User:Craig Pemberton/Sandbox2

Basic Terms

 * bit:			the fundamental unit of information; either 0 or 1
 * byte:			8 bits, a historical accident of a unit
 * file:			a named sequence of bits stored on your computer
 * folder:			a file contains other files
 * program:		a file designed to preform a task when processed by the computer
 * run:			to start processing a program
 * operating system:	the program in charge of the computer
 * zip or compress:	create a smaller version of a file by encoding how "surprising" each bit is
 * website:		a file named by an web address, designed to be displayed in a web browser
 * web address:		a string such as "http://www.google.com"
 * web browser:		a program that requests and displays websites, such as Firefox or Internet Explorer
 * search engine:	a website that finds other websites, such as "Google"
 * ethernet:		the standard type of wired internet connection
 * wi-fi:		a name for a wireless internet connection
 * RAM:			"memory"; a place to store bits where they can be accessed relatively quickly
 * hard drive:		"storage"; a place to store bits when they are not used, relatively slow
 * traditional hard drive: stores data on metal discs that look like CDs, cheap and dense
 * solid-state hard drive: stores data on computer chips, no moving parts so it's fast and quiet and cold
 * LCD:			"Liquid Crystal Display"; the thin type of screen used in modern computers
 * BIOS:			The first bit of your computer that runs and looks for an operating system to start
 * USB:			"Universal Serial Bus"; the standard connection for computer accessories
 * window:		A box on the screen that a program outputs to. Normally has a title bar a the top with buttons to close, minimize, or maximise.
 * task bar:		A panel at the bottom of the screen that is always showing. Often contains a menu of short-cuts labeled "Start", a button for each window, a system tray, and a clock.
 * system tray:		On the far right side of the task bar there are often a set of small icons. These icons are running programs. Keep the number of these to a bare minimum.
 * task manager:		Accessed with the "3-finger salute" ALT+CTRL+DEL. Lists all running programs including ones that don't have any window associated with them.

SI Prefixes
significand$$\times 1000^n$$

Basic Computer Maintenance
The goal is to keep as many of your computer resources as possible free for your use. Corporate interests and inevitable disorder conspire to tie them up and result in degraded performance. The computer itself is just fine! It's just busily doing work that you don't care about.

Follow these steps to get it back into order:


 * 1) Clear you web browser caches. These can become very large and getting them out of the way will make the rest of the tasks faster.
 * 2) Internet Explorer: "Tools" -> "Internet Options" -> check the box -> "Ok"
 * 3) Firefox: "Tools">"Clear Private Data" > make sure "Cache" is checked > "Clear Private Data Now"
 * 4) Removed unused data.
 * 5) Win+R->"cleanmgr"->check all->Ok
 * 6) Eliminate unused programs:
 * 7) "Start"->"Control Panel"->"Add/Remove Programs"
 * 8) Remove all programs that you don't use. Don't remove service packs.
 * 9) Use Hijackthis to remove all entries that you do not need.
 * 10) Run "chkdsk" and restart.
 * 11) Win+R->"cmd"->"chkdsk"->hit return
 * 12) Run Spybot Search and Destroy, update the definitions, scan for spyware, inoculate.
 * 13) Replace your "hosts" file with one that blocks unwanted internet traffic. The hosts file is located at:
 * 14) Windows Vista = C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\hosts
 * 15) Windows XP 	= C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\hosts
 * 16) Windows 2K 	= C:\WINNT\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS\ETC\hosts
 * 17) Use the blackviper service list to shut off services.
 * 18) Access the services list from "Start"->"Control Panel"->"Administrative Tools"->"Services"
 * 19) Disable the services which Black Viper recommends you to turn off.
 * 20) Make sure to turn off "DNS Client" and "Indexing Service".
 * 21) Update your drivers:
 * 22) Go to your manufacturer's website.
 * 23) Browse to their download or support section.
 * 24) Find your laptop model from the list.
 * 25) Download and install all available updates.
 * 26) Defragment.
 * 27) "Win+R"->"defrag"
 * 28) Run battery maintenance from BIOS if you have it. Access BIOS by pushing F2/F10/F12/Esc/Del (it varies) when the computer first starts booting.
 * 29) Keep a list of running processes. If your computer slows down go into task manager and figure out what's new, and search Google for it's name.
 * 30) If you have any documents which are extremely valuable make sure to back them up!

In Windows

 * Win+D		Show Desktop
 * Win+F		Find
 * Win+R		Run
 * Alt+F4		Close
 * Alt+Tab		Switch windows
 * Alt+Ctrl+Delete 3-finger salute
 * Ctrl+C		Copy
 * Ctrl+X		Cut
 * Ctrl+V		Paste

Most programs implement these

 * Ctrl+F		Find
 * Ctrl+N		New
 * Ctrl+S		Save
 * Ctrl+P		Print
 * Ctrl+Z		Undo
 * Ctrl+Y		Redo
 * Ctrl+W		Close Tab
 * F11		Full Screen

In Firefox

 * Ctrl+Tab	Switch Tab
 * Ctrl+T		New Tab
 * Ctrl+L		Move cursor to address bar
 * Ctrl+K		Move cursor to search bar
 * Alt+arrows	Move through history.

Open Source Software
Open source is public-domain software written by volunteers for the common good. This software is often the best available, is free of conflicts of interest, and is transparent to peer review for better security. A good strategy is to use and support open source where possible, use free close-source software secondarily, and only pay for functionality when there is no good reason not to.

Some nice open source software:
 * Open Office
 * Stellarium
 * Pidgin
 * Firefox
 * Gimp
 * Peazip
 * Foxit