Unlocking the Digital World: A Beginner’s Guide to Understanding Computers

It occurred to me that I’ve never done a series of introductory posts to the world of computers, which is pretty lame for a blog that purports to specialize in explaining technology to people who like and use tech but don’t know much about how it all works. It’s time to change that. I am not sure yet how many posts it will take to cover each broad topic, but it should be an enjoyable journey for both of us. You probably know most of this information on some level, but having it put into words can be very helpful.

Introduction to Computers

Let’s start by defining what a computer is. A computer is an electronic device that processes data. Data processing is accomplished using a set of instructions called a program. A computer can store, retrieve, and process information, which allows it to perform a broad scope of work. The work might be simple calculations, or it could be as complex as running a smartphone, or maybe managing air traffic at an airport. Computers use a combination of hardware (the stuff you can pick up or touch) and software (the programs and the data) to do the work efficiently and accurately.

Computers have an interesting history, starting from the 19^th century punch card loom invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard. Also in the 19^th century, Charles Babbage designed a computer called the Difference Engine, but he wasn’t able to actually produce it due to the technological limitations of his era. He later designed another computer called the Analytical Engine, and the programming for that was written by Ada Lovelace. Most people who spend more than a few years working in technology operations know those two names as the father of computing and the first computer programmer, respectively.

In the 1940’s, we gained one of the first electronic general-purpose computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). When you think of the early computers that filled entire rooms, this is the one you’re likely thinking of. It was around that same time and shortly after that the transistor and the integrated circuit made it possible to produce smaller, faster, and more reliable computers. Toward the end of the 20^th century, computers had become personal, and they had entered homes and businesses, creating a revolutionary change in how society operates. The implementation of the internet expanded the computer capabilities even further by connecting the world in ways most people couldn’t even imagine previously. Computers today are a part of daily life. They power the phone in your hand, they power global communications networks, and many of the other devices you use regularly. They are continuing to evolve, becoming even more powerful and integrated into more of society’s activities, for better or worse.

Today, computers are the backbone of modern society, playing an important role in many aspects of our daily lives. They provide unparalleled access to an incredible amount of information, which lets us stay informed, learn new things, and make informed decisions. In the workplace, computers help us be more efficient and productive at our tasks by letting us automate a lot of our formerly manual operations, and computers perform data analysis at a speed that is simply impossible for humans. Computers have also revolutionized communication, by making it possible to connect with people all over the world nearly instantly through email, social media, and video calling. They’ve become essential tools for education, providing resources and interactive learning platforms, enhancing both the teaching and the learning experience. The possibilities offered by computers for creativity and entertainment are endless, making it possible for more people to create digital art, video games, and everything in between. The data analysis available for office use expands vastly for research and innovation, enabling simulations for various scenarios, driving new discoveries in many fields. Financial operations, customer service, and inventory management are all more efficient using computing operations. In addition to influencing how we work, learn, communicate, and entertain, computers continue to open new frontiers and create countless possible futures.

Understanding Hardware

The basic hardware for any computer consists of the Central Processing Unit (CPU), Memory, Input Devices, Output Devices, and Peripherals. Let’s get into each of them.

The CPU is the “brain” of the computer. It is responsible for running the instructions given to it by the software. It processes the data, and it coordinates all of the activities of all of the other hardware components.

When we talk about “Memory,” the term can refer to either Random Access Memory (RAM) or Storage. Most often, when you hear someone saying “memory,” they mean RAM. When they mean storage, they usually say “storage” or “drive.” RAM is short-term memory. It stores information that the computer is using for running applications. It’s volatile, which means that anything that is stored in RAM when the computer shuts down goes away. It won’t be there when you start the computer back up.

Storage, on the other hand, is not volatile. When you store something in storage, it’s still there without regard to whether or not the power is still on after you put it there. Storage can take several different forms. The computer itself will have a primary storage unit, called a drive, and it will either be a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) with spinning disks inside, or it will be a Solid State Drive (SSD) that uses chips instead of spinning disks. You may also use a “flash drive” or “thumb drive” that inserts into a USB port as a storage device. These devices are great for transporting files you may need on a different computer. They use the same type of technology for storing files as an SSD. Another type of USB-connected drive is an external hard drive or external SSD drive, although some sources consider these types of drives to be peripherals, which we will look at in just a few minutes. They typically have larger capacity than flash drives, although in a few years, flash drives may have evolved to the point where that is no longer true. Finally, most modern computers have a slot for an SD card like cameras use. The capacity for these cards has gotten phenomenal as well. The devices vary in price according to capacity.

Input Devices are things that let you interact with your computer. Your keyboard and mouse are the most common devices, but we also consider joysticks, keypads, and barcode scanners to be either input devices or peripheral devices.

Output devices are devices that take the results of the operations performed by the CPU and feed them out to a form you can see and understand, like a monitor or a printer. A printer may also be considered a peripheral, which we will look at next.

Peripheral devices are all the other things that you can connect to your computer, like a webcam, a camera, and some gaming controllers. As mentioned above, some sources consider printers and external hard drives to be peripherals.

Software Basics

Your computer won’t do much without software. It at least needs an Operating System, which is the main software that manages all of the hardware devices and all of the other software. This is what allows you to interact with the computer and run the programs that will make your computer useful. The most common operating systems are Microsoft Windows, Apple macOS, various forms of Linux, and ChromeOS.

Somewhere between the Operating System and the applications we have small pieces of software called Device Drivers. Device Drivers work to tell the Operating System and applications how to use components or peripheral devices. For example, your printer will have either software or a driver that will allow your computer to talk to the printer. If you’re using software that came with the printer, or that you downloaded from the manufacturer’s website, that software contains the driver for the printer. Internal components and Input devices also require drivers. Drivers for internal components that come with the computer will be installed with the operating system. When you buy a new component or peripheral, it will either have a disk or (more commonly nowadays) instructions on how to get the latest driver from the manufacturer’s website.

Application software is the stuff that makes the computer useful – spreadsheets, word processors, games (okay, not just useful, then), web browsers, and other programs. Early computers, before the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and multitasking features were introduced, could run only one program at a time. Today, it’s not uncommon for a user to have a mail program, a word processor, a web browser, and some form of scheduling software all open at the same time.

Installing and Uninstalling Programs

Installing is the process of adding new software to your system. It usually involves downloading a program or using installation media (some sort of disk, usually) and following as series of prompts or instructions to integrate the software into your system.

Uninstalling means removing the software. It’s a word that is pretty much unique to the computing world, because we don’t just remove a folder and call it good. The uninstall process is a program in itself that has the job of going into all the places where the install process put files and taking out the files that aren’t being used by some other program. When you uninstall a program, you should use either that program’s uninstall process or the operating system’s uninstall process. That ensures that there aren’t pieces of the software left behind, and that things that got changed in the install process get reverted to their original state.

Software Updates and Security

Software updates are released by software developers and vendors to fix bugs, make it run better, or close up security vulnerabilities. It’s important to keep your software up to date to make sure your whole system runs smoothly and doesn’t leave you open to security threats.

Security is the overarching term we give to all the measures you take to protect your computer and the data on it from unauthorized access, attacks, and damage. Using antivirus software and a firewalls are the two most basic things you can do, but security also includes following certain best practices regarding creating good passwords, not clicking on suspicious links, downloading software only from trusted sources, and too many other “rules” to list here. I’ve addressed them in other posts here, and my upcoming book, Your Data, Your Devices, and You, takes it to a very deep level.

Navigating the Internet

So much of our computing work involves using the Internet, so a discussion on even computer basics needs to include it. I’ll cover a basic explanation of the Internet, web browsers, email, and online safety, plugging my book again in the process.

The Internet is a huge network of connected computers. It is, in actuality, an internetwork of computers. It is the infrastructure that makes possible email, web browsing, online shopping and gaming, and streaming entertainment. Today, our most common interaction with the Internet is using a web browser, but in the early days, before the World Wide Web and graphical pages, the Internet was accessed by text commands. Our browsers today fetch web pages from remote servers that house the pages’ code, then display the page by reading each page’s code and displaying the results on our monitor. Edge, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, Brave, and Opera are all modern browsers. Internet Explorer is not a modern browser and shouldn’t even live on your computer.

Email is the term for what we used to call electronic mail (see what they did there?), and it’s just a way to exchange messages using the Internet. Even with all of the new methods of sending messages, email is still a fundamental tool for personal and professional communication.

Online safety, protecting your personal information online requires that you take certain steps like creating strong passwords and not reusing them multiple places, being judicious in sharing information, and making sure you understand and appropriately set the privacy settings on the social media accounts you use. Again (this is my shameless plug), a deep conversation on this is beyond the scope of this post, but step-by-step instructions will be available in Your Data, Your Devices, and You. For now, I’ll tell you that in addition to the simple items I listed here, it’s important to be aware of phishing scams, and some of the best advice anyone can give you is to use two-factor authentication (2FA) wherever it’s offered. Yes, it adds another layer of inconvenience when logging in, but it adds another layer of inconvenience to the bad guys as well.

Basic Troubleshooting

Now I’ll go into some common computer problems and some of the things you can try, when to seek the advice or assistance of a computer service professional, and some tips on how you can keep your computer running well.

Some of the most common issues you’ll see on a computer include slow performance, startup problems, and software crashes. A reboot/restart (they’re the same thing, but you may see one used in one source and the other used somewhere else) often clears up basic issues. If your system is running slowly or if random web pages are opening without your request, run a scan using your antivirus/antimalware program. Check your hard drive available space to make sure it’s not filled up, but don’t go deleting files willy-nilly; you need to make sure which files are safe to delete. Your own files in Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, and Downloads won’t affect system operations, but outside of those files, verify before you delete. Check the Recycle Bin or Trash to see if it needs emptied. Check the dates on your files in the locations I listed above and see what you don’t need anymore. A housecleaning session is a good New Year’s Day activity, and how I know this is not important.

When should you seek the assistance of a computer professional? Whenever you feel uncomfortable taking the next step in a series of instructions for fixing a problem, you should seek help. Fortunately, it’s not hard to find, unless your only access to the Internet is the device having the problem. Most of us have another avenue, though, and we can find a blog post or instructional video to get us over a hump. When you’ve reached the end of your expertise, don’t hesitate to call in a technician. Sometimes you just can’t figure out what’s causing a blue screen error or hardware malfunction. Anytime you think the problem may be a security issue, if you can’t fix it quickly, get help quickly.

The key to keeping your computer running smoothly is the same as it is for a car: regular maintenance. While you won’t be changing the oil and checking the tire pressure, you do need to install updates to the operating system and the applications. You also need to do disk cleanups periodically, back up your data, and let your security software run its scans on a regular schedule.

This blog will always be a reasonably good source for computer help, but I’m far from the only expert out there. The links below can take you farther into the topics I’ve covered here. In the meantime, I’d love to hear what you thought about this post. Was it helpful? Would you like to see more like it? What other topics would you like to see me write about? Drop a comment and let me know!

5 Common Computer Problems and Solutions | CDW

10 critical steps to help protect yourself online (norton.com)

15 Common PC Problems and How to Troubleshoot Them – Hongkiat

An introduction to software updates (and why they matter) | Privacy International

Comparing OS: Windows, Linux & macOS Features and Security (simeononsecurity.com)

Computer – History, Technology, Innovation | Britannica

Difference between System Software and Application Software (guru99.com)

History of computers: A brief timeline | Live Science

History Of Computers With Timeline [2023 Update] – Comp Sci Central

How to Keep Windows Running Smoothly | Tom’s Hardware (tomshardware.com)

How to protect personal information online: A 15-step guide | Norton

How to Troubleshoot Common Computer Problems (pctechmag.com)