Tutorial advice

kayceekaycee Posts: 12,037
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I am the first to admit that my computer knowledge is extremely limited, but I would like to become more knowledgeable.

Can anyone recommend an on-line site that I could learn from?

Thank you.

Comments

  • MaxatoriaMaxatoria Posts: 17,980
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    in what area? networking, programming, graphical design, just using the operating system etc (which version) as theres so many areas
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,319
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    For unfamiliar terminology and acronyms Wikipedia is often a very useful place to start.
  • call100call100 Posts: 7,264
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    Computer basics might be of some use. It has videos to help..
  • DaedrothDaedroth Posts: 3,065
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    What sort of thing do you want to learn about computers, because it can cover a wide range of topics.

    If you wanted a more personal session, some colleges offer free evening courses that cover the basics of computing.
  • kayceekaycee Posts: 12,037
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    Daedroth wrote: »
    What sort of thing do you want to learn about computers, because it can cover a wide range of topics.

    If you wanted a more personal session, some colleges offer free evening courses that cover the basics of computing.

    I really just want to understand more what people are saying when they use terminology, etc. And, for example, how to put things right when Firefox messes up my system [help given for that one by lovely DS peeps on another thread].

    Also how to burn dvds properly (my attempts are very hit and miss!) ..... that sort of thing.

    College evening courses are very expensive in this area; there are a few free courses in local library .... but they are even more basic than I need - i.e. how to switch computer on/off; how to send an email, that sort of thing.
  • kayceekaycee Posts: 12,037
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    Thank you all for your responses; definitely things to work on.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,319
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    kaycee wrote: »
    Also how to burn dvds properly (my attempts are very hit and miss!)
    To save wasting discs it might be good idea buy a few DVD-RW's to experiment on, then you can erase them and re-use them.

    You might want to try CDBurnerXP, which is freeware. Despite the name it also runs on Vista, Win7 and Win8.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cdburnerxp
    http://cdburnerxp.se
  • alanwarwicalanwarwic Posts: 28,396
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    kaycee wrote: »
    Thank you all for your responses; definitely things to work on.
    I suggest you do it on a needs basis. Its the main way self learning pays off.

    And no one can teach you the whole. Everyone is limited to their own smallish sphere of computing knowledge, as loads of cmorris's naive questions here have continually shown.
  • max99max99 Posts: 9,002
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    kaycee wrote: »
    I really just want to understand more what people are saying when they use terminology, etc. And, for example, how to put things right when Firefox messes up my system [help given for that one by lovely DS peeps on another thread].

    My advice for anyone who wants to learn more about computers is to start by learning how to effectively use Google (or whichever search engine takes your fancy).

    If you search on Google or Youtube, you'll generally find tutorials and videos on pretty much everything you need to know. It still surprises me that so many people don't realise the sheer amount of knowledge that is available at their fingertips. There will usually be a lot of junk and irrelevant info to sift through, but this can be largely eliminated by using effective search terms and getting used to spotting which kinds of results to ignore. Using your 'Firefox' example, if you needed to reset Firefox, but didn't know where to begin, just entering 'reset firefox' into Google or Youtube will quickly lead you to numerous guides and step-by-step instructions.

    Being proficient in using a search engine is by far the most important IT skill to learn.
  • kayceekaycee Posts: 12,037
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    max99 wrote: »
    My advice for anyone who wants to learn more about computers is to start by learning how to effectively use Google (or whichever search engine takes your fancy).

    If you search on Google or Youtube, you'll generally find tutorials and videos on pretty much everything you need to know. It still surprises me that so many people don't realise the sheer amount of knowledge that is available at their fingertips. There will usually be a lot of junk and irrelevant info to sift through, but this can be largely eliminated by using effective search terms and getting used to spotting which kinds of results to ignore. Using your 'Firefox' example, if you needed to reset Firefox, but didn't know where to begin, just entering 'reset firefox' into Google or Youtube will quickly lead you to numerous guides and step-by-step instructions.

    Being proficient in using a search engine is by far the most important IT skill to learn.

    Tried that, but unfortunately it doesn't then explain what to do if the resetting instructions don't work :eek:

    I think one of my main problems is I lack the confidence to try some things in case I go wrong and mess up my computer completely.

    But I will take your advice and use Google more.
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