Page 18 - Computer Basics - Research
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issues, quite often you can just shut down the computer and reboot it. In the booting process, most of the time,
it will “fix” the problem.
Finding More Help
If you ever find that you need help while using your computer, you can left-click the Start button, and then click
“Help and Support.”
In addition, most programs on your computer will also have an individual help feature. The Help function may be
available from a Help menu at the top of the window, or by clicking a button. Help buttons are usually located in
the top-right corner of the window and may look like a question mark. Help menus often have a search function
or pre-prepared FAQs. Most programs also have 1-800 numbers to connect with a technician.
Connecting your Computer to the Internet.
Information at your Fingertips
Much of the information we need today can be found on the internet. You can research various topics and find
hundreds of articles and even books covering your topic. The internet is a place to find information as well as a
place where people can do online banking and shopping, download music and photos, and communicate with
one another through email and social networks.
The internet is a massive network of networks, a networking infrastructure. It connects millions of computers
globally, forming a network in which any computer can communicate with any other computer as long as they
are both connected to the internet either by wire, through fiber networks, or wirelessly. Every computer
requires an ISP or Internet Service Provider, a company that provides your computer with a connection to all
other computers on the Internet.
Each computer connecting to the internet has a special address, just as all residents who receive mail have an
address. It is called the computer’s IP, which stands for Internet Protocol. The IP address is a 32-bit number that
uniquely identifies a network interface on a machine. An IP address is typically written in decimal digits,
formatted as four 8-bit fields separated by periods. Each 8-bit field represents a byte of the IP address. For
example, a computer may have an address of 196.168.1.26. If you want to know your computer’s IP address,
type “What is my IP address?” and Google will answer you with yours.
The Internet is a jungle with web Browsers acting as passages to find out what lies inside internet Websites.
Through a browser, you can request any number of computers for information about a topic. The browser will
sort through all the computers that respond and list their responses over pages. You can then click on a
response, and that computer's page will open to display the information requested.
There are a lot of browsers with awesome features and popularity. But which ones are the Top Web Browsers?
Here are some of the major browsers available that are feature-rich, faster, secure, and have user popularity:
Google Chrome, Safari (Apple), Firefox, Internet Explorer (Microsoft Edge), Opera, Maxthon, Vavaldi, Slimjet
Browser, Netscape, and probably 10 others that share a small fraction of the users. Check out Slimjet Browser!
Slimjet is as good as Chrome, has a powerful and customizable interface like Firefox, reliability
features, and built-in apps that load a power-packed browser every time you use it.
WiFi
WiFi is a technology that uses radio waves to provide network connectivity. A WiFi connection is established
using a wireless adapter to create hotspots - areas in the vicinity of a wireless router that are connected to the
network and allow users’ computers to access internet services. If the host computer is not connected to the
internet, then the computers connected via WiFi can “talk” to one another, but the internet will not be available
to all computers connected to the host computer.
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