Windows Support Centre - Check out this site for the best knowledge base to using and supporting Microsoft Desktop Systems :-

Windows 95, 98 & ME and Leading Application Software

Hardware
A desktop or laptop computer contains internal hardware such as a motherboard, video card, sound card, modem, dvd cd/readwrite and floppy disk drives together with external connections for input devices such as a keyboard, mouse or tracker ball, flatbed or film scanner, joystick, digital/video camera, digital tablet and output devices such as a monitor, printer, speakers, etc.

These input and output devices are connected to the processor (computer) by the means of com, parallel, serial, games and usb ports

There is no routine maintenance required of the internal hardware other than the dvd cd/readwrite drive which requires to be periodically cleaned by way of a cd lens cleaner. It is also recommended that the monitor and keyboard are cleaned with a propriety cleaner as needed. The only other hardware that requires cleaning is the mouse or tracker ball whenever these devices exhibit erratic movement, this entails removing the mouse or tracker ball and physically cleaning the contacts which can be seen inside these devices.

For electrical safety and prevention of damage to the keyboard and monitor it should be noted that cleaning fluid should be sprayed on a cloth for cleaning and not directly to the keyboard or monitor.

When connecting the computer and other devices which require mains power it is recommended that these be connected via a surge protector and additionally that whenever there is a likelihood of a thunderstorm the mains power should be switched off and the mains plug removed for the duration of the storm. (required to prevent damage to the computer chips).

If it is your intention to use your computer for photography there are a number of input and output devices to consider. A digital camera will enable photographs to be input directly to the computer or via a card reader, however if a film camera is to be used then a film scanner or a flatbed scanner with a photo input would be required with hard copy output going to a photo quality printer and photographic paper. Note! (use only original printer ink cartridges and do not be tempted to use refill cartridges)

Whilst a mouse or tracker ball is the standard device for manipulating text and graphics in most general applications when it comes to using drawing or photographic applications a graphics tablet would be the preferred device.

Software
Software on a home computer (PC) comprises of three elements:-

1. Operating systems such as Windows 98, 2000, Me, XP, etc
2. Application software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc
3. Driver software required for the Printer, Modem, Scanner, Video Camera, etc

See Tips & Tricks for a further explantion of the windows operating systems and other useful information that will enhance your knowledge of computing systems and applications.

It is important to maintain your software and you should on a regular basis check that your applications, utilities and drivers are up to date. Most software can be updated over the internet by downloading updates and/or patches.

In addition to maintaining your software it is important to defragment your disk drives on a regular basis. As you install and remove programs the files are placed in non-contiguous disk sectors and this will eventually slow your computer down. With the advent of larger disk drives the use of system tools such as Norton System Works or Microsoft Accessories defragment can take a considerable time to complete and is best carried out as your last action when you do not require to access your computer. However if you defragment your drives on a regular basis this time scale can be reduced.

A further maintenance action concerns the internet browser as when browsing the internet files are placed in temporary and history folders and these will eventually build up and consume a large portion of your hard disk drive. This build up can be removed by Norton System Works or from within the internet browser by selecting tools - internet options - delete temporary internet files - and clear history. Failure to clear this build up will also mean that in most case when you connect to an internet site previously viewed you will be accessing the site from your internet cache which could mean that the information viewed is out of date.

At times the internet browser can fail to connect to the internet. This can generally be cleared by purging the internet history and temporary files. Another reason for failure to connect can be attributed to program conflicts and these can be cleared by restarting the computer.

When browsing the internet just by visiting a webpage you expose certain information to automatic collection even without cookies enabled.

There are a number of software utilities which can be used to rectify system files were the system registry and other system files have become corrupted by temporary or junk files. To correct these I would recommend the use Ace Utilities which is one of the best.

Applications
I generally use Microsoft applications as these are considered to be the industry standard for producing documentation and information. There are numerous software applications that can be used to provide similar functions as the Microsoft products, however as a general rule it is best sticking with a particular suppliers suite of applications as the integration and similarity of the user interface makes using the applications easier. On the creation of a new office document it is better to click on the Start icon at the bottom left of your screen and select new office document which makes available a dialog box with numerous templates and wizards for the document you intend to create. After having created and saved your documents these can be opened via the open office document. The following is a listing of the software applications I use or have used over the years in my training and business career.

Microsoft Word - Is a word processing application that is used to produce memo's, letters, documents, books, etc within an occupational, home or school assignment that requires text and graphics manipulation.

Microsoft Excel - Is primarily a number processing application that is used for financial and statistical computations and graphical analysis of the information.

Microsoft Access - Is a database generator and can be used for simple databases such as a club membership or complex databases for business use.

Microsoft PowerPoint - Is a presentation application and used with information generated by the other Microsoft applications and displayed by means of a digital projector can be a very powerful marketing tool in the hands of an experienced presenter.

Microsoft Publisher - Is a desk top publishing application that used in conjunction with the available wizards can produce brochures, newsletters, flyers, signs, greeting cards, business cards and business forms, etc.

Microsoft FrontPage - Is an application for creating and publishing a web site and is suitable for the novice user as it writes the web code as each page created. The only drawback with frontpage is that the site must be published to a server which utilises frontpage extensions otherwise frontpage specific code will not function. The industry standard for web site creation and publishing is Macromedia Dreamweaver however it is more suited for the advanced user.

Microsoft Outlook Express - Is the application used to create, send and receive e-mails within the home environment, however if your computer is used within an office network and is controlled by a network administrator it is most likely that you will be using Microsoft Outlook which provides interoffice communications within the business environment.

Microsoft AutoRoute - Is an application that displays the UK and Europe in map form and enables the location of specific towns or places and the printing of a route map and directions from a starting location to an end location which can include route deviations as desired. Used with a laptop computer it is unlikely that you will have the need for printed maps again. If it is your intention to travel within america then Delorme Street Atlas USA is the application to use.

Internet Explorer - Is an internet browser provided by Microsoft and whilst there are other browsers such as Netscape, etc, available I have found the Microsoft browser to be the most useful.

PhotoShop - Is the industry standard for photographic manipulation, however it is expensive and there are other alternatives available such as PaintShop Pro at a lower cost and they perform equally as well within the limitation of their lower cost. ACDSee is a digital imaging utility that will provide basic and complex functions similar to Photoshop and PaintShop Pro at considerably less cost.