Desktops

I thought I’d do a series on the very basics of computing for the extremely uninitiated. Some people I meet have never touched a computer but a large majority of folks use a computer all day at work but have never been properly introduced, Consider this your formal introduction!

The biggest breakdown communicating your problem to your support agent is vocabulary. I have worked as a phone support tech for 8 years. I did this for companies like BellSouth, Siemens, and Coca-Cola. The quickest calls were from those who could accurately describe the problem they were having. Now, with a couple of tips you’ll be off the phone in no-time — after you actually get to a live person that is! The first lesson seems like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised.

Here in the picture you see a monitor, sometimes called the ‘screen.’ It is not “the computer.” The monitor has its own power button that only affects the power of the monitor, it does not turn off your whole computer. Monitors have a green light when they are on and receiving a signal and amber when it is asleep or not receiving a signal. If you have an amber light move the mouse or press the spacebar. If the monitor doesn’t come on the problem is most likely in the computer.

That huge old style monitor that took up half your desk was a “CRT”, only the painfully nerdy called it that. CRT stands for a very long name for the technology that it uses to project the light onto the glass. The new style skinny flat monitors use LCD to project light so they are sometimes called LCDs. So, to avoid confusion refer to the display as a “monitor” or the “screen.”

Note: PC stands for Personal Computer. This term refers to any machine and all of its peripherals used for computing. A PC can be a laptop or desktop, running Windows, Mac OS, or Linux. IBM was the first to use the acronym for its home products but the term has expanded beyond this usage.

To the right of the Monitor in the picture is the Computer. It is NOT a “CPU” don’t call it a CPU, it is not a “hard drive,” don’t call it a hard drive (little rant). The CPU and hard drive are components inside the computer (I’ll show you these next time) When you call the computer by one of these names you could signal to the tech that you already know where the problem lies and they’ll have to ask additional questions to backtrack when they figure out what you’re talking about.

When computers are oriented vertically like the one shown they are sometimes referred to as a ‘tower,’ when they are oriented horizontally (sometimes with the monitor stacked on top) they are called a ‘desktop.’ These terms are most often used when ordering a PC but, when techs talk about PCs, anything that is not a “laptop” is a “desktop.” To summarize; call the screen thingy a “monitor” and call the box with the magic in it the “computer.”

Notebooks

No one makes laptops anymore. Apple, Dell, IBM, Toshiba, no one makes a laptop anymore. Nope, they’re all called Notebooks or portable computers, or by some name thought up by an over priced marketing department. The reason for this is to avoid lawsuits. “Notebook” manufacturers have been sued over the heat produced by “laptops” that has been responsible for burning the user. This blog assumes that none of its readers are stupid enough to use a warm product long enough to burn themselves, if you are then please leave now and delete any bookmarks of this page. Moving On! Everyone calls these “laptops” so should you.

Next, we go inside the computer to look at what makes them run.