Definition of Delete vs Cancel – Two Commonly Confused Computer Terms
In this article, I want to talk a little bit about two computer terms that I see people confusing or demonstrating that they don’t understand completely. People often use the two interchangeably or consistently use the wrong one. These two terms are “cancel” and “delete.”
Computer Question – Why Do You Have to Restart Your Computer?
This question was asked by Paul Prior. Paul wrote saying, “Out of curiosity, after updates I get a message saying to restart my computer, which I always do. What’s the reason for this?”
Transcription begins:
This is a pretty simple thing to understand when you think about it the right way.
Simple Computer Tips That Will Make Your Life Easier
Computer users have a wide range of experience and levels of understanding of their computers. The great majority of users have just learned the most basic features of a few of the thousands of programs out there. It really can be a help for you to learn computer basics that you may have been taught.
Tips on How to Use a Search Engine the Right Way
I thought I’d share the following infrographic (Image courtesy of HackCollege) which gives you tips on how to use Google and other search engines more effectively.
The guide has a bunch of good tips, many of which I share in my related video lessons in my Easy Internet course (see links below image).
I do have to mention that I disagree with one part of the information below: they say never to google questions, but that CAN be useful sometimes.
The times you want to type questions into a search engine is when you’re looking for a forum or discussion where someone has asked the same question that you have — you will often find your question has been answered in the discussion!
So while they’re right that you don’t need to phrase your searches as questions, it can be helpful sometimes.
The guide is written with students in mind — it turns out about 75% of students have no idea how to use Google properly — but has tips most computer users will find useful.
Something else to keep in mind: if 3/4ths of college students, all of whom grew up using computers, don’t know how to use a search engine correctly, it kind of puts to rest the stereotype that “all young people know how to use computers”.
I mention this because many of my older students who grew up before home computers were widespread (or before they even existed) often think they’ll never learn to use the computer as well as their kids or grandkids because of this.
The fact is, from what I’ve seen, the majority of people do not really know how to use their computer that well, regardless of age.
This isn’t a criticism, just a simple fact. People who grew up with computers have the benefit of feeling more comfortable using them, but that doesn’t make them any better automatically.
It can help because they have fewer limiting beliefs about their ability to learn, which can make a big difference, but it can actually make things worse because it’s very common for those people to assume they know far more than they do.
Take a look at the infographic (instructional image) below and see what tips you can learn about how to use Google to search more effectively:
What is a USB Flash Drive – Computer Terms in Plain English
In this audio lesson & transcript, I’m going to take a question from Mark. He writes and asks, “What’s a flash drive?”
Transcript of computer lesson begins:
A flash drive is a type of storage device for a computer. A storage device is the broad or general term for anything that is used to store data or files.
A hard drive in your computer is a storage device. An old floppy disk is a storage device. A CD-ROM or DVD is a storage device, and so is a flash drive.
A lot of people call flash drives by specific brand names. They think that is the correct name for them. Sometimes they’ll refer to them as a thumb drive, jump drive, go drive, key drive or any number of things. These are actually all brand names or partial brand names that people have mistakenly thought was the correct general term for that type of device.
A flash drive is a
What is a Video Card – Computer Terms Explained in Plain English
Video Lesson Transcription Begins Here:
I want to explain the computer term “video card.” I’m answering a newsletter subscriber’s question about what a video card is. I’m going to explain to you what a video card is and what it basically does. I’m also going to give you a few suggestions on choosing the right video card for your computer.
I will not be going into specific makes and models of video cards because things change very rapidly. One of the fastest changing components in a computer is the video card because computers are putting greater and greater demands on it. Anything I could talk about that is specific to a particular make or model will be obsolete soon, so I’m not even going to get into that.
What I will do is give you the general ideas and principles that will always apply.
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Worth
Godwin Computer Training: Plain English Simplicity for This Complex Modern World |
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