(New, revised, and enlarged edition)
Now with more screenshots, more topics, and more tips.
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The title of this site could have been "computers for beginners", "computers for seniors", "computer basics", "computer tutorials", "basics of computing" - anything. Any of these titles would be appropriate for this site. But at work, I have found that people over 50 usually need help using their computers. That is why I have chosen the title "Computer Help For People Over 50". Whether you are over 50 or under 15, if you are new to computers and/or Windows, and if you need help with some of the basics of computing, you have just found the right source. Please bookmark* this page now before you lose it! This is truly a "computers for beginners" site. People of any age can benefit from these tutorials. And these tutorials are totally FREE!!
To the elderly people I say I know your predicament because I was myself in your position just a few years ago. I often felt too embarassed to ask basic computer questions to younger people for fear of being laughed at.
A few quick notes before we begin:
Okay, let's get started. I shall touch on the following topics in the order they are listed.
You can read everything from beginning to end, or you can jump to the topic of your interest by clicking on it.
I am not a computer expert by any stretch of imagination. I am not a teacher either. I am a 61 year old man (at the time of writing this - in 2002) who first started using computers only about 5-6 years ago. By sheer perseverance I have taught myself a few basic things about computers. I kept on reading the manuals and online help until I found the answer to my question. And since I come from a family of teachers, I guess I have it in my blood ... I have discovered that I can explain things to learners better than an average person.
These tutorials are for Personal Computers (PC), not for Macintosh (Mac). The Operating System is Windows. I use Windows 98 at home. Therefore, the examples and screenshots will be from Windows 98. But please understand this - if you learn the fundamentals here, you can apply it to any Windows based system. If you are using Windows XP, your screen may look a little different than the screenshots you see here. But please be assured if you understand how things work in Windows environment, you can apply it to any version of Windows. You will be able to figure out things yourself if they work slightly differently in the Windows version you are using. I can and do use all available versions of Windows with ease. Because I know the principles how Windows work! It is like learning to drive a car. If you know how to drive a car, you can drive any make, any model, any year car. Different cars have controls located at different places. Sometimes the controls look slightly different. But you can always figure them out. Sometimes figuring out may take an extra minute. But you can always figure it out. Right?
With computers, usually the same task can be performed in various ways. Most often what can be accomplished with a click or clicks of the mouse, can also be done by striking a key or combination of keys on the key board. While it is good to have options, I find it doubly hard to remember how to do a particular thing with so many available options. I, therefore, try to remember only one way of doing a thing, either by using the mouse or by using the keyboard, whichever seems easier (to me) to remember or to do. In this site, I shall, therefore, try to teach only one way of doing a certain thing in most cases. I shall ignore the alternative ways. That approach will also keep the length of each topic relatively short. I hope my readers will appreciate that.
These days most people use computers both at work and in home. In large offices, each computer is usually a part of a Local Area Network (LAN) and some of the things there work, and are maintained slightly differently, than free standing home computers. Since this web site is meant for elderly people, many of whom are retired, I shall restrict the discussions to mainly home computers which are used by many grandpa's and grandma's these days who may not have used computers in their working days. Many grandparents are using computers these days to surf the Net and to keep in touch with their children and grandchildren via e-mail. This web site is dedicated to all these grandparents who could use a little help.
This site is about basic Windows help. All Windows based programs work basically the same way. If you know the general principles about how to work in Windows environment, you can figure out many things about particular applications yourself. But don't expect answers in this site about how to do a particular thing with a particular application you are using, such as your word processor or your photo editing program. Such discussions are beyond the scope of this site.
And always remember Windows online help and the particular application's online help are your best bets for solutions to your specific problems. Well, probably a better bet is telephone support from the Technical Services Representative of the company concerned, provided you are eligible for Tech Support, and provided you can get through to them!
Have a few laughs and feel confident that you know better.
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This site has been recommended by the Sunday Times (London) for the elderly people.
Click here to view the recommendation.
Helpful Hint: The Guestbook opens in a new window. After viewing or signing the Guestbook, you will have to CLOSE the Guestbook window to return to this page.
Glossary >>
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Please respect my ownership of the copyright to these tutorials. You are welcome to use them to learn the Basics of Computing. However, there are a few restrictions on their use.
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