System Info” section. This section provides you with a summary of what is inside the PC. It is a quick rundown of the specs. It will display memory, time and date, video display and other information that you may need to help troubleshoot computer problems. For example, let’s say your system was locking up frequently and was giving you error messages about not having enough memory. One of the things that may cause this is a bad memory chip. You can verify on this screen how much memory the computer sees. If you know that you have 2GB (gigabytes) of physical memory installed in the PC and it is only showing you 1GB then it could mean that you have a memory chip that has gone bad. At this point, you would need to possibly purchase a new memory chip, open up your computer, replace the chip, close your computer and test out the new chip and make sure that the computer sees the new chip. As a note, please make sure that you get the same type of memory that is already installed. If you don’t you will probably get some sort of POST error message stating that there is a mismatch. There are many other ways you can use System Info.
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About the Book
The book is designed to help children learn and understand the concepts of a computer. It gives them step by step instructions and leads them through the process on how to do something. The book also provides screenshots so the child can also use visual associations with the words that he/she is reading. They also have some exercises in the book that they can do to help them remember what was taught to them. Children learn at an early age and soak up the knowledge. It is best to give them as much information, and to display that information, in as many ways as possible. By the time your child reads this book, they will have a very good basic, but yet strong foundation of the Microsoft Windows operating system. The book is meant for anyone, not only children, to be able to pick it up, read it, and understand it from a non-technical standpoint. Please look towards the back of the book to contact the author for any pre-sales questions or comments.
About the Author
I started with computers at the early age of 13 when the Atari 400/800 was the computers at the time. I was able to work when I was 14. I saved up my own money and was able to purchase Microsoft Basic the following year. I then started programming and caught on to it and liked it. This led to other programming languages. When I was 19, I landed my first job using mainframes. At the time, I had also done business application programming. After that, I moved on to helpdesk positions supporting all versions of Microsoft Windows and Windows-based applications. I have also worked on AS/400 systems both as a security officer and administrator. Currently, as of this writing, (July 2012), I am a level 3 technician/backup team lead for one of the largest insurance companies in the world.