The Bootup Sequence: Immediately after pressing the "On" button on the system unit and monitor, you will go through a series of screens which will have no meaning to you whatsoever.
This series of screens is actually following instructions and performing tasks to successfully bootup your computer into the operating system. This process of events is called a bootup sequence. I will only give a general summary of what's happening. Just because you do not see the process in front of your eyes doesn't mean nothing is happening. When instructions are being followed out of your view, it's understood that they are being carried out in the background. You will notice that this happens alot in Windows Me. You do not see this background. You can get a glimpse of what's happening in the background when the Windows Me startup splash logo screen by pressing the ESC key on the keyboard. You can only see what the computer wants you to see. To make a long
story short, your computer first begins with the Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor, where simply put, is responsible for the setup of your computer system allowing your hard drives, CD-ROM drives, etc. to work together, as well as maintaining your system clock, which you'll see in Windows Me. You'll learn how to change the time and date on this clock in Windows Me. It will then boot into the Basic Output/Input System, or BIOS, which is responsible for allowing your peripherals (devices which are connected to your computer through a cable, adapter, etc.) to work with DOS or Windows Me. Next it will load (to begin; call into action) into an operating system called the Disk Operating
System or DOS, which is responsible for the management of files, etc. by both the user (a person who uses the computer for basic purposes) and the computer. DOS is very ugly because it's black-and-white. Finally, the computer will load Windows Me (an operating system for home users allowing users to perform tasks quickly and make use of the Internet). Loading Windows Me will load device drivers needed to make your computer peripherals work with Windows Me. Device drivers are programs which will tell its device how to work with your operating system.
Hardware: An operating
system which display graphics and allow its users to interact with the graphics is called an Graphical User Interface or GUI (pronounced like "gooey"). You interact with the graphics by peripherals such as a pointing device (a device which allows the user to move around a GUI and operate commands, which are keywords used to tell a computer to perform complex instructions), by pressing hotkeys (shortcuts to commands used instead of the mouse performed by keyboard keys) on the keyboard (a device responsible for displaying characters pressed by the user from a key, which is the button on the keyboard responsible for displaying the character shown on the key), a joystick, gamepad, etc. These devices (tools which will assist you with the operating system) are called hardware, (speakers, printer)
which is a device that plugs into the computer. Devices which plug into the back of the computer (outside the computer) are called external devices, while, devices which click, clip, or
snap inside the system unit are called internal devices.
Software: Software is a compilation of different programs (the end-result of activating a command, a set of instructions interacted with the user by use of files). Software containing programs by different companies is called a software bundle. Software may be distributed over the Internet, on a CD, or on a disk. To put a program into action, allowing the program to be workable, you must activate it. To activate a program means to open a program. Programs are made of many files. You can put programs into your computer by installing them. You can take out the program (uninstalling), add new information to it (called updating, which you update only a current version to an update of that version, such as 1.0 can be updated to 1.1 or as determined by the software developer), or upgrade (update the program from the current version to the next higher version, such as 1.0 to 2.0) the program. Retrieving software from the Internet, a disk, CD, etc., is called downloading, while putting the software to a disk, to the Internet, etc., is called uploading.
DOS, CMOS, and GUI are also known as acronyms, which are abbreviations of words.
Beware that the term "computer" can both be used to mean the system unit, or the system unit, monitor, etc. You will learn more about everything described throughout this entire e-book. Good luck!