... Recommend this series to a friend.

Much is from Joe Robson's Newbie Club, it is highly recommended.

Your computer just sits there. So what does it take for you to understand it? Just a little insight is all. Let's dive into the some of the most fundamental aspects of Windows, and see if you can apply what you read here to your everyday computer use.

The fundamental basics: New PC users should play Solitaire. Really. It's the card game included with Windows, and it will give you skills that you just won't learn any easier anywhere else. Why not learn and have fun at the same time? Here's the path to Solitaire (if you have the original Start menu arrangement): Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, Games, Solitaire.

I say "original Start menu arrangement" because eventually you will configure that menu to your own convenience, and save it, and make changes in it when necessary. It's your Start menu and it should reflect your own needs.

Solitaire is an excellent tool for basic mouse training. There you can develop the skills of clicking, double-clicking, dragging, and dropping. Those are the fundamentals. Without them, you're a lost child at the amusement park. Everything becomes terrifying instead of thrilling. Second to those skills would be cut, copying, and pasting (sorry, Solitaire doesn't teach that).

Files and Folders are your friends. Your hard drive contains thousands of files. Your files make up programs, as well as "stand-alone" bits of information. A file can be a document you've typed to a friend, a scanned image of a photograph, or a webpage you download from the internet. It can be a graphic on a webpage, or a spreadsheet.

Folders are used to organize files. They may contain lots of different files, and may contain other folders as well. Folders are also called Directories. Just like the phone book is a directory of names and numbers, so a folder may be a directory of information about a particular subject or topic.

You can give folders long names including spaces. In the old days, you could only name a folder with 8 characters. Pretty limiting. Now, you can stretch that to well over 200 characters. Instead of "Ltr2mom.doc" you can have "My plea to mom for more money for my gas guzzling BMW.doc."

Objects are not confusing unless you've been exposed to techie-speak without a proper introduction. The word "object" is meaningless unless you put it in the proper context. Within the Windows context, an object is something that can be expected to behave in a particular manner. The icons on your desktop are objects, and you know how they behave. You double click, and a program loads. Every time. You know what to expect when you perform the double click.

Objects are representations of other programs or parts of programs. For example, an object may be an icon, folder, file, a disk drive, a printer, or even a network connection. When you double click on an object, you can expect a certain response from it. Objects generally have properties associated with them. You can modify many of the characteristics of an object. Just use the Properties sheet for behavior modification. Freud never had it so good!

A "property sheet" is just another way of telling you that you can make changes to an objects behavior. Many objects, when right clicked, will display a menu with the word "Properties" on it. Click the Properties item and you'll be treated with some customization options for the object under scrutiny.

Mouse cursors number in the millions and you can make yours uniquely yours. Oh, and the cursor tells you what's happening, too! The cursor, as you move it around the screen, doesn't remain a plain white arrow. It may change to a double headed arrow, an "I" beam, or even an hourglass. You may want to change your cursor from a plain white arrow to a bumblebee or a flea, or to a big black arrow. It doesn't matter; Windows can do that. For a look at the various cursor options, just visit your local Control Panel (Start, Control Panel) and double click the Mouse object. Depending your own unique setup, you'll find a lot of cool information there.

Shortcuts are excellent if you know where they lead. Never take a shortcut that hasn't been proven. If you feel lost in the land of gee-whiz, that's ok. Everyone enters, but only a few exit without first going through the infernal frustration zone. If you knew of a shortcut that would bypass that zone, you'd take it, right?

Well, shortcuts in Windows are similar. Instead of digging through lists looking for a file or program you use all the time, you can create a shortcut to it that circumvents the search. Your desktop is the location of choice for shortcut creation, as it's readily accessible by you. Shortcuts can be created to any file, folder, or even your hard disk. Create a shortcut by right dragging an object to a new location.

To right drag, just right click on the object, hold the button down while dragging, then release over your target drop zone (your desktop in this case). When you release the mouse button, you'll see a little menu with questions. Answer "Create shortcut" and you've done it. Try it now; it's easy.

You need a driver if you want to go anywhere with your computer. A driver is a software program that's used to help your PC work with its hardware. Just like a driver in a car who helps the car get from home to the shopping mall.

Your printer needs a driver. So do your soundcard, scanner, and even your digital camera's PC connection. If you have a buggy driver, you may encounter unexplainable error messages. If your buggy driver is outdated, you may also experience problems. No, the buggy driver doesn't whip the horses.

Note: A software bug is simply a problem with the code that makes up the software. Thus, a "buggy driver" would have a problem communicating with the hardware device it was written for.

A lot of files on the internet are obtained in a particular format known as a zipped file. A file with the extension of .zip will contain multiple files, often thousands. The .zip file requires a special software program to unzip it. On the opposite side of the fence, the same software can compress or "zip" the group of files into a smaller single file or object. Hey, a paperclip is an object, as is a pen or a dollar bill. Just so, a zipped file is an object. Just a wee bit more insight for you. A utility is a program that works in a specific manner on a specific task, such as the program, WinZip.

Computer maintenance should be preventive. With computers, it's vital. Sure, you don't have to do it, but if you're at all interested in keeping a nicely functioning machine, you'll do it. Things like sorting the bits and bytes on your hard drive into an organized fashion are handled through the de-fragmentation skills of the Disk Defragmenter. You'll read somewhere, "Did you defrag your drive?" Excuse me? Do I want to do that? I'm leary about defragging anything. But of course now you know we're talking about un-cluttering the clutter your hard disk turns into after it's used for more than a few days.

Scandisk is another maintenance utility that comes with Windows. It fixes problems on your hard disk before they get out of hand. Your defragger won't finish its job if it encounters a disk error that Scandisk hasn't fixed. Run Scandisk as a part of your maintenance routine, and then defragment. And let the Scandisk doctor fix the problem automatically. He knows what he's doing without your help. If you want to know more in-depth stuff about hard disks and why they work, consult a PhD in discology. Using Scandisk and Disk Defragmenter on a weekly basis will not improve your computers performance dramatically, but it will dramatically decrease the likelihood of a disk crash or loss of other important stuff.

The Windows Registry (I call it hallowed ground) is totally unlike anything you've ever seen, and is off limits to the timid. The Registry is a central database that contains all the info on settings, colors, properties, and more for your PC. It also holds the settings for the programs and applications, as well as hardware installed on your PC. Entire volumes have been dedicated to this area.

Plug and Play is just a phrase and doesn't always work as simply as stated. The goal is to get Windows to automatically configure itself when you install some new piece of hardware. You plug in a new scanner, start Windows, and it discovers the new equipment, configures itself accordingly, and lets you start scanning. If only it were actually that simple. Plug and Play isn't all peaches and cream, but it goes a long way in making installations easier.

If you never hook up new hardware, then this won't bother you. The easiest way to install new hardware is get the neighbor kid over for cookies and milk in payment for installing your new hard drive. OK, not really. But if you're totally challenged by the idea of digging into the guts of your PC, then find someone who will take this task in stride.