The information in this page will walk through the basics of Personal Computers (PCs), particularly about navigating the desktop environment. Learn how to create, find, and manage data files on your computer- We'll cover the steps from logging in to clicking around the different areas on the insides of your computer.

This material is intended to review the following:

A Personal Computer differs from a Server Computer because it is designed around the experience for the end user. Considering the descriptor "Personal", these machines are intended to be used and customized by the owner. Rather than hosting one service for many clients, a PC is a single host-client being able to use many different services.

A desktop is typically a larger size machine which provides processing power at the location where it is stationed. A desktop usually encompasses a full setup with a keyboard and mouse, monitor, and often an audio option.
A laptop is an all-in-one package with all of these features combined into a portable system. The cost of portability is processing power and battery limits, but these solutions are resolved with cloud storage and other hosted services.

Think of the computer as a set of files which are able to operate onto each other. Data is stored as different file types. Applications are a certain type of file, made up of other files, which just transforms or displays data inside of the files. Data files can be individual files, or they can be tied to other files in a number of ways.
There are a couple ways to send and receive requests to the computer as a human.

The keyboard has a multitude of buttons which are mostly self explanatory, but there are also hidden features with certain actions.

The arrow keys and the Control, Alt, and Shift modifiers help control the cursor and the selection of data on the screen.
For example, holding Shift or Control in most programs allows adding more than one item to a selection.

Here are some useful shortcuts:

The computer mouse controls the cursor or pointer on the screen.
Clicking the left side mouse button is usually a primary click, and the right side is usually a secondary/contextual mouse click. This can be changed in the system settings.

The primary mouse click is for selecting and confirming options.
A regular click, unless specified, is with the left mouse button on its own. Press and release one time to click the mouse.

The right mouse button is mostly used to list the additional contextual actions related to the current selection, for example, to find the properties for a file.
Make a selection with the left click button first, then right click onto the selection to see the options available for that selection.

The mouse wheel is used to scroll up and down.
The shift modifier causes scrolling left and right.
The control modifier causes scrolling in and out.

The mouse tracks itself in the table with a sensor on the bottom of the device. The sensor or the surface might need to be cleaned if tracking becomes inaccurate.
Wireless mice have batteries that need to be replaced or charged every so often.
Don't forget to check that it is on when you start using it. Most have a sleep feature to save battery and you can wiggle the mouse to wake it up.

The touchpad replaces the mouse by allowing the user a smaller surface for the same actions.
Instead of moving a mouse on a table, slide a single finger over the pad to move the cursor in the relatively same motion across the screen.
Find the buttons near the pad, or tap on the pad, or press into the pad to activate a left click.
Depending on the model, there may also be a right click button, but sometimes a two-finger tap on the pad will activate a right click.
Many touchpads can read three or four fingers on the pad simultaneously. Here are some common gestures you should be mindful of because sometimes they activate unintentionally.

Some laptops have a little rubber plug in the center of the keyboard which can be used to nudge the mouse in the direction pushed. Useful for simple adjustments if the cursor is in the way while typing.

Anything visible on the screen (apart from any dust or sticky notes) would be software. Your PC even has software running which is not always visible.

Similar to the mobile experience, many computers will boot to a lock screen when starting or waking up. Some devices are able to use biometrics to further secure the device and some have passwords bypassed by disabled.
On shared PCs, you might notice a list of multiple accounts to log in. Sometimes, a device is set up to automatically skip the sign in process and go directly to a specific user account. If you need to log out to change account, try the start menu or the control+alt+delete keyboard shortcut.

Like the home page on a mobile device, the desktop is the default space where apps and documents will be contained and displayed.
The desktop looks like an open space with a wallpaper that is usually customized for the current user. Right click in the space to open contextual actions, including changing the background image and color theme and size,
The desktop is usually filled with files and shortcuts to frequently used programs. The content and arrangement is up to the user.

Use the mouse to select apps and files on the desktop.
Left click one time to select an object, and doubleclick it to open it.
Click and drag in the empty space to perform a box selection on the icons.
With an icon selected, click and drag on it to move and rearrange it.

On the desktop, applications and files are opened in rectangular shaped containers called windows. The Windows brand operating system is named after these boxes.

Your computer is probably able to withstand opening many different programs at a time.
Your workflow may necessitate the ability to transfer data between multiple windows at a time.

The Start Menu is named because it is a starting point for many tasks.
Open the start menu by clicking the button on the screen, or by pressing the button on your keyboard.
The menu will open up and display a list of saved, frequently used, or suggested apps. You can also search for a specific app or file on your computer, and certain OSs are starting to include connections with the internet or AI searches to expand your indexing range beyond your PC.

An icon is the thumbnail-sized picture which represents the placement of a file on the system.
A file is a piece of data, of any kind.
Click an icon once to select it, and double click to open or execute it. Use the shift and control modifiers to expand your selection.
You can predict the type of content within a file by observing its icon- A file made up of text only might look like a piece of paper on the screen. A file with video data in it might include a thumbnail image of a part of the video, and the file name next to the icon might say ".MOV" which is a hint that this is a movie file.
On the desktop and in the file browser, you can change the size and sorting of icons by right clicking to get additional context, or by looking through the "View" settings in your app. Typically, you can make icons bigger and smaller by holding the control key and moving the mouse wheel up and down.

Buttons are a special type of icon-file which instantly executes a command.
Buttons usually only need to be pressed once to activate them, and some buttons have right-click contextual options.
The simplest example is the X button in the top of the window pane which executes the "close window" command.
The start button does the "open start menu" command.
The physical buttons on your keyboard are bound that your computer understands each press.

A folder is a special type of file that contains other files (or other folders) within itself.
Notice how the icon for a folder looks like a manila filing folder in a real cabinet.
You might be able to discern whether a folder contains data or is empty based on the icon.
Folders do not inherently have limitations on the number of files or level of subfolders you can put inside of them, but do often have limitations of naming (as do files) to keep the system directories in order.
It is just as viable to have one folder with many files in it as a flat layer, versus a folder with many subfolders and few files in each folder.
Folders are a versatile sorting tool.

Links are a special type of file which points to another file. Creating a link is like creating a shortcut to that other destination. The file will exist in folder A, and can be accessed through a shortcut link in folder B, C, etc.
The link usually exists as a separate entity, only a reference to the original file which can be moved, named, and deleted independently of the original file.
Links are useful for navigation, but can cause a lot of clutter if overused for sorting content.

It is possible that the clipboard may apply across multiple different and separate applications. You may cut text from a spreadsheet and move it into a notes app. You can copy an image file and paste it into multiple folders.
Note that the receiver of the data must be able to accept the type of data copied in the clipboard- eg an image file cannot be pasted into a text area (unless the program can allow it to mix data types).
Most machines have a clipboard only capable of remembering a single item, but some can be upgraded or installed to remember history.
If sensitive data like a password is copied to the clipboard, it will remain there to be used until it is overwritten or wiped.

If your computer has the output ports, then you can widen your horizons by adding multiple monitors to the setup.
You can find system settings (try keyboard shortcut windows key+ P) for the method of output and to adjust how the layout feels by rearranging the virtual monitors.
Windows can be dragged across monitors as if they were touching at the edges.
Remember that the limits of multitasking are: Your computer's ability to process data, and Your ability to track what the computer is processing.

With one or more monitors, your also have virtual desktops.
These are like a virtual holding layer for the content on the screen.
Suppose that Virtual Desktop #1 has email and spreadsheets open.
Suppose that Virtual Desktop #2 has a web browser and a movie playing.
The contents of one view are independent and hidden when viewing another.
Switch to #1 when the boss is around and back to #2 to easily return to where the entertainment is.
Use the windows key+ Tab to switch between desktops. (Similar to Alt+ Tab)

The desktop experience is fairly customizable among its different aspects. Click in the categories of your settings to find these and more.

The appearance of content on the screen.

Change the relative scale of buttons, icons, and texts on the screen.

Change the brightness of the screen and the contrast of colors to make objects more distinct.

There are a few options for volume and selecting the input and output devices.
Sound settings usually have a shortcut in a corner of the desktop.
Many keyboards on laptops have volume buttons.

Manage Wifi and Bluetooth.
Network settings usually have a shortcut in a corner of the desktop.
Don't forget to check the box for "remember/autoconnect this network"

Change the behavior and response of the cursor to your inputs.

Adjust which apps notify and when to be silent.
There is often a dedicated notification area on the desktop or in the start menu.

System updates on most OSs are handled automatically. This means an automatic update might also interrupt your workflow unexpectedly. Check in your system settings related to updates to see and change what the setup is.
Up to date computers are more safe than out of date computers.
There are software updates for individual installed apps, and those updates are usually handled by the app itself if at all. Your machine will sometimes give a notification that a component is out of date.
There may also be a need to update firmware or drivers, but this process is only needed in certain conditions and instructions are supplied by the manufacturer.

Programs, or Applications, or Executables (hence the .exe file extension), are a special type of file which executes a repeatable process for a certain tasks.
Programs include concepts as simple as a script to copy data from one location to another, more complicated programs like the spreadsheets editor which does math operations on lists of number data, and even more complicated programs like a virtual reality video game where the player interacts using a headset and controllers to simulate a virtual 3D space.

The most used apps relate to web browsing. This is the concept of connecting your machine to a global network of computers, gaining access to everyone who permits you to connect.

Here is a summary of how your machine is connected to mine in most broadband setups.

Using the web browser is a point and click experience. Use the mouse to click on buttons and shortcut links in webpages- it similar using any other app in the desktop. You can move the pane around and open multiple tabs and windows as needed.

Most web browsers feature a search bar and a URL bar, and sometimes it is combined into one field. This is the area where you can perform a general internet search or navigate directly to a target webpage. The Uniform Resource Location is the website name where it lives- your computer automatically converts it based on the IP address of the machine.

Performing a search will require a search engine service. These are specialized computers and programs that scour all the connected machines on the internet (which also host websites and allow access) and indexes and condenses all of the available data.
When you want to find websites with the word Face in the name, the search engine will look and respond with anything that relates to the word Face and it will suggest a list of results by relevancy.
You can even search for other content type like images and videos in their own categories.

Opening any page in the browser happens in the main pane view, where the user can use the mouse and scroll wheel (or arrow keys, page up/down buttons) to get to other parts of the page and the site.
Every website is different and navigation gets better with experience.

There are some customization options in the browser around page view, site history, and security.
You can review and delete browser history and stored data (cookies).
Many browsers have a built in password manager to save and review passwords.
Some browsers allow you to log in with an account- if the account is connected to a cloud service, then it is possible to synchronize history, settings, and passwords across multiple different devices (eg phone and laptop)

Using other apps will be an intuitive experience based on the app itself and who built it.
Navigation will be the same- use the mouse and keyboard to add inputs to the app- the difference is what button to push and what the button does.

Most OSs have a sort of app store or hub which is an application itself which helps the user search for other apps.
Some stores are better than others, and it is also possible to install apps from the internet. Because of the risk associated with executing strange programs, some OSs will block this feature by default for security. You should verify the program is legitimate by cross-referencing the target program and creator with other reliable sources on the internet.

Your phone can be connected via cable to directly copy or move files from one to the other. After plugging in, check for a notification on the phone and PC to confirm actions.
If it does not automatically open, you can find your phone attached as a new device in the file browser.
Some phones have an app that allows you to transfer files over a local network, and some cloud services allow you to access your data from anywhere.

There are conspiracies that certain parties can access your machine data, even when it is off.
It is true that most new machines are designed to be getting faster, but the complexity within them is simultaneously making them slower.
You probably do not need extra AI tools if you know how to make a google search.
Be careful when downloading and installing apps from unknown sources!