11 Common Computer Questions and Answers

I have been asked a lot of questions about computers and I thought that I would list some of them here.There are never stupid questions. We weren’t born knowing everything. Asking questions is one of the ways we learn. You should never be afraid to ask questions.

Q: How do I check how much memory I have?

A: Click the start button and right-click Computer, listed in right side column, and choose properties. In the window that pops up, look under system. You should see “installed memory (RAM)”. This is the size of the memory that’s installed in your computer. If you have Windows XP you will see My Computer after clicking the start button.

Q: If I install more memory, will I have more space in my computer?

A: No, you will need to install a larger hard drive. Memory is what the computer uses to run software on your computer. When you load a program, it is temporarily stored in memory while it’s being used. The hard drive is where everything is permanently stored.

Q: How do I find out if I have 32 bit or 64 bit Windows?

A: Click the start button, and right-click Computer. Choose properties and when the window pops up look under system. You should see System type and it will tell you whether you have a 32 bit or 64bit operating system. Windows XP users will need to go to the control panel and choose system. If you don’t see it listed, go to the search box at the top of the control panel window and type system. Click the general tab. If you don’t see x64 listed with the name of your operating system, then you have 32 bit.

Q: Should I compress my c drive to give me more space?

A: Compressing any drive is not recommended. Compressing c drive will give you more space, but it will eventually cause you major problems. It can slow your computer down. I know this sounds strange considering more space equals better performance, but Windows will need to uncompress those files every time they’re accessed. Which means your programs will take longer to load. Also, compression can corrupt Windows files and in turn, make your computer unusable. You would need to reinstall Windows, but you will have to uncompress the drive first.

Q: The program I installed didn’t put a shortcut on my desktop. How do I make a shortcut?

A: First, try refreshing your desktop. Sometimes the program will put the shortcut on there, but it just isn’t showing up. Right click your desktop and click refresh. If that doesn’t work, click on Start and go to your list of programs. Find the file that you click on to start your program. Right click it and drag it to your desktop. When you let go of the mouse a menu will pop up. Choose create shortcut here.

Q: How do I change the name of my computer?

A: Right click on Computer (Windows XP will be My Computer) and choose properties. In the window that pops up look for “Computer name, domain and workgroup settings”. In that area you will see “Change settings”. (Windows XP will see a computer name tab after clicking properties). Click change settings and then you will see a window with tabs at the top. Make sure Change name is chosen and click the “Change” button at the bottom of the window. Under Computer name, type in the name you want to use for your computer.

Q: My browser is in full screen, how do I get it back to normal?

A: Hit the F11 key.

Q: A program won’t run unless I have administrator rights. What is that?

A: If you use a personal computer, then you could be the administrator. The administrator is the person you has the right to make system changes on the computer. Usually the first user account created on the computer has administrator rights. If additional user accounts were added, they would have to be named as an administrator when the account was created. If you use a work computer, you are most likely not the administrator and won’t be able to load any programs that request it.

Q: How do I load a program that needs administrator rights?

A: Right click the shortcut for the program and choose properties. Click the compatibility tab and put a check mark beside “Run this program as administrator” Click OK and try to load it again. If the option is grayed out, you most likely don’t have those rights.

Q: How do I find my IP address?

A: Hold down the windows logo key (located between the CTRL and Alt keys) and hit the R key. This should bring up the run window. Type cmd in the window and click OK. A window with a black background will pop up. Type ipconfig/all in the window and hit enter. There will be a list of information that comes up. You only need to worry about one line. You may need to scroll up to look for it. Look for IPv4 or IPv6 address. It will be in this format, 12.0.0.01 and should say (preferred) beside it. This is your IP address.

Q: How do I shut down or restart windows 8?

A: Hold the windows logo key and hit C. Click settings and then the power icon. A small menu should open that will let you shutdown or restart windows 8. It will also let you put your computer to sleep.

Article Source: EzineArticles by Author Teresa Thomas .