<\/span><\/h2>\nIf you work in an office, regardless of what tasks you perform, you are handling information.<\/p>\n
At lower levels of the organization, whether you shuffle paper, fill in forms, maintain a list, or even deliver the mail, your job is to deliver, create, or maintain information.<\/p>\n
As a field agent or field worker, you perform work at a job site.\u00a0 You probably need to be able to write up a work summary, generate an invoice, fill in a time card, and generate an expense report.\u00a0 Depending on the type of service you perform, you might need to maintain a parts inventory, or generate an RMA.<\/p>\n
As a knowledge worker or information<\/em> worker, you have a knowledge and experience base that allows you to make recommendations or provide direction.\u00a0 You need to be able to find information, and create reports, proposals and other artifacts.<\/p>\nIn a management position, you provide direction to the organization.\u00a0 You rely on rapid access to information from external and internal sources, and you create clear and concise communications.<\/p>\n
In any of these positions, you deal with information – finding, creating, storing, updating, or delivering information, and you need to have some basic computer skills to perform your job function.<\/p>\n
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<\/span>Update: 3\/16\/2016<\/span><\/h3>\nKNOW HOW TO FIND YOUR IP ADDRESS.<\/p>\n
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<\/span>Start Up and Shut Down Your Computer<\/span><\/h2>\nAs silly as this sounds, some people don’t even know the basic operation of their own computer.<\/p>\n
\n- Know where the power button is located.\u00a0 Tap the power button to start the computer.\u00a0 If the computer is running, tap the power button to initiate a shutdown.<\/li>\n
- If the computer is locked up, press and hold the power button to force it to shut off.\u00a0 THIS SHOULD BE A LAST RESORT, as it might corrupt some of your files, or even cause the computer to fail to start properly.<\/li>\n
- Know where the power cord plugs in, and know how to check to see if it’s plugged in.\u00a0 Especially if your computer is located under the desk, it’s not uncommon for the cleaning crew or another person to accidentally bump your computer, and dislodge the power cord.\u00a0 If you press the power button to start your computer, and it does absolutely nothing, check both ends of your power cord, to make sure it’s plugged in.<\/li>\n
- Some computers have a power switch on the back, AND ALSO a power button on the front (or top).\u00a0 Don’t EVER use the power switch while the computer is running – this could corrupt your files or even cause your computer to fail to start properly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
There are three types of “shut down”:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Shut down:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tap the power button, or select “Shut down”, and wait for Windows to shut down.\u00a0 The computer is completely off.\u00a0 To turn it on again, tap the power button.<\/li>\n
- Standby:<\/strong>\u00a0 If you walk away from your computer, it might go in to “Standby” mode.\u00a0 Many laptops will switch to “Standby” mode if you close the lid.\u00a0 You can also select “Standby” from the menu.\u00a0 In standby mode, your computer uses a little bit of power to maintain your session, but powers off all of the devices, such as the monitor and hard drive.\u00a0 The CPU enters an ultra-low-power state, and only a trickle of electricity is required in order to keep the memory and CPU alive.\u00a0 To exit standby mode, wiggle the mouse, or press the “SHIFT” key on the keyboard.<\/li>\n
- Be careful<\/strong> storing a laptop while on Standby – due to\u00a0the power needed to maintain the CPU and memory state, it could overheat if stored in an enclosed laptop bag for a long period of time.\u00a0 Instead, use hibernate.<\/li>\n
- Hibernate:<\/strong>\u00a0 Hibernate is a cross between fully shut down and standby.\u00a0 A copy of the system state is written to disk, and then the computer is shut off.\u00a0 When later restarted, the hibernation file will load from disk automatically, and restore your session.\u00a0 This is often much faster than a full startup, and is convenient if you’re using a laptop to work while traveling.<\/li>\n
- Windows 8 and 10 have a “fast startup”<\/strong> mode, that works exactly like Hibernate.\u00a0 In these versions, when you select “Shut down”, it really performs a hibernation.\u00a0 When you later restart your computer, it “starts fast” by simply loading the hibernation file.\u00a0 Over time, Windows can become really flaky.\u00a0 To perform a full restart, HOLD SHIFT while shutting down.\u00a0 This will shut down and then bring up a boot menu.\u00a0 Select “FULL RESTART” from the boot menu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Know how to start and shut down your computer, and know the difference between shut down, hibernate, and standby.<\/p>\n
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<\/span>Switch Applications<\/span><\/h2>\nThe best thing about Windows is that you can run multiple applications at the same time.\u00a0 However, sometimes this can get confusing.<\/p>\n
\n- Hold ALT and repeatedly tap TAB<\/strong> to cycle through all of your running applications and open windows.<\/li>\n
- Hold ALT+SHIFT and tap TAB<\/strong> to cycle backward<\/strong><\/em> through your windows and applications.<\/li>\n
- Hold WINDOWS or WINDOWS+SHIFT and tap TAB<\/strong> to see a 3D view of your open windows and applications.\u00a0 This works exactly like ALT+TAB and SHIFT+ALT+TAB, but it’s prettier.<\/li>\n
- If you have multiple documents open at once, use CTRL+TAB or CTRL+SHIFT+TAB<\/strong> to switch between individual documents within an application.\u00a0 So if you have 3 spreadsheets open, CTRL+TAB and CTRL+SHIFT+TAB will cycle through them.<\/li>\n
- CTRL+TAB and CTRL+SHIFT+TAB are especially convenient when cycling through open browser tabs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/span>Know the Difference Between Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer<\/span><\/h2>\nWindows Explorer, sometimes called File<\/em> Explorer, usually has a folder icon, and allows you to navigate among drives and folders, and allows you to copy, rename, delete, or open files.<\/p>\nInternet Explorer, the blue “e” icon, is a browser that you would use to view a web page, such as Google.com<\/p>\n
When you call the Help Desk and they tell you to “Open Explorer”, they DO NOT mean “Internet Explorer”.\u00a0 They mean the folder icon.<\/p>\n
You should never<\/em> use Internet Explorer for anything if you can help it – use Firefox or Chrome instead.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/span>Know Where Your Data is Stored, and How to Find It<\/span><\/h2>\n“How do I get in to my spreadsheet?”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nThat’s the most annoying thing you can ask, when you call the Help Desk.<\/p>\n
“I normally have an icon on the desktop, but it’s gone, and now I don’t know how to get in to my spreadsheet.”<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nContrary to popular belief, the IT Department doesn’t keep track of every file on your hard drive.<\/p>\n
If your job depends on being able to edit this one, very important document, then you should probably have some basic understanding of:<\/p>\n
\n- Where it’s stored<\/strong>, as in, specifically which folder<\/li>\n
- The file size<\/strong> – E.g. will it fit on a memory stick?\u00a0 Can I e-mail it to someone?\u00a0 How much storage is required, in order to make a backup?<\/li>\n
- File type<\/strong> – You should know what kind of data is stored in the file, and what program you need to run, in order to edit the file.\u00a0 Is it a spreadsheet that you edit in Excel?\u00a0 Is it a text document that you edit in Word?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here are some tips for organizing and finding your files:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Save everything in your “Documents” folder.<\/strong>\u00a0 When you go to save a file, click the “Documents” folder on the left before you save it.\u00a0 There are a few good reasons to do this, and these might be self-evident, but they are still valid:\n
\n- You can easily find anything you save<\/strong><\/em> from email or any other source, because it’s all in one location.<\/li>\n
- There is one location to be concerned with, for backing up and restoring<\/strong><\/em> all of your critical documents.\u00a0 If you have stuff spread out all over your hard drive, there is a very real risk that you’ll forget to back up some of your stuff.<\/li>\n
- You don’t have to worry about User Account Control, or Windows’ weird permissions scheme<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 “Documents” is part of your profile, and you automatically have access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- In Documents, create folders by date or by project<\/strong>, so that you can group similar documents together.\u00a0 For example, creating a folder for each year, or storing all of your “XYZ” project documents in an “XYZ” folder allows you to group different types of related documents, together.\u00a0 If you have hundreds of documents in one folder, it’s much more difficult to find one specific document.<\/li>\n
- Make regular backups<\/strong> of your Documents folder, and all of its subfolders and files.\u00a0 Here are some good options for storing backup copies:\n
\n- Network server<\/strong><\/em> – Network servers are maintained by the IT Department, and are backed up regularly.\u00a0 If your computer crashes, you can get a loaner computer, and still have access to your critical documents.<\/li>\n
- External hard drive<\/strong><\/em> – A USB-connected drive gives you plenty of storage for backups, and easy access when needed.<\/li>\n
- Store critical documents in Sharepoint, or your company’s intranet portal<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 This gives you web-based access, and the servers are managed and backed up by the IT Department.<\/li>\n
- DO NOT make a “backup” to a separate folder on your hard drive<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 Your hard drive could fail, and then you’d lose both copies.<\/li>\n
- DO NOT use a memory stick for backups.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Memory sticks and cards are volatile – they can fail or lose data over time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Use the Windows Search feature<\/strong> to find documents with a specific name, part of a name, modified recently, created by a specific person, or containing specific keywords.\u00a0 Pressing Windows+S allows you to search within “Documents” or any other folder.<\/li>\n
- If you still can’t find your file, try opening up the program, such as Excel or Word, and check the “recent files” list<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
If YOUR<\/strong> job depends on having access to a specific file, make sure YOU<\/strong> know as much about it as possible, and take steps to make backup copies.\u00a0 Know how to search for a file, and use “recent files” in order to locate critical files.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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<\/span>Find and Run an Application<\/span><\/h2>\nOnce again, maybe you had a shortcut on your desktop, and now it’s gone!<\/p>\n
This time, the missing shortcut launches the application that you use to convert files, or program the badge access system.<\/p>\n
Your job depends on that application!<\/p>\n
Don’t panic…<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Use the Start Menu’s “Search” feature – type the name of your program<\/li>\n
- Your program should appear in the search results<\/li>\n
- If not, use (File) Explorer to navigate to C:\\Program Files or C:\\Program Files (x86).\u00a0 These two folders\u00a0 contain most of your programs, which are typically organized by publisher.\u00a0 For example, all of your “Office” programs are inside a “Microsoft” folder.<\/li>\n
- Once you find your super-critical program, right-click, and select “Create shortcut”, then drag the shortcut to your desktop.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
If a particular program is so completely critical that you’d get fired, or the company would go out of business without it, make sure it’s installed and runs properly from multiple computers.\u00a0 That way, if one fails, you can still run it from a backup location.<\/p>\n
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<\/span>Copy and Paste<\/span><\/h2>\nBack in the DOS days, it was difficult to share information between two programs.\u00a0 DOS allows you to run one program at a time, and doesn’t maintain any user session information that can be used when one program ends and another program starts.\u00a0 To share information, you had to export it from one application, and then import it to another.\u00a0 So if you had a list of names in a spreadsheet, there was no way to copy, embed, or link that in to a text document.\u00a0 You had to load the spreadsheet application, open the spreadsheet, export the list to a text file, close the spreadsheet application, launch the word processing application, and import the text file!<\/p>\n
Today, we simply copy and paste<\/strong>, which is one of the many advantages afforded by a multi-tasking operating system such as Windows.<\/p>\nWith both both applications running simultaneously, you “copy” data from the spreadsheet, and simply “paste” it in to your document.<\/p>\n
\n- The “Clip Board”<\/strong><\/em> is a virtual location that holds data when you copy, cut or paste.\u00a0 You can think of the clipboard as a hidden document.<\/li>\n
- “Copy”<\/strong><\/em> means just that – a copy of the data remains in the source document, and a second copy is created on the clipboard.<\/li>\n
- “Cut”<\/strong><\/em> means that the data is copied to the clipboard, but removed from the source document.<\/li>\n
- “Paste”<\/strong><\/em> creates a copy of the clipboard data in the current document, at the current cursor position.<\/li>\n
- Know your shortcut keys<\/strong><\/em> (see below).\u00a0 They save a tremendous amount of time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Here is how to copy and paste:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Select some data.<\/strong>\u00a0 There are a couple of different ways to do this:\n
\n- Use your mouse.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0 Click and drag to select some text or data.<\/li>\n
- Press CTRL+A<\/strong><\/em> to select an entire document.<\/li>\n
- Or, use SHIFT+arrows<\/strong><\/em> to select some data.\u00a0 For example, SHIFT+UP will select the entire previous line in a document, or two vertical cells in a spreadsheet.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Figure out if you want to copy or cut<\/strong>.\u00a0 If you’re moving data within a single document, you might want to cut.\n
\n- To COPY, press CTRL+C<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 You can also copy by selecting “Edit..Copy” from the menu, or by right-clicking the selected text, and selecting “Copy”.<\/li>\n
- To CUT, press CTRL+X<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 You can also cut by selecting “Edit..Cut” from the menu, or by right-clicking the selected text, and selecting “Cut”.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n
- Move your cursor to the new location<\/strong>.\u00a0 This can be another document, or to a new location within the same document.\u00a0 Move the cursor to the exact place where you want the new data to appear.<\/li>\n
- Paste by pressing CTRL+V<\/strong>.\u00a0 You can also select Edit..Paste from the menu.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Use copy and paste to quickly move data between documents, or to another part of the same document.\u00a0 Know your shortcut keys in order to save time.<\/p>\n
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<\/span>Take a Screen Shot<\/span><\/h2>\nWhether creating documentation, assisting a client with troubleshooting, or asking for technical assistance, being able to make a picture of the screen, known as a screenshot, makes it easier for other people to understand what you’re seeing, or asking THEM to take a screen shot helps you understand what THEY are seeing.<\/p>\n
In Windows:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- PrtScn (Print Screen)<\/strong> – Press the Print Screen key to take a picture of the entire desktop.\u00a0 Note that if you have multiple monitors, you’ll get one large picture with each monitor’s image in sequence from left to right.<\/li>\n
- ALT+PrtScn<\/strong> – Hold down ALT while pressing Print Screen to capture JUST the active window.\u00a0 Most of the time, you want to use ALT+PrtScn, to avoid capturing extra irrelevant junk – we don’t want to see your inbox, nor an IM session with Tammy from Accounting.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
In Windows 7, 8, and 10:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Use the snipping tool.<\/strong>\u00a0 The icon looks like this:
\n![\"snipping-tool-icon\"](\"https:\/\/justinparrtech.com\/JustinParr-Tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/snipping-tool-icon-150x150.jpg\")
\nIf you don’t know how to find the snipping tool, maybe you should learn how to “Find and Run an Application” (see above)<\/li>\n- The snipping tool, by default, allows you to draw a rectangle<\/strong> around any part of the screen, and it captures that portion of the screen as a picture.<\/li>\n