Introduction to Personal Computers
Windows Vista Edition
Frequently asked questions and instructor notes
All our courses assume that each student has a personal computer to use during the class. Our hands-on approach to learning requires they do. This topic gives information on how to set up the classroom to teach this course. It includes minimum requirements for the students’ personal computers, setup information for the first time you teach the class, and setup information for each time that you teach after the first time you set up the classroom.
Hardware requirements
Each student’s personal computer should have:
· 1 GHz or faster 32- or 64-bit Pentium 4, Celeron, or AMD processor
· At least 512 MB RAM
· At least 15 GB hard-disk space, 40 GB or more recommended
· A DVD drive for installing Windows Vista.
· XGA monitor at 1024´768 resolution (or higher)
· Video adapter card compatible with DirectX 9 or newer with at least 64 MB video memory
· A keyboard and a mouse
· Printer useful but not required
· Examples of removable storage devices (i.e., CDs, DVDs, USB flash drives, memory cards, etc.) These will be used in activity A-2 in Unit 2.
Note: The hardware you use will determine the Windows Vista features that are enabled. For example, the default user interface theme is determined by the type of graphics card in your computer. The type and features of your graphics card also determine whether the Windows Sidebar is loaded at logon time. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you standardize the equipment in your classroom. Furthermore, we recommend that you key through the course before teaching it and be prepared to help students through sections where keystrokes and screenshots might vary from those included in this manual.
Software requirements
You will need the following software:
· Windows Vista Business. You can also use any other versions of Vista that include a greater set of features than the Windows Vista Business edition.
Network requirements
The following network components and connectivity are also required for this course:
· Internet access, for the following purposes:
· Downloading the latest critical updates and service packs from www.windowsupdate.com
· Completing activities in Unit 4, Unit 5, and activity A-1 in Unit 6.
· Downloading the Student Data files from www.axzopress.com (if necessary)
First-time setup instructions
The first time you teach this course, you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Install Windows Vista on an NTFS partition according to the software manufacturer’s instructions, following these additional detail steps:
a When prompted, click the button specifying to go online and get the latest updates (unless you don’t have an active Internet connection).
b When prompted, create a user account named Admin with the password !pass (an exclamation point followed by pass in all lowercase).
c Name the computers in the classroom Vista01, Vista02, Vista03, and so on. Students will need to know the names of their computers, so you might want to put a card with this information on it next to each computer.
d At the Help protect Windows automatically screen, choose Use Recommended Settings. (Optionally, you may turn off automatic updates.)
e Select the appropriate time zone and verify that the clock time is correct.
f At the Windows networking screen, select Work (to enable network discovery and file sharing).
2 Log on as Admin.
3 Return to the Control Panel home. Create a standard user account named User## where ## is the computer number. For example, on Vista01 you would create a user named User01. Assign password as the password.
4 Create a folder named Student Data at the root of the hard drive. For a standard hard drive setup, this will be C:\Student Data.
5 If you don’t have the data CD that came with this manual, download the Student Data files for the course. You can download the data directly to student machines, to a central location on your own network, or to a disk.
a Connect to www.axzopress.com.
b Under Downloads, click Instructor-Led Training.
c Browse the subject categories to locate your course. Then click the course title to display a list of available downloads. (You can also access these downloads through our Catalog listings.)
d Click the link(s) for downloading the Student Data files, and follow the instructions that appear on your screen.
6 Log out as Admin and log in as User##.
7 On each computer, start Windows Mail. (Click Start and choose E-Mail.) The New Connection Wizard starts. A fully-functional e-mail account is not necessary for this course. Follow the on-screen prompts in the New Connection Wizard as follows:
a Click Cancel. A message box appears to verify that you wish to cancel.
b Click Yes to close the wizard.
c Close Windows Mail.
8 Shut down the machine.
Setup instructions for every class
Every time you teach this course (including the first time), you will need to perform the following steps to set up each student computer.
1 Delete the User## account, including the user’s files. This removes all settings and personalization changes that the student made during the previous teaching of the course.
2 Delete the contents of the Student Data folder.
3 Create a new user named User## and assign “password” as the password.
4 Log on as User##.
5 Copy the data files for the course to the Student Data folder. (See the instructions in the preceding section about how to download the data files.)
6 Log off.
CertBlaster software
CertBlaster pre- and post-assessment software is available for this course. To download and install this free software, students should complete the following steps:
1 Go to www.axzopress.com.
2 Under Downloads, click CertBlaster.
3 Click the link for Introduction to PCs (Windows Vista).
4 Save the .EXE file to a folder on your hard drive. (Note: If you skip this step, the CertBlaster software will not install correctly.)
5 Click Start and choose Run.
6 Click Browse and then navigate to the folder that contains the .EXE file.
7 Select the .EXE file and click Open.
8 Click OK and follow the on-screen instructions. When prompted for the password, enter c_IPCvista.
Topic B: Frequently asked questions
There are no frequently asked questions for this course at this time.
Topic C: Course notes
There are no notes for this course at this time.
Topic D: Additional information
There is no additional information for this course at this time.