Computing Fundamentals

Explore how applications and hardware interact with an operating system, uncover its history and usefulness, and learn essential features like file navigation and the importance of updates.

Explore how to use a modern weather app to plan a 5k race in Danbury by enabling location services, searching for Danbury Connecticut, and viewing current conditions, forecasts, and maps.

Learn Windows 7 desktop basics: taskbar, start button, quick launch, and notifications, then manipulate and resize windows; understand file extensions and explorer views with Notepad, Word, and Excel.

Master Windows 8 file management using File Explorer, libraries, and ribbons. Copy, paste, cut, and move items, create folders, use keyboard shortcuts, and manage the recycle bin.

Explore how graphical user interfaces ensure consistency across applications, reducing development costs and standardizing how you run programs, while the command line interface relies on typing commands.

Sign in to Windows 8 and organize the start screen by managing tiles, pinning or unpinning apps, resizing and moving tiles, and using all apps and the charm bar.

Explore how to access the account ID menu, switch users, sign out, lock, and log in, with a quick look at the admin CA support account and shutdown behavior.

Explore directory infrastructure that organizes information into folders and subfolders, uses Windows Explorer to search, view files with icons, and understand hidden system files and extensions viewed through options.

Learn how operating system updates and patches fix bugs and repair vulnerabilities, introduce new features, and sometimes provide hotfixes to keep your system safe and up to date.

Configure the operating system to create a user-friendly environment by adjusting visuals, backgrounds, colors, and accessibility options, and customize input devices, drivers, and languages for better productivity.

Choose and customize your desktop by selecting a solid color or image as background, apply themes and font styles from cursive to printed, and explore screensavers to personalize the experience.

Learn how to customize the Windows background and colors while understanding resolution, pixels, and how higher resolutions create more screen space on your monitor for information.

Explore the desktop window elements, manage and arrange multiple windows with snap, maximize, minimize, and taskbar features, and customize the quick access toolbar for faster document work.

Explore what an application is and how it interacts with the operating system, outlining what it takes for users to work with the software.

Explore how applications use the operating system to access input devices like a microphone, record audio, and save files via a graphical user interface and wizards for Access.

Understand software as data interpreted by the operating system through graphical user interfaces and input devices. Practice using applications and wizards to install features and master how programs request input.

Create individual user accounts and assign file permissions; use UAC and group policy to prevent unauthorized software installs and defend against zero-click attacks.

Explore how to use the control panel to configure your operating system, adjust software and hardware settings, manage display resolution and power options, and extend battery life.

Demonstrates adding and removing software with a guided installer and uninstall via the control panel. Emphasizes verifying digital signatures from Apple Incorporated and reviewing the end user license agreement.

Discover how computer hardware powers operations through the system board, CPU, memory, and hard drives at gigahertz speeds. Explore peripherals and network interface cards, wired and wifi.

Explore visual devices, or output monitors, and how resolution affects information visible on screen. Learn to use two monitors to extend or duplicate your desktop and connect projectors for presentations.

Explore computer and networking terminology by defining hardware and peripherals, contrasting temporary and permanent storage, and examining connectivity devices and network components that enable computer-to-computer communication.

Understand how the central processing unit processes instructions per second, from single, dual, and quad cores, and how input and output devices, monitors, printers, mice, keyboards connect to the computer.

Explore storage concepts by examining storage device types and how a hard drive works. Learn how read and write operations retrieve and store information in storage.

Understand how a hard drive stores data in sectors through formatting and a file system with addresses, how the read/write head accesses files, and NTFS permissions and encryption.

Explore fundamental storage concepts, including hard drives and removable usb drives, view capacity and free space, organize files, and safely eject devices.

Explore connectivity devices and the different types of servers, and understand the client–server design, including how a desktop operates as a client.

Servers are powerful computers that provide centralized resources and services. Domain controllers authenticate users, file and collaboration servers share data, web servers host pages, and cloud services enable internet access.

Explore client-server architecture by examining why a server provides centralized resources and how diverse clients—from desktops to laptops, tablets, and smartphones—access them, highlighting bring your own device trends.

Explore how Ethernet networks use MAC addresses and switches to forward traffic, manage broadcasts, and partition broadcast domains to reduce congestion in multi-switch topologies.

Block broadcast traffic by using routers to segment networks, assign IP addresses to identify broadcast domains and hosts, and route traffic between networks with a zip-code analogy.

Learn to view and troubleshoot Windows network settings by checking connections in the notification bar, opening the network and sharing center, and using ipconfig to view IP, gateway, and DNS.

Explore hardware peripherals, storage types (solid state flash, hard drives), RAM, connectivity devices, and network components to understand terminology and basic device functions for networks and security.

Explore software and operating systems, cover licensing to ensure lawful use, and demonstrate installing, uninstalling, and reinstalling software, plus utilities that enhance system safety.

Understand how software updates fix bugs and close vulnerabilities, provide new features via patches and service packs, and manage upgrades, hotfix, and upgrade paths with a license.

Explore Windows Defender settings, including real-time protection, definitions updates, and the history view with admin prompts. Learn to customize exclusions, scanning options, and quick scans for protection.

Explore software licensing and upgrades, learn why most software requires payment, review different licensing types, and understand the hazards of pirating.

Learn how BitTorrent and peer-to-peer networks enable software piracy and the legal risks, including penalties, while emphasizing reading the end user license agreement and digital signatures for security.

Explore the limits of using software, compare data solutions for presentations, publishing, and media content, and learn how to use software to work with media.

Explore how hardware limitations affect software performance, including slow input devices, limited storage, insufficient memory, and processor constraints. Check minimum hardware requirements to ensure timely operations.

Explore PowerPoint and other presentation software, where slides with bullet points use arrows that fly in and text that appears, viewable on projectors or web pages.

Explore how publishing differs from on-screen presentation and learn to create printed media using Microsoft Publisher templates to design brochures, business cards, and pamphlets with correct formatting and folding.

Compare database and spreadsheet data management using Excel and Access demos, highlighting tables, records, fields, and data integrity. Examine sorting, totals, and how databases support inventory and customer order tracking.

Explore how file compression uses algorithms to shrink data without losing integrity, replacing patterns with symbols to save space and speed up transmission, though decompression rebuilds data from symbol table.

Discover how to compress files and folders in Windows Explorer to save disk space. Apply compress contents on items or folders and learn when compression improves sharing for email transfers.

Manage partitions and volumes to protect data by separating operating system and documents, and explore striping and raid options for high availability across multiple drives.

Learn software basics, keep updated versions, and remove malware. Boot Windows in safe mode, research issues via the knowledge base, and manage tasks and processes.

Keep software up to date by enabling automatic updates to fix bugs and add features, while enterprise change controls test patches before deployment to avoid downtime, noting patch risks.

Identify malware types such as viruses, worms, and trojan horses, and protect systems with antivirus software, firewalls, and virtualization snapshots; use restore points and imaging with backups to recover.

Boot Windows in safe mode with basic drivers to troubleshoot startup issues. Use f8 to access it, remove problematic drivers, and recover using last known good, versioning, or recovery disk.

Explore knowledge bases and online resources like TechNet, Yahoo Answers, Ask.com, and blogs to troubleshoot by researching similar problems and finding steps, such as enabling Outlook's index feature.

Explore how to use windows help and support to find step-by-step guidance, including keyword search, videos, and settings changes, plus online sources like TechNet for different versions.

Identify how the task manager monitors running processes, hardware indicators, network and memory usage, and how to diagnose bottlenecks. Learn to end unresponsive applications to improve performance.

Learn how to use task manager to view running applications and processes, sort by cpu and memory, and safely end tasks while monitoring cpu, memory, and network usage.

Explore hardware, devices, and peripherals, and examine firmware as the software installed on them, while checking cables, connections, and common device issues.

Explore how firmware powers hardware devices, how flashing updates the read-only memory, and why digitally signed firmware matters to prevent printer hacks.

Explore how firmware and peripheral devices rely on drivers, and learn how updates and driver reinstallation fix bugs and corruption to keep hardware working.

Learn to back up your data regularly to protect against data loss when reinstalling the operating system or programs and to enable easy restoration.

Backups copy important data and store it offsite to guard against drive failure. Cloud backups and versioning keep files accessible across devices, with the service provider handling backup and security.

Explore how to perform a backup with Windows backup software, choose files and libraries to back up, and perform a restore using the same tool.

Explore the fundamentals of operating systems and programs, and learn computer and network terminology. Practice using software with the operating system and troubleshoot common issues.