Copy Files to an External Device

In this example, we’ll backup files from my computer to an external hard drive. The same procedure will work with a flash drive or other external device. For example, copying music files from your computer to your cell phone.

NOTE: Click on the pix to see full size.

1. Connect external device to your computer. Typically, this means using the USB cable that came with your device. Connects to the computer at a USB port. After it is connected, turn on device.
2. Open two Windows Explorer windows. Either
   • Start-Documents
     or
   • Win-E
     or
   • Chose “Open Folder to View Files” on autoplay.
3. Position windows side by side on desktop.
   • In one window (a), navigate to the folder that has the files you want to copy.
   •  In the other window (b), navigate to the folder on your external device where you want to drop the files.
4. Select files on a by clicking one file and then click on additional files while holding down the control key. (Or select a group of files by clicking one, holding down the shift key and clicking another to select all files between the two.)
5. Drag the files to a folder on your external device. In this example, I created a new folder called Dropbox_28may12. To drag, hold down the left mouse button, use the mouse to move the cursor to b, then release the mouse button. The files will be copied from one directory to the other.

How To Play MINESWEEPER

Minesweeper, one of the oldest computer games, usually comes bundled with MS Windows and is also available free online in many forms. Here’s  how to play:

1. Open Minesweeper. On my Windows XP system, I click Start/All Programs/Games/Minesweeper. The gameboard, 30×16 squares, opens (right).

The counter in the upper left indicates that there are 99 hidden mines. Your job is to find and mark all 99 without hitting one and blowing up.

When you left-click on a safe square, a number appears; this indicates the number of mines adjacent to the square.

When you left-click on mine, it blows up and the game is over (left). Click on the face icon to start again.  When you click on a square that has NO adjacent mines, all the adjacent safe squares are revealed. Eventually, you get a good spread (below), and you can start to find the mines. Right-clicking on a square will mark a mine.

2. Mark known mines. From the layout, you already know where some of the mines are located. If you see a “1″ with only one adjacent  blank space, you know there is a mine there. If you see a “2″ with only two adjacent blank spaces, you know where two of the mines are located.

A little thought will show that in this configuration, 1-2-1 determines the location of two mines; it is the only way the “2″ can have two mines without giving a “1″ two mines as well.

Here is the above layout with many of the obvious mine sites marked: 

3. Now you have identified a number of safe (mine-free) squares because, for example, if a “2″ has two adjacent mines and another adjacent square, that square must be safe. Mark all the safe squares by left clicking on them. Better still, use this trick: Click with the left and right mouse buttons together on a square that has it’s full compliment of mines, and all the safe squares will automatically be filled in with new numbers.

4. Now you have a bunch more marked squares, and a bunch more information. Continue figuring out mine locations and marking them.

You will probably encounter situations where you have to guess the location of a mine. Good luck!

If you click “Game” on the menu bar, you can view your best times. You can also choose the level: beginner, intermediate or expert.

Web Browsers

A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web.

To see just what this means, right click anywhere on this page and chose (left click) “View Source.” The gobbledygook you see is the actual code for the web page, which does you no good at all. You need a browser to interpret the code and display the page on your screen.

If you have a PC, it probably came with Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) already installed and selected as the default browser, so if you click on a link it will open, by default, in IE. This is an example of a general principle: We are Microsoft. You will comply. Resistance is futile. There is nothing wrong with IE, except that it will often be configured with a bunch of links, buttons and favorites that you won’t use and will just clutter up your desktop. After you use it for awhile and are sure they are superfluous, you can get rid of them.

Other popular browsers are Firefox, Chrome and Safari. They are free and easy to download and install. Try one and see if you prefer it to IE,

See also BrowserBasics.pdf

Operating Systems

An operating system (OS) is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources. This diagram from the Wikimedia Commons is wonderful.

Hardware is that box of on-off switches in front of you: the computer. User, that’s you.

Between the two of you, there’s an Operating System and a bunch of Applications. Applications are programs (software): a browser like Internet Explorer  to surf the web, a word processor and spreadsheet (MS Office), some games…

Between the applications and the computer, there’s the operating system. If you have a Mac, this is some version of Mac OS X. If you have a PC, you are using Microsoft Windows.

Which version you are using depends on when you bought it. Newer PCs will have Windows 7. Older computers will have Vista or, more likely, XP. Anything older than that is really old!

Capitalization

DO YOU EVER GET AN EMAIL THAT IS TYPED IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS? Isn’t it annoying?

When I was an apprentice printer many years ago, I took a typography class at LA Trade Tech, and I remember an important point from that class: Everything displayed is nothing displayed. Capitalization is a form of display, and when you use all caps, you are defeating the purpose. In email, it is like shouting; sometimes it’s appropriate to shout, but if you are going to shout all the time, it would be better to speak in a normal voice.

The same could be said for bold and large type faces. Both are forms of display (shouting). Use them sparingly, in a way that makes sense and enhances your communication.

2012 Class Schedule

The 2012 class schedule has been posted to the website, http://www.1400ml.com/CarsonLibrary/CarsonSchedule.php.

The schedule remains the same: 2nd and 4th Saturday, 9:30-11:30, at the Carson Regional Library, 151 E. Carson Street. 3rd Wednesday, 5:30-7:30 at CRL, and 3rd Thursday, 9-10, at the MLK Branch, 17906 S. Avalon Blvd.

The only difference is that the 4th Saturday will no longer be reserved for a specific advanced topic. All the classes will try to address the interests and questions of those who show up.

Bookmarks/Favorites

Let’s talk about using Bookmarks (Firefox, Chrome, Safari)/Favorites (Internet Explorer).

Use them! If you come across a page that you think you might want to look at again, bookmark it! That way you will be sure to find it.

Keep your bookmarks organized. If you are actively using bookmarks, you will soon have a long list. You can manage bookmarks to make them more useful. Delete the ones that are no longer interesting. Move some that you want to keep into folders so that you can easily find them. For example, my bookmarks folders include “library,” “tech,” “friends,” “hike,” “newspapers,” and “back.” That last one is very important, because I stick everything in there that I may want to look at again someday, but for now I want them out of the way.

Your bookmarks/favorites will be an important resource if you use them and manage them.